Here Come the Solar Panels!

Everybody sing!

Here comes the sun. Na-na-na-na! Here comes the sun, and I say, it’s all right . . .

This blog post is actually about solar panels, but since there’s not a good song about solar panels, you’re stuck with “Here Comes the Sun.” Hope you don’t mind.

Solar panels on the back of Russell's roof

The addition of a new solar panel system on the Sowers’ property means that they now have lots of power. Their system was originally designed for one family. It was great at keeping one refrigerator and one washing machine doing the things that refrigerators and washing machines do, but it couldn’t really keep up with the new demand for electricity. The property is now home to Kelsea, Russell, Iris, RJ, Abbey, and (until schools reopen) Ben, in addition to Trish and Allen. The crew members also use a lot of power, in their work. The old system was strained under the extra burden of a new house and a new building used to store coffee, rice, people, etc. There are also additional security lights at night now, which add to the electrical consumption.

Allen gave me a little crash course on how the system works. For starters, you need solar panels. Those go on the roof, pointing in the right direction to catch some rays. We probably all knew that much. If you know the rest of the process, there’s a good chance that you have your own orange apron from The Home Depot.

One of three controllers

The key parts go something like this:

The power comes in through the solar panels and down through electrical lines to the controllers. A series of panels is wired together into a string, which is then wired into a single input box, and then goes into the controller. The controllers convert the incoming power into the type of power that the batteries and the inverter can use (24DC). Some power goes to be stored in the battery, and some goes directly to the inverter, to be used as electricity. The inverter changes the power in a bigger way, so that it can be used as household current (120AC).  (In Trish’s Cliff’s Notes version she sent me in Facebook Messenger, I learned that the change that happens in the inverter is the same as the difference between using a household plug versus the power that comes out of the cigarette lighter in a vehicle. In short, it’s techie stuff.)

This is the inverter

From the inverter, the power goes through an ordinary electrical panel box. From there, the system is just like the electrical system in a house that’s connected to a power company. There was also some mention of breakers, but I’m a bit fuzzy on that portion. (Trish here - basically, the guys installed a whole lot of breakers, in a whole lot of different strategic places in the system, to protect the various equipment. They also installed equipment so that the entire system can be turned off very easily, and switched over to using power from a generator.)

I will now use my own knowledge of the electrical system to wrap up this lecture. Are you ready? When you flip the switch up, the light goes on. When you flip it down, it goes off.

4000 pounds of batteries, which power
the system when there's no sun

The Sowerses now have two and a half times as much power as they used to have. Russell’s system is about one and a half times as big as the original system, and consists of 20 panels, 3 controllers, 1 inverter, and 2 giant forklift batteries.

Since Allen travels so much (thus using less electricity for months of the year), they left both warehouses on the system with Allen and Trish’s house. Even though the rainy season is arriving in Honduras soon (which will mean less hours of sunshine), they are all set to make the most of the sun.

Power control room in Russell's house

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes!

- posted by Christi