Is it that my Battery is dead?

[nvisibl]

I was just about to switch on my Inverter for Power to my Laptop when I noticed my Charge Controller not looking too healthy...check video here...

https://youtu.be/d4IjGEQebe0

The only indication I can see there is a flashing battery icon with Zero charge bars


Does it really mean my battery is dead? I've had it for just 5 weeks and have rarely let it go beneath 50% charge.


This is the battery model: https://www.halfords.com/camping-lei...e-battery-70ah


The Battery and Solar Panel is connected into the Charger okay

The rain has been really heavy for the past two days but it's been bright enough and not dull

My battery and solar panel are outside my tent fully exposed to the heavy rain. I'm not sure if that's a resultant factor


Can I have some advice please? I'm stuck without this

thank you

[Mike90250]

Any time there is enough clouds for rain, your panel is not going to work. PV panels require direct sunlight, or only a light haze. Here in california, the smoke from wildfires 100's of miles away, cuts my harvest in half.

[Sunking]

Clouds = No Output. Panels cannot tolerate any shade, even from clouds.

[nvisibl]

I see, okay... first time it's occurred as we've had a great summer. I best get used to it then being in Scotland

[littleharbor]

Your charge controller isn't out in the rain too, is it?

[J.P.M.]

It's not so much that a panel or PV device will or won't work. It ain't that dichotomous. To a 1st approximation, at some cell temperature, it'll produce a current and power that's proportional to the P.O.A. irradiance.

Under a fully cloudy sky, the P.O.A. irradiance on a panel a few hours on either side of solar noon will probably be of the order of ~ 100 W/m^2. Been measuring irradiance under clouds for a long time. A common number is for total insolation during daylight hours and under complete cloud cover to be ~~ 10 % of a full sun.

Under such conditions, the power produced won't be a whole lot, but it certainly will be measurable and probably something like ~ 8 % or so of clear sky output.

[nvisibl]

Your charge controller isn't out in the rain too, is it?

No, but it did get a little water yesterday. But it's operating okay today

[nvisibl]

It's not so much that a panel or PV device will or won't work. It ain't that dichotomous. To a 1st approximation, at some cell temperature, it'll produce a current and power that's proportional to the P.O.A. irradiance.

Under a fully cloudy sky, the P.O.A. irradiance on a panel a few hours on either side of solar noon will probably be of the order of ~ 100 W/m^2. Been measuring irradiance under clouds for a long time. A common number is for total insolation during daylight hours and under complete cloud cover to be ~~ 10 % of a full sun.

Under such conditions, the power produced won't be a whole lot, but it certainly will be measurable and probably something like ~ 8 % or so of clear sky output.

I see, yes.. I was thinking much the same

I wasn't actually, I don't have the experience

Thanks though

[nvisibl]

How many hours avg do you reckon the battery alone would give me from full charge to power my laptop?

if i've got this right then when the Sun's knocked out and there is no charge being produced by the Panel then i'm running on storage power alone for however long that may last

[J.P.M.]

I see, yes.. I was thinking much the same

I wasn't actually, I don't have the experience

Thanks though

A bit of problems with decisions there ?

[Guest]

We cannot figure out the real situation, if you really want to have a change, why not try LiFePO4 battery which seems to have long cycle life, we have used it right now. But the decision depends on yourself, we cannot make the decision for you.

[jflorey2]

We cannot figure out the real situation, if you really want to have a change, why not try LiFePO4 battery which seems to have long cycle life, we have used it right now. But the decision depends on yourself, we cannot make the decision for you.

If he doesn't have enough energy to charge a lead acid battery he won't have enough energy to charge a lithium phosphate battery. And lead acids are a lot cheaper to replace.

[PNjunction]

Ah solar and Scotland! I love a challenge..

Very little constant sunlight means using a large solar array. Combine that with a battery that can gulp down current as fast as possible when the sun IS available.

It can be done - but instead of your flooded leisure-battery which is limited to no more than about 0.10C charge current, the switch to AGM would be prudent - BUT in your area, that *also* means upgrading your solar array to provide at least 0.25 to 0.3C. If your 70ah battery was an agm, that would be an array that could provide 21 amps. About a 400-watt nominal 12v array.

Even better, high-end agm's, like Optima's and Odysseys, can handle 1C current if well regulated and get near full charge in an hour - less if not fully discharged in the first place.

In other words, it would not be ridiculous where you live to have a 1KW solar array feeding a 70ah Optima or Odyssey (or equivalent "pure lead" agm.) I don't think Halfords sells those.

This is just a quickie back-of-napkin idea of what you might be looking at if you want to take it further in Scotland: BIG array - very-high end agm. Or yes, LiFePo4 that can withstand 1C of charge current.

Just be careful if you do, as the wallet will drain quickly. Seeing it work may be worth it.