How To Connect Solar Panels To Battery And Inverter To Output AC Current

Solar energy is gaining popularity at an alarming rate. Be it as the main source of energy or as a back up to the popular power outages experienced on Main Grid power supplies. We will learn How To Connect Solar Panels To Battery through an Inverter To Output AC Current. Solar energy is as well used to heat water for households and pump water to firms and reservoir tanks too. In this endeavor, however, we will focus on harnessing this solar energy mainly for use within the house. That is, to power our electrical appliances, be it Television sets, charging mobile phones, and laptops, among other appliances.

We mentioned that solar panels are very popular. This can be attributed to the fact that the solar energy is renewable, affordable and clean as well. Once you set up, there are no monthly bills except a few maintenance costs that could come in occasionally. Read Also: How to Start and set up your own CyberCafe Internet cafe business with less than $1000

The Solar Panel Technology

A solar panel consists of solar cells which convert light energy from the sun into electric energy. The electric energy produced is usually Direct Current (DC). The output voltage varies depending on the size of the solar panel, its wattage rating and of cause the amount of sunlight available on a certain day. Solar panels work optimally in the sunshine and hence to ensure we have this power available all the time, we have to store this charge in 12 Volt batteries for use at night. Let’s get into the nitty-grittys of getting this solar system set up and running.Connect Solar Panels To Battery And Inverter To Output AC Current

How To Connect Solar Panel To A Battery

To get this set up, we need to understand that the Solar panels usually output Direct Current (DC) as earlier mentioned. We, therefore, aim to have Alternating current (AC) as this is more powerful and is what most appliances run on. This connection involves three main steps. NOTE: Remember to always connect the battery to the controller first then connect the solar panel.

  1. Connecting charge controller to Battery
  2. Connecting Solar panels to Charge controller
  3. Connecting the AC Power Inverter

  • Connecting Solar panels to Charge controller

A charge controller is basically an appliance that regulates or stabilizes the voltage produced by the solar panel, the direction of current and prevents overcharging. This is necessary because the current produced by the sun my vary depending on the intensity of the sunshine. Connecting Solar panels to Charge controller

  • Connecting charge controller to Battery

Once the voltage has been stabilized by the charge controller, it can now be channeled to the battery for storage. You can set the desired voltage on the charge controller depending on the capacity of the battery. If it is the usual 12 Volt battery, set the controller to 13.8volts. You can use one or more batteries if you have them.

how to connect solar charge controller

In the event you have more than one battery, connect them in parallel. The same voltage of 13.8 from the charge controller can charge all the battery connected in parallel. Same applies to two or more solar panels.Solar parallel battery connection

  • Connecting the AC Power Inverter

The inverter is the one responsible for converting the DC to AC. It can be connected to the battery. You should never connect the inverter in the ‘load’ section of the Controller. Connect Solar Panels To Battery And Inverter To Output AC Current

From the Invertor, you can then connect your appliances as shown in the picture above. Make use of an extension If you have multiple appliances. If you have appliances that consume DC, connect directly to the battery as demonstrated below. The image as well summarizes what we have been talking about today. 

I hope this procedure helps you set up your own solar renewable energy without difficulty. As for the sum total of this project, the cost varies depending on the solar panels chosen, the type and number of batteries, the type of charge controller and the type of power inverter as well. Below are estimates of what each item costs. Read Also: Simple HomeMade Renewable Electricity system

Cost of Setting up Solar Energy

  1. Solar Panel 70WATTS: $80
  2. Charge controller: $65
  3. Battery 12Volts: $75
  4. Power Inverter: $30

That’s basically it, an estimated total of $250 to get the On-grid power experience to your home. Using more than one battery will ensure you never miss power even on days with little sunshine.

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