Windy Nation Complete Off-Grid Solar Kit - Manual (Page 18)

Complete Off-Grid Solar Kit Manual
Revision 2.0
hours. The generally accepted rating time period for most manufacturers is 20 hours. This means that the
battery will provide the rated amperage for about 20 hours until it is completely discharged.
To determine the number or charge size of batteries you need, you must first determine how much energy
storage you need in Watt-hours (Wh). If you are connected to the utility grid, you can use your monthly utility bill
to calculate your average energy usage or you can multiply the wattage of the appliances you use (or intend to
use) by the number of hours you use them in a day. Because Watts = Amps x Volts, and you want to know the
number of Amp-hours, you would divide the number of Wh by the voltage of your system.
As an example: you calculate your usage to be 1,000 watt-hours (or 1 kWh) per day and your system is on a 12-
volt battery bank, then you need 83 amp-hours of useful storage (1000/12). However, lead-acid batteries cannot
be fully discharged so the battery bank should be double the useful storage capacity. For this example, your
battery bank should be 166Ah or larger.
6.3 W IRING B ATTERY B ANKS
Batteries can be wired together and configured in ‘banks’ to achieve the desired battery bank voltage, such as
12V or 24V, or to achieve the relevant size for your system needs. This can be done with series, parallel, or
series/parallel connections as shown below.
7 TROUBLESHOOTING AND SUPPORT
Problem Possible Remedies
There is no current or voltage
produced by the solar panel(s) (1) It is too dark outside for the solar panels to produce power or the solar
panel(s) are in the shade.
(2) Check for loose, broken or corroded connections in the solar panel cable.
(3) Check fuses/breakers.
The charge controller is not
working. The charge controller is
not turning “on”. (1) Check for loose, broken or corroded connections in the cables between
the charge controller and battery bank.
(2) Check fuses/breakers.
(3) Verify battery voltage is sufficient to power up the charge controller.
Everything is hooked up correctly.
The sun is shining directly onto the
solar panels but no charge is going
to the batteries. Check the voltage of the battery bank. The battery bank is most likely fully
charged and the solar charge controller has disconnected the solar panels
from the battery. The solar charge controller will reconnect the solar panels
to the battery bank when it once again requires charging.
My equipment is connected
correctly but I’m barely getting any
current, Check the voltage of your battery bank. If it is over 13V the charge controller
may be reducing the flow to prevent over charging the battery. This means
your system is working perfectly. If the battery voltage is low, the battery may
be damaged.
7.1 M AINTENANCE
The following maintenance is recommended to ensure optimum performance and longevity of the solar system:
Page 18 of 21 windy nation 03/31/2014