Interesting Power cuts and solar panels

Minkey · 12/8/19

Can someone explain, if you have solar panels and they are generating electricity, how come on Saturday when the when the sun was out and there was a power cut I had no electricity? I would have thought the panels should have provided some electricity

johnboy · 12/8/19

Yup, mine are the same. Guess it's the way they are wired up, if you had battery backup and were semi off grid then you would not have been affected.

Stevebrooke · 12/8/19

I’ve recently looked into battery storage and it seems you need an “island” battery to make use of panels during a power cut. There are only 2 on the market at the moment according to my research.

slim63 · 12/8/19

A mate of mine lived off grid for about 10 years, he had solar panels & his batteries were from a submarine, picked up for not a lot through a military disposal company, probably not the sort of thing you want a stack of around the house unless you can hide them away but it shows there could be options available

Oldandbald · 12/8/19

Not absolutely sure but I think solar panels generate direct current which will charge a battery no problem. But your household appliances will require alternating current to operate. Which is why you had a power cut like the rest of us. Don't you just love renewable energy.

Malone · 12/8/19

My solar panels in the motorhome, 220w @ 24v approx, will charge 4 x 90ah x 12v leisure batteries, and then I can use an inverter to turn it into 240v ac. It should be equally feasible to do something similar in a house - if you have the money!

Minkey · 12/8/19

Oldandbald said:
Not absolutely sure but I think solar panels generate direct current which will charge a battery no problem. But your household appliances will require alternating current to operate. Which is why you had a power cut like the rest of us. Don't you just love renewable energy.

I can understand that but as since I've used 1/2 the amount of electricity a month than I used to I'm confused

Stevebrooke · 13/8/19

A

Minkey said:
I can understand that but as since I've used 1/2 the amount of electricity a month than I used to I'm confused

According to an electrician mate of mine the electricity generated is converted to AC and fed into the grid at the meter. Your house takes that electricity and uses it while it’s being generated. If you have a battery it contains an inverter to change it back to DC for storage but if you then want to use it to power the house during the night it also needs another inverter to change it back to AC. That is what an “island” battery does.

There you are - clear as mud.

Centaur · 13/8/19

Stevebrooke said:
A

According to an electrician mate of mine the electricity generated is converted to AC and fed into the grid at the meter. Your house takes that electricity and uses it while it’s being generated. If you have a battery it contains an inverter to change it back to DC for storage but if you then want to use it to power the house during the night it also needs another inverter to change it back to AC. That is what an “island” battery does.

There you are - clear as mud.

Just to clarify a little. An invertor converts DC to AC and a rectifier changes AC to DC. See; simples.

andyBeaker · 13/8/19

Centaur said:
Just to clarify a little. An invertor converts DC to AC and a rectifier changes AC to DC. See; simples.

I am confused.

Where does the band called DC/AC fit in?

Centaur · 14/8/19

andyBeaker said:
I am confused.

Where does the band called DC/AC fit in?

They are complex convertors. Listen to them and you are converted into a fan. Very handy in hot weather.

Interesting Power cuts and solar panels

Minkey

Ok it was me

johnboy

rather fond of a cream bun

Stevebrooke

Knee up, wheel down

slim63

Never surrender

Oldandbald

Been there, and had one

Malone

Been there, and had one

Minkey

Ok it was me

Stevebrooke

Knee up, wheel down

Centaur

Site Pedant

andyBeaker

Moderator

Centaur

Site Pedant