Solar Energy Input Data
Diary of the spanish solar pilot and test facility - first entry December 2008 - Last entry July 2011
Solar electricity system design used to be based on various "rules of thumb" and the designers experience. In this competitive world we thought our clients deserved an upgrade. So we went "back to basics" and measured reality. Between November 2008 and July 2011 we recorded each day how much energy we got from our solar PV system. Then used that data to redesign our Kits based on this fresh input. This takes the guesswork out of system design and optimises the ROI for our customers.
Daily Power consumptions of a typical rural solar household in Spain in 2009
Optimal system design, using standard equipment and rounding
Test System 1 Description
Our solar panels are roof mounted. In spring and autumn, they are angled at our latitude (37 N) degrees to the horizontal, in summer they are changed to our latitude minus 15 degrees, and in winter they are mounted at our latitude plus 15 degrees to the horizontal.
They are wired in series to give a nominal 72 volts.
That output is converted by an MPPT controller and feeds a battery bank running at 24 Volts. This unit reports amps into the batteries as well as amps out to the inverter/charger. The system is forced to the bulk charging condition by always running below the full charge level. Thus the data reflects all power that is available from the panels.
Power to our offices and part of the adjacent home is provided via an inverter charger.