Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 1 Electricity from the Sun A Brief Introduction to Photovoltaic Energy Systems
Dec 15, 2015
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 1
Electricity from the Sun
A Brief Introduction to Photovoltaic Energy Systems
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 2
Generating Electricity from the Sun
• Advantages▪ Portable
▪ Environmentally Friendly
▪ Silent
▪ Free and Abundant Energy Source
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 3
Example Applications
• Water Pumping (both livestock and residential)• Dugout Aeration• Sign Lighting (warning flashers, billboards)• Urban Gardens (fountains, waterfalls, accent lights)• RVs and Houseboats• Cabins and Cottages• Remote Homes• Campgrounds
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 4
How Do Solar Electricity Systems Work?
• Use a Water Pipe Analogy▪ Volts = Pressure
▪ Amps = flow
▪ Battery = Pump
• How Much Electricity▪ Watt = Volt * Amp =
flow at pressure
▪ Watt·hour = energy for a time
▪ Amp·hour = current for a time
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 6
How Much Energy from my Photovoltaic System?
• SaskPower sells kW·h = 1000 Watts * 1 hour• This means:
▪ A 1000 W hair dryer for 1 hour▪ A 100 W light bulb for 10 hours▪ A 10 W night light for 100 hours
• A mid-sized solar panel delivers 50 W in bright sunlight▪ 6 hours of sun produces 300 W·h▪ Can also be looked at as 25 A·h at 12 V
• A mid-sized battery stores 250 A·h▪ Solar panel can fill this battery with 60 hours of sunshine▪ 100 W light bulb can empty it in 30 hours▪ It takes 120 hours for a 25 W compact fluorescent to drain this battery
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 8
Components of a Photovoltaic System
• PV modules• Batteries• Charge
controller• Inverter• Protection
A-h10.0
DC/AC Inverter
Solar ArrayDisconnect
ACLoad Centre
ToACLoads
DCLoad Centre
ToDCLoads
Trace Power Panel System
ChargeController
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 9
RV Systems
• Why install an RV kit?
• What size of system do I need?
• Why include an inverter?
• Marine systems are similar
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 10
RV/Marine Systems – Battery Maintenance
A Battery Maintenance System• Consists of a small panel,
wire, blocking diode, and mounting hardware
• Prevents charge loss in an idle battery
• Prolongs battery life significantly
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 11
RV/Marine Systems – Weekend and Part Time Use
• Weekend use systems provide power for:▪ Lights, radio, fan
▪ TV/VCR
▪ Battery maintenance
• System Components:▪ Solar panel
▪ Charge controller with meter
▪ Mounting hardware and cables
▪ Optional inverter to provide AC power
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 12
RV/Marine Systems – Full Time Systems
• Full time systems provide power for:▪ Kitchen appliances (small microwave,
coffee maker)▪ TV/VCR, radio, hair dryer, laptop
computer▪ Pumps, furnace fan, battery maintenance▪ Lights
• System Components:▪ 1 or more large solar panels▪ Charge controller with meter▪ Mounting hardware and cables▪ Inverter to provide AC power▪ Charger to replenish batteries when
ashore
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 13
Urban Garden Accents
• Solar Direct Fountains• Golf Course Fountains• Standalone Accent Lights• Area Lighting
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 14
Cabin and Remote Home Systems
• Under what circumstances does it make economic sense to use PV?
• What a complete home system looks like
• What size system do I need?
• Grid intertie?
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 15
Cabin and Remote Homes – Small System
For summer weekend use
• System consists of:▪ 2 solar panels
▪ 2 batteries (6V marine or golf cart batteries)
▪ Charge controller
Solar ArrayDisconnect
ChargeController
A-h10.0
DCLoad Centre
ToDCLoads
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 16
Cabin and Remote Homes – Small System
• System powers:▪ A few compact
fluorescent lights
▪ Small pump
▪ Coffee maker
▪ Portable CD player• These devices operate from DC
power. Those designed for use in RVs and boats would work in this system.
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 17
Cabin and Remote Homes – Larger System
For year round use as a full time residence
• System consists of:▪ 12 solar panels
▪ Wind generator
▪ 4 batteries (6V heavy duty deep discharge)
▪ Integrated Power Panel
▪ Backup generator
DC/AC Inverter
Solar ArrayDisconnect
ACLoad Centre
ToACLoads
Trace Power Panel System
ChargeController
DCLoad Centre
ToDCLoads
Generator
Solar ArrayDisconnect
ChargeController
A-h10.0
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 18
Cabin and Remote Homes – Larger System
• System powers:▪ Compact fluorescent
lights
▪ Pumps for pressure and septic systems
▪ Small kitchen appliances (microwave, toaster, coffee maker, etc.)
▪ TV/VCR
▪ Computer
▪ Front load washing machine
▪ Efficient refrigerator
▪ Circulating pump for in-floor heating system
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 19
Cabin and Remote Homes – Other Considerations
• Build efficiently▪ Reduce heat and electrical loads first▪ Then add renewable energy supplies▪ Top up with conventional systems, if necessary
• Use wood for heat• Use solar thermal for heat• Choose efficient appliances, especially
refrigeration• Consider wind generation
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 20
Narrows Project
• The Narrows Campground in PA National Park is located 20km from the nearest power line
• Perfect location for clean, quiet Solar Energy• Essential services such as light, water and power
are taken for granted• Sixty-four 64 Watt Uni-Solar Shatterproof Panels
provide 4 kW of power to the Narrows Campground
• Uni-Solar shatterproof panels were chosen to reduce the possibility of damage from vandalism
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 22
Narrows Project• Pumps deliver well water to a purification
system, storage tank, and pressure system for the park water supply
• Dusk to dawn lighting is provided at each washroom building, skylights reduce daytime lighting requirements
• Motion controlled state of the art T8 fluorescent lighting with 3M specular reflectors provide efficient lighting for the washrooms and filleting shack at night
• The original Coke machine was replaced with one that uses one fifth as much energy
Saskatoon Wildlife Sports and Leisure Show, March 6-9, 2003 Slide 23
Where Do I Get Help Designing My Solar Energy System?
Kelln Solar is a Saskatchewan based manufacturer/distributor of solar water pumps, fencers, RV systems, cottage and residential systems, and photovoltaic panels. We are Canada’s largest distributor of the UNI-SOLAR photovoltaic product line. We have a design guide available, and are currently customizing it for Canadian applications.
Find us on the web at www.kellnsolar.comSee our booth downstairs.Natural Resources Canada has some good publications on solar
energy systems. They are located at www.nrcan.gc.ca.