Pianu project - solar and wind off-grid energy solution

D.Mirăștian, F.Andronescu1), and F.Fleșeriu2)

Energy specialist, Alba Local Energy Agency, Alba Iulia, Romania,
1)
Executive Manager, Alba Local Energy Agency, Alba Iulia, Romania
2)
Manager, Ecovolt , Alba Iulia, Romania
daniel.mirastian@gmail.com

Summary: A system that provides electrical power using solar and wind energy is being
implemented near Alba Iulia, in Pianu village. Apart from being an off-grid hybrid energy
solution, something very rare in Romania at the moment, the system uses a wind turbine with
downwind rotor and stall regulation control and also maximum power point tracking (MPPT)
solar charging technology.
The turbine to be installed has specially shaped fiber-glass blades in order to minimize noise and
wind turbulence and maximize energy yield. Moreover, energy yield will be increased by manual
selection of 3 different slopes of the photovoltaic panels (17°, 44°, 63° - depending on the
season) coupled with the MPPT charging technology. Embedded electronics in the wind turbine
will provide energy management according to the wind speed and allow two-way wireless
communication with the turbine. It is possible to receive and display information from the wind
turbine and can also upload commands and operational settings.
Keywords: off-grid, energy, photovoltaic, downwind, turbine.

Motivation:
The motivation behind this project was to implement a small-scale project using multiple
renewable energy sources and set an example in Alba County. The County Council, through
Alba Local Energy Agency, has been a promoter of energy efficiency and renewable energy use.
This project is meant to raise interest for the renewable energy field and encourage the
production of ”clean” energy in the area. The impact of this project will be amplified by the
environmentally-friendly character of the sheepfold (fig. 1) for which the system will provide
power and by the many tourists this area attracts every year.

Fig. 1 Sheepfold powered by the off-grid energy system

Results
The complete system consists of: wind turbine, solar panels, inverter, solar charge
regulator, DC electrical panel, AC electrical panel. The electrical diagram is presented in figure 2
and the indoor installation is presented in figure 3.

So far the solar panels, inverter, solar charge regulator and electrical panels have been
installed and the sheepfold is already powered by the system. Total power for the solar panels is
1.05 kW (6 panels of 175 W each). Energy yield from the panels is expected to be around 4.7
kWh/day during the summer and 1.8 kWh/day during the winter. The lack of energy coming
from the solar panels during winter is expected to be compensated by the wind turbine which
provides between 3 kWh/day during summer and 7 kWh/day during winter (based on the wind
potential evaluation of the area).

The installation of the 2.4 kW wind turbinei during the following weeks will complete the
system and offer the chance to monitor and optimize energy production and consumption in
various weather conditions.

Fig. 2: Electrical diagram of the system Fig. 3: Indoor part of the system

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