Andromeda's restoration took a big leap forward this week as she was fitted with a new solar system. It has been something that has been on the cards for quite a while but it has been a matter of finding the right fella and the right kit for the job. Having found him, the stuff was ordered from Holland and now we are the proud owners of a great eco system....this is how it works....
A 140 watt solar panel sits on the roof to soak up the lovely sunshine and produce amps, these will then feed the 3 x 110amp leisure battery bank keeping them topped up with the little fellas until they are full. ie 330.
It's interesting how little power you actually need to use so having already calculated the amount of amps each appliance will use each hour (Watts/Volts=Amps) it's time to plug in.
With 330 amp hours available this then enables most of the boats appliances, TV, lights, fridge etc. to be supplied with 12v power. A display monitor now shows what is going on like what current is going in or out and how much power is available and for how long.
If appliances need 240v power then a silent pure sine wave inverter takes the 12 volts DC current from the batteries and magically makes things work by supplying them with AC current.
A back up system will also allow a generator to be connected via the 'hook up' and 240v power can be achieved this way too, if required.
It all sounds a bit complicated but it's actually a very simple system and very 'green'.
Hopefully, when the sun gets going it will supply enough energy during the daytime to power everything without having to run the engine to charge the batteries through the alternator on a daily basis.
By turning everything off, so no power is being used, the monitor now makes it possible to see what power is going in from the solar panel, and even on a grey day it's trickling in so when the sun gets going it will be boomtime!
Previous blog post title inspired by...The Verve : EASY : 1point
I almost gave you this one - won't be as generous with clues next time!
A 140 watt solar panel sits on the roof to soak up the lovely sunshine and produce amps, these will then feed the 3 x 110amp leisure battery bank keeping them topped up with the little fellas until they are full. ie 330.
It's interesting how little power you actually need to use so having already calculated the amount of amps each appliance will use each hour (Watts/Volts=Amps) it's time to plug in.
With 330 amp hours available this then enables most of the boats appliances, TV, lights, fridge etc. to be supplied with 12v power. A display monitor now shows what is going on like what current is going in or out and how much power is available and for how long.
If appliances need 240v power then a silent pure sine wave inverter takes the 12 volts DC current from the batteries and magically makes things work by supplying them with AC current.
A back up system will also allow a generator to be connected via the 'hook up' and 240v power can be achieved this way too, if required.
It all sounds a bit complicated but it's actually a very simple system and very 'green'.
Hopefully, when the sun gets going it will supply enough energy during the daytime to power everything without having to run the engine to charge the batteries through the alternator on a daily basis.
By turning everything off, so no power is being used, the monitor now makes it possible to see what power is going in from the solar panel, and even on a grey day it's trickling in so when the sun gets going it will be boomtime!
Previous blog post title inspired by...The Verve : EASY : 1point
I almost gave you this one - won't be as generous with clues next time!
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