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Main House Electricity System (view source)
Revision as of 15:38, 11 November 2020
, 15:38, 11 November 2020no edit summary
## Solar Panels panels and MPPT Charge Controllercharge controller
There are five [SUNGOLDPOWER 24V Monocrystalline 200W Solar Panels](https://sungoldpower.com/collections/monocrystalline-solar-panel/products/200-watt-monocrystalline-solar-panel#specification_1)(62.2 x 31.8 x 1.4 inches) that are connected in parallel, which keeps their voltage at 24 V and adds up their amperage. On a sunny day, they output up to 500 W to the [SolarEpic 4125BN MPPT Solar Charge Controller](https://solarepic.com/products/solarepic-mppt-40a-solar-charge-controller-150v-pv-input-tracer-4215bn?variant=12497866457137). The charge controller is rated for 40 A.
For more information on the solar panel upgrade that was done, please refer to [[Additional Solar Panels Research]].
### Wires and Connectorsconnectors
We are using around 100 feet of 2 AWG copper cable for each positive and negative connection. The cables are NOT fully water-resistant. Ideally, we should bury them in PVC pipes underground. The SUNDGOLDPOWER panels used to have standard MC4 connectors that we cut off.
### Mounts and Bracketsbrackets
[SunWize](https://www.sunwize.com/application-item/solar-panel-mounts/) has a large number of solar panel connectors and brackets. [Solar Electric](https://www.solar-electric.com/residential/panel-mounts-trackers/pole-mounts.html) has pole mounts.
_Our latitude is 36.4037°_.
## Micro-Hydro and Diversion Controllerdiversion controller
The micro-hydro [[Micro Hydro Turbine]] system outputs around 60 -110 W all day long. We currently don't have any accurate information on its original efficiency, head, or other characteristics. Please update this section and the micro-hydro page if you know more.
As the micro-hydro system charges the batteries 24/7, it is important to prevent overcharging with a diversion controller that redirects the energy to a heating element. The heating element dumps the electricity and converts it into heat. The diversion controller is the C-35 by Schneider ([Manual](http://solar.schneider-electric.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/c-series-manual-975-0004-01-02-rev-d_eng.pdf)). For more maintenance information go to [[Micro Hydro Turbine]].
## Meters
The current inverter's maximum continuous battery charger input is 3600VA. It's maximum alternating current (AC) output overcurrent protection is 35 A at 110 V.
## Deep-Cycle Batteriesbatteries
[[File:12-FS-210 Rolls Battery.JPG|thumb|Deep-cycle battery 12 FS 210 by Rolls Battery]]
As with all deep cycle batteries, they shouldn’t be drained to less than 20% of their capacity, which results in a usable capacity of 336 Ah with 24 V (~8,000 Watt-hours [Wh]) after purchase. Please note that these numbers will be lower after long-term usage. Based on experience, the batteries are severely damaged resulting in a capacity of approx. 40% (3,200 Wh).
### Fire and safety tips ### Upgrading the Batteriesbatteries
One should refrain from adding new batteries to an already used set as it wears down the old batteries faster. This will result in deep discharged old batteries. Therefore, we could consider moving the current/old set to our future octagonal cabins. As depicted in the illustration above, we could run two independent 12 V systems in different locations. Rolls Battery released a new version of our current batteries, the S12 185 ([data sheet](https://www.rollsbattery.com/battery/s12-185/?pdf=8512)). Here is a [summary of the model updates](https://rollsbattery.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Model-Updates.pdf).
## Software and Hardwarehardware
The Main House Electricity System is connected to an Arduino-based [[Electrical Control Unit]]. Please refer to the aforementioned page for the GitHub repository.
