Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands (U.S.)
May 25, 2008 12:21pm CST
I just placed some solar panels up and got a reading of 23 volts on my digitl meter, how many amps roughly does this calculate to? Beginning with 6 panels, 2 8D batteries for storage.
3 responses
@suria5231 (147)
• Malaysia
25 Jun 08
Congratulations on getting your solar power system up and running. Probably the best way to check out how many amps is flowing to charge your batteries is to put an AMP meter in series with your charging leads. The formula for calculating amps is I= P/V where I is current, P is power and V is the voltage. You probably can get the manufacturers rating for your panels and then calculate the amps that way. You can also check online for your solar panel data if you cannot get from your suppliers. But the most practical way is to have an inline Amp meter that allows you to continuously monitor the amount of current flowing to your batteries. As you know the solar power output from your panels is determined by various factors such as the angle of your solar mount relative to the sun. Cloud cover and weather condition is of course another consideration.Also the amount of sunshine you can expect from your particular location. And don't forget to clean your solar array from time to time as well. A clean solar array will always give you a much better overall performance and output. I have three solar arrays which I use to charge 3 separate back up systems for my self sufficient home. Most of these are second hand modules but I managed to service them and they seem to be working just fine so far. My main solar array consists of 24 M55 55 watts Siemens solar photo voltaic panels arranged in a 24 Volts configuration to charge a bank of 24 units of 2 Volts Yuasa tubular deep cycle batteries. These supply power to my Heart 2 Kilowatts Power Inverter which is the main supply for my home. http://www.eagleplateau.co.nr The auxiliary systems are a separate array of 9 units of 12 Volts back up power modules which uses an older Arco Solar Thin Film technology solar panels. This is the standby mode power system that supplies all the 12 Volts DC sockets and lights. The last solar array of 6 recycled panels is another stand alone 12 Volts DC system that provides continuous power for our Communications systems and computers. I am very interested to share ideas on renewable energy programs with others who are also renewable energy enthusiasts. Most of my equipment came from surplus or rejected / damaged systems but after modifications they all seem to be working very well.
@ruperto (1552)
• Philippines
7 Dec 08
interesting setup you have. It is also interesting to note that photovoltaic solar setups can be connected on-grid to minimize electricity bills from the utility company during sunlight hours. Perhaps in places where electricity costs from the grid are too expensive, it may be viable to invest in an on-grid setup that lessen monthly bills :) Please share your views on this.
• Malaysia
9 Dec 08
Yes there are many systems now that allow you to sell back power generated by solar back to the utility companies. Grid Connected Photovoltaic systems are gathering momentum in some countries because of the cost of electricity. My own system as you know is located in a remote area and as a back up I rely on a 12 Volts DC system which is a very important feature especially in case the main power Inverters are malfunctioning.
@tdemex (3540)
• United States
1 Jun 08
Your question doesn't make scense. I'm building a solar home in Mexico. The voltage will charge the batteries, so depending on the amout of batteries you use that would be the factor on how many amps you could draw, the more batteries the more amps you have in storage. If you use it to power alot of high energy products they won't last long. You can only know the nimber of amps your using while you are using them. Then you'll know! hope this helped you out! tdemex
@underdogtoo (9579)
• Philippines
26 May 08
I like solar panels and the idea of getting my power from the sun but I am an absolute idiot when it comes to calculating stuff. I know there are formulas that are used but they just never stick in my mind. Congratulations on your solar panels. I do know that v = i * r and from that you can calculate i = v / r. i is current and expressed in amps. r is resistance which is the load you are going to put on the thingy. v of course stands for volts.