| Solar Powered Workshed: Interior Wiring and Connections |
From "Solar Solutions"
episode SLR-103 |
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With the solar panel in place and the wiring fed to the interior, it's time to complete the interior installation and wiring. Materials: 1750-watt DC inverter
100 amp battery
Pre-mounted charge controller
Heavy-duty DC fuse
14-gauge stranded electrical cable
Heavy-duty welding cable
Overhead light fixture
Timer switch
Screwdriver
Drill
Various nuts, bolts, screws and washers
2" lag screws
- Use the 2" lag screws to secure the utility box to the interior wall at a predetermined location.
- The utility box houses the charge controller (figure A) that will manage the electrical flow between the solar panel, bettery and load. It will also house the battery. Position the battery inside the utility box and thread the cable from the solar panel into the utility box.
- Add a watertight electric connector to seal the box from weather and moisture.
- Strip the cables and attach the wires to the terminal strip of the charge controller inside the utility box. Be sure to connect the red wire to the positive terminal and the black wire to the negative terminal. When connected, a light on the controller will register the power being generated by the solar panel (figure B)
- Next, install the heavy-duty fuse (figure C) inside the utility box. The fuse will act as an interrupt between the battery and the solar inverter.
- Connect the battery to the fuse using heavy-duty no. 1 welding cable. Connect one end of the cable to the positive lug on the battery.
- Run another piece of welding cable from the fuse to the inverter, and a third cable from the negative lug of the battery to the inverter.
- Run wires from the terminal strip of the charge controller to the battery. Be sure to match red wire with positive, and black wire with negative posts.
- Hook two heavy-duty cables from the utility box to the back of the inverter, which comes with two outlets (figure D). For safety: Add a protective boot to prevent an electrical bridge from forming (which could lead to shock) . Hook the positive and negative wires to terminals, then turn on the inverter to check power.
- Now it's time to move on to the overhead lighting. First, attach the lighting fixture to the roof of the shed (figure E).
- Mount the electrical box that will house the timer switch near the door.
- Run wires from the fixture to the electrical box and attach wires to timer as labeled.
- Run wire from charge controller to overhead light fixture. Again, be sure to connect the red wire to the positive terminal, and the black wire to the negative terminal.
- Run wires from the utility box and timer switch to the light fixture and join all wires together with wire nuts.
- Before testing the lights and outlet power, check all connections to make sure none appear crossed.
The cost of this entire solar system? About $800 -- probably less than it would cost to run electricity from the home, but with no wires and a big overall energy savings.
RESOURCES :
Solar Living Source Book: The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living
Model: 0916571041
Author: John Schaeffer (Editor), Doug Pratt (Editor)
(Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook, 11th Ed)
Real Goods
Website: www.realgoods.com
The Solar Electric House: Energy for the Environmentally-Responsive, Energy-Independent Home
ISBN: 0963738321
Author: Steven J. Strong, William G. Scheller
Chelsea Green Publiishing Company
Solar Buildings
Covers zero-energy building and other solar technologies.
Solar Buildings
Website: www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/
U.S. Department of Energy - Solar Energy
U.S. Department of Energy - Solar Energy
Website: www1.eere.energy.gov/solar
Solar Panels and Hardware (BP)
Model: SX-110
BP Solar (Solar Panels and Hardware)
Website: www.bpsolar.com
Solar Inverter, Converters and Charge Controllers (Xantrex)
SW Series Solar Installation Guides, Battery Specs for model 2580NC and PV Series
Xantrex
Website: www.xantrex.com
Solar Power System Consulting and Installation (Chesapeake Wind & Solar)
Chesapeake Wind & Solar
Website: www.cwsenergy.com
Solar Battery (Concorde)
100-AH (amp hour) deep-cycle sealed battery
Concorde Battery Corporation
Website: www.concordebattery.com
Photovoltaic (PV) Mounting Rack (UniRac)
Model: U-RV/20
Installation information available through UniRac web site.
UniRac
Website: www.unirac.com
Charge Controller (Morningstar)
Model: SunSave-6 (6 amp)
Morningstar Corporation
Washington Crossing, PA 18977
Phone: 215-321-4457
Fax: 215-321-4458
Email: info@morningstarcorp.com
Website: www.morningstarcorp.com
GUESTS :
Jeff Gilbert
Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder
Chesapeake Wind & Solar LLC
Website: www.cwsenergy.com
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