oh my gawd the crossinfo help

[Bob Dillman]

ok look heres the story. my wife and i lost everything in a fire trying to rebuild with only 29grand most of which is spent.
we have been living off a 8125peak w generator with 6500running wats.
it runs our water pump, comp. water heater and everything else. im looking to have info on how to use the ten 170am hour batteries using wind power (its most abundant here) or solar. i am going to but a 8000w inverter but need to know more about wind turbines and charge controllers

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Bob,

Sorry to hear about the problems!
Even if wind is your most abundant energy source, I would go for solar PV first. Just because it is so much more reliable, and relatively cheap to get started with. Don't be tempted by the Canadian Tire specials, buy one or more decent 60-cell panels (those are currently around 300 -350 Watt a piece). They have the best bang-for-your-buck. If you can find used 60- or 72-cell panels locally those too can be very good value!

Besides that you'll need a charge controller (or multiple smaller ones depending in your setup). I'm fond of the EP-Solar/Tracer brand; they are Chinese, but have proven quite reliable and work well for their modest price.

To make 120V AC you'll also need an inverter. Again try to withstand the temptation of Canada's most popular chain, and buy something a little better if at all possible. An inverter-charger will allow you to make 120V AC from batteries, as well as charge the batteries from a generator. I like the Samlex EVO-series inverters (and their display/controller). They are about at the lower end of the scale of money while still getting reliability.

A wind turbine is nice if you have lots of wind, but decent ones available for purchase are pricey. If you have the means and DIY skills you can build one yourself: See https://scoraigwind.co.uk/all-of-the-books-by-hugh-how-to-get-them/

That's it for initial suggestions. If you have more specific questions just post them!
Cheers,

-RoB-