Sold to users in separate devices, usually in conjunction with wind or solar generators, a charge controller forms an integral part of almost all power systems that charge batteries.
Regardless of whether the power source is PV, wind, hydro, fuel or from the utility grid – charge controllers are essential to all of these.
The main function and key is to keep your batteries fed correctly to ensure longevity and to guarantee their safety at all times.
The functions of a charge controller are quite straightforward, too – the main idea behind these devices is to block reverse current and to prevent battery overcharge.
Certain battery controllers have been designed to prevent batteries from discharging and protecting them from electrical overload as well as displaying battery status and the sequence of power.
A charge controller is also referred to as a charge regulator or battery regulator and it limits the rate at which electric current is applied to or taken from electric batteries.
Some charge controllers are also able to monitor battery temperature to prevent overheating, while other charge controller arrangements also display data, convey data to remote displays, and information logging to track electric current over the course of time.
Charge controllers have taken on numerous new features in today’s market, including augmented capacity as they reach higher operating voltages to house even larger systems.
Charge controllers are now able to offer enhanced flexibility, with more controllers using better-quality weather-resistant configurations that operate under environmental extremes with less maintenance.
Innovative designs with greater thermal administration will allow professional designers to bring solar to more challenging areas that necessitate the use of electricity; amongst these being research stations, isolated telecommunications sites and mining and energy set-ups.
Why Your Charge Controller Plays Such an Integral Role
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminSold to users in separate devices, usually in conjunction with wind or solar generators, a charge controller forms an integral part of almost all power systems that charge batteries.
Regardless of whether the power source is PV, wind, hydro, fuel or from the utility grid – charge controllers are essential to all of these.
The main function and key is to keep your batteries fed correctly to ensure longevity and to guarantee their safety at all times.
The functions of a charge controller are quite straightforward, too – the main idea behind these devices is to block reverse current and to prevent battery overcharge.
Certain battery controllers have been designed to prevent batteries from discharging and protecting them from electrical overload as well as displaying battery status and the sequence of power.
A charge controller is also referred to as a charge regulator or battery regulator and it limits the rate at which electric current is applied to or taken from electric batteries.
Some charge controllers are also able to monitor battery temperature to prevent overheating, while other charge controller arrangements also display data, convey data to remote displays, and information logging to track electric current over the course of time.
Charge controllers have taken on numerous new features in today’s market, including augmented capacity as they reach higher operating voltages to house even larger systems.
Charge controllers are now able to offer enhanced flexibility, with more controllers using better-quality weather-resistant configurations that operate under environmental extremes with less maintenance.
Innovative designs with greater thermal administration will allow professional designers to bring solar to more challenging areas that necessitate the use of electricity; amongst these being research stations, isolated telecommunications sites and mining and energy set-ups.
POWER PROTECTION
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminWhen It Comes To Power Protection – The Big Question Is Why Do We Need It And Which One is Best for Your Needs?
Power needs to be kept stable – Power Protection is a branch of innovative engineering that will ensure the power is kept stable at all times.
There are various types of Power Protection options to choose from, ranging from the really simple configurations that consist of plugs, Voltage Stabilisers, Inverters and UPS systems, right up to the high-tech online UPS arrangements.
When investing in Power Protection, always choose the right one for your individual needs – perhaps an understanding of the problems you might experience and the various levels of protection is a step in the right direction. It all boils down to economics and deciding on the right combination.
Power Protection systems consist of different parts – these are Current and Voltage Transformers, Protective Relays, Circuit Breakers and Batteries.
Current and Voltage Transformers assist in the step-down phase of high voltage and electrical power systems.
Protective Relays activate the trip once the fault has been detected.
Circuit Breakers open and shut the electrical system and operates on the auto-re-closure prompts.
Batteries supply power to the Power Protection system when the power is shut down or disconnected.
The general idea behind a Power Protection system is to remove the faulty power from the main system to ensure the balance of the power continues to operate without any interruptions.
In other words the main idea behind Power Protection is the prevention of faulty current entering the power system and ensuring the continuous flow of electricity by disconnecting any short-circuit systems
BATTERY MONITORING
/in Uncategorized /by siteadminBattery Monitoring Ensures Your Stand-by Batteries Are Doing Their Job
Investing in Battery Monitoring systems is a no-brainer when businesses and individuals rely heavily on critical systems and require the protection of UPS and battery banks.
For perfect peace of mind, it makes sense to have Battery Monitoring in place to ensure that your stand-by batteries are doing just that – standing by!
To know that your batteries are in a good working condition and never stop monitoring is all-important. This is one way of ensuring your business and systems of your enterprise are protected from power failure; these could involve dips and spikes in the utility supply or black-outs and brown-outs, which we seem to be privy to in the past decade or so.
PHD Powerhouse supplies state-of-the-art Battery Monitoring Systems that are advanced and cost-effective, managing stand-by battery banks at all times ensuring your batteries perform at their peak as and when required.
Battery Monitoring identifies weaknesses and faults in battery banks early on to avoid maintenance and emergencies can be carried out in an organised fashion.
Battery Monitoring ensures the battery bank is kept in peak working condition to guarantee performance is maximised.
Battery Monitoring is important in that it will certify that there is sufficient battery capacity to uphold systems for allocated time slots in the event of power outages, brown-outs and black-outs.
The main benefits of Battery Monitoring are numerous, including avoiding down-time which is a costly exercise and will protect businesses from unnecessary losses.
Three of The Most Popular Batteries in South Africa Used for Solar
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminIt is no secret that the type of battery used in solar applications have to perform an arduous job and need to meet the demands of heavy cycling, unstable power from the grid as well as irregular full recharging.
There are different types of batteries that are used for the various applications and need to meet a broad spectrum of unique requirements.
When looking at the different types of batteries for your solar power unit, there will always be a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration.
These usually include cost, cycle life as well as installation and maintenance.
Lead Acid Batteries:
Lead acid batteries are often incorporated in renewable energy and is reliably used in off-the-grid solar energy applications; a battery that has been used for solar energy, spanning decades.
Lead acid batteries are typically deep cycle and cost almost half the price of lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion Batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are perhaps the most commonly used in storing technology, no matter the kind of application. These include three types – they are pouch batteries (tablets and smartphones), cylindrical batteries – used for power tools and prismatic,used in electric vehicles.
Flow Batteries
These include the Redox Flow Battery which are fast emerging as an alternative storage option.
The vanadium redox flow battery – also referred to as the VRFB is perhaps the fastest-emerging and technologically-advanced type of battery used in solar applications.
With so many options and different types of batteries to choose from for your solar, ensure you select the right one for your needs.
Solar Thermal Solutions for Energy Savings
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminThe cost of electricity is exponential – and keeping the environment at home or at work pleasant to work in, plus ensuring that water is heated at all times could impact hugely on your utility bills.
In many instances energy saving solutions could prove to be a costly exercise and is very often not affordable by the man-in-the-street.
Perhaps one of the smartest solutions and most effective energy options is the use of solar energy for and the installation of solar thermal solutions for all those energy needs and requirements.
Heating up buildings and water could prove to be a massive source of energy consumption and hugely expensive – by installing solar panels and solar thermal solutions for heating will assist in saving energy and reducing enormous electricity bills.
About your solar thermal solutions:
Using solar thermal heating solutions is a wonderful resolution to heating water and keeping the environment warm at an affordable cost.
This system captures the heat from the rays of the sun and uses it for heating water.
The solar panels that are placed on the roof absorb the heat and will heat up the solution panels; in return, the solutions will be pumped into the cylinder to heat the water.
By incorporating solar thermal solutions you will be able to fill most of your hot water requirements.
Furthermore, your energy bills will be reduced dramatically through the installation and use of solar and solar thermal solutions.
If You Wonder How Batteries Work
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminFor those that have always wondered how solar and batteries work in conjunction with each other, there is a simple explanation.
How batteries work:
Solar panels charge batteries.
Solar batteries work by the conversion of the AC energy that is produced in the solar panels and is stored in the form of DC power in batteries to be used at a later stage.
In some instances, though, solar batteries have their own inverter and therefore are able to incorporate integrated energy conversions.
Larger solar systems will always require a battery that has a bigger capacity for storage of DC power.
When solar batteries are installed as part of a solar system, excess solar electricity for the home will be stored – this is instead of being sent right back to the grid of the power utility.
For those that have solar panels that produce a surplus of solar energy, the excess energy will be used to recharged the battery.
That means as and when the solar panels are no longer producing electricity, the surplus stored power will now be drawn from this surplus for cloudy days or night-time use.
Electricity is only sent back to the grid when the battery is fully charged and you will only draw power from the grid when the battery is flat.
Solar systems that have an excess solar storage will be able to store surplus solar power on-site for later use when the sun goes down and can also offer a short period of backup power when the power goes down.
The above is a brief synopsis on how batteries work.
State-of-the-art Engineer Systems Take Care Of Your DB Board Requirements
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminOnly ever use professionals for the installation of intricate, tailored engineer systems when designing your DB board.
For individuals and businesses that need a unique system installed, it is advisable to choose the experts and to find a company prepared to incorporate and design basic design and distribution board layouts for your unique, individual requirements.
Tailored engineer systems will ensure your distribution board, which is also commonly referred to as a breaker panel, electric panel or panel board – are all components of an electricity supply system that distinguishes an electrical power feed into secondary circuits.
The general idea behind a distribution board is the protection of fuses or incorporating a circuit breaker for each circuit, all in a common enclosure.
Under normal circumstances a main switch is installed, and in recent boards, one or more residual current devices or residual current breakers will be incorporated with overcurrent protection, which will also be installed when using state-of-the-art engineer systems for all your DB board requirements.
Use Basic, Simple Guidelines to Ensure You Buy the Right Battery Charging Units
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminDon’t make your battery charging units an afterthought when investing in rechargeable batteries – batteries and chargers go hand-in-glove like peas and carrots.
It is no secret that good battery charging units make an excellent base for batteries that are long-lasting and perform at their peak.
Because users are usually unaware of how important a good power source is and that it could make a profound difference, it is important to investigate battery charging units at the start of a project and not at the , after all the hardware has been completed – this is especially important under adverse conditions.
When investing in battery charging units you need to:
Always be aware of the temperature of batteries when they are charging..
Battery Tripping Units Will Safeguard Distribution Equipment Against Failure
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminBattery Tripping Units are principally used in industrial areas and applications. This is usually where DC applications in substations and switch rooms are needed for safeguarding power distribution equipment against failure.
Select Battery Tripping Units that are flexible and are customised to suit the unique demands and requirements to fit into a variety of industrial presentations.
The advantages of world-class Battery Tripping Units are numerous as they come complete with fully customised status, indicators, alarms and testing points.
Battery Tripping Units are dependable, robust and fortified and if preferred, remote monitoring could be an option.
Select professionals to install Battery Tripping Units – bear in mind that the key component of any switch tripping unit is state-of-the-art technology that is part and parcel of all applications.
This is how your Battery Trip Unit works:
If a fault is detected within the supply, a Battery Trip Unit is energised, and will trip the system to cut off the supply to the industrial equipment prior to any failure taking place.
It is essential for Battery Tripping Units to be installed properly right from the outset, plus they need to be maintained thoroughly and on a regular basis.
Successful operation of Battery Tripping Units is a direct result of regular and careful maintenance.
Numerous industries enjoy the benefits of Battery Tripping Units which will protect their equipment against faults, plus they will be guarded against equipment failure which could result in catastrophic costs to businesses and employees.
Recharge Your Batteries Using An Intelligent Battery Charger
/in PHD Blog /by siteadminMany individuals refer to battery chargers as being an intelligent battery charger or a smart battery charger. It makes little difference what terminology is used to describe a battery recharger – a device which is used to replenish the energy into a secondary cell by coercing electrical currents through it.
The charging process always depends on the type and size of the battery being charged – dynamics such as how much voltage is required and for how long the battery needs to be recharged for, and once the process is completed, what needs to be done have to be considered – all aspects that are taken into the equation when charging all types of batteries.
Certain batteries have a high tolerance against overcharging and can be recharged by connecting a continuous voltage source or a constant current source, depending on the type of battery; these chargers are simple and need to be disconnected at the end of each charge cycle.
Other batteries require cut-off timers so that the current is curtailed at certain fixed times – this is usually when the battery is fully charged.
There are certain batteries that can be damaged when overcharged – the end result would be reduced battery capacity and a reduction of the life of the battery – in some instances batteries could explode or over-heat!
In some instances, intelligent battery chargers could have voltage and temperature-sensing circuits as well as microprocessor controllers for safe adjustment of the charge current and voltage – these regulate the state of the charge and the cut-off time of charging the battery.