Hugh,
Correct to a point. But if we added 10% capacity, we would need to
add a bit more
charging capacity (PV/wind) and it begins to spiral up in cost. Much
as I hated to see
that AC unit there, it was still the more cost-effective solution
for that specific system.
FYI- with the AC unit, we also eliminated a heat issue that we'd
been dealing with on the
upper Outback inverters on his dual quad stack setup. Yes, we had
active ventilation, 4 levels
to be exact but the fans themselves became part of the problem with
the increased power
consumption.
So bottom line, because we killed 2 birds with one AC unit, I think
it was a good move.
And I've worked (successfully) to avoid ever having to use one
again. I really do prefer simple,
passive methods for solving problems like these.
Roy Butler
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer®
NYSERDA eligible PV & wind installer
PA Sunshine Program Approved PV Installer
Four Winds Renewable Energy, LLC
8902 Route 46
Arkport, NY 14807
607-324-9747
www.four-winds-energy.com
Although no trees were killed in the sending of this message,
a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
On 4/22/2011 3:13 PM, Hugh wrote:
Re: [RE-wrenches] Air conditioning for batteries in
high
Hi Roy,
Hi temperatures will hit the battery capacity but will the
battery efficiency be that much affected? If the battery
capacity is inadequate then you need to compare the aircon
running
cost to the cost of buying a 10% larger battery. Don't
you?
Cheers
Hugh
Bob is correct, I do have an off
grid
client that uses an AC unit to keep the batteries cool.
Although we're not in a high temp climate, it does get into the
80's
and low 90's here
in the summer.
By my calculations, he was losing an 'average' of 10% storage
capacity
during the 5 month
period from late spring to early fall. In July and August it was
closer to 18%, but for calculation
purposes, 10% is close enough. His bank capacity is 4800AH @ 48
VDC.
That's 230,400 watt hours
and 10% of that rounds out to 23,000 watt hours lost to heat.
I showed up one day to check something in the power shed and was
dismayed to see a window
AC unit installed there. An interesting customer discussion
ensued and
I had to admit he was
correct in his calculations.
The Energy Star rated AC unit consumes no more than 3,000 watt
hours
per day, even in the
highest heat. Essentially, he's 'spending" 3 kilowatt hours to
'buy back' 20 kilowatt hours of
storage. He got me on that one!
That reasoning didn't work on the 6 other AC units that appeared
on
his house the following
week. But that's another story altogether!
Roy Butler
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer®
NYSERDA eligible PV & wind installer
PA Sunshine Program Approved PV Installer
Four Winds Renewable Energy, LLC
8902 Route 46
Arkport, NY 14807
607-324-9747
www.four-winds-energy.com
Although no trees were killed in the sending of this message,
a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
On 4/22/2011 7:40 AM, bob ellison wrote:
I believe Roy has a customer with a huge
battery bank
that air conditioned the battery room. He ran the numbers
and the air
conditioning actually made sense.
Bob Ellison
From:
re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of R Ray Walters
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 4:50 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Air conditioning for
batteies in
high temperature climate
Are
you
using temperature compensation? It lowers the voltage when
its
hot.
Also,
have
you considered setting the batteries in a below ground
vault? I've had
good luck with in floor battery boxes.
Finally,
AGMs
and L16s just don't last very long anyway. AGMs maybe 3
years,
and L16s I've seen die in under 5 years and we get to 15
below
zero.
My
suggestion: temp comp, ground vault, HUP or equivalent cycle
life.
R. Walters
r...@solarray.com
Solar Engineer
On
Apr 21,
2011, at 1:22 PM, Starlight Solar, Larry Crutcher wrote:
Hello
Battery
Wrenches,
Over
the
years I have had several battery banks in Baja and
Sonora Mexico fail in just 36 to 48 months. These have been
L16 or 8D AGM or flooded banks, 24 and 48 volt systems. The
charging systems are working properly and
programmed to manufacturer recommended set points and
discharges are rarely over 30% DoD. Some batteries are only
used on weekends, some are discharged daily. I believe what
is
affecting the short life is the high temperature they live
in for 5
months each year. Temps. can hit 115 F in vented battery
rooms. I have
been thinking about a small air conditioner and insulated
battery
box to keep the battery at no more than 80 F. There are some
portable units that draw about 600 watts and the run time
would be
very little with a highly insulated enclosure. There is
ample power to
do this on the home I am changing batteries in now. Has
anyone done
this and gained longer battery life?
Best
Regards,
Larry
Crutcher
Starlight Solar Power Systems
powered by STARLIGHT
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