We have encountered some problems along the way and have had to adjust some things, I will mention them as I go.
All 6 x 180w solar panels are now in place on the tracking frame. The purchased drive motor isn't strong enough and I rather like the DIY drill motor / driver, though it's clutch mechanism needs improvement & we havn't installed the sun tracking board yet, so tracking is still manual.
The next unit down is a 600w 12/240v Inverter.
Bottom row right is the main isolator switch.
Bottom left & centre show the 20amp & 50amp circuit breakers that service the 600w & 1500w Inverters.
These are an Absolute Must !!!
On the timber post is the tracker motor on/off switch, below is the DIY drive motor.
Batteries !
Several of the ex-train batteries we got at a 'cheap' price would not take a full charge, that left only 2 x 2kw batteries for storage. In hind sight, that is still 3 days & nights worth of power running our system.
Originally was planned & purchased a 6kw inverter but with only 25% of planned battery capacity it seemed a waste. The 600w inverter was wired up from day 1 and then added the 1500w inverter when the final 3 solar panels were finished.
The final config alteration is underway.
Underground wiring is being dug & laid directly from solar system to the shed. Separate underground wiring is done, from the shed to the aquaponics system. When complete, a separate power board in the shed will auto detect week/drained/failed battery power supply and switch to mains power from the house. Also wired in will be a mains charging system for the solar batteries. Mains power is virtually free due to a 10kw solar system on the house.
Finally, a rare sunny winters day - July 2012
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