- #1
plutointer
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If someone could assist me with some information re: the following it would be very much appreciated. I am planning to build an energy system for my home to address the drastically increasing power bills we have been getting as a result of the unusually hot weather lately. Problem is I am not very well educated in regard to the electrical side of things.
What I envisage is a series of alternators connected together that will have sufficient output to accommodate all of the home’s energy needs, basically the same as the main city power supply does now. Instead of using wind turbines (which are far too expensive for me to consider, and of course rely totally on the wind and need to accommodate its fluctuations) I figure that I can achieve the same end result by using a series of alternators.
As the local power supply is 220-240 volts I guess I need, say 4 alternators of 60 volts each, or 3 x 80v. Problem is I have no idea what I need as far as wattage and amperage is concerned but do know that the present consumption is around 1400 units per month.
Now what I need to understand before I start is:
1. How do I calculate the output and usage requirements.
2. If I connect these alternators in series will I get the 240 volts of AC electricity.
3. What will the amperage of each alternator need to be
4. On various appliances that I have there is mention of ‘Hz, amps and watts’, do I need to concern myself about this or is that something that is regulated by each individual appliance..
5. How I can regulate the output to accommodate the fluctuating power requirements. ie: say for example if all the lights are switched off and no air conditioners are turned on the energy output would be just sufficient to run what ‘is’ switched on, such as freezer, fridges, fans and so on. Then as more energy is required when lights and airconditioners or an electric stove etc are turned on the output is automatically increased to suit…. I have worked out a way to provide a driver for the alternators that keeps them running at the required constant speed so I guess it will be that driver that needs to be regulated.
6. Will I need to have a printed circuitboard made to accommodate all of this regulating.
OK that’s about all I need to find out to begin this project. Needless to say there will be other questions as I progress and I would really appreciate some help with them when the time comes.
Graham
What I envisage is a series of alternators connected together that will have sufficient output to accommodate all of the home’s energy needs, basically the same as the main city power supply does now. Instead of using wind turbines (which are far too expensive for me to consider, and of course rely totally on the wind and need to accommodate its fluctuations) I figure that I can achieve the same end result by using a series of alternators.
As the local power supply is 220-240 volts I guess I need, say 4 alternators of 60 volts each, or 3 x 80v. Problem is I have no idea what I need as far as wattage and amperage is concerned but do know that the present consumption is around 1400 units per month.
Now what I need to understand before I start is:
1. How do I calculate the output and usage requirements.
2. If I connect these alternators in series will I get the 240 volts of AC electricity.
3. What will the amperage of each alternator need to be
4. On various appliances that I have there is mention of ‘Hz, amps and watts’, do I need to concern myself about this or is that something that is regulated by each individual appliance..
5. How I can regulate the output to accommodate the fluctuating power requirements. ie: say for example if all the lights are switched off and no air conditioners are turned on the energy output would be just sufficient to run what ‘is’ switched on, such as freezer, fridges, fans and so on. Then as more energy is required when lights and airconditioners or an electric stove etc are turned on the output is automatically increased to suit…. I have worked out a way to provide a driver for the alternators that keeps them running at the required constant speed so I guess it will be that driver that needs to be regulated.
6. Will I need to have a printed circuitboard made to accommodate all of this regulating.
OK that’s about all I need to find out to begin this project. Needless to say there will be other questions as I progress and I would really appreciate some help with them when the time comes.
Graham
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