Pete the “battler’s” farm power supply. Dwellingup, Western Australia.
Latitude 32 degs South

Commissioned September 2000. Hybrid solar / petrol system for farm house, workers quarters and water pumping to irrigate grape vines. Typical remote area power supply (R.A.P.S) with 6 KVA petrol generator for backup during sustained cloudy periods. Average generator running time is less than 1 hour daily. Like most small farmers, Pete the “battler” needed to allocate his resources with the utmost discretion. The government came to his assistance with a $ 16,000 grant.

Power system

• 24 x Uni-Solar US-64 Advanced thin film, triple junction photo-voltaic panels. (1536 peak watts) Nett daily energy production (after system losses) is 7000 watt-hours in Summer, and 4500 watt-hours in Winter.
  
  
• 1 x Plasmatronic PL-40 regulator / controller with SH200 current shunt and PLS shunt adaptor to monitor the inverter load. This allows all solar energy generated and consumed on a daily basis to be be monitored and logged, greatly enhancing the users comprehension of the power systems operation.
  
  
• 24 x Exide 2 volt 750 amp-hour deep cycle battery cells. These are connected in series to yield
  36,000 watt-hours of energy storage. This equates to 5 days of electrical demand when fully charged. The average battery depth of discharge is 25%. Average battery life span is 10 years.
  
  
• 1 x Selectronic SE-42 True sine wave inverter. 3600 watts continuous rating, 5500 watts for 0.5 hours, 10,000 watts for 10 seconds. A superb high power inverter that can deliver 15 amps @ 240 volts continuously ! Enough grunt to operate all single phase appliances and power tools commonly encountered in farm workshops, including large welders and air compressors. The finish and workmanship of Selectronic inverters is masterful, they would be at home in an art gallery !
  
  
• 1 x SSL 48 volt, 50 amp, industrial grade battery charger. This powerful, 2 stage charger delivers
  up to 2000 watts input to the battery per hour. Absolutely essential for fast recharge of large batteries using petrol or diesel generators. Minimises running time and fuel consumption.

Notes;

This is a classic system for small to medium sized farms that we have proven throughout rural Australia. Fossil fuel consumption is so minimal it is practically insignificant, yet the genset provides valuable energy input at critical times, substantially reducing the amount of battery capacity required, and delivering great flexibility in overall system operation.