Solar powered home
RAPS CASE STUDY
The home is located on a small farm situated about 45km from Midland in Western Australia. Appliances used by the home owner include a refrigerator, washing machine, various power tools and other usual household appliances.
The system
The system comprises eight 60 watt solar panels mounted on a solar tracking frame, which follows the sun to increase the power output of the solar panels. These work in conjunction with a 1 kW wind turbine, mounted on a 13 metre tower. All power generated is fed into a bank of twelve 920 amp-hour batteries, giving a system voltage of 24 volts. 240 volt AC power is supplied to the house by an 1800 watt sinewave inverter. There is also a small petrol backup generator.
Performance
To date the system has been very reliable. The only maintenance required is the routine topping up of batteries and servicing of the backup generator. The wind turbine also requires an annual inspection.
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