Solar Regulators, Installation etc.
Posted: 07 Apr 2017 09:18
Knowledgeable peoples - I need a little advice...
Just a short question regarding installation of solar regulator and similar.
I have a BL portable power pack. It's generally installed in the vehicle only when I'm on my way somewhere and I need to power my fridge. It's currently installed, as I'm waiting for the go ahead for my Malawi trip.
When travelling, it charges off a thick (and properly fused) cable running to the boot of the car. This works fine in most touring situations (ie: River trip, Lesotho, similar), as the vehicle runs for long periods of time during the day and the battery has a chance to charge satisfactorily. It also works well at powered campsites, as I can plug the fridge into 220V, and put the battery on charge.
The potential issue comes with non-powered camp-sites, and since I'm planning one for next year, I'd like to get my rig sorted.
I obtained a 140W solar panel from "Johannes van die See" sometime quite a while ago.
Solar panel has a nominal amperage of 8.6A. However, in cold conditions, or limited gain, this will increase quite a bit. The maths is W/V, so that is 140W / 12V. In other words, max amperage in sub-optimal conditions would be 11.6666-odd A. I decided to over-engineer a little, and opted for a Victron Blue Solar MPPT 75/15 (http://www.bushpower.co.za/products.asp?pid=690). Their MPPT calculation spreadsheet (available for download from https://www.victronenergy.com/support-a ... s/software) also indicates that my choice is satisfactory, as max / min power and performance conditions fall well within thresholds.
I will be mounting my regulator onto the lid of my existing portable power pack, and will be running the outputs from the solar regulator directly to + and - of the battery inside.
The solar panel will connect to the input for the regulator via Brad Harrison plug. The one question I have deals with fusing. The regulator has a fuse, but I worry about shorts on the line from the solar panel (for example, let's say someone slams the door on a cable whilst it is connected).
Is it necessary to fuse the cable coming in from the panel ?
Edit: Forgot to mention: both panel and regulator also include a "Short Circuit" max current rating. Does this mean that it is self correcting ? ie: Should a short circuit occur, the regulator and panel will detect this once the max short circuit current is exceeded and shut down until it is rectified ?
Just a short question regarding installation of solar regulator and similar.
I have a BL portable power pack. It's generally installed in the vehicle only when I'm on my way somewhere and I need to power my fridge. It's currently installed, as I'm waiting for the go ahead for my Malawi trip.
When travelling, it charges off a thick (and properly fused) cable running to the boot of the car. This works fine in most touring situations (ie: River trip, Lesotho, similar), as the vehicle runs for long periods of time during the day and the battery has a chance to charge satisfactorily. It also works well at powered campsites, as I can plug the fridge into 220V, and put the battery on charge.
The potential issue comes with non-powered camp-sites, and since I'm planning one for next year, I'd like to get my rig sorted.
I obtained a 140W solar panel from "Johannes van die See" sometime quite a while ago.
Solar panel has a nominal amperage of 8.6A. However, in cold conditions, or limited gain, this will increase quite a bit. The maths is W/V, so that is 140W / 12V. In other words, max amperage in sub-optimal conditions would be 11.6666-odd A. I decided to over-engineer a little, and opted for a Victron Blue Solar MPPT 75/15 (http://www.bushpower.co.za/products.asp?pid=690). Their MPPT calculation spreadsheet (available for download from https://www.victronenergy.com/support-a ... s/software) also indicates that my choice is satisfactory, as max / min power and performance conditions fall well within thresholds.
I will be mounting my regulator onto the lid of my existing portable power pack, and will be running the outputs from the solar regulator directly to + and - of the battery inside.
The solar panel will connect to the input for the regulator via Brad Harrison plug. The one question I have deals with fusing. The regulator has a fuse, but I worry about shorts on the line from the solar panel (for example, let's say someone slams the door on a cable whilst it is connected).
Is it necessary to fuse the cable coming in from the panel ?
Edit: Forgot to mention: both panel and regulator also include a "Short Circuit" max current rating. Does this mean that it is self correcting ? ie: Should a short circuit occur, the regulator and panel will detect this once the max short circuit current is exceeded and shut down until it is rectified ?