advice on solar panels and batteries for 240 volts for cricket pavilion

L

lenten

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 Feb 2010
Messages
819
Visit site
our isolated cricket pavilion has no mains electric---we have had 2 generators stolen in the last couple of years---we are thinking of providing either mains electric at £60000 or solar panels at £20000---anyone know how many years the batteries could be expected to last before replacing?----and do you think batteries and solar panels would attractive to thieves------apologies if this is in the wrong thread but i thought you might be more helpful than the lounge
 
If the pavilion is isolated, it would just take the thieves slightly longer to remove them. I would make the generators very difficult to move.

Regards
Donald
 
Purely speculation, but I reckon a substantial solar installation is a little less attractive to steal than a large generator, but a lot harder to secure.

Pete
 
lenten said:
mains electric at £60000
Click to expand...

If that's the price for the elec board doing it then you can usually save a bundle by having the meter installed in an enclosure just inside the land boundary and then running your own cable from there with mole plough or back hoe. No doubt solar panels would be stolen or vandalised.
 
I hope this isn't a silly point, but before lashing out £20K on panels etc, I'd be inclined to do a boat-type analysis of what power you really need and for what purpose, with cutting consumption being the driving criterion. Gas would probably be far cheaper to install for cooking and possibly heating. Panels & batteries simply for lights would be an easy DIY install...or consider a small portable genny.

As to your question about batteries: high-end batteries properly maintained might last eight years or more. But the Achilles' heel in many a club set-up is whether the maintenance would be reliable.
 
Following on from Macd's comments ...

Do you actually need 240V for anything? I'm involved in a project to supply power to an outbuilding at a local primary school, and we're going to do it all with 12V - LED lighting and a blown diesel heater (Eberspächer / Webasto / Planar). £20k for solar panel suggests about 13kW installed - that's a hell of a lot of solar panels for something which is presumably only occasionally used. Of course you could make some money by selling back to the grid, but then you'd need the mains connection anyway.
 
JumbleDuck said:
suggests about 13kW installed - that's a hell of a lot of solar panels for something which is presumably only occasionally used.
Click to expand...

Exactly. It rather sounds as though whoever specc'd it thought no further than creating a typical house system. Treat the pavilion more like a boat and the job's much simpler (and more suitable for purpose).
 
I understand that cricket is a ' summer ' sport, what good will solar provide in the winter?
Donald
 
Drive or walk a generator in for match days, and take it away again? If it s a cold beer issue, bang it all in a chest freezer the night before, and bring it in the morning to defrost and stay cool. Or dig a hole.
 
we can t have another generator-- if it was stolen again i think we would be uninsurable --rural thieves with battery powered angle grinders are pretty unstopable--the last time we were raided they broke through a roller shutter door and at the same time were starting to sledge hammer their way through the the breeze block walls then cut the chain fixing the generator to the floor---the cricket ground is the highest in south east england ---surrounded by woodland---we encourage multi use to share the beautiful location---schools trips/village chidrens parties/weddings etc.----we need power ---most importantly for--- an electric pump ---we have no mains water but a large underground water tank filled by rain water---this water is used for toilets/showers and washing up---other electric uses are lights oven hoover---one of the cricket players brings up a generator on match days so we are all right but we have to accomodate other users ----we are having a village meeting on thursday to discuss the best way forward----i had not thought about the cost of renewing the batteries every 8 years----thank you everyone for your replies
 
Sounds like a very nice pitch near Dorking. ;)

If so then indeed very remote & vulnerable. Would the best way forward either be a towed genny or preferably a vehicle mounted one that could be removed to a secure location when not in use.
 
coldharbour----giblets wins spot the cricket pitch from description----trouble is with a movable generator is getting someone to move it----my wife and i used to take the bookings and look after the pavilion and it was a lot work with a fixed generator--- number one problem at the moment is no electric---no water--no toilets
 
Last edited:
lenten said:
we can t have another generator-- if it was stolen again i think we would be uninsurable --rural thieves with battery powered angle grinders are pretty unstopable--the last time we were raided they broke through a roller shutter door and at the same time were starting to sledge hammer their way through the the breeze block walls then cut the chain fixing the generator to the floor---the cricket ground is the highest in south east england ---surrounded by woodland---we encourage multi use to share the beautiful location---schools trips/village chidrens parties/weddings etc.----we need power ---most importantly for--- an electric pump ---we have no mains water but a large underground water tank filled by rain water---this water is used for toilets/showers and washing up---other electric uses are lights oven hoover---one of the cricket players brings up a generator on match days so we are all right but we have to accomodate other users ----we are having a village meeting on thursday to discuss the best way forward----i had not thought about the cost of renewing the batteries every 8 years----thank you everyone for your replies
Click to expand...

You could do almost all that with 12V, but I think you'd be best to bite the bullet, go for mains and solar and use the income from feed-in to pay off the installation costs.
 
DJE said:
There are plenty of fields full of solar panels round here. They don't seem to get nicked.
Click to expand...

Sorry for late reply

One reason they dont get nicked is they tend to be much larger panels and the sites are under 24/7 monitored security.

You could ask SGN for a quote for a gas supply will be cheaper if mains gas is in the nearest road ?

Then put in a small combined heat and power unit lots of hot water and heating but electricity at the same time. Not an ideal solution but not particularly nickable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top