Hands on Workshop - Building Solar Power Packs

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A Solar Power Pack uses a Solar Panel to harness the suns energy and store it in a battery. They are also known as Solar Generators. They can be used when needed to provide lighting, charge phones and power appliances.

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The delegates will put together a Solar Power Pack using a Solar Panel, Charge Controller, Battery and an LED lamp. They will be shown how to prepare cables and connect the devices together correctly and what precautions to take with fuses and cable thickness.

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This workshop is delivered to a small group of delegates, typically 4 to 6 in number. As well as presentations and practical sessions there will be a number of small solar power systems and solar generators on display.

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This is NOT a suitable workshop for someone who is completely new to solar power. It is aimed at delegates who already have a grasp of solar power either by attending our "Module 1: Introduction to Small Solar Power Systems" workshop or from experience gained by using solar power systems.

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The following will be demonstrated:

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Use of a Watt-Meter to measure voltage, current and power

Use of a Volt Meter to measure voltage

Series / parallel connection of solar panels

Series / parallel connection of batteries

PWM and MPPT Solar Charge Controllers

Cable thickness and current rating

Fuses and Circuit Breakers

Power Inverters

Measuring and / or estimating energy left in the battery

 

There will be plenty of time for delegates to ask questions and discuss their own projects. A variety of systems will be available for demonstration. We will also discuss how to size a system and scale up to bigger set-ups.