Alternative Power Options

1. Alternative Power Options Generation, Storage, Distribution, Safety, & Maintenance Vilas County Amateur Radio Club, Inc December 2016 Produced by KD9EPX and KA8FFM

2. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY POWER SYSTEMS Tonight’s presentation will focus primarily on solar based systems with AC generator backup, with 3 levels of systems for examples. There are many custom variations possible, based on your intended use, location, and budget. Presenter’s are myself, Roger Schutt, KD9EPX and Vince Tarnowski, KA8FFM. We would like to deeply thank RayBob, KD9DDE and Dave, KC9ZJO for their time & effort documenting their systems.

3. Presentation Overview First, we’ll breakdown the generation, storage, & distribution types in a general way, then drill into the details of each component in the system, pros/cons of each, interconnections between them, and related maintenance issues. Second, 3 system examples will be shown, with photos to match. Third, a list of info sources for material & design aids will be given. There is truly too much to cram into an hour, so please feel free to see us afterwards, or contact us by email or radio for more info.

4. Power Generation Methods, Overview Our main focus tonight are the following: Solar via PhotoVoltaic arrays, aka PV panels Electro-mechanical, ie AC Generators aka ‘gensets’ From 600w to 50kw, many fuel types & sizes As every location presents varied topography & resource options, Please also consider the options following when appropriate

5. Steam engines or turbine Think 5-20 HP designed for boats, or homebrew Wind Turbines, home sized 400w to 1200w, need to be above everything Northwoods area not very good for windpower Turbine must be extremely stable on vertical axis Need 15+ MPH steady wind for usable power Long break-in period for bearings Usually 3 phase AC from turbine to controller Bicycle or other ‘human-powered’ system Multispeed bike in frame with car alternator attached Homebrew small engine powered DC generators Any small engine driving car alternators Water Wheel powering car alternators Those near strong running water take heed

6. Solar Panels/Arrays in Systems Portable/Field Use – includes amorphous PV, often foldable, combined with a charge controller and smaller size batteries. Suitable for EmComm & Field Ops. Low Power Fixed Standalone – typically amorphous panels or 1 crystalline type for 30-150 watts PV, 2-6 lead-acid batteries, invertors, AC charger & genset backup. Good for multiple comms, lighting. This will our example system #1. High Power Fixed Standalone – PV total of 100-500 watts, 10-20 batteries, AC & genset backup charging, with inverters as needed. Example system #2. High Power Fixed Grid Interconnected – 1kw+ PV, high end multiple batteries, large genset backup with inverters as needed, whole household, interconnects to grid. Example system #3, w/o grid interconnection.

7. COMMON PV TYPES Monocrystalline – Highest efficiency [15-20%], highest cost Typical home panel in 150-300+ watt range, AC/DC models Grown oval crystals, w/cut corners Metal bus strips connect all cells Steady blue color, non-grainy, cells visible Best efficiency at higher temps, but fine in extreme cold ~ 25 yr life, some designs can match most shingle types ‘shadowing’, ie shadow anywhere affects entire panel output Polycrystalline Silicon – Mid range efficiency [13.5-15%], lower cost Typical home panel in 100-200 watt range, DC/AC models Poured silicon, crystals form in non-uniform pattern Grainy appearance, with gemstone pattern highlights Less affected by shadowing ~ 20 yr life Amorphous Silicon – Lower efficiency [8-12%], lowest cost Typical home/RV sized panel in 15-80 watt range, 12-24 vDC Applied as a thin film to various materials, commonly glass Virtually immune to shadowing, good low light output 10-15 yr life, output drops with age

8. Rare but available PV types: String ribbon – uses long, drawn strings of polycrystalline silicon, 13-14% efficiency Thin Film – 3 types using different materials, 12-20%, light, can be flexible. Lower current capacity per area unit than others Organic – aka OPC, available but quite new Future types – new ideas in development Multi-junction – multilayer amorphous silicon with gallium arsenide Dye Sensitized Polymer Quantum Dot Cu Zn Sn Sulfide Nanocrystal Perovskite – multi layer flexible, common inexpensive raw materials, 20+% efficiency in prototype phase, captures full light spectrum. Thermoelectric film – converts heat to electricity, paintable, But low power density, ie about 10w per meter squared

9. Power Storage Options Batteries for these uses come in 4, 6, 12, 24, and 48 volt outputs. Most common & reasonably priced are the common Lead Acid types. Lithium Iron Phosphate [LiFePO4 aka LFP] have longer life of nearly 10 yrs, but currently about 5x the cost of Lead Acid. For Lead Acid types, always choose the Deep Cycle / Marine type. For other types, choose those specifically for off-grid power useage. For larger setups with multiple banks, keep battery types same in each Bank, and also of same age if possible. Lead Acid setups need a de-sulpherization controller, others need An ‘equalization’ system used on a regular schedule. Develop a regular Maintenance Log for checking water levels, and Whichever of the of 2 routines your system needs.

10. Battery Safety & Cabling Mounting – build / buy enclosure of needed size allowing for add-ons Must keep batteries off the ground or concrete Sufficient ventilation, either vent grills or 12v mini-fan Batteries s/b always OUTSIDE due to outgassing of hydrogen or other fumes Thermo-electric [Peltier] modules with a cheap temp controller can help keep batteries in optimal temp range Lock open top for easy access for testing & replacement Lockable top to prevent tampering when closed Tools – suggest separate set of tools for working on cabling, use electrical tape to insulate all but the needed part of tool to prevent accidental shorts NOTE – Maybe low voltage but incredibly high current can melt many tools in seconds, or cause battery to explode! MAXIMUM CAUTION! Use the heaviest gauge cable and best connectors you can afford.

11. Battery Safety Handling Protection Recommended Personal Protection Gear Acid proof gloves, the longer the better Face shield, or goggles at least Acid proof apron or front covering / full top Helmet or similar head covering, non-metallic, secured HINTS – never lay anything metallic where it could fall across terminals Never use a match or lighter to see how much is in a cell Keep a crank or shake rechargeable flashlight secured in case NO SMOKING or open flame around batteries

12. Distribution and Monitoring Methods Plan ahead where to place the battery box closest to the mounting point for the controllers & monitoring units. Near AC power panel is good spot. Use heaviest gauge wire, short as possible, for routing battery & charge currents in/out of house to controllers & monitoring systems. If not included in controller or other components, plan on digital or analog meters to monitor BOTH charge and load side volts and amps. Get a transfer switch if planning on switching inverter AC into a AC power panel for house circuits. Plan how you will distribute the DC for use in your shack, how many amps at what voltages needed. Include any DC laptops, weather stations, etc. Plan on a mix of connectors for equipment; Power Poles, power ports, banana jacks, etc. Determine where, what type of fuses & circuit breakers needed for absolute safety for equipment, batteries, chargers, inverters, controllers.

13. System Design Planning Design Goal & Intended Use What do I want to power, at what voltage, for how many hours per day List each device, voltage AC/DC, Min/Max or Start/Run Amps, length of typical run time, calculate watt/hour total. Total watt/hrs is needed to determine PV / backup charging needed, and size of battery bank and inverters Battery Planning Most large batteries are rated in terms of 20 amp hours, how many amp-hours it can supply from full charge to discharged with smooth drain over 20 hour period. Multiply watt-hours x 40 to get a more efficient use to only 50%, everything will last longer, spare energy left for unexpected needs. Plan on 2x the anticipated daily power needs. DON’T FORGET WATER PUMP IF YOU HAVE A WELL!

14. Solar Planning Your PV array should provide 5-6 times the total watt-hours daily. Plan on worst case 4-5 hours of sunlight, and you need to be full charged for the 20 hours of darkness + the day time power needs. If grid is up, can supplement with battery charger of sufficient rating. If grid is down, make sure backup generator is ready to go. AC Power Planning Verify if any pumps, appliances are 220Vac 2 phase Total all amps or watts, convert to watt-hours Use the START + 20% current for pumps, compressors, etc Use sine wave inverters ONLY to protect electronics and motors For safety, if feeding existing power panel, use 1 inverter rated 50% over CONTACT BETWEEN LIVE INVERTER OUTPUTS & AC LINE WILL BLOW THEM!

15. Total System Planning Large household systems should be 48V based Mid – sized systems can be 48 or 24V based Smaller systems can be 24 or 12v based Full Systems need all the following: Deep cycle battery array – sized for 2x average daily needs Solar PV Panel Array – matched to total needs x5 Maximum Power Point Tracking charger [MPPT] Inverter for DC->AC power from batteries, pure sine wave type Safety components like fuses & circuit breakers Monitoring System for tracking charge input & load output Cables and Connectors – use the best quality you can afford Cable selection – every leg different needs based on voltage & current Great system design on-line calculators at softbaugh.com/solar/SolarDesignGuide.html

16. SYSTEM EXAMPLE #1 KD9EPX Roger Small, intended use for comm gear, minimal lighting, small refrigerator. Batteries – currently 3, planned for 6, 12 volt based system Solar – 2x 15watt 12v amorphous panels with 7amp MPPT Inverter – 800 watt, 400w & 200w for discrete equipment use AC charging – smart 2a/12a/75a charger Backup – 900/700 watt generator, 2 stroke gasoline, AC output only Safety – battery isolator, 150amp breaker, individually fused for key equipment Monitoring – homebrew power monitoring & integration panel DC distribution in shack – 12 ga copper buses run under all work benches Multiple DC buses of 12v, 9v, 6v and 5v, will be adding 24v bus for laptops Connectors – primarily .250 fastons for auto type fuse blocks, power ports. Lighting – 20 LED modules wired around house & shack Future – 3 more batteries and 150 watt PV panel

26. System Example #2 KZ9ZJO Dave Large scale, grid backed, homebrew, powers all comms, multiple TV’s, routers, multiple PC’s, sound system, CCTV PV Array – 11- 15w amorphous, 1- 70w polycrystalline, 235w total, mechanically rotated by hand to match sun angle Batteries – 2 parallel banks of 8, 12v, over 9k amps capacity, mix of deep cycle & standard auto batteries Controllers – 2 Chicago Electric MPPT’s paralleled into batteries, PV panels split between them. 3rd controller feeds 12v to garage. AC charger – PowerMax 55 amp Inverter – 3000peak/1500 watt Chicago Electric, 120Vac output Safety – Internal to controllers & inverter Monitoring – multiple distributed Volt meters, displays on controllers Distribution – AC discrete runs to equipment location, DC in shack

39. System Example #3 KD9DDE RayBob Large scale full household, off grid, 2 genset backup, 48v system, large PV array, commercially installed PV Array – 10 panels, 240 watt polycrystalline, 2400 watts total Batteries – qty 12, 4 Volt special off-grid batteries in series, 770 A-Hr, made by Rolls-Surrette, Canada. 20-25 yr life, about $560 each MPPT – Midnite special unit with full charge monitoring & tracking, can handle 300Vdc from PV’s + lightning surges Inverters – 1 for 2 120Vac legs, 1 for 220Vac 2 phase, 3600w each Generators – primary fully automated Kohler 14kw with internet monitoring. Backup 4 cylinder 5kw Safety – PV inputs lightning arresters & circuit breakers, numerous other safeties on AC & DC distribution panels Distribution – separate panels for DC & AC distribution into house Monitoring – web enabled generator, PV, overall system data Kohler generator auto kick-in as needed for PV charge backup.

48. To • 'Roger Schutt' • Message body

49. InterNet Resources http://softbaugh.com/solar/SolarDesignGuide.html Great primer and info with battery & PV planning calculators www.solaralways.com Great primer info on panel types Many other mfg sites, DIY ideas, focus on small & large systems Many types available at Menards, Northern Tool, SportsmansGuide Excellent articles in QST issue April 2016, pg 64? on Solar Primer, And pg 33- 38 on RF issues from larger home PV panels. As always, duckduckgo gives the cleanest search results.