geneartor voltage

[alibaba]

i know this may sound silly but i am a total newbie...

i have a very windy spot nearby 15m/s.how do i determine which genrator is suitable for my site 12V, 24V, 36V & 48V DC ??. it will be grid-tied. the distance from my setup to the nearest powerline where i will"hook" my inverter and meter (in order to sell the excess electricity) is 18 meters.

i can't understand if the voltage is determined by the distance to the nearest powerline.

thanks for the help.

[cardamon]

Do you have a particular wind turbine and controller in mind?  Typically grid tied wind turbines have a high voltage output, around 240 volts three phase.  The windy boy grid tied inverter takes a dc input of around 150-400v.  The whisper 200 is available in a high voltage version, but you would have to build or aquire a three phase rectifier bridge to feed the power to the windy boy inverter.  Perhaps some more details about what you want to accomplish would help.

Regards

[alibaba]

ok, so my idea is to buy the "FuturEnergy 1KW Upwind Turbine " at http://www.futurenergy.co.uk/products.html.

the description is:

 Our New `rugged' Upwind Turbine range is based on 2 years of real-life testing and development in Warwickshire and the Uplands of Scotland.

Using our unique Permanent Magnet Generators, combined with our Hi-Spec Wind Turbine Blade Sets, these furling turbines create very useful power in low wind conditions, and over 1000W in winds of 12.5m/s.

Available in 12V, 24V, 36V & 48V DC versions, they are suitable for battery charging, water/air heating and Grid-Tie installations.

provided i have a windspeed of 15m/s will the 48 volts version be the most efficient (output) for me?

[wdyasq]

Alibaba,

I won't go into the why, you really need to research and determine how much power you will be using and what battery/inverter you will need to 'match'. Generally folks using more power have higher voltage battery banks and higher voltage inverters.

One needs to think of the entire electrical of the project as a system that is inner-connected as each part interacts with the other. In building and choosing the SYSTEM, one needs to build toward an eventual 'goal', or/and spend excessive monies.

All things considered high voltage will have less wiring losses than low voltage systems. The inverters are more rare and there are few 24V, 32V, 36V and 48VDC appliances.

Ron

[cardamon]

I dont think that would be a good wind turbine for grid tie.  I think you will be looking at a rather convoluted and lossy process to connect that low voltage dc to the grid.  Do you have a controller/inverter in mind?

[cardamon]

Ok, I just saw the windmaster 500 inverter on the link you provided.  I was not aware of that unit.  But that gives your answer, the description seems to imply that it only works with the 48 v turbine.

[jmk]

 Batteries are the most expensive part of the system. If your not looking to store power go with high voltage. It will be the most efficient way to go. If you want to store power, then it will depend on how much power you need to store and use. If it were me I would stay away from the batteries. They suck up a lot of power, they need to be taken care of, and can be hazardous. Plus you never get the power out that you think you should before they are drained. Then before to long you need to buy more batteries. If a guy buys new batteries. The price of the batteries alone will be hard to recover by power savings gained. Batteries only last about seven years.

[wooferhound]

How much electricity do you use now ?

You will need a Wind Turbine that can provide at least double the power you are using now or you won't have enough power to sell back to the power company. Not to mention that the power companies buy back the power at a Wholesale rate. And I'll mention that the equipment and inspections required for a grid tie installation are rather expensive. The power you sell back to the Utility company will cost you more than what the utility company will pay you for it.

[alibaba]

i don't intend to store power, so batteries are not to be considered.my only idea is to sell the electricity, since it's an unique spot with very good wind almost all of the time.the 1kw turbine is a start, if i can manage to successfuly setup 1 turbine than i will move on to more units. the problem is i have no knowledge of electrics and getting some professional advice is a bit difficult over here..

the power lines are pretty close- 16 meters (measured it today) from the spot where i intend to setup my turbine.

[Tritium]

My power company would pay 3 cents a KWh for excess generation (power produced above my monthly usage). You will never make any money at that type of rate. Better do your homework to see what they will do for you FIRST!

Thurmond

[jmk]

 They might even let you hook it to a breaker in your panel. Then use the grid as a battery. That is the best way to save on the electric bill. At the end of the month if you have banked power the grid co. transfers it to the next month. If that happens every month and the grid co. shows a profit at the end of the year they get to keep it. Then the whole cycle starts over again the next year. To my understanding this is one of the ways to set up a net metering with Detroit Edison. That is a win win!

[alibaba]

the local company pays 7 cents per kw, and then you get another 7 cents for producing "green" electricity - this an european project..so that would make 14 cents for each kw...by the way i am in Greece.