Which is better - a wind generator or solar panels? Wind generators and solar panels Preliminary surveys and consultations.
Not a single wind turbine will generate electricity at a wind speed of less than 3 m/s, and its operation becomes effective at a wind speed of at least 4-5 m/s. IN middle lane Russia has an advantage in wind generators designed to operate in low winds.
It is better to install a wind generator in an open area, preferably on a hill, and the higher the mast, the better. The length of the blades also matters, especially in light winds. Blades with an airplane profile are much (2-4 times) more efficient than flat ones.
There are wind generators with horizontal and vertical axis of rotation. Wind generators with a vertical axis of rotation are approximately twice as expensive, but their service life is almost twice as long - 20-25 years versus 10-15.
There are two types of masts for wind turbines: 1) masts supported by cables can be easily raised, but the cables take up a large area; 2) independent mast towers, which do not have cables, are heavy and expensive, their installation is difficult, but they do not take up much space. For use in the country or in country cottage Wind generators with a power of 2-5 kW are best suited.
In areas with weak winds, and these include the Moscow region, in order to get at least some energy, you should choose a windmill with better efficiency in low winds, which also has more power.
Solar panels directly convert solar radiation into electricity, which can be supplied directly to the grid or stored in batteries. Monocrystalline silicon solar panels work best. Their service life is approximately 50 years, and their efficiency reaches 18%.
Slightly inferior in these indicators solar panels from multicrystalline silicon. Occasionally you can find completely backward panels made of amorphous silicon - the cheapest, of course. In order to extract solar energy in summer, it is advisable to install solar panels along the entire southern slope of the roof at an angle of approximately 45° to the horizon. In winter, everything is different: solar panels must be located almost vertically, at an angle of 70-80° to the horizon, due to snow and the low position of the Sun.
To provide autonomous operation several fluorescent or LED energy-saving lamps, a refrigerator and a TV in the country, you can install several solar panels with a total power of 500-600, and preferably 1000 W. This set of solar panels is complemented by a battery pack with a total capacity of 200-400 ampere-hour and an inverter from 2 to 6 kW with a solar controller. Such a large inverter power is needed in order to provide peak loads and inrush currents. A set of solar panels with a power of 2-4 kW can power a small cottage, providing comfortable living.
It is becoming increasingly popular, and among the methods of producing non-traditional energy, wind and solar power plants are reaching a new level.
Even in the last century, technologies for generating electricity from renewable resources were very dubious and ineffective, and windmills also made a lot of noise, but now innovative technologies allow you to completely switch to the side of environmentally friendly energy without any inconvenience.
Modern installations meet the requirements in terms of size, power and design, making non-traditional sources a truly progressive choice. What's better? wind generator or solar panels for home?
Comparative characteristics of wind and solar power plants
1. Rationality of purchase.
Wind generator for home - great idea, but only if there are strong winds in your region. It is preferable to install wind turbines in private houses, farms in steppe or seaside areas, where wind speed ensures the efficiency of the installation. At the same time, a small windmill can fully power small electrical appliances, and a turbine can generate enough electricity to satisfy the needs of several homes.
Solar panels for the home are fussy designs that can be installed in any climate, although the hotter it is, the more efficient the panels will be. Unlike windmill, which only works when there is wind, solar modules capable of collecting energy even in cloudy weather.
Small, portable solar panels They are very convenient for ensuring the operation of small equipment, but a system of several modules can provide energy independence for a private house or apartment.
2. Construction cost.
Earlier wind power plants cost an order of magnitude cheaper than solar panels, but now everything has changed dramatically. High-power installation of solar modules tends to reduce prices and at the same time they are much easier to install and operate, and the service life is much longer than that of wind turbines.
Thus, solar energy is more profitable than wind energy, but this does not apply to the case when turbines are installed in places with strong winds - such structures are very powerful and quickly pay for themselves.
3. Payback.
Wind power plants- enough expensive pleasure, since in addition to the basic elements, it is often necessary to spend additional money on the construction of towers for turbines and other reasons.
If the region does not involve strong and frequent winds, then it may happen that a powerful structure will outlive its usefulness in 20 years, without ever recouping the funds that were spent on it.
Solar power plants initially they cost much less, but their performance is slightly less efficient. Despite this, solar modules can work even at night or in cloudy weather, which allows you to generate more electricity. Considering the long service life and the opportunity to take advantage of such a project as the feed-in tariff for solar panels, the modules pay for themselves in an average of 10 years.
Comparing wind turbines And solar modules, we can come to the conclusion that for private houses and apartments, solar energy will be more appropriate, and owners of farms, plantations and other large areas can combine these energy sources and receive double benefits.
Wind generator or solar panels?
Someday, wars over resources will end, and humanity will make full use of the endless power of the wind and sun. But this, someday... As for the present time, the popularity of wind generators and solar panels is only growing. This article from a construction magazine will examine the question of which is better - a wind generator or solar panels and why this is so.
What is a wind generator and what are its advantages?
What is a wind generator? Surely this question has been asked by many people who dream of alternative sources of electricity. A wind generator is a device capable of generating electricity using the wind.
A wind generator cannot operate directly connected to various household electrical appliances in the house. Its design necessarily includes two main components - electricity storage accumulator battery and current converter.
Also in the design there are blades, on which a generator is attached, capable of generating constant voltage. Craftsmen often assemble small-power wind generators from , which act as a generator and are capable of charging small-capacity batteries.
A wind generator is most effective in regions with frequent winds. The undeniable advantage of wind generators is their low weight compared to solar panels, as well as the fact that they take up much less area during installation.
What are solar panels and what are their advantages?
Many people have heard about what it is. And, as the name implies, a solar battery is capable of converting the sun's energy into electricity. Under the influence of sunlight, photoelectric converters are activated, which begin to generate electricity, accumulating it in batteries.
Just as in the case of wind generators, to convert direct current in alternating, the entire system contains an inverter, a battery and an electrical unit that controls battery charging. And if we talk about the advantages of solar panels, then they also exist.
First of all, this is a considerable service life and the possibility of installation in those regions where practically all year round the sun is shining. In addition, one of the advantages is the possibility of organizing it entirely using solar panels. Unfortunately, if you look in more detail, the solar battery also has a number of significant disadvantages.
Which is better - a wind generator or solar panels?
So, to summarize, we need to highlight the main advantages and disadvantages of both methods of creating alternative source electricity in order to understand what is better - or solar panels?
The undeniable advantages of wind generators include a small installation area, significantly lower cost than solar panels and the ability effective use in regions where winds constantly blow.
The disadvantages of a wind generator are:
- Inability to generate electricity in calm or even low-wind weather;
- The design of a wind generator has many more different rubbing and moving parts, which has a negative impact on its service life.
Now, as for solar panels, the main advantages of which are: durability in use and the possibility of arrangement autonomous system home energy supply. However, as mentioned above, solar panels also have a number of significant disadvantages.
Firstly, it is a high cost, which is much higher than the cost. As a result, the payback period for solar panels is calculated in decades. Of course, few people today want to invest their own money for 20 or 40 years, but believe me, there will be such people.
The second disadvantage of solar panels, as well as wind generators too, is their serious dependence on weather conditions. But besides this, installing solar panels requires a large area, which is often a significant limitation associated with the use of solar energy.
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Experience in manufacturing wind turbines and solar panels
Brief description with photos of how it was made homemade wind generator, at first it was a huge vertical windmill, but then it became a horizontal windmill. 
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Small 300 Watt wind generator
The wind generator was installed at the end of October 2012, we installed it ourselves. We bought the wind generator itself, a 12/220 volt inverter, and a battery. The mast was already there; we did all the installation and lifting ourselves. 
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Own energy from wind and sun
Photos of a small power plant with a homemade wind generator, six solar panels, two 150Ah batteries. There are several controllers on the electrical panel, a pure chinus inverter, and a switching device to the mains and back. 
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Small wind-solar power plant
Photo and description of a small wind solar power plant, which has four solar panels, two of 100 watts and two of 230 watts. A 500-watt wind generator is also installed. A block of 200Ah 24V batteries, some of which are lead-acid and others are automotive. 
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Small solar power plant in the Klinsky district of the Moscow region
Using solar energy in the Moscow region to provide electricity country house. Report on electricity generation readings in the period from 2013-2014. 
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Dmitry's experience and a brief overview of his website
Just recently I came across this very interesting site for me. The author himself films and posts many videos and reviews of all kinds of electronics, controllers, and wind generators. At the moment there are probably more than a hundred videos in which there is a lot of useful information. 
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The power plant for your home provides 300 kW per month
The entire project of building a house and a power plant was thought out in advance. The wind-solar power plant, hybrid as it is now fashionable to call it, fully provides the energy consumption of the house. The Krasnodar Territory is a sunny and not windy region, but in winter wind generators generate 50% of the energy. 
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Wind and solar power plant
A short photo report about self-assembly and operation of a wind-solar power plant. The first was a homemade wind generator, then four homemade solar panels were added, and later two more factory ones were added to them. Then a powerful inverter was purchased with the ability to drain energy into the central power grid. 
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Own solar power plant
Solar power plant in a private house with a capacity of 1 kW for savings and almost complete transition to solar energy. It all started with interest in this topic and the purchase of the first two panels, then two more panels were made with my own hands, and then several more purchased ones were added to the system and the power grew to 1000 watt*h. 
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Wind generator 300 watt for minimal needs
Electrification of a house using a small wind generator in the absence of a central power grid. When there is no way to supply electricity, you need to come up with something, not to constantly burn gasoline, the way out was a wind generator that charged two batteries large capacity, there was enough energy for a minimum. 
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Wind generator for your home 3kW
Our short story of the acquisition and installation of a 3 kW wind generator with a 23-meter mast. Briefly, the wind turbine consists of batteries with a capacity of 10 kW/h, a 3 kW inverter and the wind generator itself with a controller and control panel. If you don’t get carried away with constantly turning on powerful electrical appliances, then there is enough electricity for everything. 
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Solar power plant at the dacha 800 Watt, complete autonomous system
Sufficiently powerful solar power plant in country house, designed to power lighting, refrigerator, deep well pump, and other daily needs. At first, the power of the panels was 400 watts, but in 2012 the power of the power plant doubled, and the battery capacity increased to 800Ah. 
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