Solar power unit suggestions.

Heater.

I'm trying to find an off the shelf solar power solution that will power a 10 or 20 watt load at a remote location, 24 hours per day, in a sunny location in the USA, and work reliably for some years.

So far I have come up with:

Solar Electric Supply: http://www.solarelectricsupply.com/remote-industrial-solar/mapps-pole-mount#applications
Mr Solar: http://www.mrsolar.com/online-solar-120-125-watt-telecom-remote-power-system-kit/

I guess there must be more such suppliers, but I'm having a hard time searching for them. Other systems I find are much bigger. It's all new to me.

Anyone here have experience of those two, or other suggestions?

Tracy Allen

Heater, thanks for the interesting links. I don't have suggestions about a 10 to 20 watt continuous load at a remote location. You didn't actually say "continuous", but that does make quite a difference. I just know that solar power systems have to be seriously overrated, allowing for long dark periods in winter, even in ostensibly "sunny" locations, even in the USA (hehe). I have systems that use panels in the 5W to 20W range charging batteries MPPC in the 7Ah range and support average currents for instruments and/or cellular in the 20mA range. That is conservatively 1 week of padding.

Heater.

Sorry, yes, I should have included "continuous operation". Perhaps also that the location is sunny San Jose !

My problem is that my totally non-technical boss thinks this is very small, easy and cheap. He will suggest $100 dollar solar charger systems that for sure may be good to power your iPad on the beach or charge a torch on a camping holiday.

I have to convince him that things are not so simple. Like you say, we need to overrate the thing by a factor 10 or so. It has to survive out in the elements for years. Then there is the mechanical installation to think about. It will not be small, easy or so cheap.

Whilst I'd love to start messing with solar panels and batteries and chargers that is not on the agenda. Best I can do is minimize our power draw. But that is never going below 4 Watts whatever I do.

Of course the telecom guys have faced such issues and hence the links I found. I wondered if anyone had experience of them or other suggestions.

evanh

I have no experience myself but my brother, only a few days back, happened to mention the regular maintenance that is required of hill-top solar power for repeaters and cell sites, ie: It's never ending. Comparing to sites with grid fed mains and an access road he said the cost of helicopter trips adds up. I didn't ask him how often "regular" is but I'm guessing every year before the winter sets in.

I'll agree that significant over-rating will be the norm, if only because sunshine hours vary wildly with weather and season. And redundancy is normal too.

Dr_Acula

I'll second what Tracy Allen says. Work on 1 week of cloudy weather. So 10-20W from 12V, say 12W as it makes the calculations easier which is 1A, so battery capacity is 24h x 7 = 168Ah. But you can't fully discharge a lead acid battery otherwise it will die, so battery needs to be at least twice this. And that was for 12W, so for 20W needs to be bigger again.
On that first link the system at the bottom of the list looks about right - $5,888, 280W solar, 530Ah/12V batteries.

koehler

Heater,

I've order some panels from here, they seem pretty reliable.

Here is a rather cheap kit, just need to add the battery, $220

https://www.solarblvd.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_272&products_id=2747

Solar Cynergy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline
Solar Panel Kit.

1 pcs: 100 Watt 12 Volt Solar Panel
1 pcs: 10 Amp 12V PWM Charge Controller
1 pcs: 40 FT PV Solar Cable w/ MC4 Connectors
1 pcs: Z Bracket (4 Pack)

100 Watt 12 Volt Solar Panel From
Solar Cynergy PV-SC100J12

evanh

Get two panels, connect parallel, and tilt them east-west as an A-frame to capture more day time for when cloud affects things.