TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (KYAUKSE)

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL POWER ENGINEERGING

(2017-2018) ACADEMIC YEAR

DESIGN AND CALCULATION OF SOLAR

POWER GENERATION SYSTEM FOR THAYATPINKAN VILLAGE

Ma Aye Thandar
VI EP-15

KYAUKSE
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages

Introduction

Objectives

Significance of the mini thesis

Introduction

Electricity is a very critical issue not only for industry but also for society .Energy
consumption is one of the indices in determining the levels of development of a nation
.There are two sources of electricity generation system. They are conventional energy
sources and renewable energy sources. The conventional energy sources comprises as
nuclear energy and the renewable energy sources comprise as solar, wind ,water ,
geothermal and biomass etc. The off-grid spectrum are mini-grids that can provide
electricity to a village through a centralized generation system at the local level .They
can either be stand-alone grids or connected to the national grid depending on the
location . Mini-grids have been defined as integrated energy infrastructure ,with loads
and energy resources, including generators powered by energy sources such as solar
PV and wind turbines ;energy storage devices such as lead-acid batteries ;power –
conversion equipment such as inverters ;and control; manage and monitor equipment
,including Battery supervisor and meters among others.

Aim and Objectives

The aim and objectives of mini thesis are……

• To calculate the design of load side for THAYATPINKAN village

• To uplift the living standard of rural people

• To collect data of daily load profile for each month in THAYETPINKAN

village

• To study the type of solar array and installation location position

• To analyze the design calculation of voltage and current from the solar PV
system
Significant of the mini thesis

• It is an abundant renewable energy. It is non-polluting technology, which means

that it does not release greenhouse gases .

• Useful equipment in rural society is investigated and the total energy demand
for 894 people with 125 houses is calculated and then PV array, inverter ,
charge controller , battery ,cable are chosen to meet the total energy demand in
this thesis

• Due to this system, the standard of this village is higher and the production
speed of small domestic work is developed .The daily income of each villager
becomes higher.

• Solar energy generation is dependent on weather conditions and certain

geographic limitations.

Outline of Mini Thesis

• Chapter(1): Introduction of solar powering system in thayatpinkan

village
• Chapter(2): Background Theory of Solar Energy and Solar Powering
system
• Chapter(3): Components of OFF Grid Solar powering System
• Chapter(4): Design Calculation of solar power generation system for
Thayatpinkan village
• Chapter(5): Discussion and Conclusion
 Chapter (2)
Background Theory of Solar Energy and Solar Powering system

2.1 Solar Electrification System

It’s important to understand that solar thermal and solar PV are two very different
technologies. The sun delivers its energy in two main forms that are heat and light.
There are two main types of solar system. They are solar thermal systems and solar
electricity generation systems. Solar thermal technology is used to collect sunlight and
transform it into heat that is stored and later on transformed into electricity. Solar
panels, on the other hand, utilize PV technology to capture sun rays and directly convert
the sunlight into electricity.

Figure; Solar Thermal

Figure; Solar PV
Solar Thermal

Solar thermal power is usually used for water heating. It’s a simple technology:
the panels on the roof are the collectors of sunlight, thus heating up the liquid in the
tubes which is then transported into your cylinder ready for use.

Solar Thermal’s advantages:

 Solar thermal is more space efficient than (solar pv?)

 They can be up to 70% more efficient in collecting heat from sun rays than solar
pv
 The technology itself is less complex than solar PV
 Perfect solution for heating up water
 They also have great value for businesses

And now let’s move to the downsides:

 Solar thermal is less effective in winter months when sunlight is not so strong
 Solar PV systems are more versatile than Solar thermal ones
 Shorter lifespan than solar panels
 It can be very time consuming to find the right supplier.

Solar PV

Solar PV panels are a relatively newer technology compared to thermal. There

are few types of them – Mono crystalline, Polycrystalline and Thin-film solar panels.
They absorb sunlight and transform it into electricity by utilizing a silicon based
technology

Solar PV’s advantages include:

 They can provide you with clean green energy for about 30 years
 Their lifespan is incredibly long
 They can cover around 60% of your household’s energy needs
 They are incredibly efficient in summer time
 They can’t freeze in winter time
 They also cover the needs of appliances with high energy consumption, such as
refrigerator, dryer and so on.
 Thanks to the Feed-In Tariff, solar PV takes much less time to payback for itself
compared to other green energy solutions

Impressive, but let’s look at some of the disadvantages now.

 The initial investment is quite hefty

 They require larger area of space for installation than solar thermal
 It can be very time consuming to find the right supplier
2.2. Photovoltaic (PV)

Photovoltaic (PV) is a term which covers the conversion of light into electricity using
semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, photochemistry, and
electrochemistry. A typical photovoltaic system employs solar panels,each comprising
a number of solar cells, which generate electrical power. PV installations may be
ground-mounted, rooftop mounted or wall mounted. The mount may be fixed, or use a
solar tracker to follow the sun across the sky. Solar PV has specific advantages as an
energy source: once installed, its operation generates no pollution and no greenhouse
gas emissions, it shows simple scalability in respect of power needs and silicon has
large availability in the Earth’s crust.

PV systems have the major disadvantage that the power output is dependent on
direct sunlight, so about 10-25% is lost if a tracking system is not used, since the cell
will not be directly facing the sun at all times .Dust, clouds, and other obstructions in
the atmosphere also diminish the power output. Another main issue is the concentration
of the production in the hours corresponding to main insolation, which do not usually
match the peaks in demand in human activity cycles. Unless current societal patterns of
consumption and electrical networks mutually adjust to this scenario, electricity still
needs to be stored for later use or made up by other power sources, usually hydrocarbon.

Photovoltaic systems have long been used in specialized applications, and

standalone and grid-connected PV systems have been in use since the 1990s. Advances
in technology and increased manufacturing scale have in any case reduced the cost,
increased the reliability, and increased the efficiency of photovoltaic installations. Net
metering and financial incentives, such as preferential feed-in tariffs for solar-generated
electricity, have supported solar PV installations in many countries. More than 100
countries now use solar PV.

Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level.
Some materials exhibit a property known as the photoelectric effect that causes them to
absorb photons of light and release electrons. When these free electrons are captured,
an electric current results that can be used as electricity.The photoelectric effect was
first noted by a French physicist, Edmund Bequerel, in 1839, who found that certain
materials would produce small amounts of electric current when exposed to light. In
1905, Albert Einstein described the nature of light and the photoelectric effect on which
photovoltaic technology is based, for which he later won a Nobel prize in physics. The
first photovoltaic module was built by Bell Laboratories in 1954. It was billed as a solar
battery and was mostly just a curiosity as it was too expensive to gain widespread use.
In the 1960s, the space industry began to make the first serious use of the technology
to provide power aboard spacecraft. Through the space programs, the technology
advanced, its reliability was established, and the cost began to decline. During the
energy crisis in the 1970s, photovoltaic technology gained recognition as a source of
power for non-space applications.
The diagram above illustrates the operation of a basic photovoltaic cell, also called a
solar cell. Solar cells are made of the same kinds of semiconductor materials, such as
silicon, used in the microelectronics industry. For solar cells, a thin semiconductor
wafer is specially treated to form an electric field, positive on one side and negative on
the other. When light energy strikes the solar cell, electrons are knocked loose from the
atoms in the semiconductor material. If electrical conductors are attached to the positive
and negative sides, forming an electrical circuit, the electrons can be captured in the
form of an electric current -- that is, electricity. This electricity can then be used to
power a load, such as a light or a tool.
A number of solar cells electrically connected to each other and mounted in a support
structure or frame is called a photovoltaic module. Modules are designed to supply
electricity at a certain voltage, such as a common 12 volts system. The current produced
is directly dependent on how much light strikes the module. Multiple modules can be
wired together to form an array. In general, the larger the area of a module or array, the
more electricity that will be produced. Photovoltaic modules and arrays produce direct-
current (dc) electricity. They can be connected in both series and parallel electrical
arrangements to produce any required voltage and current combination.

Common PV devices use a single junction, or interface, to create an electric field within
a semiconductor such as a PV cell. In a single-junction PV cell, only photons whose
energy is equal to or greater than the band gap of the cell material can free an electron
for an electric circuit. In other words, the photovoltaic response of single-junction cells
is limited to the portion of the sun's spectrum whose energy is above the band gap of
the absorbing material, and lower-energy photons are not used.
One way to get around this limitation is to use two (or more) different cells,
with more than one band gap and more than one junction, to generate a voltage. These
are referred to as "multi junction" cells (also called "cascade" or "tandem" cells). Multi
junction devices can achieve a higher total conversion efficiency because they can
convert more of the energy spectrum of light to electricity. As shown below, a multi
junction device is a stack of individual single-junction cells in descending order of band
gap (Eg). The top cell captures the high-energy photons and passes the rest of the
photons on to be absorbed by lower-band-gap cells.
Much of today's research in multi junction cells focuses on gallium arsenide as one (or
all) of the component cells. Such cells have reached efficiencies of around 35% under
concentrated sunlight. Other materials studied for multi junction devices have been
amorphous silicon and copper indium diselenide.
As an example, the multi junction device below uses a top cell of gallium indium
phosphide, "a tunnel junction," to aid the flow of electrons between the cells, and a
bottom cell of gallium arsenide.

2.3Types of Solar electrification system

• Grid Connected Solar electrification systems

• Off Grid(Standalone) Solar electrification systems

• Direct coupled DC system

• Power point tracking DC system

• Self-regulated DC system

• Regulated DC system

• Direct AC system

• Ac system with storage

• Mixed AC and DC system

Grid Connected Solar electrification systems

Depending on the needs and how much it want to invest in a solar power system there
are a number of different types of systems can have installed on home or property, and
some that are even more portable. As solar energy use continues to grow across the
world, even the more expensive systems are coming down in price, making them
sensible for more people. The most common types of solar energy systems for homes
are grid-connected, grid-connected with energy storage (also called hybrid solar), off-
grid (also called stand-alone), and DC systems. Grid-connected systems are the most
common in the US, but have some drawbacks, which we’ll discuss in a bit, but hybrid
solar systems, which are more expensive, are becoming more popular. Off-grid systems
are used in more remote situations. Since most homes use AC power, DC-power
systems aren’t used to power a full home these days, but can provide valuable power.

The grid-tied solar panel system is the most common type of solar power system. These
systems are connected to local electric grid. The grid-tied systems are the simplest and
cheapest form of solar power since they use less equipment than the other types of
rooftop solar power. They consist primarily of solar panels, inverters and a bi-
directional electric meter. The big drawback to these systems is that when sun’s down,
you’re not able to use any of the energy that the solar panels produced. Similarly if the
electric grid goes down, your solar panels will be shut off automatically, too. This is a
safety precaution allowing utility maintenance people to safely repair electric lines
without the threat of your solar power traveling along electric power lines. The main
advantage of an energy storage system is that excess energy provided by your solar
panels is stored in the battery. So even if the sun’s down, you can still power your home
with sun power. Also, these systems can be designed to island, or go free from the
electric grid.
Off-Grid Residential Solar Panel Systems

An off-grid solar system is a lot like the hybrid system. They consist of solar
panels and an energy storage system. Off-grid solar systems are more expensive
because they have to be bigger to provide all of your electric needs since it’s not
connected to the electric grid and has to be capable of providing all your electric needs
for days at a time in case there are multiple days of clouds or precipitation. That requires
more solar panels and batteries, increasing the costs of the system. Since the system
isn’t tied to the utility and electric grid there aren’t as many incentives offered for an
off-grid system. That further increases the cost of the system. Off Grid(Stand alone)
Solar electrification systems meansto live and work with electricity in areas where
utility power is either unavailable or too expensive to bring in. To make this system
work as efficiently as possible, there need to have batteries to store power so that when
the sun hides behind the clouds, it ’ll still have power. Batteries can be expensive and
typically have to be replaced every five to seven years.

DC-Solar Panel Systems

These solar systems don’t typically power a whole home, but might power an RV or
cabin. Instead of using an inverter to convert the DC electricity produced by the solar
panels to the AC electricity used in most homes the panels provide electricity to DC
appliances and/or a battery bank. They’re also used in smaller applications like solar-
powered lighting or for an attic fan for instance.
Standalone DC System
Standalone type systems are usually a utility power substitute. They generally include
solar charging modules, storage batteries and controls including a charge regulator. A
small standalone DC system is an excellent replacement for kerosene lamps and noisy
generators in a remote home, a recreational vehicle, or a boat. The actual sizing depends
on the wattage of the loads and how often they are to be run.

In this system a photovoltaic (PV) array charges the battery during daylight hours and
the battery supplies power to the loads when needed. The charge regulator terminates
the charging when the battery reaches full charge.

Standalone AC-DC System

This system is the same as the previous system, except for the use of a DC to AC
inverter. With the addition of an inverter, commonly available household appliances
such as computers, power tools, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and kitchen
appliances can be solar powered. High quality DC to AC inverters are available with
power outputs ranging from one hundred watts to ten kilowatts and more, and
conversion efficiencies greater than 90 percent. Most larger inverters also have the
ability to serve as battery chargers from a backup generator when more power is needed
than can be supplied by the solar modules.

Backup AC System
A backup AC solar electric system will usually have a photovoltaic (PV) array of ten
or more modules, a battery bank, and one or more inverters. The utility will backup the
solar and run the loads when available and needed. If utility power fails, the power from
the battery bank is available to the system.

Utility Interconnected System (Grid-tied)

These are the simplest systems and require no batteries because they are designed not
for back-up power but to contribute power back into the existing power supply.By
lowering a building's power bills, these systems will pay for themselves over a number
of years and reduce the air pollution produced by utility companies that burn coal.
Contributing clean, green power from your own roof helps create jobs and in sunny
states like Florida is the best alternative to buying electricity derived from fossil fuels.

Utility interconnected systems are generally designed to reduce power demands

from the utility by 'net metering' power or in some cases to sell power back to the utility.
A typical system might include solar modules, a mounting structure, and AC
inverter/control for the power to be fed back through the building's 120/208/240 volt
AC power distribution system

Chapter (3)
 Components of Off- Grid Solar powering System

For a typical off-grid solar system you need solar panels, charge controller, batteries
and an inverter. This article explains solar system components in detail.

Components needed for a grid-tied solar system

Every solar system needs similar components to start with. A grid-tied solar system
consists of the following components:

1. Solar Panels
2. DC-AC grid-tied solar inverter
3. Solar cables
4. Mounts

For this system to function well, there is a need for connection to the grid. An Off-Grid
solar system is slightly more complicated and needs the following additional
components:

5. Charge Controller
6. Battery Bank
7. A Connected Load

Instead of a grid-tied solar inverter, you can use a standard power inverter or off-grid
solar inverter to power your AC appliances .For this system to work, you need a load
connected to the batteries. Depending upon your needs, there may be other components
that you require. These include:

1. A backup Generator or a Backup Source of power

2. A Transfer Switch
3. AC Load Center
4. A DC Load Center
Solar Panel

Photovoltaic solar panels absorb sunlight as a source of energy to generate electricity.

A photovoltaic (PV) module is a packaged, connected assembly of typically 6x10
photovoltaic solar cells. Photovoltaic modules constitute the photovoltaic array of a
photovoltaic system that generates and supplies solar electricity in commercial and
residential applications. Each module is rated by its DC output power under standard
test conditions (STC), and typically ranges from 100 to 365 Watts (W). The efficiency
of a module determines the area of a module given the same rated output – an 8%
efficient 230 W module will have twice the area of a 16% efficient 230 W module.
There are a few commercially available solar modules that exceed efficiency of 24% .
A single solar module can produce only a limited amount of power; most installations
contain multiple modules. A photovoltaic system typically includes an array of
photovoltaic modules, an inverter, a battery pack for storage, inter connection wiring,
and optionally a solar tracking mechanism.

The most common application of solar panels is solar water heating systems.[3]
The price of solar power has continued to fall so that in many countries it is cheaper
than ordinary fossil fuel electricity from the electricity grid, a phenomenon known as
grid parity

Charge Controller

• A solar charge controller manages the power going into the battery bank from
the solar array. It ensures that the deep cycle batteries are not overcharged
during the day, and that the power doesn’t run backwards to the solar panels
overnight and drain the batteries. Some charge controllers are available with
additional capabilities, like lighting and load control, but managing the power
is its primary job. A charge controller determines how much current should be
injected into the batteries for its most optimum performance. As it determines
the efficiency of the entire solar system as well as the operating life of the
batteries, it is a critical component. The charge controller protects the battery
bank from overcharging. Good charge controllers are crucial for keeping the
batteries healthy, which ensures the lifetime of a battery bank is maximized. If
you have a battery-based inverter, chances are that the charge controller is
 integrated A solar charge controller is available in two different technologies,
PWM and MPPT. How they perform in a system is very different from each
other. An MPPT charge controller is more expensive than a PWM charge
controller, and it is often worth it to pay the extra money.

PWM Solar Charge Controller

A PWM solar charge controller stands for “Pulse Width Modulation”. These operate
by making a connection directly from the solar array to the battery bank. During bulk
charging, when there is a continuous connection from the array to the battery bank, the
array output voltage is ‘pulled down’ to the battery voltage. As the battery charges, the
voltage of the battery rises, so the voltage output of the solar panel rises as well, using
more of the solar power as it charges. As a result, you need to make sure you match the
nominal voltage of the solar array with the voltage of the battery bank. *Note that when
we refer to a 12V solar panel, that means a panel that is designed to work with a 12V
battery. The actual voltage of a 12V solar panel, when connected to a load, is close to
18 Vmp (Volts at maximum power). This is because a higher voltage source is required
to charge a battery. If the battery and solar panel both started at the same voltage, the
battery would not charge. A 12V solar panel can charge a 12V battery. A 24V solar
panel or solar array (two 12V panels wired in series) is needed for a 24V battery bank,
and 48V array is needed for 48V bank. If you try to charge a 12V battery with a 24V
solar panel, you will be throwing over half of the panel’s power away. If you try to
charge a 24V battery bank with a 12V solar panel, you will be throwing away 100% of
the panel’s potential, and may actually drain the battery as well.
MPPT Solar Charge Controller

An MPPT solar charge controller stands for “Maximum Power Point Tracking”. It will
measure the Vmp voltage of the panel, and down-converts the PV voltage to the battery
voltage. Because power into the charge controller equals power out of the charge
controller, when the voltage is dropped to match the battery bank, the current is raised,
so you are using more of the available power from the panel. You can use a higher
voltage solar array than battery, like the 60 cell nominal 20V grid-tie solar panels that
are more readily available. With a 20V solar panel, you can charge a 12V battery bank,
or two in series can charge up to a 24V battery bank, and three in series can charge up
to a 48V battery bank. This opens up a whole wide range of solar panels that now can
be used for your off-grid solar system.
Solar DC-AC Inverter

Inverter is a critical piece of equipment in any PV system. The inverter takes DC

power, either from your solar panels or batteries, and turns it into AC power, ready and
usable for your household appliances. Grid-tie and off-grid solar systems use different
types of inverters.

Grid-Tie Inverters

In a grid-tied system, solar panels connect directly to an inverter which ties into your
main household electrical panel. It sends power into the home to run appliances and
turns back the meter with excess energy. Grid-Tie inverters come in several options:
string inverters, micro inverters, and optimizers. Each varies with features and costs.

String Inverters

 Lowest cost
 Multiple MPPT inputs
 Secure Power Supply provides daytime backup power during an outage

Though string inverters derive from the oldest technology, modern string inverters have
improved substantially and provide a cost effective option for many. In a string inverter
system, solar panels are wired in a series string for high voltage (typically 300-600Vdc.)
We’ve sold the SMA Sunny Boy string inverters for years and recommend these for
installations where solar panels stay relatively free of shade.

Optimizers
  Easy and safe installation
 Module-level monitoring included
 Large string sizes

Optimizers are DC-DC converters that connect to each solar panel, similar to a micro
inverter but a central inverter still handles the DC-AC inversion. Power optimizers
attach to each panel for easier and safer installation, easy expansion, bigger string
sizing, and module-level monitoring. Solar Edge is a leader in optimizer technology
and one of the most popular residential inverters. We have this installed on our own
office. Power optimizers combine the best features with a competitive price.

Microinverters

 Easy to install
 Module-level monitoring with IQ Envoy
 Expandable and modular

Microinverter systems have a small inverter attached to each panel. This type of inverter
costs more, but it is also expandable, safe and easy to install, and is capable of
monitoring every individual solar panel. Because each panel can operate independently,
micro inverters are a better option if there is shade on part of the solar array from trees,
buildings or other obstacles. Micro inverters tend to be the most expensive inverter
system, but they provide key benefits like ease of installation, expansion, and module-
level monitoring. We recommend Enphase Energy micro inverters for anyone looking
for these features.

Off-Grid Inverters

Off-grid inverters connect to a battery bank and change DC battery power into
household AC power. Off-grid inverters work with 12v, 24v or 48v battery banks. The
AC output is typically 120Vac for smaller inverters, and 120/240Vac for larger units.
We also sell export 230Vac 50hz inverters for systems installed outside of North
America. Some off-grid inverters have an extra connection that enables them to
function like a grid-tie inverter and sell power into the grid. This is useful if you start
out off-the-grid but plan for power lines in the future, or if you live in an area where
utility power is unreliable. Off-grid inverters are a little complicated, due to the extra
components involved in an off-grid system.
Pure Sinewave

 More expensive
 High quality output power
 Compatible with most appliances

You’ll hear inverter manufacturers use phrases such as pure sinewave and modified
sinewave. This is a measurement of the quality of the AC output power. Pure sinewave
inverters put out power that is as good, or potentially better, than what is coming from
the power grid. Almost all appliances will work with pure sinewave inverters.

Modified Sinewave

 Lower cost
 Low quality output power
 Only compatible with certain appliances

Modified sinewave inverters have lower power quality which causes issues with certain
appliances. Motors, pumps and compressors (like your fridge) will tend to run hotter
and burn out quicker. Modified sinewave inverters can be problematic for sensitive
electronic devices, often causing lines on your TV screen and a buzzing sound from the
speakers. Some appliances won’t work at all on a modified sinewave inverter. For these
reasons, we recommend sticking with a pure sinewave inverter unless you are sure your
appliances can work on modified sinewave power.
Solar Battery Bank:
There may be periods when there is no sunlight. Evenings, nights and cloudy days are
examples of such situations beyond our control. In order to provide electricity during
these periods, excess energy, during day, is stored in these battery banks and is used to
power loads whenever required. Without a battery bank (or a generator) it’ll be lights
out by sunset. A battery bank is essentially a group of batteries wired together. A battery
bank storage system for off-grid solar should be sized to get you through several days
of stormy weather, but if the battery bank is too large for the size of your solar array or
generator powered charger, you may not have time to recharge back to 100% before
needing to power the loads again. If the battery load each day is greater than the solar
or generator charging each day, the battery bank voltage will drop lower and lower each
day until it will no longer be able to supply the loads.Once a solar off-grid charged
battery bank has been depleted, you will need to turn off all loads until the next sunny
day, or utilize a backup generator or wind turbine to help you through the extended
period of cloudy days. A dual source charging system allows using a smaller battery
bank than a solar only system.A good quality lead acid battery designed for daily
charge/discharge cycling may be advertised to have a 2,000-cycle life, when discharged
20% each time (80% charge remaining). However, this same battery may only have a
400-cycle life if each cycle took the battery down to 90% discharged (10% charge
remaining). Since it does not want to replace the batteries every year (400 cycles/365
days), in order to increase battery life we must reduce the depth of discharge (DOD)
the battery reaches during each charge/discharge cycle. This is accomplished by using
more batteries, larger batteries, or reducing the system load.Although an occasional
period of stormy weather may require your solar off-grid battery bank to be heavily
discharged, your normal average daily discharge should not go below 50%, with 40%
a better goal (60% charge remaining).

When selecting a battery it is the amp-hour (A-Hr) rating that defines its energy storage
capacity, and a battery’s advertised amp-hour rating can be listed for different discharge
time periods, so be sure you are not comparing apples andoranges.Although
theoretically we could wire batteries together in as many series and parallel
configurations as needed to provide any voltage and amp-hour capacity, having a large
number of batteries in parallel is not desirable. If a battery or battery cell fails in an
individual series wired string, the battery bank voltage for that series string drops or the
voltage output stops completely. If a battery or battery cell fails in a group of batteries
wired in parallel, the adjacent string of good batteries will try to flow current into the
string having the bad battery or battery cell, which becomes another system load.

Since most battery interconnect wiring uses fairly large size cables, a cell failure
can result in very large currents discharging from one parallel string into another,
causing melted battery cables or a boiled dry cell giving off lots of smoke and explosive
gasses. It is a good idea to limit your battery bank to no more than four battery strings
wired in parallel, with two parallel strings that much safer. You can also reduce the risk
associated with batteries wired in parallel by installing a “catastrophic” fuse in each
individual series string of a parallel-wired battery bank.
 The easiest way to increase battery bank capacity is to switch to a higher voltage
system. Since most of today’s solar off-grid 12-volt DC appliances, DC lighting, and
DC to AC inverters are now available in 24-volt and 48-volt versions, a 24-volt system
will need four 6-volt batteries in series and a 48-volt system will need eight 6-volt
batteries in series to achieve the higher voltage. For example, a 48-volt battery bank
having sixteen 6-volt batteries would only require two parallel strings of eight batteries
each (8 batteries x 6-volts).

Every solar off-grid wire connected to the positive (+) terminal of any battery or group
of batteries should pass through a fuse to prevent serious damage if there is a system
short. there should also understand that an AC fuse or AC circuit breaker would not
safely protect a DC wiring circuit. DC electricity does not cycle to zero volts like AC
electricity, and a constant DC electrical flow will try to “weld” the switch contacts
together when the arc forms as the fuse or circuit breaker starts to open. Safety devices
rated for DC use need to be of much heavier construction than the same amp capacity
device intended for AC circuits. When using multiple batteries to increase the voltage
and capacity of your battery bank, be sure to use the proper size and type cables for
these interconnects and keep them as short as possible. Do not use automotive or marine
type cables or welding cables, as these are not UL listed for residential wiring. UL listed
red and black battery interconnects 9 and 12 inches long, made from #2/0 multi-strand
flexible copper cable, with machine crimped all copper terminals on each end, are fairly
inexpensive and available from any solar supplier .Using improper safety devices or
undersized low cost non-copper cables and connectors is no place to save money. Be
sure your backup power system uses the correct wire sizes for the solar off-grid loads
and batteries used, and be sure each circuit is protected by the proper size and type
safety device. Our next issue will address everything wanted to know about battery
inverters to power AC loads.
Off Grid Solar System with DC Loads

An off grid solar system is a solar system that operates without any utility backup.
These systems are typically remote where the cost of running a utility connection is
more expensive then purchasing an off grid solar system. I have design and installed
off gird systems that power remote data loggers, flow meters for gas lines, radiation
monitoring systems, remote cabins, sign lighting, area lighting and much more. In this
example any DC load can be powered with solar.

In this example the solar module is wired through a fuse to a charge controller. The
charge controller prevents the solar module from over charging the battery. Most
modern charge controller will also have a built in load controller. The load controller
will disconnect the load of the battery voltage drops too low. This will prevent the
load and the battery from being damaged. If a battery is discharged too low the acid
inside becomes more of a water solution and can easily freeze. With some charge
controllers the load controller can be used as a dusk to dawn timer where the solar
module is used to determine if the sun is up or down and the load (light) is turned on
or off. The energy from the solar module is stored in the battery and is consumed by
the load. The correct balance of power in and power out needs to be maintained for
system reliability..

Wire Sizing

Properly sized wire can make the difference between inadequate and
full charging of a battery system, between dim and bright lights, and between feeble
and full performance of tools and appliances. Designers of low voltage power circuits
are often unaware of the implications of voltage drop and wire size. In conventional
home electrical systems (120/240 volts ac), wire is sized primarily for safe amperage
carrying capacity (ampacity). The overriding concern is fire safety. In low voltage
systems (12, 24, 48VDC) the overriding concern is power loss. Wire must not be
sized merely for the ampacity, because there is less tolerance for voltage drop (except
for very short runs). For example, a 1V drop from 12V causes 10 times the power loss
of 1V drop from 120V. A general rule is to size the wire for approximately 2 or 3%
drop at typical load. When that turns out to be very expensive, consider some of the
following advice. Different electrical circuits have different tolerances for voltage
drop.

Wire Sizing Charts

To find wire size required for less than 5% power loss

Read down the left-hand edge to the number showing solar amps or watts
your wire will carry. Follow that line across to the right to find your wire
length in feet from solar to batteries. At the top of the column above your
wire length is the minimum wire size (gauge) to use. Smaller gauge equals
larger wire. Buried DC cables must be copper, wet aluminum with DC
corrodes quickly.If total solar power is over 25 amps, it is best to divide the
solar into two smaller groups and run separate pairs of cables to a 30 amp
breaker for each group.

Copper Wire Size and Length Table, 5% loss for 12 VOLT Wiring

12ga 10ga 8ga 6ga 4ga 2ga 1/0 2/0 3/0

Distance in feet to run wire below, Wire size

AMPS WATTS
above
4
48 43 68 113 178 288 450 725 900 -

6 72 30 43 75 119 188 300 481 600 760

8 96 21 36 56 88 144 225 363 450 570

10 120 17 28 45 71 113 180 290 360 457

15 180 11 17 30 47 75 120 193 240 304

20 240 8 13 22 36 56 90 145 180 229

25 300 - 11 17 28 45 72 115 145 183

30 360 - 8 15 23 37 60 96 120 152

40 480 - - 11 17 28 45 72 90 114

50 600 - - - 13 22 36 57 72 91
Copper Wire Size and Length Table, 5% loss for 24 VOLT Wiring

12ga 10ga 8ga 6ga 4ga 2ga 1/0 2/0 3/0

Distance in feet to run wire below, Wire size

AMPS WATTS
above
-
4 96 87 137 226 356 576 900 - -

-
6 144 60 87 150 238 376 600 962 -

8 192 42 72 112 177 288 450 726 900 -

10 240 35 57 90 142 226 360 580 720 914

15 360 22 35 60 95 150 240 386 480 608

20 480 17 27 45 72 112 180 290 360 458

25 600 - 22 35 57 90 145 230 290 366

30 720 - 17 30 47 75 120 192 240 304

40 960 - - 23 35 57 90 145 180 228

50 1200 - - - 27 45 72 115 145 182

Copper Wire Size and Length Table, 5% loss for 48 VOLT Wiring

12g 10g 8g 6g
4ga 2ga 1/0 2/0 3/0
a a a a

AMP WATT
Distance in feet to run wire below, Wire size above
S S

45 71 115 180
4 192 174 274 - - -
2 2 2 0

30 47 120 192
6 288 120 174 752 - -
0 6 0 4

22 35 145 180
8 384 84 144 576 900 -
4 4 2 0

18 28 116 144 182

10 480 70 114 452 720
0 4 0 0 8

12 19 121
15 720 44 70 300 480 772 960
0 0 6

14
20 960 34 54 90 224 360 580 720 916
4

11
25 1200 28 44 70 180 290 460 580 732
4

30 1440 24 34 60 94 150 240 384 480 608

40 1920 18 26 46 70 114 180 290 360 456

50 2400 - 22 28 54 90 144 230 290 364

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Meters and Instrumentation
 Essentially two types of meters are used in PV system
 Utility Kilowatt hour meter
 System meter