Multi-solar panel interconnections: Thoughts the electrons’ instructions

The concluding put up in a collection; right here’s half 1 (masking the Energizer PowerSource Professional Battery Generator) and half 2 (discussing its companion 200W transportable photo voltaic panel)…

Eagle-eyed readers might have already seen, inside the itemizing for the Energizer Photo voltaic Bundle I purchased initially of September (and returned shortly thereafter), the next prose:

Choose up one other 200-watt photo voltaic panel on SideDeal to max out the photo voltaic capability of 400W (however do be aware of these directions)

That I did, for an incremental $179.99. It was (previous tense utilization as a result of I ended up returning it, too) a “Duracell Heavy Obligation 200-Watt Briefcase Photo voltaic Panel”, and it additionally got here from Battery Biz. Listed here are some “inventory” pictures:

Together with a bullet listing of specs:

• Model: Duracell
• Materials: ‎Monocrystalline Silicon [editor note: claimed conversion efficiency of 22%]
• Dimensions (unfolded): ‎55.2 x 36.5 x 1.3 in
• Merchandise Weight: ‎36.2 lbs
• Most Energy Level Voltage: ‎18.6 V
• Most Energy Level Present: 10.8 V
• Open Circuit Voltage: 22.8 V
• Brief Circuit Present: 11.2 A
• Most System Voltage (Vmax): 1000VDC
• Regular Working Cell Temperature (NOCT): 45±2°C
• Temperature Vary (°C): -40°C~+85°C
• Energy Tolerance: ±5%
• Utility Class: Class A
• Included Elements: ‎Panel
• Most Energy: ‎200 Watts
• Producer: ‎Duracell

When it arrived, the outer packaging was…err…already breached:

Fortunately, the field inside was nonetheless intact:

though, as you will have already seen, the product picture on the entrance didn’t match the “inventory” pictures, which left me a bit disconcerted earlier than I even opened it.

Right here’s the field bottom:

Take the “unfolded” dimensions listed within the earlier bullet listing, divide the most important by two, and you find yourself with an approximation of the info proven on this closeup picture, which was reassuring:

Open the field, pull out the hefty contents (the promotional prose claims which you can “Expertise the comfort of dwelling regardless of the place you might be with our light-weight and foldable photo voltaic panel” (foldable = sure, light-weight = not), and the “Zippered Carrying Case with Deal with” conceptualized within the earlier photograph’s graphic is the very first thing you’ll come throughout:

Chug a can of spinach, unzip the case and huff, puff and pull the cumbersome panel out:

Now undo the clips on the “deal with” edge and unfold it:

Like I mentioned, it appears nothing just like the “inventory” photographs, though it ended up being totally purposeful.

I solely realized after returning it that I’d uncared for to snap a photograph of the bottom, so one other closeup of the field must do:

The cable popping out of the again of the panel terminates in a pair of MC4 connectors:

The also-included adapter cable converts the MC4s into an Anderson PowerPole PP15-45 connector to be used with the Energizer PowerSource Professional Battery Generator (together with different Anderson-compatible battery-based merchandise, after all, together with Duracell’s personal):

Its measured open-circuit output voltage intently approximated the earlier-listed max spec:

and it did cost up the PowerSource Professional moderately speedily in direct daylight:

Had I been in a position to as-intended mix it with the Energizer photo voltaic panel, after all, the combo doubtless would have been speedier nonetheless from a charging-rate standpoint. However from my earlier writeup, you already know concerning the connector woes that prevented such an association and resultant experiment. And for the reason that different gear I’d purchased ended up being subpar and despatched again to the retailer, I had no different use for this panel, both, so it received returned for full refund, too.

That every one mentioned, for the rest of this writeup I’d wish to delve a bit deeper into the recommended dual-panel configuration linked to inside the preliminary Meh teaser and replicated right here:

To a primary conceptual approximation, you’ll be able to consider two (or extra) photo voltaic panels as batteries. Join them in collection and also you increase the efficient output voltage. Tether them in parallel, conversely, and the mixture output present goes up. That mentioned, my analysis has enlightened me, in addition they exhibit necessary variations from batteries in each doable configurations. These variances derive from two elementary key phrases: batteries (satirically) and shade (i.e., “darkish”).

Hardly ever if ever is the photo voltaic illumination of a single panel uniform, removed from throughout a number of panels. This inconsistency is because of numerous elements, reminiscent of imperfect orientation versus the solar’s place of the second within the sky, and the aforementioned shading attributable to clouds, timber, and different partially-to-fully obscuring intermediate objects. For series-interconnected panels, illumination inconsistency implies that the efficient present you’ll be capable of squeeze out of a multi-panel configuration is constrained by the least-illuminated panel within the chain. And also you’ll after all additionally wish to be sure that the mixture voltage generated by the multi-panel collection association in full illumination doesn’t exceed the max enter voltage of no matter it’s driving.

What about multi-panel parallel hookups such because the one really useful within the Energizer documentation? To tether them collectively requires a combiner cable reminiscent of this one I’d purchased:

Minimally, you’ll wish to be certain that the output voltages of each panels match (for causes you’ll quickly perceive) and, this time, that the mixture present generated by the multi-panel parallel association in full illumination received’t exceed the max enter present of no matter it’s driving. “What it’s driving” in my specific case was the Energizer PowerSource Professional Battery Generator, supposedly. Which is the place the phrases “shade” and “battery” totally come to the fore.

Assume first that the combiner cable merely merges the panels’ respective optimistic and detrimental feeds, with no added middleman electronics between them and the electrons’ vacation spot. What occurs, first, if all the parallel-connected panels are in shade (or to my earlier “darkish” wording surrogate, it’s nighttime)? If the generator is already charged up, its battery pack’s voltage potential will probably be larger than that of the panels themselves, leading to doable reverse present movement from the generator to the panels. Additional, what occurs if there’s an illumination discrepancy between the panels? Right here once more there’ll be a voltage potential differential, this time between them. And so, on this case, even when they’re nonetheless charging up the generator’s batteries as meant, there’ll even be charging-rate-inefficient (to not point out doubtlessly damaging; hold studying) present movement from one panel to the opposite.

The outcome, described on this crowded diagram from the identical combiner-cable itemizing on Amazon:

is what’s generally known as a “hotspot” on one or all panels. Whether or not or not it negatively impacts panel working lifetime is, judging from the web discussions I’ve auditioned, a subject of no scarcity of debate, though I believe that at the very least some people who’re skeptical are additionally naïve…which ends up in my subsequent level: how do you stop (or at the very least decrease) reverse present movement again to at least one or each panels? With excessive power-tolerant diodes, I’d wish to postulate.

These people who assume you’ll be able to direct-connect a number of panels in parallel with nothing however wire? What I believe they don’t understand is that there are in all probability reverse current-suppressing diodes already within the panels, minimally one per however typically additionally a number of (since every panel, notably for large-area fashions, is comprised of a number of sub-panels stitched collectively inside the frequent body). The perhaps-already-obvious draw back of this strategy is that there’s a forward-bias voltage drop throughout every diode, which runs counter to the aspiration of pushing as a lot cost energy as doable to the vacation spot battery pack. To that time, I believe that is exactly what this Amazon reviewer is experiencing (additionally take a look at the video on the supply hyperlink):

So I can draw about 86 to 92 watts to my Jackery with the cable from the photo voltaic panel however as quickly as I plug within the splitter, it drops right down to about 60-70 watts. After I plug in each 100 watt photo voltaic panels, I get about 120-130 watts. So the splitter one way or the other loses energy when attached.

Should you look intently on the earlier “crowded diagram” you’ll be able to see a blurry picture of what the combiner cable’s circuitry supposedly appears like inside:

Previous to beginning this writeup, I’d returned the unique combiner cable I purchased, since resulting from my in-parallel return of the Duracell and Energizer gadgets, I now not wanted the cable, both. However I’ve simply re-bought one, to fulfill my very own “what’s inside” research-induced curiosity, which I’ll share with you in a teardown to come back. Till then, I welcome your ideas within the feedback!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line publication.

 Associated Content material

• The Energizer 200W transportable photo voltaic panel: A stable providing, save for a connector too fragile
• Energizer’s PowerSource Professional Battery Generator: Not unhealthy, however you are able to do higher
• Experimenting with a contemporary photo voltaic cell
• Photo voltaic-mains hybrid lamp
• Beaming solar energy to Earth: possible or fantasy?

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The put up Multi-solar panel interconnections: Thoughts the electrons’ instructions appeared first on EDN.

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