Binary autonomous power supply system. Autonomous power plants for a country house: types, diagrams and prices for power plants. Forum topics

The installation of an independent electrical system will provide energy to private buildings not connected to centralized networks. The result will help reduce the energy costs of cottages and houses. But in order to take advantage of the listed advantages, you need to know exactly how to make an autonomous power supply for a private home. Isn't it true?

We will talk about the design of independent power supply systems. Here you will find the fundamental principles of the device and important nuances of organizing the supply of electricity to private residential properties. The information we provide is carefully checked, systematized, and the information complies with building regulations.

In the article we propose, the options for constructing private energy systems are thoroughly analyzed, all possible sources of energy are presented and evaluated. The principles of construction and operation of an autonomous power supply are described in detail, the presented data is supported by photos and videos.

In order for the autonomous complex to work correctly and produce a volume of energy that fully covers the needs of all home devices and household appliances, before installing the equipment, a preliminary calculation of the total power of available electrical consumers is carried out.

These include units such as:

• heating system of a residential building;
• refrigeration equipment;
• air purification/cooling devices;
• large and small-sized household appliances;
• a pumping complex that supplies water to the house from a well or borehole;
• electric tool for do-it-yourself routine repairs and maintenance of buildings and garden plots.

The basic power is learned from the accompanying documents issued by the manufacturer and attached to each unit. This indicator is different for everyone, but any devices and devices equally require a stable supply of energy with a certain frequency of electric flow and without voltage drops.

In some cases, such a parameter as the sinusoidal shape of the alternating voltage is also taken into account.

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The issue of independently providing your home with electricity is becoming more acute every year. Therefore, we propose to consider how to make a backup autonomous power supply with your own hands and how quickly its price will pay off.

What are the types of autonomous power supply systems?

The electricity needed to power a home must be generated endlessly and under any conditions; this is the key to normal life. The energy source should preferably be renewable and harmless to the environment or people working under it. Basic energy sources include:

1. biomass,
2. water,
3. geothermal energy,
4. wind,
5. solar energy.

Autonomous solar power supply for a country house, cottage, apartment, cottage, garage

Solar energy is often used to produce electricity. Two typical methods for converting solar energy into electricity are:

1. Photovoltaic cells, which are organized in panels and work to concentrate solar energy, using mirrors to generate sunlight in a specific direction, or to heat a liquid that passes through the steam turbines of an electric generator or heat engine,
2. Photo cells. The energy created by photovoltaic cells (placed on the roof) is direct current and must be converted to alternating current before it can be used in the household. Solar power supplies are off-grid devices that have the potential to be more cost effective than retrofitted solar power sources.

The disadvantage is that they can interrupt their work during the day and are quite difficult to repair or clean from dirt. Modern solar cells last about 40 years, making them a smart investment in many applications. This is the most profitable option for automating your home yourself, which we wrote about in detail in the article about solar panels.

Often, batteries, AC/DC welding inverters or a cogenerator are used to enable individual power and heat supply to accumulate direct current. To get the most out of a solar panel, the sun's Watt angle should be between 20-50 degrees. Solar energy passing through photovoltaic cells is an expensive way to develop renewable energy sources, but the safest and most uninterrupted.

Advantages:

1. Can be portable;
2. Easy to use on an individual basis;
3. No special documents are needed for permission to use;
4. Can be installed almost anywhere, although hot and dry areas are most beneficial.

The use of powerful solar stations is effective in large-scale production conditions. So the payback will come in the next few years. On average, to install one solar battery you need to spend up to 5 thousand dollars, to install a station - up to 15.

Wind energy

Where there is no sun, there is wind. Wind energy is taken through turbines installed on tall towers (usually from 3 meters to 6 with a diameter of up to 3 cm), thanks to which autonomous wind turbines use an inverter to process energy and supply electricity to the home. As a rule, they require an average wind speed of 14 km/h, but provide energy to themselves and nearby buildings for an unlimited period of time.

Wind turbines in urban areas must be installed at least 10m in the air to receive enough wind and to be protected from nearby obstacles (neighboring apartment building, garage, etc.). Installation of a wind turbine may also require permission from the authorities. Wind turbines have been criticized for the noise they make, their appearance, and the argument that they can affect bird migration (their blades can obstruct the passage of birds in the sky).

Wind-powered autonomous uninterrupted power supply is much more realistic for a private country house than for an apartment. They are one of the most cost-effective forms of renewable energy sources and rank first among similar devices in terms of return on investment.

If wind energy is not suitable, but there is a river flowing nearby or there is simply a lake, then we recommend using water energy sources for autonomous power supply. On a large scale, hydroelectricity, in the form of dams, has adverse environmental and social consequences. But given the small scope of the project, this is a fairly realistic and profitable option.

A single water turbine, or even a group of individual turbines, is not environmentally or socially destructive. On an individual household basis, single turbines are the only economically available route (but can have high payback periods and are one of the most efficient methods of producing renewable energy). It is more common for an eco-village to use this method rather than a special family. Power supply using a water generator is an autonomous supply of light and heat to any building (cottage or apartment).

Microturbines are very easy to operate; installation documents will cost $1,000; the mechanisms themselves will cost $2,000-6,000.

Geothermal energy sources

Geothermal energy production involves controlling hot water or steam below the earth's surface, in bodies of water, to produce energy. Since the hot liquid or condensate used when reinjecting into the reservoir is constant, this source is considered the most stable.

However, those planning to generate electricity from temperature changes need to be aware that there are differences in the lifespan of each geothermal reservoir. Some scientists believe that their lifespan is naturally limited—they take a period of time to cool down, making geothermal energy production ultimately impossible. This method is often used by large-scale production, enterprises that require drilling equipment.

Video: Autonomous power supply for the home

These drills have small geothermal mechanisms that sense the depth of the drill and the temperature of the Earth's crust. When heat is received and sent to the W system's geothermal heat pumps located inside the shelter or facility, the generator and energy conversion units are started.

Geothermal energy is available everywhere on Earth, especially the Philippines, Hawaii, Alaska, Iceland, California and Nevada use this energy to operate thermal power plants.

Biomass and energy

Biomass power is any biological material (W cake, biogas, manure, W straw, vegetable oil, wood, etc.) that is burned as fuel. The only drawback of the method is the carbon footprint after combustion, as well as the release of sulfur and nitrogen compounds into the atmosphere.

Previously, many power plants and boiler houses operated by converting heat energy into current, for example, diesel locomotives and hospital heat generators. In this way, with the correct selection of fuel and equipment, it is possible to effectively provide lighting to several areas of the city and production facilities.

Heat is generated because biological material, when burned, releases the same amount of carbon dioxide as it consumes over its lifetime. This is not a very economically profitable way to independently supply a home with electricity. Fuel is expensive, and so are gas generators.

Autonomous diesel and gas power supply in this case will be profitable and payable only if you use already processed waste and energy sources, say, methane, propane, humus, etc. This is the so-called hybrid energy supply. Its main advantage is that, thanks to a wide range of fuels, the generated energy can vary from 1 mW to tens of kW.

You can buy devices for creating an autonomous power supply system or ready-made devices in almost all major cities of Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia: Moscow, Kyiv, Kharkov, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg, Almaty, Tver, St. Petersburg and others.

Profitable or not

To accurately answer the question of how profitable the scheme for autonomous power supply at home is, you need to make a calculation. Ready-made systems (even made in China, for example by xantrex) for providing energy will cost more than a home-made device. Let's assume that we spent $1000 on everything, but we pay $30 per month for light. It turns out that on average our installation will pay for itself within almost 3 years.

The solution to this problem is simply necessary for a modern person who is accustomed to enjoying all the benefits of civilization. It is no longer possible to refuse them today. Almost everything, from a simple light bulb to a variety of large and small household appliances, including power tools, requires power.

As for the independent production of electricity, for these purposes today technical devices have already been created and are being produced that are capable of converting the free energy of the natural environment to meet our basic needs for electricity.

Such (alternative) energy sources primarily include solar panels and produce electric current by converting the energy of solar radiation photons into it. Wind power plants, due to the rotation of the wind generator blades, convert the mechanical energy of the wind into electric current.

Both of these methods of generating electricity are by far the most environmentally friendly for the environment. They are relevant due to the fact that the quality and life expectancy of a person directly depend on the ecosystem in which he lives. And the cleanliness of the surrounding air is of no small importance here.

If you carefully study the disadvantages of centralized networks for supplying electricity to private homes, you will understand why generating your own electricity will be the most reasonable solution for you in most cases.

In relation to the Moscow region, the cheapest option for connecting to a centralized power line will cost approximately 50,000 rubles per 1 kilowatt (1 kW) of installed capacity, provided that the nearest neighbors are already connected. This is the simplest solution to the problem, but it is only possible under ideal conditions.

Too often it happens that the capacity of the nearest substation does not allow you to provide everyone with electricity, and you may either be completely denied a connection or set a limit on the connected power. This is due to the fact that the degree of wear and tear of many substations today is high, and the appetites of cities and towns are constantly increasing due to the construction of new buildings, private houses, and the commissioning of various facilities.

Let us now name the additional costs of connecting to centralized networks if the village itself is not yet connected to power lines.

• It will be necessary to lay power lines directly to the village. The cost will be approximately from 300,000 rubles to 600,000 rubles per 1 kilometer. In fact, in most cases, it is necessary to lay a high-voltage line and install additional substations and distribution poles - here the cost will be higher.
• It may be necessary to create clearings for power lines (deforestation) - this is another item of expenses and approvals.
• It will be necessary to pay for the project, taxes, permits and examinations of various regulatory organizations.

To reduce your personal expenses as much as possible, you will need to collect funds from everyone who wants to connect with you, which can take a lot of time. Ultimately, the process of connecting to centralized power supply networks can take several years!

Judging by our experience and information from various sources, the average approximate cost of a centralized connection of a non-electrified suburban village to a newly built power line today averages from 500,000 to 700,000 rubles for each site.

In addition to the high cost of connection, you also need to consider your risks. In our memory, there have been cases when owners of houses or summer cottages that had been connected for a long time were simply disconnected from the power grid. Despite the fact that this is still a relatively rare phenomenon, there are, nevertheless, plenty of reasons for this.

You also need to remember that the cost of electricity is steadily increasing every year. And our country’s entry into the WTO could turn into a real disaster for private homeowners. Raising the price for each kilowatt-hour of electricity to the European level is not excluded...

About the features of autonomous power supply systems

Let's consider the main features and advantages of autonomous power supply systems.

• You can have your own power supply system completely ready for use within a few days.
• You gain financial independence from monopolistic energy companies and additional strategic security.
• You will no longer be inconvenienced by sudden power outages and prolonged interruptions in power supply caused by broken wires due to snowfalls, freezing rain, falling trees, or strong winds.
• You “receive electricity” for many years to come by purchasing ONLY equipment.
• You can get the most out of your 12V appliances by reducing the harmful emissions from AC wiring found in every home.
• It is also worth remembering that our systems are environmentally friendly.

By choosing an autonomous power supply system, you can accurately calculate your expenses, ensuring the operation of the most necessary household appliances, lighting, and power tools.

You have the opportunity to independently select the components that will make up an autonomous and environmentally friendly power plant. In the future, it is possible to increase the system's power as your home's energy consumption increases!

Calculation of solar power supply system

If you decide to provide yourself with autonomous electricity, having realized all the advantages of autonomous power supply systems, then carefully read the fundamental principles of the correct selection of components for your solar or wind-solar power supply system.

The calculation must be made taking into account whether your house is just a “dacha” for summer living or whether you plan to live in it all year round. It must be taken into account that in winter and summer, energy consumption will differ significantly due to the seasonal nature of the use of various household electrical consumers.

If you have a heating system installed that is not a classic Russian stove, then your electricity consumption during the heating season will be much higher due to the need to power the pumps of the water heating system (or fans in the air heating system) together with the boiler automation. In addition, in winter, home lighting will require longer operation.

Necessary parameters for calculation

When calculating energy consumption per day, you should sum up the average energy consumption per day for all electrical appliances in your home. Thus, we will obtain the first necessary parameter for calculating our autonomous energy system, expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). This is exactly the energy that our source (solar panels) must produce during the day to meet our daily needs for the “quantity” of electricity. Here we should also take into account the losses during charging/discharging of the energy storage system - lead-acid batteries.

For further calculations, we will need the maximum instantaneous power consumption of electrical appliances that can be turned on simultaneously in your home at a certain point in time. This value is expressed in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW). 1 kW = 1000 W. It should also be taken into account that when some household appliances are turned on, for example, an inexpensive pump, the energy consumption becomes several times greater than that declared by the manufacturer, due to the high starting currents that arise in the windings of the electric motor. In modern household appliances equipped with a “soft start” device, there is no such problem.

Having two parameters - the amount of average daily electricity consumed and the value of the peak required power, we can determine what equipment should be present in the power supply system to cover our needs.

The main source of environmentally friendly electricity in our system will be solar photovoltaic batteries (solar modules). For stationary systems, it is most correct to choose. Their exterior is protected by textured tempered glass, increasing the amount of sunlight they absorb. A reliable, fairly durable and sealed design allows such solar modules to be used in all weather conditions, year-round, for many years.

The most durable solar cells are those based on monocrystalline silicon. The special properties of single crystals make it possible to expect a service life of more than 20-30 years without a significant reduction in the amount of electricity generated.

Solar panels must generate the average daily consumed amount of electricity every day, plus 20-30% for energy losses when charging/discharging the battery system.

Charge controller

For efficient and “correct” charging of batteries from solar panels, charge controllers are used. , in contrast to the simpler one, allows you to increase the electricity production of a solar module by up to 30% under certain weather conditions. But, given the difference in price between these types of controllers (MPPT is more expensive), for a power plant with a low-power solar module, it is more advisable to spend the same money on purchasing a more powerful solar module. The economic effect in this case will be higher.

A controller with the MPPT function is recommended to be used for solar modules with a power of over 200 W, and also if you plan to increase the power of the solar array in the future, expecting to increase the maximum generated power above 200 W by purchasing additional solar modules.

If your country house or dacha is located in a populated area, then most likely you will not have problems connecting to the electrical grid. But what to do if you have chosen a place in a new area or in a green, clean place, far from the “benefits of civilization”? How to combine the comfort of living in the city and country life in the fresh air? This can only be done by installing an autonomous source of electrical energy, because laying a power line is very expensive for the average person.

Installation of autonomous and independent power supply– the only alternative when connecting to a centralized network takes a long time, is initially unprofitable, problematic or completely impossible. This is the most convenient option for villages and individual buildings built at some distance from civilization. This is also a comprehensive solution, which, with the right approach, results in the absence of voltage surges, short circuits and other emergency situations.

Requirements for autonomous power supply of a country house and dacha

The energy supply system must be reliable and safe throughout the entire period of operation and not require large initial and operating costs. To do this, it is necessary that it meets a number of criteria, including:

* full and constant compliance of the equipment with all current fire and electrical safety standards

* efficiency achieved due to low resource consumption

* power matching to power your consumers

* durability or high resource

* low noise level and/or high-quality absorption due to insulation

* lack of maintenance or its simplicity

* possibility of long-term independent work (that is, without the participation of a person or service engineer)

* reliability, maintained at any time of the year and under any climatic conditions (except for emergency situations).

Uninterruptible and stable power supply is a global requirement for an autonomous power supply system, but it should not be expensive in terms of initial costs or subsequent maintenance. Separately, we note that the installation of batteries, generators and related equipment must be carried out strictly in accordance with current standards.

What types of autonomous power supply systems are there?th home

An autonomous power supply can receive electrical energy from the following main sources:

* generators based on internal combustion engines (ICE) - diesel, gasoline or gas

* wind generators

* solar panels

* combination of all the above sources

The complexity and configuration of the solution for your particular home depends on which electrical appliances will consume electricity and in what quantities. This may include lighting, heating and water supply pumps, a refrigerator, small household consumers, and often air conditioners. At the same time, to ensure reliability, the rated power supply and the amount of energy must be “with a margin” - 20-30% higher than calculated. For the sake of reliability, it is necessary to consider the issue of insurance. To choose the most suitable type of autonomous source, let’s take a closer look at the previously listed options and the features of their operation.

Today, this group includes installations of various capacities that operate by burning fuel - gasoline, diesel or gas. They are quite reliable, produce electricity relatively quickly and do not depend on weather conditions and other external factors. In addition, there are many models on the market - what is called “for every color and budget.” On the other hand, when installing any of them, it is necessary to provide free space (or even better, a separate room with good supply and exhaust ventilation) for the generator itself and a separate room for installing fuel storage - containers with a volume of 200 liters or more. Add here the increased noise level, the need to remove high-temperature exhaust gases (up to 350C!), regular maintenance with changing oil, filters, etc. In addition, constant fuel consumption is at the level of 1-3 liters per hour, regardless of the level of consumption energy at the moment - even if the generator is idling. The resulting cost of electricity can range from 30-40 to 70-80 rubles for each kilowatt hour. A solution based on an internal combustion engine electric generator is not economical enough to become the main power source, but it will be appropriate in a temporary or emergency role.

At its core it is electric generator, which spins due to the conversion of wind force of a certain speed into mechanical one. They are environmentally friendly, quite reliable and simple in design, but still require regular maintenance due to the presence of mechanical rotation units. The main disadvantage of a wind generator is that its operation requires a constant laminar wind flow at the installation site with a speed of at least 7-9 meters/second and a high mast for its installation. Even if such wind conditions constantly occur in your area, any obstacle at the installation site - a large tree, building, hill - makes the wind flow non-laminar and intermittent. This reduces the wind flow and leads to insufficient electricity generation. The best places to install wind generators are the steppes and the coasts of seas and oceans. For example, in Russia, 97% of our territory is unsuitable for the use of wind generators.

Solar panels

Solar batteries consist of semiconductor elements that absorb light radiation and convert it into electrical energy. There are a number of prerequisites for choosing in their favor today:

* They do not require any expenses during the entire service life - which is at least 25-40 years.

* Easy installation - just orient the batteries to the south so that they are shaded as little as possible by surrounding objects. Moreover, they are not heavy - they can be installed on any roof or on inexpensive structures.

* Maintenance of such a system is relatively simple - from time to time, clean dirt, dust and all sorts of foreign objects (for example, leaves or snow) from the surface.

* Efficiency decreases very slowly during operation and within 25 years will not be lower than 20% of the original.

* The power of an array of solar panels can be increased almost unlimitedly - if you have enough space for them.

Compared to the power grid, electricity costs for autonomous power supply will be higher - this is due to the variability of energy production from a generator, wind or sun and the need to install electricity batteries. At the moment, the cost of the battery is 50-70% of the cost of the entire autonomous system. But compared to the cost of laying a power line and/or the cost of fuel for internal combustion engines generators, autonomous power supply using solar panels and wind generators pays for itself many times over. If the entire system is properly designed and implemented, it can be operated reliably and profitably for decades, efficiently and safely.

Manufacturing of an autonomous power supply system for a private home

Yes, if you have basic technical skills, you can design and implement it yourself. In general terms you need:

1. Calculate the required power based on what devices will operate in your home. Add a “margin” of 20-30% to the resulting value.

2. Select the main power source. For greater reliability, select a backup source. Make sure that the performance of the sources is sufficient.

3. Select components - for this we recommend contacting specialists, because Newer and better products for such systems are constantly being released.

5. Connect all components according to the attached instructions and diagrams. This is the most critical stage of installation, because... depends on the quality of its implementationreliability of the system as a whole.

Many amenities in residential and domestic buildings depend on electricity. However, power outages are not uncommon in cities and suburbs. For settlements remote from civilization, the problem is even more urgent - sometimes it is simply impossible to install an electrical network there. In such cases, the issue of independent current generation becomes acute.

Autonomous power supply can provide buildings with energy in the required quantity. In this case, no short circuits occur, voltage stability is maintained, and emergency situations practically do not occur. Connecting such equipment is not as complicated as those dependent on general networks and often pays for itself in a faster time.

Choosing a personal source of electricity - a responsible occupation that requires studying the nuances. This is especially true when the system is made by hand.