William Errol Prowse IV - Mobile Solar Power Made Easy!: Mobile 12 volt off grid solar system design and installation. RVs, Vans, Cars and boats! Do-it-yourself step by step instructions.

First Edition

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2018 William Errol Prowse IV

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN-13: 978-1546567110

ISBN-10: 1546567119

Mobile Solar Power
Made Easy!

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Disclaimer

T h e i n f o rm a t i o n i n t h is book is n o t i n t e n d e d o r i m p li e d t o b e a s u b s t i t u t e fo r p r of es s i o n a l electrical design or installation a d v i ce . A ll c o n t e n t , i n c l u d i n g t ex t , g r a p h i cs , i m a g e s, a n d i n fo rm a t i o n , c o n t a i n e d o n o r a v a il a b le t hr o u g h t h is book is fo r g e n e r a l i n fo rm a t i o n p ur po se s o n l y . The author m ake s n o r e p r ese n t a t i o n a n d a ss um e s n o r es po n s i b ili t y f o r t h e acc ur ac y o f the i n fo rm a t i o n c o n t a i n e d o n o r a v a il a b le t hr o u g h t h is b oo k , a n d s u c h i n fo rm a t i o n is s u b j e c t t o c h a n g e w i t h o u t n ot i ce . Y o u a r e e n c o ur a g e d t o c o n f i r m a n y i n fo rm a t i o n obt a i n e d f r o m o r t hr o u g h t h is book w i t h o t h e r s o ur ces.

The author do e s n o t r ec o mm e n d , e n do r s e o r m ak e a n y r e p r ese n t a t i o n a bo u t t h e e ff i c a c y , a pp r op r i a t e n es s o r s u i t a b ili t y o f a n y s p ec i f ic t e s t s , p r od u c t s , se r v i ces , op i n i o n s , professionals o r ot h e r i n fo rm a t i o n t h a t m a y b e c o n t a i n e d o n o r a v a il a b le t hr o u g h t h is book .

Electricity can be dangerous. Please use common sense and practical safety considerations while working with any electrical system. The author is not responsible or liable for any damages that occur from using the information contained in this book.

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Table of Contents

Electricity for Beginners

Electricity is either:

• Produced
• Stored
• Consumed

A solar panel will produce electricity, a battery will store electricity and a set of appliances will consume electricity.

Electricity travels in wires, or conductors, to transfer energy across distance. 2 wires are required to carry electrical force from one location to another.

Electrical energy can be carried in two ways:

• Direct Current (DC Power): The flow of electricity is direct and flows like a river. It comes in one wire and flows out the second wire. One wire is positive, one wire is negative. The differentiation of the positive and negative wire is called the polarity and refers to the electrical charge present in the wires which are used to transmit electrical force.
• Alternating Current (AC Power): Unlike DC, the electrical force in an AC circuit does not flow, but instead vibrates back and forth to carry energy. Imagine how ocean waves can transmit energy over vast distances, without moving the water. Same concept. There is no positive or negative wire in an AC circuit. Instead, the polarity or electrical charge in the wires is constantly alternating.

Alternating current is more efficient than direct current over long distances, but direct current is required if you plan to store the electricity in a battery. Appliances can be designed to use DC or AC power. Some motors and lights can be powered with AC power, but most AC appliances transform the AC electricity into DC electricity, which is much more versatile.

AC electricity is great for sending electrical energy over long distances, and DC electricity is versatile and easy to put to work.

In a solar power system:

• Solar panels produce DC electricity that travels through 2 wires and is stored in a battery.
• DC powered appliances are then connected to the battery with 2 wires so that they will consume the stored electricity in the battery and put it to work.
• If you plan to power AC appliances with a DC battery, you will need to transform DC electricity into AC electricity with a device called an inverter. More on this in a bit.

Measuring Electricity

Electricity is measured with a few metrics:

• Volts: Energy Potential, or the size of the force that sends the electricity through the wire. The energy potential, or volts, is always present whether the electricity is being used or not.
  Water Hose Analogy: Volts are similar to the pressure of water in a garden hose. If you hook a spray nozzle to the garden hose and the spray nozzle is closed, the pressure is still present.
  
• Amps: Energy Current, or the amount of electricity going through a wire. The more amps a wire must carry, the thicker the wire must be. Amps are only present when electricity is traveling through a wire or being consumed by an appliance.
  Water Hose Analogy: Current is similar to the rate of flow. Think of it as the total amount of water that a hose can carry. If a hose is thicker, it can carry more water. The rate of flow can only occur when water is moving through the hose.
  
• Watts: The total power produced. This is the measurement that combines Volts and Amps.
  Water Hose Analogy: How fast you can fill a bucket with water.

The components of a solar power system will produce electricity, store electricity or consume electricity. We can use volts, amps, and watts to describe how much electricity something produces, stores or consumes.

How to use the volt/amp/watt rating in a solar power system:

• The voltage rating will determine the compatibility of a component. If a battery is rated for 12 volts, it can only power 12-volt appliances. There are exceptions to this, but to keep things simple, use the voltage to determine whether one component will work with another component.
• The amp rating will determine how much electricity is produced/stored/consumed at a given voltage. In a solar system, we will use the amp rating of a component to determine what thickness of wire is required to attach it to the system. The more electricity a component produces or consumes, the thicker the wire has to be to connect it to the system. Some components will have a voltage rating and an amp rating. More on this later.
• The watt rating will be used to figure out the total amount of electricity a component is producing/storing/consuming at a given moment.

When electricity is being produced or consumed , the volt and amp rating will determine the watt rating. You can figure out how many watts a system component is producing or consuming by multiplying its amp rating by its voltage rating.

Amps x Volts = Watts

• A solar panel that is producing 5 amps of electricity at 20 volts will produce 100 watts
• A solar panel that is producing 2 amps of electricity at 40 volts will produce 80 watts
  
• A small fan consuming 10 amps of electricity at 12 volts, will be consuming 120 watts
• A small fan consuming 5 amps of electricity at 12 volts, will be consuming 60 watts