Solar voltage effects on equipment
Solar voltage effects on equipment
(OP)
Will fluctuation in solar dc voltage cause failure in equipment even if the voltage is in spec? Ie, charging is at 28vdc and the days overcast causes the voltage to drop out to 25vdc and back up to 28 vdc throughout the day?





RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
That it will actually do so is a question best answered by reviewing the qualification test reports, and actual field results.
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
Or, one could dig into the unreliable system's circuits to see exactly why it's being fussy. Maybe there's just a single resistor value that needs a mod, or a simple tweak to the internal PS circuit, to make it work over a much wider range. 50/50 odds of this approach working, even if allowed.
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
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RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
It's not a bad design but a design that needs refined to remove those thorns that are still present or that have come up. You can make the most elaborate design, consider all weather effects, all the maintenance, etc...but when the mother of all storms comes in, the once on 50 year storm, followed by subzero wind chills that haven't happened in the past 100 years for the area you planned on operating, you have to adapt. Again, I don't think it's a bad design, just refining it to fix the unexpected. But anyway....
The system has solar array going to a mppt charging controller, that ties into batteries, then to a load controller that then is distributed to our equipment. The charge controller is temperature compensated so we can see voltage spiking to ~30-32 vdc, but the equipment is speced for that kind of voltage within its safety aspects. The array voltage is converted to match the float battery voltage.
There are some areas that are repeat offenders so I'm going to focus on that. If it was a failure in equipment it should be across the board.
Thanks,
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
The low voltage out (24 volts) will most likely only cause less charge to go to the batteries, which will leave the systems vulnerable to discharging completely after 4 days of clouds.
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
Whenever the voltage gets much above the battery voltage there will be a voltage drop in the conductors from the solar array to the charge controller and from the charge controller to the batteries. Connecting the loads to the battery terminals rather than to the charge controller terminal will reduce to over voltage seen by the equipment.
Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
If it was, then I think you'd smell the fried batteries.
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
I think the one issues I am seeing more is rs485 channels going out so I'm thinking
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
I think with our comms channels going out on the 485 that the higher voltage may be contributing to that. The only thing that doesn't make sense though is on one piece of equipment we have a optical isolator on the 485 so I wouldn't think that could carry over. May have to set up a daq system to log that if possible.
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
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RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
What is he 485 voltage range based on power input?
RE: Solar voltage effects on equipment
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