5kw turbine

[prospectjim]

Hi,
I am pretty keen on erecting a 5kw turbine for domestic use and wanted to have it grid tied, so I can sell electricity back to my supplier.  I am new to all this, and wondered if anyone could tell me exactly what I need to do this,(not quite sure what windyboy is etc) along with a few prices so I can budget.  The Navitron 5kw turbine looks exceptional value at just under 5K, compared with the 2.5kw turbine from Proven.  Has anyone installed one and if so, how much was the installation.  Who would install it for me, are there specialist companies, or would Navitron install for a fee?
Any help gratefully received,
Jim.

[Ted]

Hello prospectjim,

kit you need for a grid-tie system of the size you describe is roughly:

5kW wind turbine
mast (10m as a minimum but as high as you can get away with)
concrete foundations for mast
cable from turbine to house - probably laid underground
rectifier/voltage controller (converts 'wild' AC to DC)
inverter (this is what the SMA windyboy is and converts DC to 230V AC)
isolation switch
generation meter
ideally a spare slot in your Consumer Unit for connection
space in your house for all this

Other general steps needing attention before installing are:

get detailed wind profile data for your site. Only go ahead if favourable.
check whether Planning Approval is needed - if yes then apply
apply for any grant assistance available
talk to your local electricity network operator (DNO) to advise them/get approval for your plans
research electricity suppliers to find best match for your tariff/ROC needs

Knowing your rough location will help any potential installers too.

[Ivan]

all good advice. The other thing to make a point of is check that they will let you grid-tie 5kW to your single phase supply. By law, they are only bound to allow up to 3.6kW/phase, although often they will let you go up to 6kW or so - I believe that Ted had no problem with grid-tying 6kW into a single phase, but it is a subjective decision that is made by your electricity supply company - so get confirmation on this before going too far down the road...

Ivan

[Greenbeast]

Could someone add the items necessary to run this setup but have battery storage as well?

i'm trying to get my head round it all really

apparently my sted-dad can get hold of plenty of 12v 105amph batteries for £20, are they useful, is that a reasonable cost?
how many would we need to look at getting?

[wigmyster]

Hello all
I am sure there are loads of us out there that really want to go down the 5kw grid tie route but cant cant stretch to the more expensive turbines & are a little afraid of the other requirements i.e which inverter, planning etc etc.

I have a neighbor around 2 miles away that is running a Proven 6kw with windy boy inverter but his total build has some out around £18k with around £4k he hopes to get back grant wise. He is happy with that & without a doubt the turbine is top quality.
Nevertheless this sort of outlay is out of the question for me & i guess many others.

I have a few questions / suggestions that may give the not quite so well up on the subject a leg up.

1. What do you think a rough estimate would be for using a alternative 5kw turbine (like navitron or others) & g83 inverter (like sma windy boy or cheaper).
2. What other options do we have on a g83 inverter? Is sma the only one?
3. Are there any other huge connection costs for the privilege of connecting to the grid.
4. Some feedback please from other 5kw navitron users. How are they going?
5. Your price list gives a price & so much less if you don't want the non grid tie battery inverter. Do i still get a controller. i.e if i buy a navitron turbine do i just need my own grid tie inverter?
6. Any chance of a 5kw grid tie kit i.e turbine , grid tie inverter etc etc

 Come on guys 5kw is the way to go. 2kw is not quite enough for the "normal" house. It would be great to have a reference document & guidelines/templates for a working 5kw system.

Thanks
Nathan

[kristen]

Sorry, I'm sure this is a dumb question!

For "the average house" how much electricity is there to sell to the grid?

Could it just heat water instead? (or possibly do some other "work" - I can't think of anything other than pumping water uphill which is presumably unsuitable for pretty much everyone!)

Kristen

[wigmyster]

Hi
Have a look at Ted's website (the guy above,, by the way nice one Ted). I think it shows what he is producing on average per month. Again thats only his average for his location & I am sure there are more efficient houses than mine but I would like to produce on average around 10kwh per day & sell ant excess back. We are not talking a money earner here more scraping back the outlay maybe over 10 years or so.
Its very difficult as on some days you will produce way over 10kwh maybe 100kwh & on other days none.

Guys n Girls correct me if i am wrong.

Cheers
Nathan

[Ted]

Nathan, on your Q3 - I think there are only two possible extra cost items not covered in my list above.

1. Export meter - £50 tops but obviously needs to be professionally installed so plus labour (some DNOs may install for free). The model needs to be one from the OFGEM approved list. Whether you need one depends on the supplier you sign an export agreement with and their terms. And, of course, if your level of actual exports turns out to be very low/zero then it is not cost effective to get one anyway. And again whether you want to export any excess or come up with some way of usefully using it yourself depends on the tariff agreement you have too.

2. If your DNO do not accept your system under G83 (the limit of 16A per phase per the regs, but some DNOs are flexible about this) then you may have to pay them to perform a network infrastructure survey/analysis. I've never heard of anyone with a small scale turbine being asked to pay for this so I have no idea what the cost might be, but if you are unucky enough to find yourself in this situation you obviously need to factor that into the total costs as well.

[aditzza]

I want to install a 5kW wind turbine too! But I don't understand how the charge controller from the 5kW wind turbine will work with windy boy inverters. In my design I want to use 3 x WB2500 for a 3-phase connection. The charge controller for 5kW wind turbine is clearly designed for charging batteries. If I will connect the charge controller directly to windy boy inverters will it work? Do I need to install batteries between the controller and windy boy inverters so I can have stabilized voltage for the windy boys? Also, when I have no wind, when I connect the controller directly to the windy boys, the controller will have no power and will not be capable to turn the wind turbine into the wind if necessary. Am I right? I'm guessing if its connected to batteries it will work continuosly.

[Ted]

Can I ask why you want to produce 3 phase?

You'll be paying for an extra WB2500 that you otherwise (with single phase) wouldn't need.

[aditzza]

You are right, but I want to try first the 3 phase one(experiment) and then the extra windy boy I will use it maybe on some solar panels(change the turbine mode into MPP mode with the USB cable from SMA). The cost is not a problem so I need info of how to install the turbine controller with the windy boys. I saw the navitron article about the 2kW wind turbine and the wb2500 but the 5kW controller will work in the same manner? I need to order these things but the solution its not clear... 

[Ivan]

G83 should be lifted to approx. 10kW per phase within the next few months apparently....

[Ted]

G83 should be lifted to approx. 10kW per phase within the next few months apparently....

Really?  I'm starting to get worried about all the common sense that seems to be breaking out.   

[Ivan]

I spoke to a contact in Western Power, having received a very helpful tip off from a customer that had been talking with them.

I think the move has been initiated by the government, the Electricity Association has apparently proposed it, and Western Power have said they plan to implement it within the next 3-4months, and according to Western Power, other electricity companies will do the same. Western Power were so confident, they recommended that he went ahead and purchased his system, as it will be up and running by the time he has installed it. They must be pretty confident if they are recommending that he goes ahead and purchases the equipment.

Yes, some common sense indeed - Next thing you know, they will allow all and sundry draw up to 60A (14.4kW) or even 100A(24kW) on a domestic single phase without having any kind of survey!! Whatever next?!


Ivan

[Fiat]

Hi I am thinking about buying a older model of naitron wind turbine 5kw does any body know of any problems with this turbine naitron have withdrawn this one for remodeling and the new one will not be on sale for a couple months if there are problems what should i look out for all i know is the top bit goes round and the wire bit make lots of sparks and will make your eyes water if you hold them to long whilst it is running

Regards Frank