More Solar for "Us"

[MrWizard]

Ok, I went off.the deep end?
Bought 3 used 37watt uni-solar panels and a blue sky 2000e controller for the hefty price of $400,
They were being listed as 75w panels, they are not

The tested open circuit voltage was 21+, short circuit amps 2.9
I tested each panel multiple times tilted into the sun and laying flat on the ground , got the same readings each way, that was the deciding factor, they appear to put out full power while laying flat, I will try to mount them tomorrow before it gets hot, right now 104°F
I will use the existing wiring until I buy & install the new wire

[MrWizard]

Sunday Feb 27

81.13 amphrs
1158.3 watthrs

[mena661]

I have a request too, can you drop the WFCO 68100 out of boost with that switch?

[KendallP]

Would sure like to see what would happen if you... just once ran the genny in the evening vs. morning on a nice, bright, sunny day!

[MrWizard]

Thursday Feb 24
78.65 amphrs
1100.9 watt hrs

Tues
74.03 ah
1059.4 whrs

avg daily use 1600-1800 whrs

[MrWizard]

No chance to borrow another controller will just have too muddle along this way for awhile longer

[Salvo]

Cleaning will help. Your charge controller is also dated. I don't think it uses an efficient power point tracking algorithm. Can you borrow a newer MPPT controller?

Sal

[MrWizard]

Salvo
It might be time to get up on the roof and clean the panels
And check the adjustments on the blue sky 2000e controller
I could reconfigure the panel wiring to series parallel to raise the solar voltage into the controller

But we use so much power that i run the generator every morning
The solar charged is in addition to the converter charging not in place of
The solar did that much along with
all the amp hrs from the genset powered converter

maybe if i had too i could manage with the generator charge every other day but i world be more likely have to deal with sulphation and stratifcation
This way the batteries are fully charged everyday
My solar is not enough to fully charge my batteries everyday our power needs are too great

Maybe after i connect the second bank i can try a solar only day and see how much the solar can provide

[MrWizard]

Thurs 2-10
1024.1 watt hrs
72.84 amp hrs

Fri 2-11
901.1 watt hrs
63.92 amp hrs

Sat 2-12
1017.6 watt hrs
74.23 amp hrs

[KendallP]

Salvo wrote:
No, I'm really hoping you'll get the PD. 😉

I'm sure your generator and PD will be a good match.

Sal

🙂

[Salvo]

No, I'm really hoping you'll get the PD. 😉

I'm sure your generator and PD will be a good match.

Sal

[KendallP]

Salvo wrote:
My daily usage is less than what the 130W panel can provide.

Well I guess you no longer have use for the IOTA's quick charging abilities, eh? Wanna' sell it... to one of your favorite rv.netters???

🙂

[Salvo]

It appears your average 67 AH per day on 321 W is a bit low. On a 2.5 week trip in the desert I was averaging 35 AH from one 130W Kyrocera panel. The panel is capable of providing more AHs, but the controller goes into float in the afternoon. My daily usage is less than what the 130W panel can provide. Half the days I had the panel tilted, the other time it was flat. At my low energy usage, it didn't matter if the panel is tilted. Peak current tilted is 8.8A, and flat is 6.5A.

I only operate the gen a few minutes to power the MW.

The Turnigy Watt Meter works well.

Sal

[pianotuna]

Hi MrMud,

For 3500 you should be able to get 1000 watts of solar (parts only). That, in mid summer would provide for 5000 watt/hours of power per day. In amp-hours that is 833 amp-hours.

It would likely produce all the hot water you could use assuming a 10 gallon electric/propane water heater, and run the fridge too. After the battery bank was recharged it would be possible to run a small air-conditioner, on an almost 1:1 basis (solar power running the air-conditioner)

In the dead of winter you would get about 1/6th of that amount or 138 amp-hours per day, assuming a not tilting installation. That would be enough to run the fridge assuming there is enough storage capacity in the battery bank.

The problem may be one of "real estate" on the roof. It might be an idea to have one set of amphorus panels (the Uni-Solar type) and one set of high efficiency mono crystalline panels. The amphorus panels will react to much lower light levels--and extend the charging day. However they are twice the size of the other type.

[MrMudstud]

pianotuna and MrWizard,
Thanks for the info. I have the newer size frigs and it will cost around $2800 or better to replace. I was just thinking if I would buy a residential frig and use the extra money to buy the panels and batteries, how far the difference would be to cover the electrical drain. This may be an option if I ever get to that point. It may cost around $1000 extra, but it may be doable. For $3500, I should be able to get a nice setup.

[MrWizard]

monday 2-7
962.1 watt hrs, 67.85 amphrs

wed 2-9
952.4 watthrs, 65.85 amphrs
11.81 peak amps, 164.8 peak watts

panels are flat on roof