James Johnson's posts

I see it now thank you Thomas...seems simple enough to hook together...will be nice to measure my small array and small battery bank..and also be set for future expansion...

Thanks

James

Can anyone please explain to me where and how a shunt goes in for use with a battery monitor?

the monitor I'm looking at is this one.

http://store.altenergystore.com/Meters-Communications-Site-Analysis/Meters-Battery-Monitors/Ammeters-Voltmeters-Battery-Monitors/Bogart-Engineering-PM-100-D-PentaMetric-Display-Unit/p252/


Thanks

James

Thanks for the suggestion Mike..good call. It should fit my needs perfectly, as I plan on having the power center a distance away from my studio..so the remote will come in very handy.

Heck I could continue upgrading in 40w increments for quite some time with the Xantrex. Thanks again Mike for the help

James

much thanks for the replies James & Mike.

I think I'll go to a 40w system and get the BP Panel. My current charge controller wont handle the upgrade. It's a Morningstar Sungaurd 4.5 amp controller. Any suggestions on a PWM controller, keeping in mind that I plan un upgrading the system in 40w increments, up to approx 200 or 240w. More than Likely I'll keep getting the BP panels and if things go well, I'll have em all by the end of the year!

thanks again for the help

James

Bump...

anyone?

James

I would like to increase my charging abilities of my small system. I currently have a PowerUp model #BSP-2012 and want to get another PowerUp panel to match this one from the Alt-E storefront. However the one listed in the store "looks" completely different than the one I have, yet has the exact same specs as the one I have.

the Alt-E PowerUp panel
http://store.altenergystore.com/Solar-Panels/1-to-50-Watt-Solar-Panels/Power-Up-BSP20-12-20W-12V-Solar-Panel/p1024/

my PowerUp panel
http://gallery.altenergystore.com/James-Johnson-gallery/v/7059083552/

Are these 2 panels the same? Will they work together in parallel for a 12v system?

OR I could get a 40watt panel..to make the system a bit more minmal, and have a capability to expand in 40watt increments, rather than 20watt increments. Would this be a better idea? If so, which 40watt panel would you recommend, keeping in mind that I will likely be expanding in 40watt increments..over the next 2-5 years. With maybe a max of 200watts total or so...

thank you

James

I'm in the planning process of upgrading my mini system (see this post) - http://forums.altenergystore.com/Renewable-Energy/Technical/using-12v-dc-appliances-during-the-day/index.php/topic,1402.0.html#msg4983

The overall goal is to get my music studio 100% solar powered. I'll be operating the studio during daylight hours only, so maybe this helps in terms of how much energy I'll be pulling from the battery, since I'll be running things while the panels are producing electricity.


I'd like to upgrade the system so that I can get 240watts or more of 12v power each day. While still only cycling the battery by about 20% - 25%, in order to extend the lifespan of the battery. I'll need to upgrade the battery for sure, and will have to add a couple more 20watt panels..then I need to figure out the more complex part of wiring and the combiner box, charge controller. I'm trying to stay away from an inverter and use just 12vdc. The Photovoltaics book is an great resource, however, there's a few things not covered in it, that I'd like to learn more about.

How can I run multiple laptops using 12v DC adapters off one battery? Maybe make some kind of junction box coming off the battery, for 12v DC wiring runs within the studio. Then these wiring runs go to 12v DC "female" outlets where I can plug in the laptops. How can I keep track of the battery charge status and hence have some kind of LVD since I'm using no inverter?

yup..need some help here for sure..

any courses planned within the midwest?

James,

thanks for the reply...please bear with me as I'm just getting into more complex systems. I plan to upgrade my mini system this summer.

Just a little more clarification please to see if I understand you correctly.


Connecting 3 single panels to the combiner box in order to make a larger parallel string, then each panel has it's own breaker rated at the ISC of each panel

Then right before the charge controller is another breaker that is rated for the total "x" amp output of the 3 panels IE: "x" x125%x125% correct?

are breakers required in the combiner box for each panel?  OR can the overload protection be AFTER the combiner box on the positive leg?

J

Ha!  the book answered my question perfectly...

J

The small system I have for a computer:

low end laptop draws 20watts
20 watt 12v solar panel (PowerUp BSP-2012)
morningstar sungaurd 4 charge controller
12v 32ah agm battery
female DC adapter hooked to battery

when I am powering the laptop using DC power during the day when the solar panel is producing electricity, is the solar panel providing most of the DC power and the load on the battery is minimal?

Does this then "extend" the use time I can have with the laptop during the day?

I am trying to only cycle the 32ah battery down about 20%. Since the battery capacity in watts is 384watts and my laptop draws 20watts per hour, this would mean that I can get roughly 3.5 hours of use off the battery alone without the solar panel. So does using the computer while the solar panel is generating electricity, extend this use time significantly?

would love to hear some comments on this please.

J

Hello,

New to this forum and just ordered the  Photovoltaics: Design & Install Manual. While I'm waiting for it's arrival, can someone help me understand how to size the breakers for the PV  and the fuse size for coming off the battery bank to the inverter? Do I even have the location of these items figured correctly? If not, please impart some wisdom my way.

Thanks
James