Off Grid And Mobile Solar Power For Everyone: Your Smart Solar Guide

Off Grid And Mobile Solar Power For Everyone

Your Smart Solar Guide

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by Lacho Pop, MSE and Dimi Avram, MSE

Digital Publishing Ltd

©2020 by Lachezar Popov and Digital Publishing Ltd

All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-619-7258-17-2

No part of this ebook, in part or in full may be reproduced, redistributed or sold in any way without the written permission of the authors.

Disclaimer Notice

The authors of this ebook, named ‘Off Grid And Mobile Solar Power For Everyone: Your Smart Solar Guide’, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Book’, make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of the Book. The information contained in the Book is strictly for educational purposes.

Summaries, strategies, tips and tricks are only recommendations by the authors and the reading of the Book does not guarantee that reader’s results shall exactly match the authors’ results.

The authors of the Book have made all reasonable efforts to provide current and accurate information for the readers of the Book and the authors shall not be held liable for any unintentional errors or omissions that may be found.

The Book is not intended to replace or substitute any advice from a qualified technician, solar installer or any other professional and advisor, nor should it be construed, as legal or professional advice and the authors explicitly disclaim any responsibilities for such use.

The installation of solar power systems requires certain background professional qualification and certification for working with high voltages and currents dangerous to human life and for installing solar power systems and appliances. The reader should consult every step of their project or installation with a qualified solar professional, installer or technician and local authorities.

The authors shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this Book, which is provided on as is, where is basis, and without warranties.

The use of product names, brand names and trademarks in the Book doesn’t imply any endorsement.

All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks used in the Book are property of their respective owners.

The use of this Book, provided by Lachezar Popov and Digital Publishing Ltd should be based on reader’s own due diligence and the reader agrees that Digital Publishing Ltd shall not be liable for any success or failure.

This Book is ©copyrighted by Lachezar Popov and Digital Publishing Ltd and is protected under the applicable copyright laws and all other applicable intellectual property laws, with ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this BOOK may be copied, or changed in any format, sold, or used in any way other than what is outlined herein under any circumstances without explicitly written permission from the authors.

About the Authors

Lacho Pop, MSE, has more than 20 years of experience in market research, technological research and design and implementation of various sophisticated electronic and telecommunication systems. His large experience helps him present the complex world of solar energy in a manner that is both practical and easy understood by a broad audience. He authored and co-authored several practical solar books in the field of solar power and solar photovoltaics. All the books were well received by the public.

Dimi Avram, MSE, has more than 15 years of experience in engineering of electrical and electronic equipment. He has specialized in testing electronic equipment and performing techno-economic evaluation of various kinds of electric systems. His excellent presentation skills help him explain even the most complex stuff to anybody interested. He co-authored several practical solar books in the field of solar power and solar photovoltaics. All the books were well received by the public.

You may contact the authors by visiting the website: solarpanelsvenue.com ,

or by email: author@solarpanelsvenue.com

Table of contents

Introduction

Electricity basics

Current

Voltage

Power

Energy

Electric circuits

Short circuit

Open circuit and voltage drops

Resistance

Connecting loads

Which connection is preferable – in series or parallel?

Loads in solar power systems

Typical power consumption of some household appliances

DC loads

AC Loads

Inductive and electronic loads

Energy efficiency

Off-grid system configurations

The essentials of standalone systems

Limitations of standalone systems

What type of off-grid system to choose?

Solar (photovoltaic) panels

Solar photovoltaic modules

Solar module types

Monocrystalline modules

Polycrystalline modules

Thin-film (amorphous) modules

Electrical parameters of solar panels

Standard Test Conditions

I-V curves

Impact of irradiance and temperature on solar panel performance

Solar modules mounting

Connecting photovoltaic modules

Examples of connected solar modules

Solar radiation and site selection

Solar radiation

Solar maps

Azimuth and tilt angles

Azimuth

Tilt

Batteries

Introduction

Batteries in off-grid systems

Lead-acid batteries

Alkaline batteries

Li-Ion batteries

Connecting batteries

Series connection

Parallel connection

Charge controllers

Charge controller types

PWM and MPPT controllers – a detailed comparison

Scaling an off-grid solar power system

Inverters

Specifications of off-grid inverters

System voltage

Other solar power system equipment

Designing an off-grid solar panel system

Evaluating the solar resource

How to assess your location for the solar resource?

Why is surveying your site important?

How to perform a site survey by yourself

Step 1: Assess any possible shading by nearby objects

Step 2: Determine the area available on your roof

Step 3: Determine the azimuth and tilt

Step 4: Choose a mounting method of the solar array

Step 5: Choose the azimuth and tilt of the solar array

Selecting the system components

Selecting the solar panels

Selecting the batteries

Selecting the charge controller

Which kind of charge controller is better – MPPT or PWM?

Selecting the inverter

Selecting the devices and appliances

When you need a system providing AC power only?

How to select the loads for your off-grid system?

Off-grid solar panel system sizing

System sizing examples

Example 1: Sizing a solar system for a summer house

Example 2: Sizing a mobile solar system

Installation of off-grid solar panel systems

Solar array

Batteries and charge controller

Inverter

Maintenance of off-grid solar panel systems

Solar array

Batteries

Also by the authors

The Ultimate Solar Power Design Guide: Less Theory More Practice

The New Simple And Practical Solar Component Guide

The Truth About Solar Panels: The Book That Solar Manufacturers, Vendors, Installers And DIY Scammers Don't Want You To Read

Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make: Your Smart Guide to Solar Powered Home and Business

Appendix A: Voltage, current, power, energy

Appendix B: Getting the PSH from the NASA solar database

Appendix C: Impact of irradiance and temperature

Appendix D: Temperature influence on solar panel performance

Appendix E: Guidelines for sizing an MPPT charge controller

References

Index

Introduction

This book is written for solar power enthusiasts making their first steps in the world of solar photovoltaic energy. Here are the essentials of off-grid solar panel systems revealed.

The book, however, is also targeted to intermediate and advanced solar users due to its systematic and simplified step-by-step approach to solar system design. The essentials of off-grid and mobile solar panel systems are explained in an easy-to-follow-and-grasp manner. Furthermore, every solar enthusiast, regardless of their experience level, will benefit from the essential information revealing how to scale up fast, easy and cost-effectively a solar power system.

Off-grid solar electric systems are not connected to the electricity grid. They are preferred in remote areas where buildings are far from any utility infrastructure.

Although mobile solar systems are a subset of off-grid solar, they do require some particular attention and do have their specifics when it comes to component selection and system design. All these details are carefully noted and explained in the book. What is more, a whole chapter devoted to mobile power system sizing explains in a step-by-step manner how to design a system that is both best-performing and cost-effective.

As a rule, in off-grid solar systems, the produced electricity is matched to the user’s energy needs. A typical off-grid system requires an electricity storage system because electrical energy might not be needed at the same time when generated. For this reason, battery banks are used for electricity storage, and most off-grid photovoltaic systems are battery-based. The other option for power backup is a hybrid solar system where the capacity of the electricity storage can be enhanced by adding an extra power source – for example, a diesel generator.

In areas located away from any existing utility poles, it is often less expensive to install an off-grid photovoltaic power system than pay a fortune to get connected to the grid. Therefore, off-grid solar panel systems are a good solution for households located away from the public electricity grid and business clients in industrialized countries as an option for lower-cost production methods.

It should be noted that not all the household might be dependant on solar-generated electricity. A solar power system might be an option for individual devices and applications – lamps, pumps, SOS telephones, traffic signal systems, ticket machines, clocks, solar radios, mobile and measuring equipment on cars and vans, etc.

Off-grid solar panel systems are attractive, as they:

Are a reliable source of power

Are practically unlimited in size – an off-grid solar power system could serve a single device or a couple of buildings with a complex electrical network

Can be installed almost anywhere in the world

Can be less expensive than paying for getting connected to the utility grid

Can provide electricity to the most household devices

Can be used on vehicles – RV and marine.

Here are some of the primary applications of off-grid solar panel systems:

Small solar systems for household use

Providing power to remote homes or summer villas

Recreational vehicles

Water pumps and cooling

Power supply for telecommunication equipment

Street infrastructure equipment – street lamps, bus station dashboards, parking meters, etc.

Remote meteorological stations and airports.

The purpose of the authors is to provide you with all the practical information you need to build an off-grid solar system fast and easy by yourself.

Furthermore, you are going to acquire the essential knowledge to make you confident when reading technical documentation, communicating with solar vendors and installers, and selecting the components of the off-grid system configuration that fits best your needs and available budget.

The sizing formulas are simplified in a way which does not sacrifice their accuracy to be of help for those who just cannot get started or hate mathematics. A more sophisticated version of these formulas is given in the appendices at the end of the book.

How should you use this book to get the most out of