LOCATION
This household is at the gold crushing plant at Paynes Find. The gold crushing plant crushed its first lot of gold in 1910 and is still in use today.
CONSTRUCTION
A fibreboard, tin roofed home which is fully insulated. It has a ducted evaporative air conditioner for cooling and a wood stove for heating.
THE SYSTEM
The system is housed in a ventilated power shed near the solar array, 20 m from the house. This houses the battery bank, solar maximisers and inverter. Power is supplied from this shed to the house through wires in an underground conduit. The system consists of a 1.5 kilowatt solar array connected through solar maximisers to a 24 V DC battery bank. All power is provided from solar energy with no need for generator backup.
INSTALLATION
The system was installed and tested, over two days, by the system supplier. The shed and footings for the solar arrays were constructed by the owner. The installed cost of the system in 1994 was $26,000.
RELIABILITY
No major problems have occurred since the system has been installed. When a cyclone caused a rare long period (approx. 15 days) of heavy cloud cover, the owner was able to conserve power by turning off the refrigerators over night and being careful in the use of appliances. The battery storage levels were restored within a few days of clear skies returning.
MAINTENANCE
Regular checks are made of the battery electrolyte level and the solar array is cleaned as required. No other maintenance is required.
RUNNING COSTS
Costs will vary from year to year and are likely to increase as the system ages. Battery replacement is likely to be the major item and it would be prudent to assume a need to replace batteries about every 5 to 10 years. This system has no running costs other than time used in maintenance of the system which is minimal. The main tasks are the regular checks of battery condition and the adding of distilled water as required. Due care and proper maintenance will prolong the life of most components of the system.
REASON FOR SELECTION
The system owner is pleased with the performance and convenience of the system and is glad that she no longer needs to depend on a "noisy diesel" generator. Also short holidays no longer mean emptying the fridges and freezer to avoid rotten food.
| E Q U I P M E N T S P E C I F I C A T I O N |
Solar Modules
18 only 75 watt BP Solar panels
Regulator
2 only AERL Solar Maximisers.
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Batteries
12 only 2 V DC, 1080 Ampere hours Exide deep cycle lead acid batteries.
Inverter/ Charger
1 only 3 kVA sinewave inverter, Brutus model TB32-24
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