Contents
Today we will talk about autonomous electricity, what it is, how to equip a house with such a source of electricity, how to select the optimal systems. And most importantly, “is the game worth the candle.”
Features of connecting to power lines
It is now difficult to imagine comfortable housing without electricity. Thanks to him, the dwelling is illuminated, heated, food is cooked, and water is heated. But it is not always possible to provide housing with electricity, especially if the house is located far from the city.
Many owners of country houses and summer cottages, especially if they are far from civilization, have to deal with the issue of energy supply at home.
The most common solution is to connect the house to power lines, but they are not available everywhere, or the nearest line is at a decent distance from the house.
In this case, providing electricity at home can be very expensive. After all, it will be necessary to coordinate the supply of this energy source with the relevant authorities, pay for the installation of a substation and power transmission line supports to bring it to the house.
And it is especially unpleasant that the purchased equipment, and for a lot of money (substation, wires, supports) will be transferred to the balance of local energy networks, that is, they will be the owner of everything, and the owner of the house will still have to pay for electricity supplies.
Therefore, for many, this option may become impractical, quite troublesome and expensive.
Autonomous sources of electricity
The second option to provide a country house with electricity is to use autonomous sources of energy supply. Such sources can be wind, sun, water and combustible materials.
Using autonomous power supply, the owner of the house becomes completely independent in terms of obtaining electricity for consumption.
No approvals, power transmission lines, etc. are required. Of course, obtaining electricity will still be associated with costs. And at the initial stage, they will be quite significant, since the necessary equipment costs a lot.
In the future, it is also necessary to carry out maintenance of all components of the energy supply system, but in the end everything will pay off.
Let’s briefly consider the most common autonomous sources of electricity.
Solar panels
Nowadays, solar energy sources are gaining more and more popularity. The essence of such a source is simple – there are semiconductor photocells in which an electric charge is generated when sunlight hits them.
The amount of energy generated directly depends on the area of photocells, so they are collected in panels.
Panel with an area of 1 sq.m. capable of delivering 100 watts of power with a voltage of 20-25 V.
To fully provide the house with electricity, the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe panels must be significant.
Of the positive qualities of such a source of electricity is its durability, complete environmental friendliness, noiselessness.
The panels require a minimum of maintenance, and the electricity generated by them is completely free and affordable.
But there are also disadvantages. To provide electricity in the required quantity, the area of the panels can reach a significant size, which still needs to be positioned correctly.
This energy is unstable. On sunny days, the panels will work at maximum output, but there are also cloudy days. Therefore, the total amount of generated electrical energy depends on how many sunny days per year in the region where the house is located.
Another drawback, and a significant one, is the cost of the panels. The price for each Watt of generated energy is now about $1,5, that is, only for panels that produce 1 kW of electricity, you will have to pay $1,5 thousand. And you will also need to buy the rest of the equipment necessary for the operation of the system.
Also read how to make solar-powered lighting for a summer residence.
Wind turbines
The second most popular autonomous power supply system is wind. Wind turbines are used to generate electricity.
In fact, these are ordinary generators, on the rotor of which blades are put on. Due to the wind, the rotor rotates and electricity is generated.
Of the positive qualities of wind turbines, rather compact dimensions, relative noiselessness of operation, environmental friendliness, and durability are noted. There is also the possibility of home-made production of such a generator.
But the wind system has more disadvantages. The first of them is the cost, wind generators will not be cheap.
Considering that the efficiency of wind turbines is low, to fully provide the house with electricity, it will be necessary to install three or more wind turbines of low power or one, but sufficiently productive. And in both cases, the acquisition costs will be significant.
Again, climatic conditions must also be taken into account. In areas where the average annual wind speed does not exceed 8 m / s, it will not be advisable to use wind turbines, since they will not be able to operate in the optimal mode.
It should also be borne in mind that on days of complete calm, you can be left without electricity, so it is better to use a wind autonomous power supply system if there is a backup source of electricity.
See also:
Fuel generator sets
Generators running on liquid or gaseous fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, gas) can become a backup source of electricity.
Everything is simple here: the installation consists of an internal combustion engine and a generator. The engine turns the rotor and the generator generates power.
Such a system cannot be called completely autonomous; nevertheless, fuel is needed, which is also constantly rising in price. But as a backup source of electricity, such generator sets are the most optimal.
In the event that the weather has been cloudy for several days or there is no wind, you can always start the generator set to replenish the battery charge.
Of the positive qualities of fuel-powered generator sets, there is a constant availability of electricity, such installations are relatively cheap, they provide a good energy output.
Their disadvantages include the need for fuel, which provides fixed costs. Such installations cannot operate for a long period, and internal combustion engines require maintenance.
Also, for the use of generator sets, it is necessary to allocate a separate room and organize the removal of exhaust gases, and, of course, there can be no question of any environmental friendliness.
Hydroelectric power stations
Least of all, a hydroelectric power station is used as an autonomous power source for one simple reason, not everyone has a river or a powerful stream near the house.
The essence of the operation of such a station is that the water rotates the blades of the turbine, due to which the generator generates electricity.
The positive qualities of hydropower plants are as follows: a stable supply of energy around the clock, since the water in the river or stream does not slow down the speed of movement. Such stations are completely environmentally friendly, durable and require virtually no maintenance.
Their main disadvantage is the need to install on the banks of the river or near the stream. In this case, the speed of water movement should be high.
The hydroelectric station is capable of generating energy even with slow movement of water, but in this case the river will be covered with ice in winter, and the station will no longer be able to be used.
The high speed of the water will be a guarantee that the river or stream will not freeze. The second disadvantage is the cost of the station.
Nevertheless, the concept of providing a home with an autonomous energy supply system is promising and many are interested in it.
Above, we examined the main types of sources of electricity, but they alone are not enough to have electricity in the house.
In addition, it is worth noting that the effectiveness of any autonomous system depends on the correctness of the calculations.
Features of installation and operation of autonomous sources
Before you purchase and install any of the systems, you need to correctly make all the necessary calculations, because over time the number of electricity consumers in the house may increase, for example, you decide to install a roof and gutters heating system and this must be taken into account in the calculations.
Let’s start with the example of the solar system.
Solar autonomous system.
All calculations must begin with calculations of the total electricity consumption in the house, that is, calculate the power of all consumers. However, it is important to separate them.
The fact is that some of the consumers of electricity work without problems from a network with direct current and a voltage of 12 or 24 V. Such consumers can be the same LED lamps that are better to install instead of conventional incandescent lamps. And in general, all work should begin with equipping the house with economical consumers of electricity.
Based on the total power consumption of the current, the selection of batteries and inverter is made. And only after that they proceed to counting the number of solar panels, as well as selecting a controller.
It is possible not to deal with the calculation of the area of solar panels, the capacity of the battery and inverter.
Many manufacturers offer ready-made kits that include all the necessary equipment. When purchasing such a kit, it is enough to know only the total electricity consumption.
Moreover, when choosing a kit, it is important to take into account that it has a certain power reserve so that the entire system does not work at the limit values. The total cost of such a system largely depends on its capacity.
Installing a solar panel is easy.
It is enough to choose the right place for installing the panels, controller, battery and inverter. Then you should connect everything correctly.
As for safety when using such a system, it comes down to the correct placement of the battery. Although they are airtight and unattended, it is better to allocate a separate room for them, moreover, ventilated.
It is important to pay attention to the reliability of fastening of all constituent elements, the use of appropriate wiring and the correct connection of elements to the system.
See also:
wind system.
The installation of wind turbines also begins with calculations. It all starts with the calculation of the total power of electricity consumers. Based on this, a kit is already selected, including everything you need – a wind power plant (wind turbine), a controller, a battery, an inverter and other components.
When using such a system, it is important to choose the installation site for the wind turbine. Windmills make noise during operation, although not strong, so it is recommended to install them at a certain distance from the house.
As for safety, it all comes down to the correct installation of the wind turbine mast, since it is quite high.
Further, safety comes down to the correct connection and operation of the system.
Fuel generator sets.
Generator sets are the simplest to install. After calculating the total electricity consumption, the required power station is simply selected, operating on the fuel preferred by the owner of the house.
Equipped with generator-accumulator-inverter systems.
But usually such stations are sold separately, so you have to choose the right controller, battery kit and inverter.
When using such a system, the security conditions are stricter than with other systems.
First, the generator set must be installed in a separate room.
Secondly, a system for removing exhaust gases should be organized.
Thirdly, the correct storage of combustible materials must be observed.
We will not consider power supply systems that use hydroelectric power plants, since they are rarely used.
Selection of the optimal system
Now a little about which system is better to use in different cases.
On a summer cottage or a country house, you can use any autonomous power supply. It all depends on the climatic conditions.
In the southern regions, where there are many sunny days a year, it is preferable to use a solar power supply system, while in the northern regions – a wind power system.
In this case, it is better to immediately make a combined system so that there is a backup power source, and fuel-fired installations are excellent for this.
As for urban conditions, only solar and wind systems are suitable for autonomous energy supply of an apartment, the main elements of which (panels, wind turbines) can be installed on the roof of a building.
Other autonomous systems cannot be used in residential conditions.
Important to know: Rules for installing electrical wiring in a wooden house.
Summing up
Autonomous electricity in the house is quite an interesting solution. But its cost is still quite high, so not everyone will be able to afford it.
But on the other hand, in the absence of connection to industrial power lines, and large distances to civilization, it is still better to spend money on autonomous energy supply than to stretch a new line. But in each case, the owner of the house makes the decision himself.