Solar Baby

posted by katlupe on Aug 25

Your off-the-grid home depends on batteries for your electrical power and that is why you definitely need a battery system monitor. It is a major component needed for your alternative energy system. I know we did not have our meter in the beginning but as soon as were able to add it to our system it made maintaining it so much easier. The one we bought is called The TriMetric Model 2020. We purchased it in 2004 and it ran about $190. at that time at Backwoods Solar. I believe that included all the hardware with it.

You can use it to teach your family how much energy different electrical appliances use.  You can plug in a mixer for instance, and then watch your TriMetric meter to see how much power is being used when it is turned on. That way you will be able to judge if it is worth keeping that mixer or buy a more efficient one or add another solar panel.

It will also help you in checking that all your power loads are really off. Sometimes you might have something still on and not know it. Of course, in my own home we have everything off if our inverter is off. Eventually, that will change and our inverter will be on all the time. Right now the only thing we have on all the time is a string of lights like Christmas type ones that are hooked directly to our batteries.

A meter also helps you locate the “phantom loads”. I think everyone knows now what that is……small loads that come from your computers, televisions, radios, stereos, telephones, anything that has a clock or anything that is lit up when it is not being used. You do not want them saping your power! I have none of those items in my house. My printer comes on when we turn our inverter on in the morning and we quickly turn it off before even turning our laptops on. I only turn the printer on when I am using it and off as soon as I am finished.

How do you know how much energy is left in your system? We have to watch this very closely as NY does not get a fair amount of sun. For us it means we have to run our generator to charge our batteries. You do not want to let your batteries get depleted. It also helps when you are running the generator to know when to turn it off because the batteries are approaching full charge. Don’t want to let them get undercharged and don’t want to overcharge them either!

Batteries need critical care. So your meter will help you maintain and care for them by knowing when to  turn on your generator to avoid damage from letting them completely discharge. It will also allow you to check that your charging systems are definitely charging to the correct voltage for the longest battery life. Not to mention that it reminds you to not let your batteries go too many days between a full charge.

As you can see this little meter becomes a very essential tool in putting together your alternative energy system. Any system problems usually will show up on your meter. You will be able to monitor the solar arrays, inverter and charge controller to make sure they are correctly charging at proper rates and voltages. If your batteries are not holding the energy properly you will know that immediately.

Our TriMetric meter is right on our wall in our living room. We can see it from our desks. If anything is not right my husband knows immediately as he checks it constantly. It is best to stay on top of all things involving your system as your equipment is not cheap and can be damaged easily by not monitoring it. Hope this helps and gives you an idea of why you need this little meter for your alternative energy system.

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Aug 18

If you are planning on changing over to an off-the-grid energy system, the first thing I would recommend is to start cutting your electrical power usage. Of course, the main energy hogs are the ones that use heat, such as electric heaters, electric hot water, electric stove and oven and the electric clothes dryer. Air conditioning, as well. These appliances use huge amounts of your electric power, eating up your watts as soon as they are turned on. Switching to propane or natural gas for water heating, home heat, cooking and clothes drying, along with more efficient refrigerators and freezers will offer much savings.  For an air conditioning alternative, there is evaporative cooling systems. Changing to these appliances will instantly cut off more than three quarters of what you usually use while teaching you how to get started.

Screw in light bulbs should be mostly compact fluorescent lights which use about one quarter the power of regular bulbs while giving the same brightness and color. Replace your big desk top computers with laptops. They use much less power. We run 2 laptops over 12 hours a day on very little power. A desk top (actually it is the monitors) uses as much in a few hours, as our’s do in a week. The monitors are what you have to watch though they have come out with more energy efficient desk tops and monitors now. Check them very carefully.

Newer gas cooking ranges have what is called a “glow bar” in the oven. It uses electricity, so even if your power is out you can’t use the oven.  This is an electric red-hot glow-bar pilot in the oven that consumes 400 watts all the time the oven is used! Instead, look for one of two types of pilot light ovens. An oven with regular gas flame pilot light is the simplest. Better is an oven pilot that lights by electric spark when the oven is started and goes off when the oven is finished. Propane or natural gas stoves with gas pilot lights need no power connection at all.

Another option would be no options! Yes, that’s what I did when purchasing my brand new Premier propane range, It has no timer, no oven light, no light on top and no clock. You can purchase a seperate timer for a few dollars just about anywhere. And most people already have a clock in their kitchen anyway. Same with lighting. Remember you do pay for all those little options. And they are electric users.

I won’t go into the refrigeration as I went into much detail on that on my previous posts. Both mentioning the Sunfrost and the Sundanzer.

It goes without saying that another big saving for any household is to hang your laundry outside. I do that. Even in the snowy cold winter of New York state. It is no big deal to me.  You could use a gas dryer and that would give you some savings but of course there is the price of the fuel and it still does use some electricity as well.

The Staber washing machine is also built with the off the grid family in mind. It is a simply designed machine with under 200 watts running power. With only a larger surge at the start of the spin cycle which means that 165 watts per load is way less than any other regular washing machine uses. It’s a double plus as it uses less than half as much water per load as other machines as well. Spins faster than others too. That  gives you a savings in more energy in faster drying on the clothes line or in your dryer. So if you do alot of wash each week this is a very good option.

There are some appliances that consume your power twenty-four hours a day even when you think they are turned off. Televisions, stereos, office equipment, garage door openers and many, many others. These appliances, really need to turned off when you are not using them. By turned off, I mean the plug pulled out, or on a outlet strip that is turned off. Remember little things count when you are trying to cut your usage back or to switch over to your own alternative energy system. Now YOU are in charge!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Aug 9

A charge controller is needed for your system. It is connected to your batteries and the inverter. Our charge controller in mounted on our wall. There are many different brands and types and it can get complicated. So I will do the best I can to explain some basics for you. It would be best to discuss your needs with the dealer of the brand you choose to purchase. First I will examine each type of controller available. You will need to decide what your future plans are and plan accordingly.

The series cycling charge controller is the easiest controller that averts the overcharging of the batteries by turning the solar panel’s current on and off based on the battery voltage. As the battery voltage rises to a preset point indicating that the full charge is nearly attained a mechanical relay or solid-state switch suddenly shuts off the charge. Simple! But if the battery voltage begins to fall…..if it gets low enough it will make the controller go back on. Battery voltage rises again and the cycle continues. On and off…… This results in battery voltage averaging somewhere between the high and low set points and that prevents your batteries from overcharging.

The constant voltage charge controller is most often what is considered 3-stage. What is 3-stage? A more precise control which gives you the  most charging that is possible for that day.

Bulk charge is the first stage. This is when the power is switched straight through from the solar modules until the batteries reach the preset maximum.

Absorption charge is the second stage. This is when the maximum battery voltage is held by reducing the charge current…….. enough to never exceed the target voltage. Reduced current is high speed on and off pulsing……when controlling on time versus the off time of each pulse determines the average charge current.

Float charge is the third stage. And this is when the battery voltage is reduced after the charge is completed. Avoids excessive evaporating of battery water and will extend your battery’s life. If you are using sealed maintenance-free, AGM or gel type batteries – then the three stage with float would be the safest method of charge controlling for you.

A Diversion charge controller does not mean that it is cut off from the charging source at all. What it means is that the battery charges to the maximum set voltage. Then the diversion control senses that voltage  which in turn causes it to absorb the excess current. That in turn will exactly off-set the excess charge. That will keep the battery voltage so it never goes over the preset maximum. This will be a small amount of heat in ceramic air heating resistors or water heating elements. Your control will adjusts its consumption rate to offset the excess charging exactly. Keeps the battery voltage at…. never exceeding the preset maximum voltage. When someone is  using a wind turbine or hydroelectric which does not have it’s own charge controller then they must use a diversion controller. Those particular  types of generators will be damaged by their charge not being absorbed into the batteries at all times. One diversion controller should handle the combination of solar, hydro and wind easily. Provided the total amps charged from all three together is within it’s amp capacity.

Our  charge controller is the Xantrex C-60 60 Amps, 12 volt and I think it sold for about $245. at Backwoods Solar in 2004. We have been very happy with it and have never had any kind of problem at all. Backwoods Solar will work with you, especially if you live off the grid! They have a great little catalog that is packed full of information. It is like a little encyclopedia for anyone that is trying to set up a system and they really go the extra mile if you know what I mean. Even if you live on the grid.

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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