What happened to Episode 1? I know. I am not great at math. It has always been a struggle. A roar from which I have run. Of course, this presents challenges when I start talking to you about “watts x volts = amps” and things like that. Don’t worry, I have a great disclaimer below.
Hopefully you’ve read Episode 0 – the fundamental discussion about why you might want to use solar at all. My plan was to get into the next step, to cover how you should address the concept of evaluating the amount of power you’ll need. But, the problem is I wanted to provide you with real time examples, which requires (because it was what I wanted) the actual measurement of power consumed over time. As I write about that process, that “time” is still happening. Not to mention that “someone” got a pile of mulch for us to spread that was probably enough to fill a 144 square foot room from floor to ceiling, and we’ve been working through that. So, in the meantime, we’re going to cover the basics of solar power equipment.
(Please comment on one of Winnie’s posts that Duke needs a tractor! Thanks!)
Disclaimer
Electricity touching you directly is bad for your health! Electricity directly touching your home or vehicle can also be bad for your health (due to fire)! Use caution before proceeding to install electrical equipment. Even simple things like low voltage wires, if not properly matched to your system can create sparks and or excessive heat resulting in fires or shocks. Even as I have experimented, I have been careful to limit my risks, over-engineer things and control potential failures. Also remember, I am not good at math.
Solar Power Equipment Basics
Here’s the overview of the story here: to harness the energy of the sun, you need to buy stuff. At least that’s the case if you want to use solar power the way we are talking about in this series. This is my favorite part because it is like a puzzle trying to figure out what I need, sourcing it and acquiring it all at a reasonable price.
But, I digress. Let’s talk about the basic building blocks of a solar setup. In other words, we’re going to cover the equipment you need for a solar system (well, not the whole “solar system” . . . c’mon). OK, we want to discuss what solar power equipment you need (better?).
1. Panels
Panels have to be the first piece of solar power equipment people think of, right? The solar panels take the sun’s rays and convert them to electricity. This electricity most often comes off the panel (via the wires attached) at around 12 volts, direct current (or “DC”). This could vary, and the wattage coming off the panel could vary. You may want different parameters for different reasons, more on that later.
How does the light become power? No one really knows. Nah, actually lots of people know. But that would be too far off topic here.
Theoretically, you could stop here. Just take the panel and the wires coming from it and connect directly to something you want to power (assuming it is rated for the power coming from the panel). For example, I could attach a solar panel directly to a set of LED lights and they would probably light up.
There are also at least two different types of solar panels generally available: Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline. There are differences between these types – centering on which is more costly and which is more efficient. (Monocrystalline panels are supposed to be more efficient but more costly. Polycrystalline are generally cheaper, but less efficient.) There other types and subdivisions within these, but whatever. Don’t worry about that now. Baby steps.
Despite what I suggested above, you’re going to want more equipment. Most people are not going to be satisfied only using solar power when the sun is up – especially those people who want to power lighting. A solar-powered flashlight only seems like a good idea for about 10 seconds. So let’s keep listing out the rest of the general equipment concepts.
2. Fuses
This posting is not meant to be too technical. Frankly, I’m not likely to ever get “too” technical. Despite that, I do want to put in a “plug” (teehee) for fuses. While not the most exciting piece of solar power equipment, adding fuses from the solar panels to the downstream equipment is a good idea, if not an absolute necessity. Further, you’ll need fuses between various other bits and pieces of the overall system. These can differ depending on how you set your system up, the parameters of the equipment and what you are doing with the equipment.
If you have a 12 volt system, for example, in a home-brew van-life rig, you will also need a whole fuse box. This will look similar to the fuse box in a car, but smaller and without some of those bigger relay boxes.
Point is: You’re gonna need to be thoughtful about fuses. Think of them as sacrificial points in your system that die to protect other parts of the system. If you only kinda know what you’re doing (like me), then fuses are absolutely essential in key systems.
3. Wires
Speaking of technical – wire sizes are an important technical consideration. This topic can vary widely. If we are talking about a household setup, then you have both DC and AC wires to consider. But even just with DC, we need to consider proper wire size which may be determined by the current expected to be running in the wire, the distance of the run and other factors. Wires are an important part of your system. You could have all the other components, but if you have no wires, you’ve got nothing. On this, I’ll tell you now that I’ll tell you more later.
Wires, while important, are my least favorite piece to consider. Why? Because they are expensive (at least when on a “dollar-per-interesting” basis), require other tools to manipulate, they need to be protected from chafing, they can be hard to acquire (depending on the size), etc., But, at least from a partly redeeming perspective, they are fun to dress up and organize neatly to make your system look like you knew what you were doing.
I’m going to save it for another post, but we could get into all the things that besides wires themselves are involved between system components, such as heat shrink tubing, solder, crimp/heat connectors (of various types), wire ends, zip-ties, conduit, electrical tape, switches, shut-offs, etc. We can also talk about all the tools and gadgets to make these other doohickies work (fish tape, soldering irons, crimpers, heat guns, and more).
4. Solar Charge Controller
What’s a charge controller? Well, you could think of it this way: If electricity is water and you need to put water into your batteries but the hole into your batteries is only a certain size – then a charge controller is the flow regulator. It doesn’t let the flow get too crazy. It keeps it from exceeding the input capabilities of the batteries. Another way to think about it is that it regulates the otherwise erratic flow of power from the sun so that there is a more regular flow to the batteries. I think of this as the piece of solar power equipment that is the “brain” of the system (and in my case, the only brain involved).
There are different types of these. Surprise! The general types of controllers are:
- PWM (pulse width modulation) – which is older tech and less expensive, and
- MPPT (maximum power point tracking) – which is new, more expensive and more efficient.
Beside the basics, there are also various bells and whistles that come with a charge controller. For instance, I have an MPPT controller in my van that allows me to connect my van’s battery system – I mean the battery that is in the “car” part of the van. This controller then manages the power either from the sun or the alternator and directs it to the battery. (I love this, by the way.)
I have an inexpensive PWM controller in my basement. Even that one has two USB ports and another direct connection point for whatever I like (including a set of LED lights – and I am thinking I may try to add some on).
The most complex controller I have is an all in one box. It has an MPPT charge controller, a battery charger (when pulling from the grid), an pure sine inverter (to change DC into AC and power some things in my house) and a switch that transitions from off-grid to grid based on some parameters I can adjust.
5. Batteries
Back to the solar-powered flashlight. Its utility is laughable if it works like my video up above – where I connected a LED strip directly to a solar panel in daylight. In other words, a light that only runs on the power of the sun, and which you want to use in the dark just seems like nonsense. But, if you can get a flashlight that stores up sun-power during the day so you can use it later when it is dark out, that makes more sense. If only they had some box type of thing that could store up energy taken from the UV rays of the sun and hold it until we wanted to use it . . . .
Good news, they do have this. Batteries come in very handy for this purpose. And, of course, there are several types including, but definitely not limited to, Lead-acid, AGM, Gel, lithium-ion, LiFePO4.
Lead-acid batteries
- These are the kind your car probably has if you have a gas-powered car. There are variations of these, including: AGM, Gel and flooded. The general pros of these is that they might last longer than lithium, but they may require more care in the meantime. They are heavy, generally work well for heavier “starting” power, and they are less expensive than the alternatives below.
Lithium Batteries
- These are often found in electronics or maybe electric cars. Read carefully – there are lithium-ion and (note the slight difference) lithium-iron batteries to name a few variations. CONFESSION: Even though they are expensive, I prefer lithium-iron phosphate (or LiFePO4) batteries because they seem to require less maintenance and TLC than other. Some even have internal systems that help with charging or temperature controls. These are lighter than lead-acid batteries, can provide long-lasting steady power, but are more expensive than the above-described alternatives.
Battery technology is getting better, getting cheaper and more accessible. This gets me excited in a nerdy kind of way. Just as an example, I bought a 12 volt, 200 amp-hour battery in 2020 for around 1500 smackers. This week, I saw a battery with the same parameters that was less than half that price.
6. Inverters
Depending on what you are doing you may want to consider an inverter in your arsenal of solar power equipment. I referenced this above, but in its simplest form, an inverter takes the power from the batteries in its DC format and turns it into AC. This is valuable in a home system. Actually, in a home system, it would be essential.
In a van, or an RV, you don’t HAVE TO have an inverter, but you’ll probably wish you did if there is anything that you might want to power via a normal household plug. There is usually something that will call for its use while you are traveling. Some inverters will also work to help charge your battery system when you are connected to “shore power”. Shore power? Yeah, if you are thinking of powering your van or camper via the grid when you are at a camp site, all the cool kids call that using “shore power”.
7. Alternative All In One
If you want to keep your camping wiring setup simple (with the least complex set of solar power equipment pieces), you could do that, and as an alternative to powering your coffee pot or waffle maker while you are camping using your solar battery you could use a portable power generator instead. These are an awesome alternative or add-on to your system. They can be used in your home, car, your little spot at the beach, etc. At their base, they are really a battery (usually some version of lithium), with a charge controller, inverter and charger inside. They all come with various outlet ports on the outside to charge you phone, run a fan or another electric device, like a computer, a gaming system. Often, you can charge these with solar power too. They usually have more than one power-input. And yes, I have used one of these while I played Minecraft in the middle of the night while camping off-grid.
If you are interested in learning more about these cool components, check out Jackery brand. While there are other great brands out there, I have experience with this one and we really like its capabilities. This is my affiliate link to them: JACKERY. I can earn commission on any sales (the price for you is the same as usual). The portable solar panel in the next picture comes from them too. Another well-regarded brand and one that I want to try is Bluetti. (Also an affiliate link – same story.) Their products do the same thing, and have some put off some slick vibes. While we’re at it, you should also check out Will Prowse – a great YouTuber for whom I have mad respect. (That’s not an affiliate link.)
Closing Remarks
That’s the overview. It is still a lot to process, but in keeping with the goal of this series, we want to get information into your brains so you can start to familiarize yourself with the key concepts. We HOPE that by the end you’ll be able to implement what you learned and make a system that is useful to you. We’ll cover these pieces of solar power equipment in more detail as they come up.
Leave your comments below and let me know what else you want to learn about when it comes to solar. Or, if you’ve already started, tell me what you’re building.
2 responses to “Getting Started In Solar – Ep. 2 (Solar Power Equipment)”
Great information! Thank you!
Thanks for reading!