Hello all!
I am planning to install some solar panels on my balcony which is large enough to house a few panels. I'd like to power at least the electrical equipment that is running 24/7, like cablemodem, router, switch, NAS, phones, etc. I had quite some read and I'm now calculating the dimension of the system. Since it is rather unpractical (uneconomical) to install enough power to produce the needed electricity also during the short winter days in December, I wish to build a grid assisted off grid system.
The basic idea is to charge the batteries whenever there is sunlight via the solar panels, and to switch to a AC battery charger when the output from the panels is not enough. This would enable for the design of a more economic system compared to one that would be completely off grid. Also, for the possible event of moving to a new flat with different conditions the adaption to the new situation would be easier.
Now I wonder if there is a solar charge controller that has the following properties:
If there are no such devices one could buy, are there other ways to achieve this? I found this thread but it did not help me other than that it is basically possible to achieve what I want. Thanks a lot!
I am planning to install some solar panels on my balcony which is large enough to house a few panels. I'd like to power at least the electrical equipment that is running 24/7, like cablemodem, router, switch, NAS, phones, etc. I had quite some read and I'm now calculating the dimension of the system. Since it is rather unpractical (uneconomical) to install enough power to produce the needed electricity also during the short winter days in December, I wish to build a grid assisted off grid system.
The basic idea is to charge the batteries whenever there is sunlight via the solar panels, and to switch to a AC battery charger when the output from the panels is not enough. This would enable for the design of a more economic system compared to one that would be completely off grid. Also, for the possible event of moving to a new flat with different conditions the adaption to the new situation would be easier.
Now I wonder if there is a solar charge controller that has the following properties:
- It can accept power from two 12V sources (solar panel and AC battery charger) ...
- or from one 12V source (panel) and AC current (wall plug). I think for efficiency reasons this one might be preferred.
- It should be able to switch from solar panel source to AC source as soon as the battery reaches the min. voltage it is designed for and there is no output from the solar panels.
If there are no such devices one could buy, are there other ways to achieve this? I found this thread but it did not help me other than that it is basically possible to achieve what I want. Thanks a lot!
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