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  • Can I use sunshine

    Hi guys my question is when it's sunny and my magnasine inverter is showing that it's getting full charge 29.4 v can I use that power or does it still flatten battery ..as there is no setting I can find that tells you true voltage without disconnecting my tristar charge controller from the solar. I hope this question makes sence

  • #2
    Power goes where it is demanded. You have no control, not is there any need to worry about it in a properly designed system. In the course of a 24 hour day of a battery system you only have a few precious hours to collect enough energy to run 24 hours. Now stop and think what that means you have to do. That should fully answer your question if you think it out.

    Think of a tank full of water with a hole in the bottom. You can only fill the tank with rain water you collect each day when it rains for 4 hours. You size the tank so you have 5 days of water in case it does not rain. What has to happen 4 hours each day?
    Last edited by Sunking; 06-02-2017, 09:17 PM.
    MSEE, PE

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    • #3
      Ahh yes makes sence I am in west qld australia sunny sunny sunny so far my off grid is working beautiful thanks for all your advice

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      • #4
        Here are my thoughts,

        If you know your charge settings you can then utilise any extra power.

        I dont generally try to use any extra until my system is in float,

        Once in float then I do washing etc but always make sure my system is able to maintain the float voltage.

        So my float is 27, "basically" if I am using extra and it stays at 27 its using panel power, if it drops under 27 its using battery power.

        This work in Queensland Australia as its nice and sunny, we dont have short winter days.

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        • #5
          Ahh yes of course I should have been able to figure that out myself ...unfortunately I had a stroke 2 years ago and my brain is still muddled ..I have the morningstar 60 and at the moment I have to have it on second highest voltage which is 29.6v reason being my inverter/ charger when the charger kicks in it peaks at 29.5 which was putting the morning star into high voltage disconnect ..have been speaking with enerdrive tech there should be a way to bring it down a wee bit.. find out more Monday

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Bala View Post
            Here are my thoughts,

            If you know your charge settings you can then utilise any extra power.

            I dont generally try to use any extra until my system is in float,

            Once in float then I do washing etc but always make sure my system is able to maintain the float voltage.

            So my float is 27, "basically" if I am using extra and it stays at 27 its using panel power, if it drops under 27 its using battery power.

            This work in Queensland Australia as its nice and sunny, we dont have short winter days.
            That is not a bad strategy, it works, bu tif you have just a little more information is not optimum.Put another way you are not utilizing all the extra power available. It is really simple, and if you stop and think about it you will understand.

            I am sure you have observed how the charging process proceeds. Once the sun is up, you are in Bulk Mode, and every bit of power the panels can make is going all into the batteries right? You see that every day. Then at some point your battery voltage gets up to say 29 volts and you notice current starts to taper off say from the maximum 30 amps down to 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, then all the sudden stops and the Controller switches to Float mode right? You see that don't you? Of course you do if you are observant.

            When that current started to Taper Off is the ABSORB MODE. You batteries are no longer drawing full power. They are drawing less and less. See where this is going? There is power available you are not utilizing and is lost forever. So when you see the battery voltage get up to whatever set point you have set the controller to and the current just begins to taper, you have extra power to start using. You do not have to wait 2, 4 or 6 hours for Float Stage to start utilizing excess power. If you do not use it, you loose it. It is not grid tied where it goes out on the grid and you get credit for it to use later. It is just lost and gone forever.

            Just like the water tank. When it starts spilling over, that water is lost. Use it or loose it.


            MSEE, PE

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            • #7
              Sunking you have explained it in a way that I can truly understand thank you

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              • #8
                Yep Sunking, I know that, but didnt want to risk putting to much info out at once, or rather was not sure how to do it without creating confusion.

                Im glad Sunking was able to put in a way you understand Szabie.

                You can do a lot with that potentially wasted power if you are around the system, or use timers etc,

                I pump water during the day to a header tank for gravity feed using a timer and Voltage cut offs in my charge controller, as long as its sunny my tank will get topped up. Not enough sun and it will not pump.

                My system has been in service almost 11 years.

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                • #9
                  Good good learnt heaps today but I still need to get myself decent batteries then I'll be able to do that as well ..I have thousand Ltr tank on top of shipping container ..have electic pump for it but using petrol at the moment...a lot of coin for good batteries but I'm already saving a fortune on fuel for gennies etc

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Szabie View Post
                    Sunking you have explained it in a way that I can truly understand thank you
                    You are more than welcome. Glad to help.

                    MSEE, PE

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