Unusuall PV installation

Is Solar Power going to give the UK the energy it needs for the 21st century?

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kenneal - lagger
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Post by kenneal - lagger »

Thanks Adam. Must visit the scappie then.
Action is the antidote to despair - Joan Baez
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adam2
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Post by adam2 »

At last, a decision has been reached, and the first stage of the project completed.

Perhaps suprisingly a 24 volt battery with an earthed center tap has been chosen, so as to give the convienience of a 12 volt system and the lower voltage drop of a 24 volt system.
The battery is at present charged from the grid or from the existing standby generator.
2 or 3 small wind turbines and a PV array are to be added.

The battery is centrally located and all esiential lighting is worked at 12 or 24 volts.
This is simple and safe, but due to the long cable runs requires very large cables.
Lighting circuits are generaly wired in 4mm cable on 10 amp fuses.
Owing to the size of the premises, each area or zone is equiped with its own local fuseboard, these being supplied from the battery with 25 or 35mm cables for postive and negative, and 6 or 10mm for the center wire.

With every light turned on, the run time is 24 hours, or some days of normal use.

Decorative garden and Christmas lighting is also supplied from the system, mainly for safety and convenience.

A number of decorative antique light fittings have been restored to use on 24 volts, these would not have been safe on 230 volts.
"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"
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