What type of cable needed for connection to campsite 500m from power supply?

[revjames]

I would re evaluate what you actually want to power?

In my day "camping" was very much an off grid activity.

Assuming you want hot water for showers etc, and some form of cooking facilities, all that can be done with bottled gas.  Lighting could be LED lights, batteries and solar panels.  What more do you need?

Off grid indeed. I went on a fishing trip up to the top of the Coromandel Peninsula (NZ) about 20 years ago. There was a campsite and it consisted of:

A field

A tap

A 'long drop' toilet

And an honesty box for the $NZ5 per night.

I don't think any of us missed having electricity

sorry for the slight thread topic departure and hope you find a cost effective solution. Have you considered a generator?

 

[Andy™]

Thanks for your helpful comments. Running smaller cables in parallel sounds like it might be the best option.

So - in theory, for a very basic supply (no showers) for the communal shelter (lighting etc), 50mm would be sufficient. Then in the future, if I wanted to run supply to 3 individual pitches (small glamping pods with their own electric showers), I would need to run 3 additional cables of roughly what size?

if youre going to do that, make sure you put in a large duct first time round. save digging it up again for another cable later, just pull it through

 

[Murdoch]

if youre going to do that, make sure you put in a large duct first time round. save digging it up again for another cable later, just pull it through

I am very curious to know how anyone could pull cable through a 500m duct or multiple cables ......

seems  a big ask imho 

 

[Blue Duck]

I am very curious to know how anyone could pull cable through a 500m duct or multiple cables ......

seems  a big ask imho 

Cable rollers, blue rope, scissor lift ( or similar) and lots of elbow grease! 

 

[Tony S]

Work out the weight of the cable and then decide if you can handle the pull in. 1kM of 3.3kV 35mm² 3c SWA worked out at four tons.

500M of 185mm² SWA is going to be a damn site heavier.

 

[revjames]

I was involved in pulling in 250M of 35mm 4C SWA a couple of years ago. A straight pull and then manhandled onto existing tray. No mean feat believe me, even with a winch and 4 men.

 

[HJC90]

The estimate came back from SSE today. Not a formal quote, but their estimate was £100,000. Ouch.

 

[ProDave]

I would look again at re vamping a gas system.

A decent LPG system boiler and a decent sized hot water tank will do all your shower and hot water needs.  Supplement it with solar thermal and promote the green credentials of the camp site. LPG cooker and a few barbecues.

You will need some electricity for controls so off grid solar PV, batteries and an inverter to run the boiler.  All lighting 12V LED from the batteries.  Keep a portable generator to top up the batteries in prolonged carp weather.  Small wind turbine as well?  Think boat / battery technology.

 

[Sharpend]

Is this a Rerun of your own setup Dave? 

 

[Tony S]

The estimate came back from SSE today. Not a formal quote, but their estimate was £100,000. Ouch.

From experience £100k sounds about right for UKPN. 35 years ago the then EMEB wanted £25k for a 35kVA 11kV supply to a HGV garage in the Derbyshire Peak District Park. By the time the parks planning board got involved the price doubled. We installed a generator, it was cheaper. With a generator you can use the exhaust waste heat for hot water.

Have a look for Independent DNO’s (IDNO). They can link in to the DNO’s system to supply a private system. A 100kVA transformer seems far too big for your needs but would give the opportunity for future expansion.

 

[ProDave]

Is this a Rerun of your own setup Dave? 

No, just the sort of stuff I have seen on remote camp sites.  I even saw one with a gas powered fridge.

Bottled LPG is very portable and can be set up anywhere. Though not the cheapest form of fuel, it is far cheaper than paying silly money to get electricity there.

 

[HJC90]

Thanks, I'll have a look into the IDNO option. A generator might also be an option, but not probably not suitable if the site expands to holiday lodges. 

At the moment, we market the site as being off-grid, electricity free, but with a few comforts. Solar lighting and gas showers work well for the type of site it currently is, but not having electricity makes expansion less likely.