Hooking up a genset to a pv system

[torje]

Hi all, Torje from Norway here. I've been following this forum and Raabe's great website for several years now. As I've just purchased a generator for use at my summer cabin I have a question that I thought I'd post here.

At my cabin we have a standard PV setup with a 60 watt PV panel, a battery charger/monitor and a deep cycle battery. I have however found myself needing more power than this can supply, especially for a huge amplifier+++ for our summer parties :p and for a water pump that will supply a future pressure tank. As the battery in the PV system tends to get drained rather quickly I thought I'd connect an additional charger to it, powered by a 230VAC/50Hz (standard mains over here) 2000W genset that I just bought. Now my question; will this in any way come in conflict with the already existing charger (PV system thingy), as both that and the genset powered one will charge the battery when the genny is running. Do I just hook up the second charger to the battery, or will I have to use diodes or a switching relay at the battery?

Thanks all, all replies appreciated.

[peg_688]

Welcome  aboard Torje   Norway eh, don't know your answer . But I'd think you'll get one here

 Got any photos of your place you can post  

 PEG

[glenn-k]

Welcome, Torje.  Glad to see Norway represented here.  Sorry I wasn't on this earlier - My DSL modem burned out and I had o go about 40 miles for a new one.

I am running about 2000 watts of solar panels and a 1000 watt wind generator and have  12 L16 batteries at this time.  If I figure everything right that should give me about 1200 amp hours total storage on my 24 volt system with about 600 amp hours useable drawing down about 1/2 way.  Compared to this, 1 deep cycle battery usually holds about 100 amp hours at 12 volts.

I commonly use a generator to run the charger in the inverter to bring the batteries back up if overly low.  The solar regulator simply cuts off the charge from the panels if the batteries get fully charged or over charged.  This should work the same for you if your system has a regulator on it and you are charging at the proper voltage and proper polarity.

I could add an extra battery charger to it with no problem.

[torje]

>I commonly use a generator to run the charger in the inverter to bring the batteries back up if overly low.  The solar regulator >simply cuts off the charge from the panels if the batteries get fully charged or over charged.  This should work the same for you >if your system has a regulator on it and you are charging at the proper voltage and proper polarity.


Thanks glenn, this was just the confirmation I needed, I suspected this was how it would work. Took some electronics courses in vocational school, but it's all forgotten now it seems

Anyways, nice to finally be a part of this forum. Seems like you guys and gals have a lot of valuable collective knowledge. I'll try to post some photos of my place, let you know the look of a typical Norwegian-style cottage

regards,

torje
trondheim, norway

[torje]

BTW, this genset I bought, it was rather a bargain (in norwegian prices anyways - discounted to about USD300. It's a four-stroke, initially bought just to power our music amps etc in the summer months. However, this cabin where I'm gonna use it is in a rather rural area, no neighbors for miles etc - no utility power or water. So I got some ideas about thin copper tubing around the exhaust manifold +++ - who doesn't dream about warm showers
I'll let y'all know how this works out - this will be my July project this year so I'll come back with more details!

Torje
Trondheim, Norway

[glenn-k]

Cool, Torje.  I also took 2 years of  electronics in High School.  Comes in handy once in a while. :-/

When I was welding in the logging country we used to make little exhaust manifold ovens to warm or cook our food in.

Great deal on the generator.

We really like to get new members from around the world and it's always great to see how buildings are made there.  How about some some historic buildings too while we are taking advantage of you.    How about a couple of shots from the other side of the mountain too-- My mom's family was from Sweden.

[torje]

>Cool, Torje.  I also took 2 years of  electronics in High School.  Comes in handy once in a while.  

Sure does, it's not the worst background to have. I'm looking forward to using these skills again after all these years. I'm 23 now and it seems AGES ago :p. I'm planning to make a "professional setup" with the genny, burying it in an insulated box, setting up automatic fuses and a GFI, just to be on the safe side. How is it with these high RPM generators (I think mine is rated at 4000RPM), are they supposed to not be run with "easy" loads? What is the minimum wattage you'd recommend I run it with over time?

>When I was welding in the logging country we used to make little exhaust manifold ovens to warm or cook our food in.  

It's my motto; never let a single watt go to waste

>Great deal on the generator.  

Well, I dunno how it's over there, but around here everyone seems to MUST HAVE diesels nowadays, hence the gasoline ones are  discounted all the time. While I can appreciate the advantages of diesel, whipping out nearly USD1000  for a diesel genset is not an option for me. Living on welfare kinda limits my budget :p However, I find it's a nice challenge, to see how much comfort and convenience I can squeeze out of a minimum budget!

>We really like to get new members from around the world and it's always great to see how buildings are made there.  How >about some some historic buildings too while we are taking advantage of you.    How about a couple of shots from the other side >of the mountain too--

Sure, I can post some photos for you. Would you be interested in general architecture or just cabins/retreats? I will not be going south to the cabin (It's a 10 hour drive to southern Norway - completely different climate, thankfully ) until the 20th of July. I will take tons of photos then to let you know what it's like.


>My mom's family was from Sweden.

Nice, did you know Norway, Sweden and Denmark are all pretty identical, at least in culture and language? Where you americans have the advantage of just being able to visit a neighboring state, we have to cross national borders to see some changes :p On the other hand, the one big advantage, at least for us Norwegians, is that the important things in life (Beer and Beef) are half price in Sweden compared to Norway. Paying USD4 for a pint of beer and USD4 for a pound of ground beef really inspires me to cross the border and get everything at half price

-Torje

[glenn kangiser]

I tried burying a loud generator once, Torje - a couple of points -- it will recirculate the exhaust and quit running if provision is not made for outside air intake and to get rid of the exhaust.  A lot of the noise comes from the hot air hitting the cold air -maybe you could add a big muffler or make one from a big pipe or bury it  etc..  It may overheat as not enough cooling air will be exchanged unless it can move freely.  The high RPM generators should be fine with any load - just loud.  The old 1800 RPM generators will usually last a lot longer and are not so obnoxious to listen to but we use what we can get.  I have a rather loud 1 cylinder Volvo Marine diesel I got from a friend.  3KW 120V -runs several hours on a gallon of diesel depending on loads.  I could make it quieter but don't use it often so am not motivated to.

My two years of electronics was in 1968 and1969, last 2 years of HS,  so I've probably lost quite a bit of it but at least I still have enough brain left to remember that I need to look it up again. :-/

Part of my wifes family is from Norway.  I think her ancestors and mine may have gathered at the border and threw rocks at each other, not sure about that one. :-/

General Architecture would be great especially interesting or historic.  we have a couple of topics here that I would like to get input from you on - Indigenous Housing could be one -- Local early dwellings - another I hoped to do more with is Architectural Antiquities- any old buildings - methods and details.  We like pictures.  Also anything you are interested in buildings -cabins - houses etc. things we may be able to learn different styles or methods from.  Any alternative building there?   Mud -straw - rocks -etc.  Nearly anything of interest-- if it's too far away from building we can put it in off topics-- if there's not a topic already you can start a new one.  If its in the wrong category I can move it.

You have a great command of the English language.  I'd never know you were on the other side of the world.

[Amanda_931]

I moved to the country to get away from noise--so why right now do I have an air conditioner, a second fairly quiet fan, and an extremely noisy 12v exhaust fan for the gas cook-top going?

I can handle noise--used to study in an extremely noisy snack bar where all the conversations blurred into white noise.  But I can also feel the tension melt away when the noise does.

[glenn kangiser]

Well, sometimes when it's too quiet I have to turn on a loud fan at night to sleep so it will drown out the voices inside my head. :-/

[Amanda_931]

Sometimes if I have two noises--two fans, for instance--I hear voices.  Annoying and scary.  Fortunately they go away instantly if I cut one of the fans off.

:-/

Don't know if anyone else calls it this, but it works like the aural version of the (visual) moire patterns you get when, say two window screens are on top of each other--and there's fabric made that way as well.

[glenn kangiser]

I guess a little white noise helps kill the thought processes.  So does age. :-/

For clarity, the above was not a racial comment.

[PEG688]

Noise what noise :-/ :-/

 On the ship I used to sleep right under the round down , I'd wake up when we where not  flying Go figure , to quiet He's right over the round down in this photo.  

 

[glenn kangiser]

Cool PEG.  I don't know if I'd have come out of it as well as you have --jets landing on my head and all. :-/

[PEG688]

Who said I came out of it good  :-/ :-/ :-/

BTW they heren't exactly landing ON my head