diy solar

diy solar

A distance question?

mooseandbear

New Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2021
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I am just starting out dabbling in solar and wind to offset current electric rates. My problem is this. All of my power generation has to be placed on the barn with controllers and batteries in a climate controlled room there. Power must run to the house which is approx. 110 feet away. I already know it is better to have the power run as an ac run, my question is how best to make that run, several size 12 gauge runs on individual circuits or try to find a way to combine the power into a single 10 gauge or better run? Any ideas, it is going to be a small setup, 2-3000 watts max.
 
Welcome to the forum mooseandbear.

I would run all the power together, through the minimum number of wires. More wires means more connections and more chances of failure.

Conduit is usually a good idea, unless you're going up with your wires.
 
I am just starting out dabbling in solar and wind to offset current electric rates. My problem is this. All of my power generation has to be placed on the barn with controllers and batteries in a climate controlled room there. Power must run to the house which is approx. 110 feet away. I already know it is better to have the power run as an ac run, my question is how best to make that run, several size 12 gauge runs on individual circuits or try to find a way to combine the power into a single 10 gauge or better run? Any ideas, it is going to be a small setup, 2-3000 watts max.
If there is ever a chance you will make more power, put in oversized wire in a conduit or make sure your conduit allows for adding more wire. FYI, I have 3 pair of 10ga separate conductors in a 1" conduit, adding the last pair with a fish tape while the first two pair were already in place. Anyway, leave room for expansion. In the house, put in a subpanel with breakers and spit your power to separate circuits.
 
If there is ever a chance you will make more power, put in oversized wire in a conduit or make sure your conduit allows for adding more wire. FYI, I have 3 pair of 10ga separate conductors in a 1" conduit, adding the last pair with a fish tape while the first two pair were already in place. Anyway, leave room for expansion. In the house, put in a subpanel with breakers and spit your power to separate circuits.
Yep, but leave a string in the conduit when you make the first pull so you don't have to use the fish tape as you make additions. ?
 
I am just starting out dabbling in solar and wind to offset current electric rates. My problem is this. All of my power generation has to be placed on the barn with controllers and batteries in a climate controlled room there. Power must run to the house which is approx. 110 feet away. I already know it is better to have the power run as an ac run, my question is how best to make that run, several size 12 gauge runs on individual circuits or try to find a way to combine the power into a single 10 gauge or better run? Any ideas, it is going to be a small setup, 2-3000 watts max.

Any reason not to place PV panels at barn, and run PV wires to house with charge controllers, batteries, inverters located there?
That is good if your system supports higher PV voltage. Voltage drop in long PV wires doesn't hurt performance except being a percentage loss. Regulation of battery voltage and AC power are maintained better if they have short wires.

For AC, single large run to a breaker panel is better, because it can then supply one or another circuit. Instead of paying for lots of copper that sometimes isn't carrying current while its neighbor is.

2000 to 3000W AC? or PV?
 
I am a firm believer in using a SINGLE set of wires in a distance run between buildings.
If you have a 3000W inverter, size the wires for 9000W.
Trust me.
It will minimize the voltage drop in the run, and allow full surge duration when taxed... also it let's you upgrade the inverter on existing wires...
Also... wires are NOT getting cheaper... buy the largest you can afford now.
Also, in conduit, use single strand conductors THWN Not bundles of wire like se or romex
 
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