We’ve built 2 x 1.5kW solar PV trackers, with our own tracker design, giving 30-40% more energy than static panels. If you are new to renewables and considering wind or solar, prefer solar for low maintenance and an easier-to-manage output for your batteries if you are offgrid. However, it is always better to strive for a mix of energy sources if you can. Monoculture in the energy world isn’t necessarily recommended, much as in nature!
The payback time on our wind turbines was 4 years, and for the solar will be 3.5-4 years, but only because we were able to make them ourselves. If you are considering a commercial installation, count on 3-4 times that. – Still just about viable with 10-12 years payback considering a 20-25 year life span. – Provided the materials are of good quality and the installation is maintained.
We’ll be posting the adventure of making our 3rd solar tracker here, with the same design but modified for a larger, 2kW array. Unedited video with vertical video syndrome before we got the hang of it!
And a bit more explanation in this one:
If you want more info on the solar PV project whilst we get going here, you can find it on the website.
Echorenovate 