Solar Power For Your RV Richard Cullen 760-597-1642 www.blueskyenergyinc.com Blue Sky Energy, Inc. 2013 1
Blue Sky Energy Founded as RVPP in 1993 Blue Sky Energy Nov. 2003 Headquarters Vista, CA Pioneered MPPT technology Hold 2 US Patents on MPPT technology Introduced original Solar Boost 2000 in 1998 First commercially viable reliable MPPT solar charge controller Presently produce a variety of products for 12/24/48V systems All Blue Sky Energy charge controllers are MADE IN USA and include a 5-year warranty (controllers mfg. January 2010 or later) 2
Some System Basics Batteries don t make electricity, they are simply a storage tank Electrical energy is stored as chemical energy Batteries store electricity in units called Amp-Hours (AH) AH is the product of CURRENT (in amps) -times- TIME (in hours) 10AH of consumption could be; 5A for 2hr, 0.1A for 100hrs, or 100A for 1/10hr Loads Remove AH from the battery Charging sources Replace AH back into the battery Load AH consumption examples; Typical coach standby - 0.5A x 24hrs = 12AH 2 overhead lights for 4 hours 2.5A x 4hrs = 10 AH 2 hour movie w/satellite - 8A x 2hrs = 16AH Microwave TV dinner via inverter - 130A x 0.1hrs (6 min) = 13AH Inverter left on while mostly doing nothing - 1.5A x 24hrs = 36AH 3
Lead-Acid Batteries A 12V battery is six 2V cells wired in series May be a 12V battery, all 6 cells in the same case Or, may be two 6V batteries in series, 3 cells in each case May be flooded, or sealed Gel or AGM Batteries in series Voltage adds, AH do not Batteries in parallel AH add, Voltage does not 4
Lead-Acid Batteries Battery voltage vs. state of charge REMAINING BATTERY CAPACITY LIQUID ELECTROLYTE 12V OPEN SPECIFIC CIRCUIT GRAVITY Voltage shown is valid w/battery open VOLTAGE circuit for 24 hours Will be lower if battery is being discharged or higher if battery is being charged Under light load you can subtract 0.3V for reasonable accuracy 100% 12.73 V 1.277 75% 12.43 V 1.226 50% 12.10 V 1.172 25% 11.74 V 1.111 0% 11.38 V 1.050 Proper battery size is important A bigger battery is not always better A battery too large for the charging source will die from sulphation Minimum battery size; Large enough to limit DOD to 50% on a regular basis, never >80% Light loads like coach background needs & lighting can discharge more Heavy loads like a large inverter perform better with less discharge Maximum battery size; Should have at least 3.5A of charge current per 100AH of battery 1.5A of net charge current per 100AH is the absolute minimum 5
PV Modules PV Modules are energy converters, turning light into electricity In full sun 1m 2 of PV modules will produce 130-160W Typical 12V PV module Constructed with 36 cells in series Typical V MP 17V, V OC 22V 60 Cell Grid Tie modules Typical V MP 25V, V OC 30V Cost less in $/Watt compared to 36 cell module May require more expensive charge control solution Typical full sun amp-hours delivered daily Estimate daily AH by; 5hrs x (P MAX 17V) PV MODULE WATTS 50W 100W 135W 540W TYPICAL MAXIMUM AMP-HOURS PER DAY 15 AMP-HOURS 30 AMP-HOURS 40 AMP-HOURS 160 AMP-HOURS 6
How Much Solar Power Do You Need? Determine your solar charging goals and estimated power use Continuous dry camping Refill what you use each day, or at least each week Very light loads and no inverter, perhaps 75 150W Small inverter w/light use (small TV, laptop, etc.), perhaps 150 300W Large inverter may require large system, perhaps 300 500W+ Solar system should produce at least 3.5A per 100AH of battery Non-continuous or long weekend dry camping Refill only a portion of what you use each day If you can last 3 days on 225AH ( 70AH/day), one 100W module producing about 30AH per day can extend this to perhaps 5 6 days Storage or maintenance only 50 75W typically sufficient 7
Sun Charger 30 30A 12V PWM charge controller Low cost entry level controller Supports 450W of 36 cell modules Full featured design Built in multi-function low power LED digital display Battery voltage, PV charge current, PV charge amp-hours Automatic night time dimming 3-Stage charge control - plus automatic/manual Equalization Battery temperature sensor input Fully adjustable digital setpoints Optional LVD load control & lighting control available 50mA drive signal controls external power relay p/n SC30-LVD 8
What Is MPPT & How Does It Work? Conventional On/Off or PWM type controllers connect the PV modules directly to the battery when the battery is discharged Artificially limits PV power by not operating PV modules at their Maximum Power Voltage (V MP ) MPPT system operates the PV s at V MP harvesting more power and delivering this extra power as increased charge current MPPT control system continuously tracks V MP as V MP & operating conditions change Typical current increase 10 20% V MP & available power increase as PV temperature decreases May exceed 30% in freezing temperatures & discharged battery May go to 0% in hot climates 9
Solar Boost 2000E 12V 25A MPPT controller Successor to original SB2000 Includes digital display Highly efficient power conversion Processes 340W 2 stage PWM charge control Adjustable charge voltage setpoint 25A current limit prevents nuisance fuse blow or overload Equalization function Options Battery temperature sensor Conduit ready wall mount box 10
NEW - Solar Boost 3000i 30A/22A 12V MPPT charge controller Processes 400W from 36 cell modules or 290W from 60 cell grid tie modules Full featured design Built in multi-function low power LED digital display Automatic night time dimming 3-Stage charge control - plus automatic/manual Equalization Battery temperature sensor input All digital setpoints user adjustable IPN Network interface User configurable auxiliary output, may operate as; 2A Auxiliary battery charger for Motorhome engine battery Displays engine battery voltage 20A Low Voltage Disconnect (LVD) Load controller 20A lighting controller with LVD and PWM dimming 11
Solar Boost 3024iL 40A/30A 12/24V MPPT charge controller Optional digital display Processes 800W, 540W or 400W for 24V, 12V, or 12/24V systems respectively Can charge 12V battery from higher voltage 60 cell or 72 cell PV modules IPN Network interface Multi-stage charge control Automatic or manual equalization User configurable auxiliary output 2A auxiliary battery charger for engine battery ETL Listed to UL 1741, CSA requirements CE labeled for sales in the EU Meets FCC part 15 EMI emissions requirements Fully enclosed conduit ready chassis 12
Solar Boost 2512i-HV & 2512iX-HV 20A/25A 12V MPPT charge controller Available in two versions Low cost SB2512i-HV Full featured SB2512iX-HV Successor to original SB2512i & SB2512iX Higher 50V input voltage rating (-HV) supports 60 cell modules Includes corrosion proof ABS mounting box Processes 340W of 36 cell or 270W of 60 cell modules SB2512i-HV Lower cost version Fully automatic 3-stage MPPT charge controller Features omitted from SB2512iX-HV include: Multi-controller IPN network interface (still supports displays & UCM) Battery temp sensor input Auxiliary output Equalization 13
Solar Boost 1524iX 20A/15A 12/24V MPPT charge controller Processes 400W, 270W or 200W for 24V, 12V, or 12/24V systems respectively Can charge 12V battery from higher voltage 60 cell or 72 cell PV modules Multi-stage charge control Automatic or manual equalization User configurable auxiliary output 2A auxiliary battery charger for engine battery Battery temperature sensor input 14
IPN-Remote Low cost IPN remote display Monitors one or more IPN controllers Charge status LED Battery voltage Output charge current Multiple units can be placed on network Very low current LED display for excellent readability Automatic night time dimming Display only No setup or control capability 15
IPN-ProRemote Full featured IPN display & Battery Monitor Simple, easy to understand text display Auto or manual display backlight Easy to use multi-level menu structure Displays serves one or more IPN charge controllers at the same time Shows charge mode, sum of input/output currents, total charge AH Provides access to advanced setup parameters and wider setpoint ranges Provides complete battery system monitoring Displays net battery current from all charging sources and loads Computes battery AH from full & remaining battery level Highly accurate remaining battery level fuel gage Stop guessing Know how much power you're producing, how much you're using & how much is left Eliminates need for separate battery monitoring device Vastly simplified setup & use compared to standalone battery monitors 16
Universal Communication Module (UCM) Provides remote internet access for charge control & battery monitoring Internal multi-page web site server provides complete monitoring & setup No subscription or 3 RD part required Supports all IPN compatible charge controllers & IPN-ProRemote Periodic FTP upload of performance data to remote server Compiles & stores up to 128 days of performance data logging Downloadable as Microsoft Excel compatible file 17