Making off-grid electrical systems work at their best

[synaptic]

I'm new on this forum and very interested in all things solar , so I thought I'd start off with a link to "hxxps: // handybobsolar . wordpress . com / Handy Bob ".

I've been reading his articles for years and he really knows his stuff , especially with regard to RVs

He also has a pretty low opinion of solar power companies , which is often amusing to read.

I hope other people get some useful info from his blog .

Regards

Synaptic

Edit : I should state clearly that I have absolutely no connection to " Handy Bob " [ electrical or otherwise ]
But when I first started working with solar power systems around the Mediterranean I learned a great deal from this guy's writing !

 

[Tony Stewart]

off-grid topics are quite varied and well-documented. Quality and capacity of energy storage device is also key and diverse.
Panel power drops abruptly with cloud blocked sun but clear sky conditions and to a lesser extent, orientation as they tend to be wide-angle receptors (Lambertian response)
Whereas light overcast can still disperse a good amount of energy but with noticeable loss.

The best answer come from the best questions.

 

[zahwi]

off-grid topics are quite varied and well-documented. Quality and capacity of energy storage device is also key and diverse.
Panel power drops abruptly with cloud blocked sun but clear sky conditions and to a lesser extent, orientation as they tend to be wide-angle receptors (Lambertian response)
Whereas light overcast can still disperse a good amount of energy but with noticeable loss.

The best answer come from the best questions.

Another consideration is that those cells covered with pigeon s**t turn into a resistor that waste energy.

 

[synaptic]

off-grid topics are quite varied and well-documented. Quality and capacity of energy storage device is also key and diverse.
Panel power drops abruptly with cloud blocked sun but clear sky conditions and to a lesser extent, orientation as they tend to be wide-angle receptors (Lambertian response)
Whereas light overcast can still disperse a good amount of energy but with noticeable loss.

The best answer come from the best questions.

You have touched on some interesting points there Tony.

I reckon that around 80% of people who have invested in solar systems are disappointed with the performance that they experience .

Most times they contact the so-called " experts " ( often the very same people who sold them the under-performing system ! )
And these companies always say the same thing ..... buy more batteries , or buy more panels ( or both ) ... but please buy them from us !

And they are nearly always WRONG !

In my experience , it is extremely rare that these are really the root causes of a poorly performing solar power system .

 

[Tony Stewart]

MPPT offer modest gains if the Vbatt is mismatched with 75% of Voc of the PV.
Naturally there are many wrong ways to install systems.