Solar and Wind Power Question?

Question

I was wondering if using a combination of solar and wind power would generate enough power to run a gas station? If so, can someone give me a crash course on how it could be done? Thanks.

Answer 1

One of the better places to look would be in sailing magazines, as sailboats usually have both solar and wind power to keep the batteries recharged.

They typically have the full schematics so you can connect dual recharging sources yourself.

Answer 2

Either one alone would be enough to run a simple gas station.

What are your power needs?  Pumps, lights, point-of-sale computer.  Not really a big draw.

A photovoltaic panel set, hooked up to a good battery bank; turn the DC back to AC with an inverter and you're good to go.  It would help if the lights were all flourescent, energy conserving bulbs and the gas station closed around midnight, like most do anyway.

In our town we have a law office that has two vertical wind turbines on the roof.  They're about 6 to 8 feet tall and are cylindrical, with a spiral-shaped impeller inside.  Those power kinetic generators that charge the battery bank.

It's easier than folks think.

Answer 3

Either one should work, you might just have to do it on a slightly bigger scale for a gas station, depending on what hours you are open.

Many homeowners who use solar panels produce more electricity than they can use, and can either store it in a battery made for this purpose or return it to the grid.  In some places, they can even sell it back to the electric company and profit off of it.

Answer 4

Yes, and No.  

First, it depends on how sunny and/or windy it is at your gas station.  Next it depends on how dependable you want the power at your gas station to be.  Finally, it depends on how much you want to spend.

1. Some areas are sunnier and/or windier than others.  You can get an estimate of just how sunny and windy it is where you are by going to the National Renewable Energy page at www.nrel.gov.  You also need to have enough land to install wind and solar power generating equipment.  You will need local permits, etc, so it may not even be possible.  Check with your local governmental authority.

2. Wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power are intermittent resources.  This means that they produce electricity only in the instant that the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.  Solar PV power is DC power.  You can invert it to AC but there are substantial losses.  If it is cloudy or night time you get no solar power.  Battery backup systems are available for DC power but gas pumps draw a lot of power and the storage systems are lossy also.   Wind power is AC.  You can't store AC power.  If you don't use all the wind power you are generating you will need to sell it back to the local power company assuming they will buy it from you... not all will.  Some must.  It depends on the state you are in and the regulatory policy on these matters in that state.  In any case, to run a gas station you are going to need reliable AC power from the grid.  You can supplement with wind and solar, but you cannot effectively run a gas station business with only wind and solar.

3. So you want to supplement?  Assuming you can sell back unused power to the grid, it is going to cost you.  Wind power generators cost tens of thousands of dollars and require special permits and variances. You should be able to produce power, fully loaded with interest finance charges, etc, from a small wind turbine for about 12 cents/kwh.  If you pay more than that from the power company, this may be a good deal, especially if they buy back the extra power.  Solar PV power costs about 40-50 cents/kwh to produce all in AFTER all the significant government subsidies and other rebates are accounted for.  This is almost NEVER a good deal from a purely economic perspective.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Sure, if in the right area.   I've seen 7 megawatt windmills in Europe; each one is placed in an area that almost always is windy since they cost so much.    Solar collectors would work well in a desert and on a large enough scale.

Answer 6

Those are crappy ways to make power.