120v power in remote location

[virgilmule]

I know this is off the beaten path just a bit, but I figured the people on this forum are the ones who would be able to help me with this question.
I have been told there is a way to use ten 12-volt batteries, together with a heavy-duty truck alternator hooked up to a windmill, to supply 120-volt power to a remote cabin. Have any of you ever accomplished this? Would I have to convert the electricy to AC to run lights, tv, etc.?
Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous-0]

They would know about wind turbines
Wind chat

 

[Anonymous-0]

Anything you set up in that remote location will likely be a real prize for thieves/scrap hunters when you're not there. Might be better off to use 12 volt appliances and/or a power inverter on your vehicle. Be cheaper and save you a bunch of weight. Sure if you play around on google, you can find plans for just about anything you can imagine. I bought one of the solar shed lights from HF that I used at a stall we have away from the house for winter chores. Don't know how long they burn, but always worked good for the hour or so I used it. Just a thought,


Dave

 

[Mike (WA)]

What Dave2 said. Each time you use the cabin, remember to bring a new windmill and wire to go to the house, because yours will be gone. Far easier to get propane appliances, put the propane tank on wheels and roll it inside when you leave. Use 12 volts for lights, with a portable solar charger to use while you're there. Take a small generator (Honda 2000 watt is very quiet) for indispensible 120 volt stuff.

 

[Anonymous-0]

60 cells are a pain to keep watered and cleaned. Some TV may work on 120 v dc, some may smoke. Incandeescent lamps will be happy but are the worst use of stored energy, I doubt compact fluorsecent lamps will run on DC. The ones I have are AC only.

Few home made windmills with car or truck alternators have been successful. Those who have checked out the possibility consider the alternators to be inefficient compared to other generator designs.

Visit the web site of Home Power Magazine and learn there.

First you have to determine your absolute minimum power needs and work from there.

Many of line homes use 12, 24, or 48 volt batteries, generally combinations of 6 volt golf cart batteries. For these battery voltages, inverters and chargers are available from several vendors. As well as windmills and photo voltaic panels.

Since its inefficient running a 2 KW inverter for a few compact fluorescent lamps, its better to have built in inverters in each lamp and those are available at RV and marine dealers to run off 12 volts DC. There are a few analog TV that will run off 12 volts DC, I don't know about HD for 12 volts DC. Should be, I think.

The only rub with running stuff on 12 volts is that you need sturdier wires than for the same loads at 120 volts to minimize voltage drop, but LED and CFL lights don't use a lot of that precious stored energy.

But then if your needs are short time, none of the above will pay off and you might as well drag a noisy (or quiet Honda) generator to the camp and use it for a few hours a day when you need lights and TV. That will cost the least and will work reliably so long as you care for the engine and have fuel.

Gerald J.

 

[JDemaris]

Depends a lot on how much you are going to be using it - i.e. and e.g. - weekends only, all summer, etc. Also - how much current you need when there. I've got two remote cabins with no grid power as well as my full-time home.

With the cabins - we use solar. At each we keep four 120 watt, 12 volt solar panels. A wind generator would rarely work when needed. We only use the cabins a few days at time, sometimes up to a week. And then - months might go by without us being there. Subsequently, we don't leave all the equipment there. Solar panels are always locked up inside when we're gone. We use a bank of six - six volt deep-cycle batteries - wired in parallel to keep total voltage at 12 VDC. 12 volts is harder to wire in long runs - but . . . it leaves the option of running 12 VDC appliances direct from the battery bank. We use a load-sensing inverter rated at 3000 watts - 12 VDC input and 120 VAC output. It senses demand and only turns itself on when AC current is needed. During the summer we leave the batteries there. In the winter - the batteries and inverter come home for safe storage. We also have a propane generator at both places that serves two purposes - #1 high current demand like running an AC welder or air compressor and #2 charging the battery bank if the batteries get run down from overuse, lack of sunshine, etc.
With these setups - I run power tools while building, run fans, TV set, DVD player, water pump, CFL lights, computer, etc. System has worked out fine. Solar panels have just about always kept up with the battery bank charge - and this is in a low sunhine area of the Adirondack Mountains of New York - and with the panels on the ground just leaning against the cabin. They would be even more efficient if mounted on the roof. But - since we don't go there all winter, I'm not willing to leave them there for someone to steal. They cost $500-$700 each.