Why this Blog?

The purpose of creation of this new blog was to add all my work that will solely related to my DIY Solar and wind electricity generation system. I will also add here the adventure of my DIY micro-hydro turbine (PAT) unit that has been planned to be implemented in the beautiful Kalam valley. In the recent past i unintentionally got attraction toward the green energy and studied a lot about.

My last visit to Karachi home was the turning point to divert all my intentions and resources toward getting into hybrid solar+wind electricity system. The 12 hours shedding at Karachi was really a mental shock to me. The 2Hours alternate load shedding scheme was so pathetic that for three nights i had only 6 hours of sleep in total. The Starting/Stopping the generator (located at the third floor) was a real muscular exercise especially the last part of the night.

The ready made solution requires a handsome amount of money. Here i will post my DIY approach to get the job done considering the advantage of being low cost, worth of experience and as per my requirement and quality. I intend to work on both Solar and wind turbine simultaneously so that to give the relief to my family.

Lets see will i have success in this endeavor?



Thursday, May 31, 2012

Why MPPT Charge controller?

Maximum Power Point Tracking gives  10-30% more energy from the solar panels. These controllers are connected between the solar panel and batteries like any charge controller, but sophisticated electronics allow the controller to operate the solar panel at its most efficient voltage, resulting in significant gains in power.

When 50 Watts isn't 50 Watts

 As an example, consider a 50-Watt panel. The panel will typically be rated for full output power only at a particular voltage, say 17V, at which it will produce a little less than 3 amps.

When you connect this panel to your batteries with a conventional charger, the panel will operate at the battery voltage, say 12.6V. At this voltage, the panel won't generate significantly more current than at 17V, and the total output will be less than 40 Watts!

MPPT controller will let the solar panel run at its most efficient voltage, extract the most power possible, and charge the batteries at their voltage, with almost no loss. This way, a 50 Watts power can be received from the 50 Watt panel, a 25% gain over the conventional controller in the example above!

MPPT controller extracts the most power possible from the panel in nearly any condition: hot or cold temperatures, different light levels, partially shaded panels; it even takes wiring losses into account. The actual power gain will vary with conditions, and may be anywhere from 0-40%, with 10-30% being typical. Highest power gains come with discharged batteries, cold temperatures, and lots of light. 

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