My next battery bank however may be something different…īy the way, I know I’ve mentioned it before, but your system sure does pack a punch ) Hopefully that has helped with keeping all the batteries in line with each other…Ī previous system at a previous home utilized T-105 batteries, and I had to EQ them once a month for maintenance (and check the water levels). Hopefully all batteries are still ‘good’ (haven’t done it yet).Īlso of note regarding the paralleled strings: I kept all of the paralleled interconnecting cables the same length to ensure the same voltage potential (due to cable resistance) for each string. I’ve decided that it’s time to check each individual battery no-load voltage (after a 24 hour rest) to discover whether or not they’re within acceptable range of each other. It got me to looking at my off-grid system and battery bank a little more closely. What inspired me to write this today was a half-day grid outage a few days ago during a horrendous windstorm. They supposedly resist sulfation fairly well so long as they don’t sit for long periods of time under-charged. My current battery bank is made up of AGM’s, and they cannot be EQ’d. However, I didn’t need them to be that big. So all interconnecting cables are 00 (2/0) AWG based on the chart below. That said, I try not to live on the edge, and always oversize with a margin.Īctually, for my present installation, I’ve sized all of my DC cables to meet the 175 amp worst case scenario. So that works out to be around 30 amps (of worst case over-current max) flowing through each of the six strings. However I have 6 series-strings of batteries all in parallel, so only one sixth of the maximum will flow through any one string as the strings share the load. Ohms Law)įirst, we know that in my example there may be up to 175 amps pulled from the battery bank (worst case scenario). I will assume you have that basic understanding… (e.g. ![]() This involves some basic understanding of series-parallel wiring and how it affects volts and amps. You will need to determine how many amps will flow through interconnecting cables of the battery bank. Gives me great control over balancing seasonal load differences and PV system variances due to weather and seasons. My Reliance Controls A510C transfer switches shown below. It makes the system entirely 100% flexible for balancing loads and demands throughout the year. I’ve installed two (Reliance Controls) 10-circuit transfer switch boxes for 20 circuits from my mains panel. I have integrated the ability to balance (select) my individual loads to be sourced from either ‘grid’ or ‘solar/batteries/inverter’. Unless your system is enormous (and enormously expensive) you will have to keep an eye on things anyway… My electrical needs are low to begin with, but I do have to watch it and reduce loads especially during the Fall and Winter months. This, combined with almost 4,000 watts of PV panels has been enough to supply basic power and essential systems energy needs within my modest home. ![]() That said, my rule of thumb is to avoid draining more than 30% off the top for lead acid batteries…so that gives me just about 10 KwH to play with. That’s a total capacity of 28.8 KwH, although 14.4 KwH is safely usable (50% max). ![]() There are 6 series strings (of 4 each) that are all connected in parallel to comprise a battery bank of 48 volts 600 AH. However I will cite my own current configuration as an example: My System as an example…Īll 24 batteries are 12 volt 100 AH rated. I’m not going to get into recommendations for series-parallel battery wiring (another article). The batteries will serve as a energy storage center to deliver power during periods when the solar panels themselves are either in the dark or under-delivering due to weather conditions. The batteries will be connected together in various series-parallel configurations depending on your schematic design to achieve a desired voltage and capacity to work best with the inverter (and charger). A battery bank for an Off-Grid solar powered alternative energy system will consist of a number of batteries and their interconnecting terminal cables.
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