SOLAR BASICS FOR AUTOMATION & GATES
A bit of a read but it is worth it.
Solar powered can be used in automation and gates in swing,
sliding and boom gate configuration for normal home use or highly intensive
industrial or commercial situations. Even with extras like access control.
The key to getting it right is doing the math and then choosing the next size up.
The key to getting it right is doing the math and then choosing the next size up.
Rule 1 - Never ever cheat when calculating solar requirements The saving will be short lived!
We all like to save a dollar but the reality is that when it comes to solar power you are better off spending the extra dollar. That extra you spend becomes insurance - it ensures you have petrol in the tank on a rainy day. Calculate your requirements and then buy the next size up.
Rule 2 - Design your system to suit your environment.
Every installation is different in terms of where and what. The "where" is simple. The Northern Territory and Tasmania are just a little different when calculating solar requirements. In Australia we work on an average year round of five hours of sunlight per day. Now whilst that is a very convenient figure the reality is that it is an average and the NT is going to get a lot more than that and Victoria will probably not. So a little bit of common sense comes into play. The people in Victoria up the ante.
The "what" means you need to consider how open or shaded the site is. Solar panels are made up of a series of cells connected in series and if you shade even a small corner the entire solar panel is dead. It is like a bike chain - you only need one link to break and the whole thing is useless. What this means is if you have tree, buildings etc. anywhere near the solar panel mounting point you need to allow for the fact that you will not get the Australian average five hours. You need to collect your energy in a shorter period of time so you need a bigger panel.
Rule 3 - Forget what you already know about solar.
The basic concepts of solar power remain the same from field to field and industry to industry but that is where it stops. The basic concept of collection and storage. After that the design and build of the system is quite different from industry to industry. There is also a lot of bad history experiences because of misinformation so try to forget what you already know or what the old timer says and read on and learn what you need for your installation.
Rule 4 - Be sure to buy the right product.
There are two traps here that can bring you unstuck and cursing the solar gods. The first is from rule 3. You already know the best battery, it works brilliantly in your caravan. The thing is it will probably fail on your gate system. Use industry recommended product. The second trap is one of life's oldest in the attraction of a saving with that bargain you found. You will find the very same rated solar panels and batteries at a fraction of the cost of others but you can be assured that they likely perform at a fraction of the rated requirement and very often last a fraction of the life of the others.
We all like to save a dollar but the reality is that when it comes to solar power you are better off spending the extra dollar. That extra you spend becomes insurance - it ensures you have petrol in the tank on a rainy day. Calculate your requirements and then buy the next size up.
Rule 2 - Design your system to suit your environment.
Every installation is different in terms of where and what. The "where" is simple. The Northern Territory and Tasmania are just a little different when calculating solar requirements. In Australia we work on an average year round of five hours of sunlight per day. Now whilst that is a very convenient figure the reality is that it is an average and the NT is going to get a lot more than that and Victoria will probably not. So a little bit of common sense comes into play. The people in Victoria up the ante.
The "what" means you need to consider how open or shaded the site is. Solar panels are made up of a series of cells connected in series and if you shade even a small corner the entire solar panel is dead. It is like a bike chain - you only need one link to break and the whole thing is useless. What this means is if you have tree, buildings etc. anywhere near the solar panel mounting point you need to allow for the fact that you will not get the Australian average five hours. You need to collect your energy in a shorter period of time so you need a bigger panel.
Rule 3 - Forget what you already know about solar.
The basic concepts of solar power remain the same from field to field and industry to industry but that is where it stops. The basic concept of collection and storage. After that the design and build of the system is quite different from industry to industry. There is also a lot of bad history experiences because of misinformation so try to forget what you already know or what the old timer says and read on and learn what you need for your installation.
Rule 4 - Be sure to buy the right product.
There are two traps here that can bring you unstuck and cursing the solar gods. The first is from rule 3. You already know the best battery, it works brilliantly in your caravan. The thing is it will probably fail on your gate system. Use industry recommended product. The second trap is one of life's oldest in the attraction of a saving with that bargain you found. You will find the very same rated solar panels and batteries at a fraction of the cost of others but you can be assured that they likely perform at a fraction of the rated requirement and very often last a fraction of the life of the others.
STEP ONE - 12 VOLT OR 24 VOLT
You will not always get to choose between 12 volts or 24 volts as your automation is often determined by weight and size and from time to time your system choice may come down to one and the voltage will be chosen for you.
The simple answer is 12 volt is a lot less complicated and less expensive. One panel and one battery (12 volt) versus two panels and two batteries (24 volt). You essentially double your price and your installation workload when you choose 24 volt over 12 volt. Stick to 12 volt if possible. Ready to some math
You will not always get to choose between 12 volts or 24 volts as your automation is often determined by weight and size and from time to time your system choice may come down to one and the voltage will be chosen for you.
The simple answer is 12 volt is a lot less complicated and less expensive. One panel and one battery (12 volt) versus two panels and two batteries (24 volt). You essentially double your price and your installation workload when you choose 24 volt over 12 volt. Stick to 12 volt if possible. Ready to some math
STEP TWO - DOING THE MATH
Electronics involves a lot of math but thankfully solar powered automation and access control is a little easier. Essentially we need to calculate how much we need. Think of it like driving a car 200 kilometers every day. You need to know how much fuel your car consumes over that distance so you can work what size tank you have or need and how often you need to fill up. What if there is not station every day!
In the most simple form of a gate automation system without accessories used 5-10 times a day will use about 3 to 5 amps.
We will stick with this common setup and see where the next few steps take us but if you intend to add accessories (no matter how small) you need to take the math further. You need an accurate amount of fuel consumed everyday. More help and our solar calculator is here - Click to open.
Time to move to the next step with our basic system and we use 3 to 5 amps each day. Rain, hail or shine and that is when things get interesting.
Electronics involves a lot of math but thankfully solar powered automation and access control is a little easier. Essentially we need to calculate how much we need. Think of it like driving a car 200 kilometers every day. You need to know how much fuel your car consumes over that distance so you can work what size tank you have or need and how often you need to fill up. What if there is not station every day!
In the most simple form of a gate automation system without accessories used 5-10 times a day will use about 3 to 5 amps.
We will stick with this common setup and see where the next few steps take us but if you intend to add accessories (no matter how small) you need to take the math further. You need an accurate amount of fuel consumed everyday. More help and our solar calculator is here - Click to open.
Time to move to the next step with our basic system and we use 3 to 5 amps each day. Rain, hail or shine and that is when things get interesting.
STEP THREE - WHAT SIZE SOLAR PANEL
Using the information we have from the math we will need 4.0 amps a day (we will use our average) to keep things happy. The solar salesman explains that a 25 watt solar panel (good quality cells) delivers just over 2 amps and hour and in Australia we get an average of five hours good light a day so that is 10 amps a day. Problem solved! And there is not a lot wrong with the math except that every site is different. Works perfect in the Pilbara without a tree or shade for three kilometers but comes unstuck in a Queensland rainforest where we battle for five minutes of sunshine. Extremes - yes but trying to make the point.
Doing the math is one thing but you need to consider the site challenges.
A 25 watt good quality panel will work with many basic gate automation systems around Australia but a site survey needs to be considered with some basic questions answered. Unsure - Use the link to solar advice form below and upload your photos.
SOLAR ADVICE FORM
Using the information we have from the math we will need 4.0 amps a day (we will use our average) to keep things happy. The solar salesman explains that a 25 watt solar panel (good quality cells) delivers just over 2 amps and hour and in Australia we get an average of five hours good light a day so that is 10 amps a day. Problem solved! And there is not a lot wrong with the math except that every site is different. Works perfect in the Pilbara without a tree or shade for three kilometers but comes unstuck in a Queensland rainforest where we battle for five minutes of sunshine. Extremes - yes but trying to make the point.
Doing the math is one thing but you need to consider the site challenges.
- Where do I live? If your answer is Pilbara - Yep 25 watt will be fine. Tassie - Maybe I you consider an upgrade.
- If I stand where my panel will be installed and look north with my head at 35 degrees up what do I see? Clear skies - Yep 25 watt will be fine. A few trees but not too bad - Maybe I will consider and upgrade. All I can see is trees and buildings - Back to the math board
A 25 watt good quality panel will work with many basic gate automation systems around Australia but a site survey needs to be considered with some basic questions answered. Unsure - Use the link to solar advice form below and upload your photos.
SOLAR ADVICE FORM
STEP FOUR - WHAT SIZE BATTERY
This one confuses a lot of people. How many times we hear people (even "experts") state you need a bigger battery. More often than not the battery may have been fine just the panel could not keep up with the required flow. The battery is simply your fuel tank. The bigger the tank the more days you go without having to refill. Battery choice is two things for this system.
If we use an average 3 amps a day then a 26 amp-hour battery fits point one. 3 amps divided into a 26 amp-hour battery means we are using about 11.5% each day - perfect result.
What about point two. This is where the fuel tank similarities come undone. Unlike a fuel tank where you can (but shouldn't) run to empty if you take most batteries below 50% capacity your system will struggle and your battery may struggle to recover. Now our 26 amp-hour battery is only good to a maximum of 13 amps or four days. Even that is tempting fate.
If I upgrade to a 70 amp-hour battery I am only using less than 5% of capacity each day and I could last ten days of overcast weather without fear.
Follow the basic principle. Again you need to understand your site and environment.
This one confuses a lot of people. How many times we hear people (even "experts") state you need a bigger battery. More often than not the battery may have been fine just the panel could not keep up with the required flow. The battery is simply your fuel tank. The bigger the tank the more days you go without having to refill. Battery choice is two things for this system.
- 1. First we only want to use about 10% to a maximum of 20% of the capacity each day.
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2. Second we want enough capacity for a rainy day. If you often get five overcast days in a row you need a bigger fuel tank to survive.
If we use an average 3 amps a day then a 26 amp-hour battery fits point one. 3 amps divided into a 26 amp-hour battery means we are using about 11.5% each day - perfect result.
What about point two. This is where the fuel tank similarities come undone. Unlike a fuel tank where you can (but shouldn't) run to empty if you take most batteries below 50% capacity your system will struggle and your battery may struggle to recover. Now our 26 amp-hour battery is only good to a maximum of 13 amps or four days. Even that is tempting fate.
If I upgrade to a 70 amp-hour battery I am only using less than 5% of capacity each day and I could last ten days of overcast weather without fear.
Follow the basic principle. Again you need to understand your site and environment.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
If it is all making your head spin a bit don't worry below are some basic system points. We have a range of suitable sizes that suit our industry.
25 watt panel with a 26 amp-hour battery and 10 amp regulator will work on possibly half the installations in Australia. Good clean fuss free sites with little or no shading.
Next panel up is 60 watts and next battery up is 70 amp-hours. Almost three times the capacity.
Put two 60 watt panels together and you have 120 watts and we also have a 100 amp-hour battery.
You can put it all together here as a kit and save -
You can get advice on your system here - Solar Advice Form
You can also get serious like the big boys below.
If it is all making your head spin a bit don't worry below are some basic system points. We have a range of suitable sizes that suit our industry.
25 watt panel with a 26 amp-hour battery and 10 amp regulator will work on possibly half the installations in Australia. Good clean fuss free sites with little or no shading.
Next panel up is 60 watts and next battery up is 70 amp-hours. Almost three times the capacity.
Put two 60 watt panels together and you have 120 watts and we also have a 100 amp-hour battery.
You can put it all together here as a kit and save -
You can get advice on your system here - Solar Advice Form
You can also get serious like the big boys below.
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