Wiring diagram created with CYCAS3, a CAD program for windows and linux that is available free for non-commercial use.
The free trial versions of AuroCAD and ArchiCAD now have the ‘save’ and ‘print’ functions disabled so they are no good for planning your electrical installation.
CYCAS3 is free for non-commercial use an easy to use CAD package, there are no electrical symbols included with the package, but there are some to download here.
CYCAS3 is available for Windows and Linux (very easy to install on Ubuntu!) and you can download it here.
The sooner I can use my laptop at this barn, the sooner I will be able to stay there and hopefully move the project forward. At the moment there is no mains electric, I have used a generator to power the concrete mixer and power tools when necessary. But petrol generators are expensive to run and noisy, its not feasible to have a generator running all day.
I have a 300 watt inverter already that should be capable of running my macbook pro, the macbook came with an 80w apple magsafe supply, but that was replaced with a 60w magsafe supply from ebay and it works fine.
There is an EDF pole 2 metre from the front door and for 750 euros + tax + the cost of getting a local electrician to inspect the installation I could get the mains connected.
So I am considering alternatives, it’s can certainly get pretty windy at the top of the hill where the barn is located, but on some days there is now wind at all so I would need to have solar panels and a 12volt wind turbine such as a hornet 1000 to guarantee power all year round.
Kyocera have a range of solar panel modules that have a reputation for being a reliable and can be regarded as a virtually maintenance-free power supply. Kyocera solar panels are designed to convert sunlight into electricity at the highest possible efficiency, but will they survive a French winter on the roof of a barn with temperatures as low as -10c. I downloaded a spec sheet for the Kyocera KD210GX-LP from their web-site, and the operating temperature is claimed to be -40c to 90c, so it should work! This panel is 220 watts with an open circuit voltage of 33.2 volts.
Because I do most of my work in the evenings, I need to be able to store the power that I have generated, deep cycle batteries are expensive, and will fail quickly if they are allowed to become completely drained, so i need a way to overcome this. Old forklift truck batteries could be a cheap solution to my power storage problems, forklift batteries have a high capacity and can be charged and drained on a daily basis for years, apparently even forklift batteries that are no longer up to job of powering a forklift for an 8 hour shift are still better at retaining solar and wind generated electric than new leisure batteries.
Forklift or 'traction' batteries can withstand far more charging cycles than ordinary lead acid batteries
To prevent battery banks from overcharging I need to create a diversion load that performs another task such as heating water or high power lighting. A dump relay costs about £100 and will switch excess power to another device when the batteries are in danger of overcharging. The dump relay will cut out when the batteries need to be charged ensuring that excess current is never diverted to the secondary application at the expense of the main battery bank depleting.
A voltage regulator with ‘deep discharge protection’ might prevent completely flat batteries and enhance the batteries service life. An Australian company called ARRID, make a device called an Auxiliary Voltage Controller that seems to cut out the power from the batteries when the voltage falls below a certain level, but I can’t find a UK or French distributor for the Arrid AVC.
Not sure how the Marie will feel about me erecting a wind generator of the top of a 21ft scaffold tower outside the barn, or how the neighbours will feel about it, at least the solar panels can be hidden on the roof.
