#12v solar panel wiring diagram how to#
#12v solar panel wiring diagram software#
#12v solar panel wiring diagram series#

Kill switches are always to be installed on the positive voltage line connecting the components. For added safety, another kill switch could be installed between the charge controller and the batteries, allowing for complete isolation of any system components if desired. In this example, the inverter came with a fuse and has a built-in switch located on the rear of the device, so a separate kill switch is not necessary. Electrical Devices (connected to 12V DC or 120V AC as necessary).Īt a minimum, kill switches (preferably combined with a fuse) should be connected between the solar panels and the charge controller, as well as between the batteries and the primary electrical devices (fuse box and inverter). Inverter (converts 12V DC power to 120V AC power). Fuse Box (used for 12V devices to prevent excessive power draw that can damage the system or other devices). Kill Switches/Fuses (connected in-line to cutoff power for emergencies or to work on the system). Battery Bank (if using more than one 12V battery, connect all batteries in parallel, designating a main battery for all other connections - charge controller, inverter, and 12V circuits should be connected only to the main battery, not to the secondary batteries). Charge Controller (controls the volts and amps input to the batteries to prevent overcharging/damage).

#12v solar panel wiring diagram series#

Solar Panels (connected in parallel for 12V, or in series for higher voltages). The system consists of a few necessary components: 1. It is imperative that the diagram be clearly understandable to anyone who may be working on the system. AC for air conditioner, or FB10 for fuse box-10A) can be used in place of pictures. The wiring diagram can be hand drawn, and words, numbers or a coding system (e.g.

#12v solar panel wiring diagram software#

The wiring diagram does not need to be made using computer software with real pictures of the devices to be connected, as in the example. The next step is to create a wiring diagram and determine which devices can/should be on shared circuits or have their own isolated circuit. It is recommended to setup a spreadsheet with the equations provided to make sizing the system easier. A table is included with the devices and power requirements for the camper that I am building. The sizes (wattage) of the solar panels can also be determined by calculating the Watt-hours of energy produced by the panels (assume ten hours of sun per day) then converting that into Amp-hours by dividing by 12V. Once the total power requirements have been determined, battery capacities can be chosen to meet those power demands (The example above shows that I would need 305 Ah per day).

#12v solar panel wiring diagram how to#

An example is shown of where to find the wattage on the power supply and how to calculate the 12V power draw for two laptop computers.

The power drawn from a 120V AC device can usually be found on the power supply or on the device itself. When determining the power draw required for 120V AC devices, a good rule of thumb is to assume an 80% conversion efficiency for the inverter. Certain devices will require 120V AC power, however, so an inverter will still be necessary. It is always a good idea to overestimate the hours to be certain you will size your battery bank properly. The most important information is to determine the amps (A) that will be drawn by each device and for how many hours (h) it will operate, because battery sizes are provided in Amp-hours (Ah).

Due to energy lost when converting from 12-volt direct current (DC) to 120-volt alternating current (AC), it is recommended to avoid using 120V AC devices wherever possible and use 12V DC devices instead. Assumptions will need to be made as to how many hours per day each device will be operating (drawing power).

The first step in setting up a solar photovoltaic (PV) system for a camper or RV is to calculate how much power will be drawn by all the electrical devices to be connected.