Solar Power System - Positioning Batteries, Controllers and Inverters

You need to identify a suitable location for batteries. This could be a room within a building or a separate building or battery housing.

It is important to try and keep the entire solar power system – solar array, batteries, controllers and inverters – as close together as possible in order to keep the lengths of cable required as short as possible.

You are looking for a location that fits the following criteria:

• Water and weather proof
• Not affected by direct sunlight
• Insulated to protect against extremes temperature
• Facilities to ventilate gases
• Protected from sources of ignition
• Away from children and pets

Lead acid batteries give off very small quantities of explosive gases when charging. You must ensure that wherever your batteries are stored, the area receives adequate external ventilation to ensure these gases cannot build up.

Because of the extremely high potential currents involved with lead acid batteries, the batteries need to be held in a secure area away from children and pets.

Batteries should not be installed directly onto a concrete floor. In extreme cold weather concrete can cause an additional temperature drop inside the batteries, adversely affecting performance.For all of the above reasons, batteries are often mounted on heavy duty racking which is t6hen made secure usi9ng an open-mesh cage.

If you installing your batteries in an area that can get very cold or very hot, you should insulate your batteries. Extreme temperatures does adversely affect the performance of batteries, so if your batteries are likely to be in an area where the temperature drops below 0 deg.c(32 deg.F)or rise above 45 deg c(113 deg.F), you should consider providing insulation.

Polystyrene (Styrofoam) sheets can be used underneath and around the sides of the batteries to keep the batteries insulated. DO NOT INSULATE THE TOP OF THE BATTERIES as this will stop the batteries from venting properly and may cause shorts in the batteries if the insulating material you use is conductive.

Controllers and inverters need to be mounted as close to the batteries as possible. These are often wall mounted, but can also be mounted to racking. They need to be mounted indoors.

Large inverters can be extremely heavy, so if you are planning to wall mount one, make sure that the wall is a load-bearing wall and able to take the weight.

Useful information solar power systems:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Build-Your-Own-Solar-Power-System-to-Save-Money-and-Help-the-Environment&id=3831922

Useful information Lead acid batteries:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/benefits_lead_acid.html

Working With Lead Acid Batteries

Lead acid batteries are extremely heavy, in some cases weighting as much as an adult. Use proper lifting gear to move them and look after your back.

Heavier batteries quite often have hoops in the top case. To lift a battery, I tend to use a piece of rope threaded through these hoops to create a carrying handle. This means a battery can be carried close to the ground whilst reducing the need for anyone to bend over to pick up the battery.

Lead acid batteries contain sulphuric acid which is extremely corrosive and extremely dangerous to health. Splashes of liquid from the batteries can cause severe chemical burns and must be dealt with immediately.

When working with lead acid batteries, stay safe:

• ALWAYS wear protective clothing – including overalls, eye protection (either protective glasses or a full-face shield) and protective gloves. Steel toe-capped shoes are also advised.
• Keep batteries upright at all times.
• Do not drop a battery. If you do, the likelihood is that the battery has been damaged. In the worst case scenario, the casing could be cracked or broken.
• If you drop a battery, place it immediately in a spill tray (a heavy duty deep greenhouse watering tray can be used if necessary) and check for damage and leaks.
• If you have a damaged battery, both the battery and the spill tray must be double bagged in sealed polythene bags and marked as hazardous waste.
• If you have a spillage from a battery, mop up the spillage immediately using rages or disposable wipes. Place these rages in a polythene plastic bag, seal it and mark it as hazardous waste.
• If any spillage from a battery comes into contact with clothing, remove clothing immediately and dispose it in polythene plastic bags.
• If any spillage from battery comes into contact with eyes, wash repeatedly with eye-wash and seek urgent medical help.
• If any spillage from a battery comes into contact with skin, wash off immediately with water, apply an anti-acid wash, cream or gel to stop burning and then seek urgent medical help.
• If you end up with battery acid in your mouth, wash your mouth out with milk.
• Do not smoke near batteries and ensure that wherever you are storing the batteries is well ventilated.
• Try to prevent arcing or short circuits on battery terminals. Batteries can provide a huge current very quickly – short circuit a battery with a spanner and the spanner is likely to be real hot within a few seconds, and could easily lead to fire or explosion. Remove any rings, bracelets or watches you may be wearing and keep tools a safe distance away from batteries.

You may also be interested in checking out battery reconditioning and how to recondition battery.

Useful information Lead acid batteries:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/benefits_lead_acid.html

Useful information battery reconditioning:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/battery_reconditioning.html

Learn how to recondition battery:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/recondition_battery.html