Smart Solar Box Product
Smart Solar Box Product
* Please Remember *
Safety First! Everything you do that is related to your DIY project is at your own
risk. Please use safety precautions at all times. If you do not understand something or
do not feel comfortable doing something - consult a professional.
Thank you for trusting our product. Because you trust us, I’d like to return
the favor by presenting you a fresh new project. I hope this project will
mean a lot in terms of mobility, reliability and independence, regarding
your energy independence.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Introduction
a. Basical principal regarding solar energy
There are three main types of solar electric systems: off‐grid, grid‐tied
or grid‐tied with battery back-up. Off grid systems typically use batteries
as their form of energy storage and have been around for many decades.
Grid‐tied systems have only gained popularity in recent years, as utility,
state and federal incentives have made the solar system much more cost
competitive with its dirty rivals: the fossil fuels.
These grid‐tied systems use the utility grid (the network of wires and
cables that span every city and town in the US) to store their energy,
sending excess energy into the grid during the day and pulling from it at
night.
Every solar system, no matter which type, will always start at the
solar panel. This is where the energy starts, and from there it must enter
some conductor to reach its destination. This conductor is typically an
insulated copper wire. The amount of energy and the distance of the wire
will determine what size wire to use. In an off‐grid application, the energy
from the sun typically flows through these components:
(general scheme)
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From the solar panel the current flows into a charge controller. This
unit is in essence a regulator of energy. It is a customizable unit that
regulates the flow of energy to the battery and determines how much
energy is being pulled from the batteries at nighttime or in cloudy
weather. Depending on the size of the solar array you may spend
anywhere from under $100 to a couple hundred dollars for your charge
controller(s).
For either battery you will want to keep them away from any
potential heat or fire sources. A shed or a well vented room in your home
will work best. Try to avoid temperature extremes for your battery bank,
as this will affect the performance negatively.
These may look very similar to car batteries but are only similar in
appearance and greatly differ in their requirements. Car batteries are
meant to be fully discharged and then rapidly recharged. Solar deep cycle
batteries are slowly charged throughout the day and then discharged
slowly at night. Their energy input will vary throughout the day and the
discharge will be sporadic at night, too.
If you are using just direct current (DC) loads you will not need an
inverter and can just charge the loads from the battery, assuming the
voltages match up. However, the cost and availability of DC appliances
remains an impediment to the solely DC home.
Inverters, like the charge controllers, will vary in shape and size
depending upon the inverter’s output rating and manufacturer.
You may be able to save some money on larger systems by purchasing an
inverter that has a charge controller inside its circuitry.
You can get by with an inverter that is rated below the name plate
rating of the array. For example, a solar array with a name plate rating of
3,300 watts (3.3 kilowatts) will work just fine with a 3,000 Watt inverter,
since you will typically lose up to 20% of the output from the panels from
many factors. Among them, voltage losses in the wires, panel mismatch,
dirt or pollen on the panels and the DC to AC inversion.
Disconnect switches are often times built into the inverters, but
many municipalities require a separate disconnect switch for either the DC
side or the AC side, or both. If you are planning on getting your system
inspected by a licensed inspector or are going to connect your system to
the grid check with your local laws to determine which disconnects you
will need to install. The National Electrical Code (NEC) book, too, has set
laws on mounting the equipment, such as how high off the ground,
distance from batteries and other components, etc.
If you are constructing a small array, you may get away with just one
battery, a small charge controller and a low wattage inverter, like the kind
you can plug into your car adaptor. You can plug many AC electronics or
even appliances directly into the inverter, so long as the inverter is rated
to handle the load requirements.
For larger systems, you should opt to run the inverter AC wires
directly into your homes breaker panel with breaker slots allotted for the
inverter. A master electrician’s services should be sought for this step.
To make sure your breaker panel can handle the backfed current
take the busbar rating found on the inside cover, multiply it by 1.2 and
then subtract your main breaker size. The max continuous output current
of the inverter multiplied by 1.25 (depending on which NEC Code year you
reference) must be below this number.
Grid‐tied systems substitute the utility grid for the batteries. Most
homes that are connected to the grid opt for this service. If going this
route, you will want your utility provider to install a net meter for you.
This meter records the flow of electricity in both directions, essentially
crediting your account for sending excess electricity into the grid.
When the sun is out and your panels are producing more electricity
than your home needs, your meter will spin backwards. When the sun
goes down and the lights come on you begin to pull electricity from the
grid and your meter spins forwards again. Most states have now adopted
net metering for renewable energy systems. If you don’t get a net meter
your old meter may actually charge you for energy consumed and energy
produced!
It is important to note that when you lose power from the grid, you
won’t be able to use the power from your solar array. This is a safety
feature built into the inverters so that if you have a utility lineman working
on the power lines in your front yard they can be confident there is no
current in the lines. If your array were in the backyard feeding the grid and
he was working in the front he would run the chance of having a bad
electric shock.
Having a crucial load subpanel is a good option for when the power
goes down and you are drawing from the batteries. This isolates some of
your electric loads on a separate breaker panel so that you won’t pull
down the battery’s storage too fast by running unnecessary loads.
However, when there is enough sunlight, the electrons from the P‐layer
leave their unbalanced atom and leave holes behind, which are easily
filled by new electrons returning from their work in the circuit. This
process happens until the sun sets for the day and they lay in wait for a
new day.
A blocking diode on the positive lead prevents any current from the
cells at night and draining the batteries. You can wire the solar cells
together to form a solar panel. When solar panels are wired together they
form a solar array.
Of the three, monocrystalline cells are the most efficient, while
polycrystalline cells are a close second.
Amorphous cells, while considerably less efficient tend to cost only a
fraction of what the crystalline cells do. The crystalline cells comprise the
panels that are typically used in residential installation. Because they are
so much more efficient that the amorphous cells you do not need as much
roof or ground space to provide enough energy to offset a typical home’s
usage.
However, due to amorphous panels’ low costs they tend to be
preferred for many commercial applications, since space is not an issue in
many cases.
When you know both the voltage and amperage of a solar cell you
can multiply them together to find its rating in watts. Completed solar
panels are rated in watts, so it’s important to understand this formula.
Knowing just two parts of the formula, you can also derive the third
component. For example, understanding the basic formula V (volts) x A
(amps) = W (watts) allows us to derive the amps from a 100 Watt 18 Volt
panel.
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V x A = W or W/V=A
100w / 18v = 5.55 amps that the panel will deliver
Once you know the voltage and amperage of your solar cells you can
begin to wire them together to form the solar panel.
The solar cells are wired together with conductors, commonly tab
ribbon. This allows us to take the single solar cell and pair it with similar
cells to create a solar panel with customizable power outputs.
So, let’s start to see how you can make this at home with a very
decent budget and effort. This device is a solar charger but it can be also a
small solar generator; in order to make it a power solar plant you can scale
it up to your requirements
First, let’s see what we need in order to complete this project.
Pliers
Decorticator pliers;
Fixed Wrenches;
Hand Drill
Drill Bits;
Electrical cables for wiring (red and black) ᶲ1.5-2mm– 3.5 ft (10 m);
Metallic Coupling for Solar Panel Fixing – you can choose from a
large variety
Screws, Washers and Nuts ᶲ6, 2.4 inches, 1.6 inches and 1 inch long;
Connectors;
On/Off Switch;
or
Socket for 110V or 220V;
USB Socket;
1 Toolbox inside which we'll assemble the Power Bank for better
maneuverability and ergonomics;
For testing the Device we'll use: 2 Halogen x 10W bulbs, 2 x 10W
bulbs, 8 x 100W bulbs connected in parallel. Also, we'll use a cell phone
and other household devices.
Next you'll see the step-by-step assembly process, and we'll do a
final recap at the end of the video.
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We'll use an 1 inch screw for fixing just like you see in the video. A helping
hand when doing this is always welcome. It will be easier when setting up
the solar panel on the final position. We'll tighten the screws, making sure
we don't touch the solar panel.
At the end, the two solar panels will look just like you see in the
video, with the cables left hanging for the following connection.
Next, you'll see how to connect the 2 solar panels and how to use
the couplings mentioned in the first chapter.
The solar panels we used (for which you have the technical specs)
are already semi-wired; if you buy them without connectors, the
manufacturer's diy kit should include all the wires and connectors needed.
As you can see, the red wire is on positive and the black one is on
negative. I recommend using red-black color coded wires, at a length
suitable for your needs.
Very Important! Wiring connection on the solar panel will be done in
parallel! Even if you have more than 2 panels, the principle is the same.
Note that the connections are simple (mom-dad), avoiding undesired
errors. For the positive line (connector + / red wire), we'll use at one end a
mom connector in which we'll connect the red cable on the interior pin.
Decorticate the end of the wire and then tighten it to ensure the correct
connection to the metallic pin. Insert the tightening sleeve and then the
coupling and tighten the lot. You'll see that it is light weight and strong.
Repeat the same procedure for the negative side of the circuit
(connector - / black wire).
The coupling connection it's done as you see it in the picture above:
the positive terminals in the positive coupling, and the negative in the
negative coupling. In case you opt for a 4 panel system (or more), you'll
have a splitter with 4 red wire entries on a positive connector and 4 black
wire entries on a negative connector. The working principle is that you'll
have X positive entries connected to a single positive base, and X negative
entries, connected to a single negative base.
The other ends of the wires will be connected to a solar charge
controller as you'll later see in the video.
We'll first mount the socket for the 110V devices. I'll mention here,
that the combined power consumption of the devices you plan on using
cannot exceed the nominal output power of the inverter.
We'll use a drill or a box cutter knife to make a hole in the lid of the
box. After drilling, clean the edges of the hole for debris, and position the
socket. We'll hold it in place using two small screws, but only after
connecting the wiring.
We'll repeat the procedure for all the other elements we'll place on
the lid: On/Off switch, 12V car lighter socket, USB socket. That will be
done after drilling each hole using the plastic/metallic O-rings.
Once the box is ready, we'll go on to the next step, in which you'll
see how to make all the connections inside the box (it should look like
this):
c. Wiring process
First thing … we put the battery in the box, setting it on the final
position. After that we'll put the Power Inverter inside, and finally the
charge controller.
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The first step is connecting the battery. Use the connectors for the
bases just like you see in the video. The red Connectors will go on the
positive (+) base, and the blue connectors (in our case) will go on the
negative (-) base and to the black connectors on the solar panels.
To determine the necessary length of the cables for connecting each
socket, measure enough so you won't have a tensed wire circuit if the lid
is open. Measure the distances for all the connections on the lid. Cut at
the desired length 4 (in our case) pairs of wires. One for each connection...
coupled with the same type of connector (red for the positive base and
blue for the negative wires). The coupling is done by tightening the
connectors on the cables.
After finishing the necessary wiring for the sockets, we'll measure
the cable we need for the connection between the battery and the
inverter and between the charge controller and the battery, following the
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same working principle: the cables must not be tensed so none of the
connections will break.
For a better stiffening of the inverter we'll use a piece of Styrofoam,
to make sure that it will stand still in the box without any space to move
around. We'll also choose the final position of the charge controller,
making sure that the connection side is up for easy access.
Now we'll connect the inverter (red to red and black to black) to the
battery. Do the direct connection just like you see in the video. Next we'll
connect the inverter to the socket. For that we'll take a cable from a plug.
One end will be for the socket bases. We'll also need the on/off switch for
controlling the socket power on the socket. The other 12V sockets will be
permanently powered. If needed, you can mount another switch for those
too. But because of the low voltage, we don't think that's necessary.
In the video you'll see that there are three wires coming out the
plug: yellow (grounding), brown (faze), blue (null). In our case we'll cancel
the grounding part.
Next in line is the on/off switch. This will close/open the inverter,
powering up the socket. So, the positive base of the inverter will go on the
positive base of the switch, and the other base of the switch will go to the
battery. As you can see, we're using both cable of the same color (red).
Next is the charge controller and its connection (at one end to the
solar panels, and at the other end to the battery).
THE IMPORTANT RULE HERE IS TO CONNECT THE CONTROLLER TO THE
BATTERY FIRST AND THEN THE PANELS TO THE CONTROLLER. In our case
we have icons on the controller that help in the process in an intuitive
way: near the panel icon we have the positive and the negative coupling in
which we'll connect the solar panels (red wire to positive + and black wire
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to negative -); the next two couplings are for the battery connection. For
that we'll measure 2 wires (one red and one black). After inserting the
decorticated ends in the controller, tighten the screws making sure it's a
strong connection.
We'll connect on each battery base the cables with the specified
colors. On the positive base we'll connect all the cables (from the
controller, switch - inverter and 12V sockets). In the same way we'll
connect the negative bases and cables (controller, inverter and the two
12V sockets). You probably noticed that the battery charge is already
crating sparks. Make sure all the socket bases are connected before you
connect them to the battery base. And as you can see, the controller is
already powering up.
Here is how the system looks at the end of our step-by-step vide guide:
All the modules have been disconnected from one another and can
easily fit any trunk. And you only need a couple of minutes to put them
back together.
We hope you'll enjoy this device for a long time, and you're welcome
to take part in our next project as well.
For all the other components, we recomand you General / Local Shops.
In order to cut your acquisition bill we recomand you to follow this
steps:
- Decide the scale of your system according to your needs;
- See if you can find items like batteries, invertors cables on General
Shops or even second hand shops. If you buy anything from a second
hand shop, make sure that you receive what you asked for and also a
test for the device would spare you for further problems.
- Follow our video guides as much as you need in order to complete
your device.
Thank you for your time and trust. If you have questions, we'll be more
than happy to answer them on the support address, and will reply as
fast as possible.
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The authors and publishers assume that you are aware of all the risks and
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