Off Grid pv /wind system

[feedback]

Hi There, Can anybody give me a bit of advice , i'm looking at putting a small pv system on a stable block with a small wind generator, not sure if this system will need mcs registration , and also if there is any tariff , or is it a case of fitting system and using what you produce !
Thanks D

 

[amlu]

if you want it off the grid then no registration is needed, no tariffs too, you use a big lead acid battery to store generated energy.
you will have a 12/24v dc output you can use to power a 230v inverter or you can wire some led lighting directly to it.

 

[feedback]

Hi , Thanks for quick reply, there is no electricity at the stable block as its 150meters to nearest pole, i have done a lot of grid pv.
This is the first one off grid totally and was not sure , we are hoping to fit a pure sine wave a/c inverter for a small 240 volt use , was reading on here somewhere if you can fit a meter one the a/c could you get tariff for what you produce or am i confusing my self .
Thanks d

 

[Worcester]

Even if off grid, you could be eligible for the Feed-In-Tariff if you engage an MCS registered installer, both wind and PV are eligible.

Whe you say small - what sizes are you looking at. Remember also the planning permission requirments for wind.

 

[feedback]

Hi , there, we are planning on putting 2 135w panels and a wind turbine total 300WH per day its just for led lights , alarm 12 volt, and 1 mains inverter for 240 v , not sure if the wind turbine will need planning sounds like i need to investigate that bit unless you can enlighten me, the site is in open county side . is it right you can get a tariff for any 240 volt that you can run through a meter but not the dc lights etc.
Thanks d

 

[solarfred]

You can run a lighting system without any need for an inverter. I have 12/24v LED tubes specially for stables (no glass/no flickering/no danger).
You MUST NOT connect 12 volt loads directly to the battery. Use a proper controller output.
If you need AC power then size the system according to the loads required. Do not leave an inverter connected unless it is being used if it is a small system.
I would not bother with a small turbine as solar can do the job for less money and less hassle. Big turbine may be a different option. All depends on what you are planning.

Not sure you can claim FIT without an approved DC generation meter which I do not think exists. If I am wrong on that someone please tell me.

 

[a1colly]

Approved DC generation meter is required for off grid installations and as of yet I have failed to find one. Getting desperate as well as have a few jobs lined up ;-(

 

[feedback]

Hi Again ,
I am an mcs pv installer one man only though but never fitted off grid going to do a few phone calls tomorrow about tariff etc , will post info later

Thanks D

 

[PVMatt]

You can get the tariff is the system is an AC coupled system with a gen meter. Victron are bringing out a new battery monitor which can measure Kw/hours but it will not be certified.

 

[feedback]

So am i right in thinking if you are not grid connected there is a tariff for the power that you can use from the system through an ac inverter as long as you put an ac meter in circuit ! Also at the moment if there was a dc meter available that had mcs then you may be able to get a tariff if the right meter was available,
i have rang every body on monday to try and get somewhere from gem serve , mcs , sotish power , napit, with no outcome from them.

 

[Martyfox]

In my experience they used to allow this, but we've just made some changes on a site and they will no longer accept this method on this site. Our customer has been told this by his FIT provider and Ofgem.

You can however receive FIT if you (AC) meter the PV generation... in other words, use a Sunny Island/Sunny Boy set up. For your scale however, if may not be sensible as it's expensive to set up for a small system. Bear in mind also that when the batteries are full, PV generation derates and stops - meaning reduced FIT income.

 

[solarfred]

As I understand it if you have a MPAN meter then you can connect to the grid in the normal way via an approved MCS installed system thus your generation can be measured via an approved meter and any FIT paid accordingly. If you have no MPAN then you cannot connect to a grid supply. You are truly Off Grid.
Unless you can monitor/measure the DC generation with an approved meter you cannot calculate the FIT applicable so zero FIT available.
If you want to incorporate a battery system to back up the grid connection then you need an approved Islanding system so the AC power is measured in the normal way but when the PV input is nil you can still get power from connected generator and batteries without any danger of injecting power into the network. Further if the grid supply is down you can still use the PV power which using a standard grid tie is automatically switched off. SMA have some small inverters that can deliver low wattage emergency power direct from the array but nothing for UK yet AFAIK and nothing that actually feeds house circuits.
Once the affordable kit is available that can connect batteries to an existing grid tie system within the regulations I think there will be a lot of interest for those winter power cuts and more likely night loads. Methinks it will not be long.

 

[Worcester]

So am i right in thinking if you are not grid connected there is a tariff for the power that you can use from the system through an ac inverter as long as you put an ac meter in circuit ! Also at the moment if there was a dc meter available that had mcs then you may be able to get a tariff if the right meter was available,
i have rang every body on monday to try and get somewhere from gem serve , mcs , sotish power , napit, with no outcome from them.

Kind of, you'd also need to use MCS certified panels and an MCS certified Wind turbine plus losses as you go from DC to AC back to DC. The extra cost of all that may outweigh any benefit of the FiT payments (even if you could get them..)

 

[PVMatt]

In my experience they used to allow this, but we've just made some changes on a site and they will no longer accept this method on this site. Our customer has been told this by his FIT provider and Ofgem.

You can however receive FIT if you (AC) meter the PV generation... in other words, use a Sunny Island/Sunny Boy set up. For your scale however, if may not be sensible as it's expensive to set up for a small system. Bear in mind also that when the batteries are full, PV generation derates and stops - meaning reduced FIT income.

Very easy to get around, use the programmable relay to start a resistive load to start to divert power for example to an immersion heater.

 

[Martyfox]

Agreed, easy solution as long as there's some use for the energy. Imagine some hot water or space heating would be cheap and easy to install..perhaps the heat might even be useful.