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Solar Energy

Solar Energy


We provide a number of solar panels both big and small to power your whole house to just a battery charger. Read below to learn more, or visit our store


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About Solar Energy

Solar energy can be used for anything from a trickle battery charger to a whole house system. An inverter must be used to power 120 volt or 240 volt house voltage. The inverter converts 12, 24, or 48 volts DC voltage to 120 or 240 volts AC voltage. Using 24 or 48 volts DC will require smaller battery and inverter input wires and is best for larger systems. At least a 1,000 watt system with at least a 3,000 watt inverter will be required to provide about 50% of the 120 volt power for a house. The 3,000 watt inverter will need to be supplied with wire capable of supplying about 300 amps if using 12 volts, and if using 24 volts the wire will only need to supply 150 amps. The proper solar controller with the proper relays and batteries capable of supplying the high current will also be needed. Before installing a solar system you should take every step possible to use less power such as replacing all light bulbs with florescent or LED bulbs. Tax credits may be available in your area for installing solar systems. The federal tax credit has many restrictions and must be an on grid system which is very expensive and in most cases is not worth the extra cost. Contact your government agencies to see what tax credits may be available in your area. Click on our EWS Store to view our solar products or continue reading below for more information.

Solar Controllers

We manufacture our own Solar Controllers which are all Microprocessor controlled and provide many features not found on any other controllers. All our controllers come with heavy duty plastic weather resistant enclosures. They can be installed on 12, 24 or 48 volt DC systems using 6 or 12 volt batteries. The wattage or current should not be exceeded so make sure you order the proper controller for the wattage of your solar panel.

Inverters

An inverter must be used to power 120 volt or 240 volt house or RV loads. The inverter converts the 12, 24, or 48 volt DC voltage to 120 or 240 volt AC voltage. Only very large systems over 3,000 watts will use a 240 volt inverter to power both 240 and 120 volt loads. Keep in mind that a 12 volt current is always 10 times the current as 120 volts and that the proper size wires must be used to handle the high 12 volt current. Using 24 or 48 volts will require smaller battery and inverter input wires and is best for larger systems. At least a 1,000 watt system with at least a 3,000 watt inverter will be required to provide 30% to 50% of the 120 volt power for a house. The 3,000 watt inverter will need to be supplied with wire capable of supplying about 300 amps if using 12 volts, and if using 24 volts the wire will only need to supply 150 amps. The inverter typically has 2 to 4 times the power capability of the solar panels so that it can supply power to higher power loads as needed such as a refrigerator, washer, or kitchen appliances. The solar current is the charging current only and is the solar watts divided by the system voltage.

There are two types of inverters. Low cost modified sign wave inverters are what you should use in most cases on smaller systems such as for RVs. These are off grid inverters which are not connected to your house power. Any AC loads must be connected only to the solar power or house power but not both at the same time. True sign wave inverters are more expensive but are what you should use on a house system other than for just emergency power. For larger house systems use only USA manufactured inverters such as Outback or Xantrex. An on grid system is required along with many other restrictions to get the federal and some other tax credits. Contact your government agencies to see what tax credits may be available in your area.

Batteries

The batteries must be capable of storing and supplying the proper power to the inverter. You will need to use 12 volt batteries or two 6 volt batteries in series to get 12 volts, or four 6 volt or two 12 volt to get 24 volts, or eight 6 volt or four 12 volt to get 48 volts. The number of batteries needed depends on the size of the solar system, inverter, and load desired to supply. Sam's Club and Costco have 6 volt Golf Cart batteries in most areas that are a very good battery for solar storage. Lead acid batteries will last 1 to 4 years depending on how often they are discharged and charged.

New Lithium Iron Phosphate Lifepo4 Batteries

Lithium Iron Phosphate Lifepo4 batteries are longer lasting, small, and safer batteries but cost much more. We will have these batteries available summer of 2013.

Wires and Wiring

The wires from battery to battery and to the inverter must be large enough to supply the proper current to the inverter and are usually much larger than the wires from the solar panels to the controller and batteries as these wires only carry the charging current. On larger systems it may be easier and more cost effective to use multiple wires in parallel instead of one large wire. For example, if you need 120 amps you can use four #10 wires instead of one #2 wire. Using multiple wires to the solar panels and batteries allows you to wire them in groups of 4 to 12 depending on the voltage and wire size. Always locate the batteries, solar controller, and inverter as close as possible and within just a few feet. Before purchasing wire you need to know which inverter you are using and the DC and AC current and voltage. Using a higher DC voltage saves money on wire as the current is lower, but on smaller systems it is best to use 12 volts. A 24 volt system uses half the current of the 12 volt system and a 48 volt system uses half the current of a 24 volt system. The batteries and solar panels are wired in series to get the desired voltage. For example, if you want a 24 volt system four 6 volt batteries or two 12 volt solar panels in series will create a 24 volt system. These will be connected in parallel to others as needed for higher capacities. You can purchase wire at your local electrical supply or hardware store. Check the current rating of the wire before you purchase.