Need help with new system desgin for off-grid yurt

[paulcheung]

our old house last bill did have an avrg usage which was 400kWh

400 KWH per month is about 13.5 KWH per day, you need way more panels than 1700 watts,

[Bala]

400 KWH per month is about 13.5 KWH per day, you need way more panels than 1700 watts,

If you were to read the whole thread the Op is not trying to get that power from stand alone. they are looking at a lifestyle change.

I have really helped as much as I can, it now needs someone to chime in with cost estimates for a 6kwh system using quality components to give the op an idea of what they are up for.

I feel the OP should still view the 6KWH figure as a starting point only.

[Mike90250]

Whoa !! Halt!! Alto!!

You are going to homestead in a Yurt, in NH, in the winter, in a high wind zone ??? You will need VERY DEEP POCKETS. Some snake oil salesman has sold you a marvelous idea, but you are just now coming to grips with reality.

Is it ever cloudy in the winter there ? That means your 2 hours of sun, equals 0 hours. Dead, frozen battery bank. $$$

Wind ? If your hat blows off every time you step outdoors, you may have enough wind, but wind generation is really not a great way to start. You WILL have ice buildup on the blades, and then ice shedding. Google " wind turbine ice shedding ". Are you sure a Yurt roof will stop 40# spears of ice ? Do you know how to secure the Yurt roof, ring, walls and hub for high wind loads? Do you have a cherry picker to get to the turbine to maintain it (oil, grease, slip rings, cooling fan)

You will want at least 2 generators, one as a backup. (Honda 240V, 4-6Kw range)

For summertime picnics, this may work, but not New Hampshire winters. At least not for me.

At least for heat, look into getting a masonry heater built on site, not a rocket mass heater.

Figure on a 3-4 KW PV system, 48V battery 400-600ah and a charger or inverter-charger that can run at the voltage of your genset.

What will the electronics shed be made from, vented in the summer, insulated in the winter, frozen batteries don't work well.

Please do a lot more research before you spend a dime.

[Serenityacres]

Whoa !! Halt!! Alto!!

You are going to homestead in a Yurt, in NH, in the winter, in a high wind zone ??? You will need VERY DEEP POCKETS. Some snake oil salesman has sold you a marvelous idea, but you are just now coming to grips with reality.

Is it ever cloudy in the winter there ? That means your 2 hours of sun, equals 0 hours. Dead, frozen battery bank. $$$

Wind ? If your hat blows off every time you step outdoors, you may have enough wind, but wind generation is really not a great way to start. You WILL have ice buildup on the blades, and then ice shedding. Google " wind turbine ice shedding ". Are you sure a Yurt roof will stop 40# spears of ice ? Do you know how to secure the Yurt roof, ring, walls and hub for high wind loads? Do you have a cherry picker to get to the turbine to maintain it (oil, grease, slip rings, cooling fan)

You will want at least 2 generators, one as a backup. (Honda 240V, 4-6Kw range)

For summertime picnics, this may work, but not New Hampshire winters. At least not for me.

At least for heat, look into getting a masonry heater built on site, not a rocket mass heater.

Figure on a 3-4 KW PV system, 48V battery 400-600ah and a charger or inverter-charger that can run at the voltage of your genset.

What will the electronics shed be made from, vented in the summer, insulated in the winter, frozen batteries don't work well.

Please do a lot more research before you spend a dime.

HAHA no doom and gloom needed there are actually quite a few off-gridders up here and in yurts at that Some even further into winter land up in maine. We do not, contrary to some belief, get 40 ft ice spears! At least last i checked there were no frost giants running loose in the hills of NH. LOL Heck do you know just how many yurts are used as full time living homes in Alaska alone with crazy low temps of -40 and below!!! We have thought all these parts through quite thoroughly so we are good as far as yurt setup goes. We have the super nice 27' colorado yurt company yurt with fully upgraded wind and snow setup which adds a ton of strength and stand up to code as far as snow loads goes. We will be building a mass heater for our final home which will be a strawbale and a few years down the road for right now though we have a huge brand new wood cookstove rated to heat 2000sqft so also good there.

The last piece in the puzzle to figure out was/is solar. I am hitting up the research as my husband is working on getting the yurt up on the land at the moment. It may take me a bit of a learning curve to gain the knowledge of the how to do this but I am getting there slowly much due to the help of awesome people on the internet willing to help out a noobie! I am greatly appreciative of those of you who have stepped up and helped me learn how in the world to do this off grid thing!!! I should aso state grid-tie or even grid setup in general is not available where our land is so this is a must do scenario!

[foo1bar]

I should aso state grid-tie or even grid setup in general is not available where our land is so this is a must do scenario!

Generator is just as valid of an answer as solar/wind and battery for an off-grid setup.

Frankly I'd probably do a generator now - use that for the next 12+ months.
IMO You're going to want a generator for backup power anyhow.
So get it now, use it more or less constantly for now and find out your actual power usage, then buy the solar later when you have more accurate idea of your power usage going forward.

I'd probably ask off-grid'ers what generator they use - esp. if they're using it as a backup to solar setup. They might have recommendations on what features (or brands) are good for the eventual use of your generator as a backup.

[inetdog]

. We do not, contrary to some belief, get 40 ft ice spears!

That was forty pounds, not forty feet.

It does not take much ice building up on a turbine blade to get to forty pounds.
At least in a yurt you do not have to worry so much about ice buildup on the eaves.

[Amy@altE]

I see you've already been checking out altE, thanks. I strongly suggest giving us a call to discuss all of the ideas. The techs can help you figure out exactly what size system you need.

I wouldn't recommend the Primus turbine for your needs, it's too small. Instead check out the 1700W Pika Energy one. That will provide more in the range you are looking for.