setting up renewables

bobdole968

i am doing some renovations to the house ,rewired the place and am getting a new esb meter. iam just wondering how it works if i buy a electric solar panel or wind turbine sometime in the future. is there a special esb meter required for this. i was planning on just a night saver meter.
i know you need an inverter to 230v ac. how is it synced to mains incoming supply. does anyone have a wiring diagram for thies systems. is there a panel you can buy with all the protection gear and put it beside the main fuse board.

reverenddave

as far as i know your meter simply runs backwards

have a look for the user on here quentingargan he'll tell you all you need to know

and probably recommend suppliers and fitters

freddyuk

Before you can install a solar PV/wind system grid tied you need to apply to the ESB for permission. You will need to specify the inverter and panels/turbine you are using conform to regulations. You will need a qualified/certified electrician to oversee and sign off the installation. You will need to apply to your electricity supplier who will (hopefully) provide you with an export meter.
The inverter will go as close to the panels/turbine as possible.
There will be a DC isolator switch from the panels and an AC isolator switch from the Inverter. So your board will probably just have an AC switch and the export meter wired in to your current meter supply.
No point in doing anything until you have completed the application.

bobdole968

thanks for the help. just doing the wiring for now don't want to rip down the house when i can finally afford solar panels/wind turbine.

bladespin

The ESB will supply a smart meter if you fit pv or a turbine, free if you're one of the first 4000 microgenerator applicants.

quentingargan

bobdole968 wrote: »

thanks for the help. just doing the wiring for now don't want to rip down the house when i can finally afford solar panels/wind turbine.

If you are thinking of installing Solar PVs on your roof, it would be a good idea to run some 2 X 6mm STRANDED cable (not solid) from an area close to your fuseboard to the loft space. DC from a solar PV needs stranded wire.

If you are thinking of installing a wind turbine, then you could run armoured cable out of the house from the same location. This will need to be 3 phase, and you don't connect the armour to earth anywhere inside the house. The cable size would depend on the size of turbine, operating voltage, and distance from the fuseboard. A spark can work out the losses, though usually for a wind turbine a higher level of loss is acceptable than normal use. If you think the project is likely to go ahead, you could run the cable along a trench to the location of the turbine while you have the diggers onsite and before you landscape!

For example, 3 X 10mm cable with a 3kw turbine 200m from the house would give cable losses of about 0.8% at 400V.

Q