Nameplate Test Results for 30 Watt Solar Panel Shown in Class, Nov

Elements of a Small Off-Grid 24 Volt Solar System (Installed by Mack Grady at Gary Grady’s cabin, 15 miles north of Silverthorne, CO, in the Gore Range. 9200’ elevation)

Cabin originally had only a 120Vac generator to power house wiring and water pump about 1 hour each day. There was no battery system.

Essential Load! Watch out for shadows 150W Pair on a good day, 1kWH

Straddles the Roof for Best Azimuth Angle Separate grounding cable for lightning protection goes straight down to single-point ground rod Use outdoor-rated UV wiring Straddles the Roof for Best Azimuth Angle

Battery charger from portable generator Ground wire connects all metal boxes to the single-point ground rod Box for DC connections and breakers PV battery charge controller AC box and breakers for inverter output feed a separate set of inverter-powered outlets in the cabin DC lightning arrestor 1100W Inverter

DC breaker from panels to controller DC breaker from battery charger to batteries Battery charger from portable generator PV battery charge controller DC breaker from batteries to inverter DC lightning arrestor DC breaker from controller to batteries 1100W Inverter

Inverter on/off switch goes to kitchen Cables to battery breaker Inverter output to AC breakers

Four 6 Volt, L6 Batteries in Series (24 Volt System) in a Homemade Vented Box Battery temperature sensor goes to PV charge controller

Two-person testing of the 30 Watt solar panel Step 1 – Student A adjusts the test setup to face the sun and minimize the pin shadow. Step 2 – Student B holds the probe