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How to Install Solar & Wind Power
- 1). Install the wind turbine in an appropriate location on your property and run the output wires to a regulator designed to handle the fluctuations in voltage and current that wind turbines produce. Many wind turbines have these pre-installed. Make sure the output from this regulator is compatible with the voltage of the battery bank. If it isn't, you will have to install a separate transformer between the regulator and the source center.
- 2). Connect the output from the turbine regulator or transformer to a breaker on a DC source center, which is designed to organize energy input from various sources and direct it to the battery bank and inverter. Follow the wiring diagram on the source center.
- 3). Install the solar panels in a sunny location and connect them to each other according to the manufacturer's specifications. This typically involves simply plugging the panels together. Connect the panels to a photovoltaic (PV) charge regulator and connect the charge controller to a breaker on the DC source center.
- 4). Configure the battery bank to optimize it for the amount of power you are generating and your load requirements. This is done by wiring the batteries in series, parallel or both. Wire in series to increase the voltage of the bank, and in parallel to prolong battery life. Typical voltages for renewable energy systems are 12, 24, 48, 60 and 72 volts.
- 5). Connect the battery bank to a relay in the DC source center so that power is input to the bank from the wind and PV regulators and output from the bank to the inverter. Follow the wiring diagram on the source center.
- 6). Connect the output from the source center to an inverter, which will convert the DC current to household 110V AC current. The inverter can be wired in tandem with a back-up generator for off-grid systems, or with the supply from the power company. Connect the inverter directly to the house electrical panel.
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