How to make your own home solar. With Pictures + solar book

[TristanWS]

I beg to disagree I would agree if the load was let say 20 to 10 watts which is a light load. But a 5 watt load is almost negligible.

Assuming a fully charged 100 Ah battery and a 5 watt load running for 10 hrs, this load will consume only 4.16 amps out of 100 or in other words the battery will be still 95.84 amp (almost 96% full)

The charts I gave says 100% full with light load = 12.4-12.7 volts meaning the lighter is the load, the higher is the voltage, so in this case, with only 5 watts load, the voltage should be around 12.60 to have a SoC of 90%.

With a reading at 12.3 with 5 watts load, to me the SoC is around 55-60% maximum...

anyways... assuming that the voltage is 12.3V with 5 watts load and the SoC is around 55-60% max... bakit hindi nagtsa-charge ang panel at 5:45 AM?

actually, mas interesado ako kung anong oras nagsimula mag-charge ang panel at ano ang voltage ng panel (Voc) nang mag-simula mag charge.

gumigising ako ng 6AM... pansin ko, if not cloudy nagtsa-charge at 6AM... kung makulimlim, hindi nagtsa-charge.

hehehe... sabi ko na nga ba, na-isahan tayo ni sir poseidon... tinanong ko kay mr. google ang "Sunrise Today: 06:24"... eh wala pang araw at 5:45AM

 

[awinahe]

anyways... assuming that the voltage is 12.3V with 5 watts load and the SoC is around 55-60% max... bakit hindi nagtsa-charge ang panel at 5:45 AM?

actually, mas interesado ako kung anong oras nagsimula mag-charge ang panel at ano ang voltage ng panel (Voc) nang mag-simula mag charge.

gumigising ako ng 6AM... pansin ko, if not cloudy nagtsa-charge at 6AM... kung makulimlim, hindi nagtsa-charge.

hehehe... sabi ko na nga ba, na-isahan tayo ni sir poseidon... tinanong ko kay mr. google ang "Sunrise Today: 06:24"... eh wala pang araw at 5:45AM

Yes, at this time of the year the sun rises late... and even at 6:30, it's not yet strong enough to charge a battery... Maybe one day we will have panels recharging at night!... I read something about it few months back, I think it will be possible... one day

 

[poseidon]

What about the voltage reading with digital multi-meter? I, personally, don't like these small digital readers as they are not very accurate... mine has a difference of almost half a volt! If your reading is right your battery is still 50% charged, which is ok but better not to have this DoD everyday if you can, in order to keep your bat in good shape for long!

Edit: I just realize that I read 12.2 on your picture but actually I'm not sure it's a "2" after 12!! I cannot open the picture

12.3V po ang reading. Discharging mode pa siya noong kinunan ko ng reading. Madilim pa kaya di pa kumakarga ang ang SCC.

 

[TristanWS]

12.3V po ang reading. Discharging mode pa siya noong kinunan ko ng reading. Madilim pa kaya di pa kumakarga ang ang SCC.

more than two years na ang solar setup ko, pero hindi ko pa alam kung

* anong oras sa umaga nagsi-simula mag-charge ang panel at ano ang starting voltage nya...
* anong oras humihinto mag-charge ang panel kung gabi at ano ang voltage niya...

kayo? alam ba ninyo?

 

[bongalzate]

depende sa panahon.....like ngayun dec.-feb maaga gumabi at late din labas ng haring araw(lesser sun/daylight hours).....pero sa observation ko according sa watt meter....kung may 5 volts na generate yung panel umiilaw na si Lumiax Mppt controller (nagchacharge na). at same din sya sa hapon hanggang 5volts na yung generate na lang ng panel pag bumaba pa dun stop na sya sa charging.....

 

[vincent8563]

TS

 

[awinahe]

more than two years na ang solar setup ko, pero hindi ko pa alam kung

* anong oras sa umaga nagsi-simula mag-charge ang panel at ano ang starting voltage nya...
* anong oras humihinto mag-charge ang panel kung gabi at ano ang voltage niya...

kayo? alam ba ninyo?

As said Sir Bongalzate (Hello Sir, long time no see ) Depende sa panahon... but , as I turn on and off my panels manually, I can say that turning on at 6:30, as I almost always do, or turning at 8 am does not make a lot of difference. At 6:30 even is the sun rises already, it's not enough high in the sky to really charge the batteries. I happened to forget to turn on my panels at 6:30 and turn them on only at 8 am and the voltage is the same.

For example this morning at 6 am the voltage of my batteries was 12.57... I turn on m y panels at 6:30
here are the readings up to 9 am... If I had turned them on at 8 am, the reading at 9 am would the same!

12.57 6 am
12.62 7 am
12.87 8 am
13.15 9 am

Then it's the same at night... starting around 5 pm, the sun is too low to really charge the batts and it makes no difference if I stop my panels at 5:30 or 6:30 pm

 

[TristanWS]

depende sa panahon.....like ngayun dec.-feb maaga gumabi at late din labas ng haring araw(lesser sun/daylight hours).....pero sa observation ko according sa watt meter....kung may 5 volts na generate yung panel umiilaw na si Lumiax Mppt controller (nagchacharge na). at same din sya sa hapon hanggang 5volts na yung generate na lang ng panel pag bumaba pa dun stop na sya sa charging.....

thanks for sharing this personal observation regarding Lumiax Mppt controller... mas maganda talaga ang MPPT... basta inabot na ang input DC voltage ng DC-DC converter ay posible na mag-charge...

ganito naman ang observation ko sa scc na Epsolar PWM... the sunrise today is 6:24AM... around 5:53AM, tiningnan ko kung nagtsa-charge na... hindi pa sumisikat ang araw, pero makikita mo na ang sun rays at medyo maliwanag na ang kalangitan... nakita ko na nagbi-blink na ang solar indicator... therefore, charging na siya... ang voltage reading ng battery ay 12.2V at ang Voc ng panel ay 12.4V.

bukas, subukan ko i-observe sa oras na 5:45AM.

kahapon (Dec 14), huminto sya mag-charge around 5:40PM... ang VoC ay 12.2V... ang battery ko ay 12.5V (with scc and usb charger connected).

 

[jesthersilvestre]

ano po pinagkaiba ng sealed and not sealed? pag naubos laman ng sealed wala na kwenta? complete/purely newbie..

and saan po ba nakakabili ng charge controler?

 

[TristanWS]

ano po pinagkaiba ng sealed and not sealed? pag naubos laman ng sealed wala na kwenta? complete/purely newbie..
and saan po ba nakakabili ng charge controler?

ang sealed ay hindi na kailangan lagyan ng distilled water for maintenanance... pwede maski-ano ang position ng battery (patayo o pahiga), kasi hindi matatapon ang electrolyte... (example ay yung battery ng UPS)... samantalang ang NOT sealed battery ay patayo lang pwede at linalagyan ng distilled water para ma-maintain (example, motolite solar master deep cycle battery)... usually mas mahal ang presyo ng sealed battery.

sa cdr king kami bumibili kasi meron sila branches sa mga probinsya... (karamihan sa thread ni ma'am TS ay taga probinsya).

 

[jesthersilvestre]

ang sealed ay hindi na kailangan lagyan ng distilled water for maintenanance... pwede maski-ano ang position ng battery (patayo o pahiga), kasi hindi matatapon ang electrolyte... (example ay yung battery ng UPS)... samantalang ang NOT sealed battery ay patayo lang pwede at linalagyan ng distilled water para ma-maintain (example, motolite solar master deep cycle battery)... usually mas mahal ang presyo ng sealed battery.

sa cdr king kami bumibili kasi meron sila branches sa mga probinsya... (karamihan sa thread ni ma'am TS ay taga probinsya).

province din ako.. kaya hirap sa mga kakailanganin..

http://www.lazada.com.ph/granmerlen-high-efficiency-solar-panel-200w-1926712.html

http://www.lazada.com.ph/newstar-sealed-lead-acid-battery-12v200ah-ncb200-12-2637214.html

http://www.lazada.com.ph/12v-heavy-duty-inverter-1000w-silver-1749113.html

ano masasabi nyo rito basic needs lang tuwing gabi. they're all cash on delivery..

 

[TristanWS]

province din ako.. kaya hirap sa mga kakailanganin..

http://www.lazada.com.ph/granmerlen-high-efficiency-solar-panel-200w-1926712.html

http://www.lazada.com.ph/newstar-sealed-lead-acid-battery-12v200ah-ncb200-12-2637214.html

http://www.lazada.com.ph/12v-heavy-duty-inverter-1000w-silver-1749113.html

ano masasabi nyo rito basic needs lang tuwing gabi. they're all cash on delivery..

the battery is a Valve Regulated Lead Acid Battery, so it is maintenance free... ang capacity niya ay 12V 200AH... competitive na ang price at Php9,599.60.

medyo mahal ang solar panel as compared to cdrking's panel at walang detailed specs... although most 200W panels need MPPT controller.

the inverter is modified sine wave kaya mura.

 

[jesthersilvestre]

the battery is a Valve Regulated Lead Acid Battery, so it is maintenance free... ang capacity niya ay 12V 200AH... competitive na ang price at Php9,599.60.

medyo mahal ang solar panel as compared to cdrking's panel at walang detailed specs... although most 200W panels need MPPT controller.

the inverter is modified sine wave kaya mura.

thank you thank you po.. ok din si daking wala pa ko nababasang bad sa mga panel nya.. umpisa po ako to zero .. hehe biglang naging interesado sa solar powered system

 

[TristanWS]

thank you thank you po.. ok din si daking wala pa ko nababasang bad sa mga panel nya.. umpisa po ako to zero .. hehe biglang naging interesado sa solar powered system

kung gumagamit ka na ng UPS sa desktop computer at nagda-drive ka ng sasakyan (jeep, kotse, motorcycle)... parang ganyan din ang solar... ang kaibahan lang ay ang charger na ginagamit para ma-charge ang battery... ang UPS ay AC charger... ang kotse ay alternator... ang solar ay solar charge controller (scc).

 

[awinahe]

province din ako.. kaya hirap sa mga kakailanganin..

http://www.lazada.com.ph/granmerlen-high-efficiency-solar-panel-200w-1926712.html

http://www.lazada.com.ph/newstar-sealed-lead-acid-battery-12v200ah-ncb200-12-2637214.html

http://www.lazada.com.ph/12v-heavy-duty-inverter-1000w-silver-1749113.html

ano masasabi nyo rito basic needs lang tuwing gabi. they're all cash on delivery..

There is no specs for the solar panel... which is always a problem with Lazada (very few technical details, even basics!)
A fast google search does not come up with any results for the battery! Maybe a fake plus with only one week warranty, personally I'm not sure I will trust this one!
Same thing with the inverter, almost no specs, said to be heavy duty but does not look like one and only 1 week warranty! It's a modified wave, are you sure you will not need a pure sine wave?

If you don't intend to have a lot more than 200 watt panels, I think it's better to buy 4 x 50 watts or 2 x 100 watts panels... in case of problem it's easier and cheaper to change one small panel than a big one! CdR king solar panels are cheap and reliable...
Check at your local Motolite dealer for a deep cycle battery Solar Master, even if they don't have, they can order it
Check online, like OLX for inverters... avoid TBE brand... I am not sure about the inverters at cdr king... I did not have yet get real bad review about them...
what about a controller, do you plan to use one or not? what do you want to power with solar?

 

[TristanWS]

sir poseidon...

hindi talaga pare-pareho ang oras mag-simula mag-charging ang panel sa madaling araw (note: scc is PWM)... magde-depende pa rin kung cloudy or not cloudy at kung ano ang state of charge (SoC) ng battery during that time... halimbawa, yesterday nagsimula mag-charge ang panel around 5:53AM... ngayon (Dec 15) around 6:04AM.

 

[Oldschooler]

Thanks for sharing your personal experience emphasizing the importance of fuse or breakers.

The technical basis for the size of the fuse between the panel and the scc is the specs “Isc (CURRENT short circuit)”… I checked the cdrkings’s 250W panel and it is 9.33A… therefore it is probably your reason… however if the panels are 5 x 50 watts in parallel, then the Isc is 3A x 5 = 15A… the main reason for the fuse is to protect the wiring between the panel and the scc which is usually #10 AWG (up to 30A of current)…. Therefore, if there is an over current, the fuse will open before melting the wirings… usually the scc has an over current protection feature, however the cheapy one’s “protection features” may not work, so better to play it safe.

I also think that the 10A fuse between the 250W panel and the 30A scc will really blow if the panel produce more than 10 amps... in theory, a 250W panel could produce 14A to 20A depending on the sunlight and temperature of the panel.

Thanks Sir Tristan for the info. You are absolutely correct of the ratings of the ampere. A week or so after I replaced the blown fuse (10ah), the wire and the holder of the auto fuse got melted and hot and the fuse would surely open anytime as the plastic around it is already melted...think the 10ah is not sufficient for a 250 watt panel. After replacing it the fuse with 20ah as you implied, it goes smoothly, the wire no longer hot in touch, no more burning smell. One query, in determining the correct fuse vis-a-viz the panel, must the fuse ampere equal, more, less to the panel ratings (e.g. 250 watt/12v = 20.33 ampere?)

Another concern. I plan to add 150 watt panel in parallel, to make my system 400 watts. My existing scc is with rated charge current of 350 watts or 30ampere. The 400 watt produces 33.33 ah. Can I still use the said 30ah scc for the 400 watt panel, without damaging it? What could be the possible effects? Or, will it be okay if I will use a second scc with say 20ah for the additional 150 panel, charging the same battery bank? ... for the latter, will there be no conflict between the two controllers, particularly on the setting of the protection features of the controllers. My advance thanks.

 

[TristanWS]

Thanks Sir Tristan for the info. You are absolutely correct of the ratings of the ampere. A week or so after I replaced the blown fuse (10ah), the wire and the holder of the auto fuse got melted and hot and the fuse would surely open anytime as the plastic around it is already melted...think the 10ah is not sufficient for a 250 watt panel. After replacing it the fuse with 20ah as you implied, it goes smoothly, the wire no longer hot in touch, no more burning smell. One query, in determining the correct fuse vis-a-viz the panel, must the fuse ampere equal, more, less to the panel ratings (e.g. 250 watt/12v = 20.33 ampere?)

Another concern. I plan to add 150 watt panel in parallel, to make my system 400 watts. My existing scc is with rated charge current of 350 watts or 30ampere. The 400 watt produces 33.33 ah. Can I still use the said 30ah scc for the 400 watt panel, without damaging it? What could be the possible effects? Or, will it be okay if I will use a second scc with say 20ah for the additional 150 panel, charging the same battery bank? ... for the latter, will there be no conflict between the two controllers, particularly on the setting of the protection features of the controllers. My advance thanks.

"must the fuse ampere equal, more, less to the panel ratings (e.g. 250 watt/12v = 20.33 ampere?"
according to the internet, the rule of thumb is to add two 25%s to the panel spec's Isc... example If the Isc is 10A + 25% + 25% = 15.63A

"The 400 watt produces 33.33 ah. Can I still use the said 30A scc for the 400 watt panel, without damaging it?"
if the 30A scc has no OVER CURRENT PROTECTION, you might damage it by overheating.

"Or, will it be okay if I will use a second scc with say 20ah for the additional 150 panel, charging the same battery bank? ... for the latter, will there be no conflict between the two controllers, particularly on the setting of the protection features of the controllers."
whichever scc has the highest Charging Voltage will take precedence. In theory, it is possible that the weaker controller will be just on standby doing nothing.

Please consider using one MPPT charge controller for setup higher than 200W.

 

[josepepe]

pag exact na 200w yng solar panel ano po recommend nyo ssc o mppt

 

[TristanWS]

pag exact na 200w yng solar panel ano po recommend nyo ssc o mppt

kapag malaki na ang panel wattage, malaki na rin ang Vmp... example tiningnan ko ang 200W mono panel ni daking... Php 10,800.00
http://www.cdrking.com/index.php?mod=products&type=view&sid=22107&main=167#.VpnJKpp95p9 ... ito ang specs: Vmp: 36V, Imp: 5.556A, Voc: 43.2V, Isc: 6.223A...

kapag PWM scc ang ginamit, masasayang lang ang malaking voltage ng panel kasi ibaba ng PWM scc ang voltage ng panel para mag-match sa voltage ng battery... so, ang sobrang voltage ay hindi gagamitin ng PWM scc... samantalang kung MPPT scc, lahat ng voltage ng malaking panel ay gagamitin niya para maging power...

kung maliit lang ang setup, OKs lang na gumamit ng PWM scc... in fact lugi ka kung MPPT scc ang gagamitin... kasi wala naman so-sobra na voltage... in fact si ma'am TS nga ay hindi gumagamit ng scc sa 150W panel niya (siya mismo ang nagmo-monitor, imbes na ang scc) at kinakabitan nya ng load kapag may sobrang voltage.