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Which one should I install, wind turbine or photoelectric?
I'm thinking getting a farm land and build my house on it.
And install either wind turbine or photoelectric panels to provide electricity to my house.
Which one is better, I heard that photoelectric can last only 30 years, but wind turbine can last a lot longer, right?
7 Answers
- 5 years ago
First congrats on your forward thinking.
Your primary consideration should be with the available energy resources at the specific site you purchase. A site analysis should always be the primary consideration for renewable energy. You may have a potential hydroelectric resource available. You certainly will have a future aerial wind turbine resource available but you may have to secure air and mineral rights to the property.
As a close second should be the state of the market at the time of investment. Solar panels and wind turbines are getting cheaper due to better research and manufacturing techniques. So at this time you should be making preliminary decisions with a final check of prices when you are closer to purchase.
Here is another consideration for your logic. PV or photovoltaic panels are essentially solid state devices like a computer chip. Like the site analysis you want to be specific. Panels can be made cheaply or have a better quality. Manufacturers are saying that they will last for 20 or 30 years but they could last longer. Mostly you will want to look at the warranty period because if the device or system fails it is unlikely that you are going to repair it without replacing large components like a panel or an inverter. Maintenance on such a system should be minimal. This is an advantage of solid state devices.
Before solid state devices there were tubes. And before that were electro-mechanical devices like relays. A wind turbine is an electro-mechanical device. You can buy one from a store but very small wind turbines can be made from ceiling fans. Motors can last for decades but because there is motion involved there is slightly more maintenance, resistance and wear. Bearings can wear out and need replacing. You might be able to make such a repair yourself. In any event the part would be cheaper than an entire PV panel.
Wind turbines could also be used to pump water or produce compressed air. This energy storage resource may be useful on a farm. Producing work from the mechanical motion of a wind turbine would be more efficient than producing electricity and then using an electric motor. (though perhaps less convient and more expensive)
An example of an electro-mechanical solar device is a parbolic dish coupled with a stirling engine powering a generator. Like wind turbines these can produce direct AC power and do not need inverters that can burn out every 10 years. They do produce noise but their conversion from the sun's energy to AC electricity is more efficient than solar panels. Heat energy can also be useful on a farm and can be stored for later use as heat directly.
Either one is an investment. It is perhaps a little more wise to invest in what you know. If your particular skill set is with money and markets the PV panel may be a better investment. If on the other hand you have a skill set with the mechanical and electrical then you might choose this option.
One way to hedge your bets with an always uncertain future is to have a little of both.
- KanoLv 75 years ago
If it was me I would use both, the sun only shines during the day, but wind is possible anytime.
If you find land with some running water small hydro generators are available, they would be the most successful if you had enough elevation.
- ?Lv 75 years ago
That depends on where the property is. If it were in Mecca, it would be solar all the way. In the Great Plains or in a montane area, wind might be more dependable.
- 5 years ago
It depends on your local climate.
wind power can be used if there is much wind, PV can be used if there is much good light.
you can install the two types together.
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- Anonymous5 years ago
I don't care
- Anonymous5 years ago
Both.