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Bajamatic
Senior Nomad
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Registered: 8-31-2006
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off-grid power
If I'm were to invest in a modest RV-sized mobile power source to keep house batteries charged for small electronic appliances and as a back-up for
the vehicle, am I better off using wind or solar? Both seem to be similar in costs, and where I go there's never a shortage of either. What say you?
yuletide
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monoloco
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Forget wind, solar's the only way to go. Wind generators have moving parts and are prone to mechanical failures and would take a lot of time to set up
every time you move. Solar panels last 25+ years and only need an occasional cleaning. If you are in an area that is windy at night, supplementing
your solar with wind is doable, but base the system on solar.
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BajaGringo
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| Quote: | | Originally posted by monolocoIf you are in an area that is windy at night, supplementing your solar with wind is doable, but base the system
on solar. |
Great advice.
We have a solar-wind hybrid system as we do get a lot of wind here. The wind does a nice job of keeping the batteries charged at night but the heart
of the system charging comes from the solar panels during the day...
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Roberto
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Aside from the mechanical considerations above, in most places the sun is a much more dependably available that wind. Just that is enough to make the
decision straight forward.
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mooose29
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Also if you are in an area that is affected by hurricanes make sure you have a way to remove the wind turbines and bring them inside. Have lost a
couple over the last several years due to the hurricanes and they are not cheap.
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larryC
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Here is another option. If I understand your question correctly, you are going to install this system on an RV that you move around in. If so, maybe
just a good battery charger would serve you better than setting up an inverter, charge controller, and some solar panels. If your RV already has a
generator then you can use it to power the charger. If no generator, then get a Honda 1000, or even a 2000. Either one are quiet and very reliable.
Then you can get a good three stage charger like one of these:
http://www.chargingchargers.com/iota-engineering.html?gclid=...
Then when you need to charge batteries, you don't have to wait until there wind or sun. Just a thought.
Larry
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bkbend
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Location: central OR or central baja
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Wind systems can be noisy and if you're using it at night you or those around you could become unhappy.
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woody with a view
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thing is, there wont be folks around him, at night or otherwise.
i'm just saying...... but keep the ideas flowing. always great advise here for off grid living.
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BajaGringo
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I keep hearing about how noisy wind turbines are but we don't seem to have that problem with ours. Most folks who see it for the first time (who told
me it would be noisy) have been surprised as well.
As far as dealing with hurricanes, we built our into a hinged pipe, concrete base that can be brought down to ground in a matter of about 15 minutes.
Although I haven't heard of any recent hurricanes here in San Quintin...
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woody with a view
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i'm sure al gore has plans for you....
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wiltonh
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The shape of the blade has a lot to do with how noisy wind turbines are. If the blade comes to a point at the end it generates less power but it is
not as noisy.
We spend the winters down there and solar works well for us.
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Bob and Susan
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it's interesting about wind power...
people that have it say it's not that noisy...
people that don't say it is...
i wonder...i think i'll turn on my fan and listen
Bajamatic
for you...i like the idea of the honda 1000
skip the investment in solar
[Edited on 5-8-2011 by Bob and Susan]
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ncampion
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If you're just looking to maintain a couple of RV batteries a small solar panel (60 watt or so) mounted on top with a simple controller will do the
trick. Used such a thing on my RV for many years and keep my two Trojan L16H batteries charged and was never concerned about electrical usage in the
RV. You didn't say how big your battery bank is and how much electricity you normally use, but I don't think there's any need to have an elaborate
system for what you describe.
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bkbend
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Location: central OR or central baja
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When in Baja I do not use wind power and have two neighbors who do so you know which side of the fence I'm on...
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Bajamatic
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Thanks for that discussion; it helped a ton. A couple little solar panels sound like the ticket. Thanks!
yuletide
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Borregoman
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I think Larry's response is worth considering as I have the same set up, a Honda 2000 (although a 1000 will do) and a three stage 40 amp battery
charger. You will be able to charge the house or starting battery much quicker than any other method and a small generator is always a handy thing to
have. The only downsides are space and, depending on where you carry it, you have a fuel issue to deal with (smell and occasional leaking in hot
weather as the gas expands inside the tank).
I also just purchased a Powerfilm F15-3600 60w Folding Solar Panel Charger from AMAZON...now THIS is a perfect solution as it folds
up, was designed for the military with many plugin accessories.......
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larryC
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One thing Bajamatic never told us was the amphour capacity of the house batteries. That will determine what he needs in the way of solar panels, and
charge controller. Without that info we are all just guessing.
Larry
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Bajamatic
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Hmmm. Well, I have no idea what that means. But I can tell you that my electrical system will have very small demands, the biggest probably being a
fridge or icemaker that I think would run on propane? It's conceptual at this point.
yuletide
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maspacifico
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Check out Backwoods Solar, Arizona Wind and Solar, Wholesale Solar, and I'm sure someone will chime in with others....most have worksheets you can use
to figure out what your usage is, how many batteries you need for storage, and how much solar you need to recharge the batteries.....it's a balancing
act. If you are going to be away from rv park plugins you should learn this stuff anyway. You'll make better decisions. Electric/Propane fridges make
heat to cool down the fridge. Making heat with solar is not cost effective. Conservation is the best way to cut down the cost of the system.
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bajafam
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we live completely off the grid in NE Arizona. all of our neighbors (all 3 of them!) have solar or a combined wind/solar system. We have a wind
turbine, but have yet to set it up ~ soon, though, as we have pretty consistent wind and would have to charge the batteries less when the sun doesn't
cooperate. I don't find the wind turbines to be all that noisy, especially the newer styles. As for the fan comparison, put your fan on a 40 ft pole
and then see how noisy it is  If set up properly, the rigging should be able to
withstand a hurricane. Notice I said "if" and "properly"
Propane refrigerators would be an excellent choice, as the only electric they use would be in the Pizo to ignite it. However, you have to factor in
the cost of propane. We have an energy efficient Magic Chef fridge that runs well with our system ~ very low amps. When searching for appliances,
check the energy guide and get the on with the highest rating/lowest amp/watt/voltage rating.
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