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The remote power systems we help create are in demand by university field research staff, parks & forestry staff, and rural property owners. These systems are custom engineered to provide enough charging & reserve power to sustain equipment operation through a specified time of the year.
A remote power solution is comprised of three components: Power source (ie. solar panel), power storage device (ie. battery), and power distribution (ie. AC inverter or DC outlets). We will consider each of these components in turn...
Power Source - Solar Panel Options
The choice of panel is usually determined by the load which the panel will support. Design strategies usually specify enough solar panel array power to not only operate the equipment during daylight hours, but have enough extra to charge the battery reserve for night operation and other times when sunlight is not optimal. Weatherproof panels such as the SolarFlat 5 work well in all weather conditions, while the larger SolarPro kits can provide power for large requirements.
Power Storage - Battery Options
The sizing of a battery bank to store power for periods of bad weather & night, is a very challenging task. Forget the fact that electric loads may not be exactly as specified, or that staff will adhere to a permitted "run-time" each day, the biggest challenge is trying to predict mother nature! Get an unusual stretch of bad weather, and the system could run out of power. A good system sizing program will enable you to build margins of error into your system.
At no charge, we offer a system sizing service to ensure that the panel & battery system will perform as expected.
Occasionally in smaller systems will a portable battery pack like the Power Depot provide enough power reserve to run small electric loads during the night and periods of bad weather. When larger needs exist, we recommend working with an array of gel cell batteries, or golf cart batteries. Your local RV dealer is an excellent source for this type of equipment.
Power Distribution - DC or AC Appliances?
Finally there is the issue of the gear you plan to provide power for. In many cases, manufacturers provide car adaptors as options for their equipment. Cell phones are a good example of this. These adaptors allow you to plug into any 12VDC power system that offers DC sockets like the one in your car, or into any of the battery systems mentioned above. Be sure to use these adaptors when you can - not only do they provide the correct power for the device, but they also eliminate the power losses associated with using AC inverters to obtain household power. Need more sockets? Add our 3-Way DC socket accessory to your system.
When car DC adaptors are not available, as is the case with many laptop computers, your only option is to use a small AC inverter to create household power from your 12VDC solar power system. These inverters are very simple to use - most smaller models up to 1000 watts come with a car adaptor as an option which allows you to plug directly into your system. We offer several models from the compact Smart AC 75Watt to the larger, more versatile 150 & 400. Choose an inverter that provides at least 20% more power than you plan to consume (ie. a 75W inverter works well with a 50Watt laptop computer).
A few words about inverter technologies...
There are two types of inverter: modified sine wave and pure sine wave. Which type is for you depends on your budget and the type of equipment you plan to operate with it. The terms "modified sine" and "pure sine" refer to the smoothness of the AC waveform. A pure sine inverter most closely resembles normal household grid power, while a modified sine inverter simulates the waveform in a series of steps.
Should you care? Well, if you plan on running audio/video equipment, sensitive research equipment, or any other electronics which would be susceptible to "noise" from its power supply, then you need to consider a pure sine option such as our compact 150 Watt or 300 Watt models. If you plan to run equipment which has its own AC adaptor (like a notebook computer), or motors such as power tools or pumps, or lights, then the modified sine inverters will perform well for you and save you some money.
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