DIY: Residential Solar Power
- 1). Write down the appliances that you want to run off of the solar panels. Look on the label for each appliance, which should have the amp rating for that appliance. Write the amp rating down as well as the average number of hours you plan to use that appliance on a daily basis. This will help determine the number of deep-cycle batteries your system will need in order to power those appliances. Multiply each appliance's amperage by the number of hours it is used each day to figure out the Amp Hours that the system will need. The total Amp Hours should equal 50 percent of the total capacity of your deep-cycle battery bank. For example, if you plan to use your appliances for 50 amp hours each day, your battery bank should a charge up to 100 amp hours.
- 2). Use a power-drill and the mounts for the solar panels to secure them on your roof-top. The solar panels should be angled so they are facing a southerly direction. They should also be angled so that they are approximately the same degree from horizontal as the degree latitude that you are from the equator. For example, if you live at a location where the latitudinal coordinate equals 25 degrees, the panels should be mounted 25 degrees from horizontal. If your kit's mounts enable you to shift the angle of the mounts, add an additional 15 degrees during winter times and subtract 15 degrees in the summer in order to make the proper seasonal adjustments for the panel display.
- 3). Solder electrical wiring to the two output wires from the solar panel system. If you use more than one solar panel, connect the panels with electrical wiring in a parallel circuit (explained in step 5). Wrap adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing, which will protect the soldered joint, around the soldered joint and heat the tubing with a heat gun or a lighter until it covers the solder.
- 4). Solder the ends of the wiring from the previous step to a charge controller. The charge controller will help to prevent the batteries from becoming overloaded should the trickle from the solar panels exceed the storage capacity of the batteries. The charge controller should be stored adjacent to the batteries.
- 5). Mount the wires coming from the charge controller to the battery bank. Most charge controllers have positive and negative output wires that easily connect and screw on to battery terminals. Link the rest of the batteries using electrical wire in a parallel circuit configuration. Wrap the terminal and exposed wire with electrical tape. A parallel circuit is constructed by connecting all of the positive terminals from the batteries with each other and connecting all of the negative terminals from the batteries with each other.
- 6). Attach the wires leading from the AC inverter, which are equipped with screw-on connections to mate with one of the battery's terminals. The inverter will change the direct current from the batteries into alternating current, which is the form that most every home appliance uses.
- 7). Plug your appliances into the AC inverter's electrical socket outlets. If you are running multiple appliances at once, you may need a power strip to plug into the inverter. Use an extension cord to connect appliances to the AC inverter if the battery bank is set up in an outside location.
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