solared power soul

do it

yourself.

1Gas Generator The household's seldom-used 5.5-kilowatt generator is a backup to the solar and wind generators. 2Solar Panels Eighteen photovoltaic cells, mounted on a rack that follows the sun, generate up to 1.8 kilowatts of DC power. 3Wind Turbine Sitting atop a 65-ft. tower, this turbine starts spinning when the wind hits 7.5 mph. Top output: 900 watts.

4Charge Controllers Current flows from the wind and solar generators to a pair of charge controllers. They regulate the current to the DC breaker. 5DC Breaker The breaker sends the current to the battery bank for storage, or to an inverter where it is converted to AC for immediate use.

6Battery Array The 24-volt, 1100-Ahr battery array has 12 individual 2-volt batteries that can power the author’s home for four to five days. 7Inverter Current from the DC breaker passes through this 3500-watt power inverter on its way to the house’s AC breaker. 8AC Breaker Power travels to the AC breaker panel from the AC/DC inverter, then goes on to the home’s 110-volt AC circuits.

from popularmechanics. [Energy Family]