Recyled HV Power Line

souler
souler Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭
in Advanced Solar Electric Technical Forum #1
I found plenty of 7 strand, un-insualted, high voltage power line, maybe 3/8" total diameter. I'm wondering if it might serve as a DC line. It is likely 50 years old, greenish copper power line but was trashed only because they wanted to fully upgrade several miles of this rural power line. I would think some half inch PE water pipe would make a good, easy to use insulation sleeve. I'm thinking of upgrading my 20-30 ft pv to battery line. I'm thinking an inch length of well abraded and soldered ends should equalize power distribution on all stands.

Any suggestions for preliminary test? (Voltage drop of 2-3% max?) Other insights? Thanks.
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  • techntrek
    techntrek Solar Expert Posts: 1,372 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Recyled HV Power Line

    With the current price of copper you might do better selling it to a recycler, especially if you have access to "several miles" of it. Even if you only have a couple dozen feet the money you would make would discount the cost of new, insulated conductor.

    Are you sure its copper? Usually uninsulated conductors are aluminum or steel.
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Recyled HV Power Line

    greenish = copper

    I agree, recycle it, and buy new.
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  • techntrek
    techntrek Solar Expert Posts: 1,372 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Recyled HV Power Line

    Yes, green usually means copper, but high-voltage lines aren't copper. Aluminum or aluminum wrapped around a steel core. Maybe 50 years ago it was cheap enough to use copper...
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  • mikeo
    mikeo Solar Expert Posts: 386 ✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Recyled HV Power Line
    Maybe 50 years ago it was cheap enough to use copper...
    Actually it may be copper coated steel wire. I've seen some of that around my place, the power lines are more then 50 years old except most of the wire has been replaced due to storms with aluminum wire with steel core.
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  • AntronX
    AntronX Solar Expert Posts: 462 ✭✭
    #6
    Re: Recyled HV Power Line

    I recommended this approach to someone with hundreds of feet PV wire run. You only have 30 feet. It may not be worth the trouble for such short run. Calculate your wire efficiency at full PV power as of now. It should be 95% or better. Then measure resistance of this powerline wire and calculate PV to battery power loss you will get using powerline wire. The energy gain may be only few percent, translating into few Wh per day. Find out how much 60 feet of PVC insulation pipe cost. Is extra energy gain worth the price and hassle?
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Recyled HV Power Line

    i agree that it may not be worthwhile to use it in your solar setup, but you could try cutting straight into the wire an inch or so back to see if it is copper coated or solid copper throughout. i don't suspect you'd get much more than a penny or 2 per pound for just a coated wire depending on just what the center is made of and i'm thinking steel, but it could be aluminum. if it's aluminum centered you certainly will get more $, but recyclers (fancy word for a junkman) do not like wires with mixed metals or even pure wires with insulations as these they can't pay the true prices out for the metals involved when they aren't readily separable for weighing.
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  • souler
    souler Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭
    #8
    Re: Recyled HV Power Line

    I've not analysed the wire recently, but it is non-magnetic. I've used it mostly to make antique-like decorations. There is no silvery evidence of aluminum... Ha, i only have a 100+ ft or so, not miles. Yes the replacement wire of the utilities was/is aluminum. I'm also debating between 12v and 24v pv array. Which all adds to the cost analysis of adding solar, when my budget here is questionable. So looking at re-puposed recycling of junk piles does appeal to me.
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