I want to install a solar panel and wind generator system. I have two AGM batteries that serve as the house bank and a third that serves as a dedicated starting battery. How should I wire the system? Regulator? Junction box? Separate cables to each battery? One cable to starting battery and one to the two house batteries connected in parallel? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks
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FMott, I will try to make things a little easier for you. You need to supply some more information. What size are your batteries? what size is your electrical appetite? What size Solar panel and what size Wind turbine did you have in mind?
FMott—
I'd recommend you read this primer on solar power first....
The way I would connect the panels is to run the panels into a fuse block, with fuses protecting each panel. The output of the fuse block should go into your solar panel charge controller. This effectively wires the panels in parallel and protects them, allowing you to pull a panel off line by removing the appropriate fuse if necessary.
The panels will probably need a charge controller. I highly recommend using an MPPT-type controller. The output from this should go to the house bank. The house bank should be connected to the starting battery using an echo charger.
I'd recommend you read this primer on solar power first....
The way I would connect the panels is to run the panels into a fuse block, with fuses protecting each panel. The output of the fuse block should go into your solar panel charge controller. This effectively wires the panels in parallel and protects them, allowing you to pull a panel off line by removing the appropriate fuse if necessary.
The panels will probably need a charge controller. I highly recommend using an MPPT-type controller. The output from this should go to the house bank. The house bank should be connected to the starting battery using an echo charger.
Run to the house bank
I am in the process of installing 4 80 watt panels. These will just be routed direct to the house bank., which is 4 golf cart batteries, 450ah total. I basically never use the start battery, and it is always fully charged when I leave shore power, so I see no need to run the solar to it. It will be pretty east to add an echo charger at some point in time should I see any need, but for now am just going straight to the house bank.
I am in the process of installing 4 80 watt panels. These will just be routed direct to the house bank., which is 4 golf cart batteries, 450ah total. I basically never use the start battery, and it is always fully charged when I leave shore power, so I see no need to run the solar to it. It will be pretty east to add an echo charger at some point in time should I see any need, but for now am just going straight to the house bank.
I installed a Kyocera 130 watt solar panel on my Hunter 386 a few years ago. Check out the Hunter "knowledgebase" under the 386 model. I wrote up how I did this project and why I did it the way I did. Your situation may be different, but I offer it as a point of discussion.
Don't know about the best price
I don't know about the pricing end of this deal. I was more than a little lucky with mine. I have a nephew who is an electrician. They are changing out a roof full of panels that were damaged by a hail storm. Not all were damaged, and I managed to get four of the ones that that were not.
I don't know about the pricing end of this deal. I was more than a little lucky with mine. I have a nephew who is an electrician. They are changing out a roof full of panels that were damaged by a hail storm. Not all were damaged, and I managed to get four of the ones that that were not.
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