User guide

PS100, CH100 & BP-ALK Power Supplies

6. Solar Panels

Auxiliary photovoltaic power sources such as the SP5, SP10 and SP20 Solar

Panels may be used to maintain the charge on lead-acid batteries.

Table 4 Solar Panel Specifications

SP5 SP10 SP20

Typical Peak Power (Watts) 4.5 10 20

Current @ Peak (Amps) 0.27 0.58 1.17

Amp Hrs/week 6.4 14.4 26.4

These specifications assume 1kW/m

illumination at a panel cell

temperature of 25°C. Individual panel performance may vary as

much as 10%.

When selecting a solar panel, a rule-of-thumb is that on a stormy overcast day the

panel should provide enough charge to meet the system current drain (assume

10% of average annual global radiation, kW/m

). Specific site information, if

available, could strongly influence the solar panel selection. For example, local

effects such as mountain shadows, fog from valley inversion, snow, ice, leaves,

birds, etc. shading the panel should be considered. Please refer to Campbell

Scientific Technical Note 12 for a more detailed analysis of how to estimate

power consumption and solar panel size.

The SP5 and SP10 are most commonly used with the PS100 power supply.

The SP20 can also be used with the PS100 in many circumstances – for example,

in less favourable climatic conditions, and in some Northern installations, where

solar radiation can be low. It can also be used in some high current applications,

but it should be noted that the reserve capacity of the PS100 battery may be a

limiting factor. The CH100 or CH200 plus a large capacity battery pack is better

suited to such applications.

The SP20 or large panels when connected to the PS100, must not be

used to charge a large external battery in parallel with the internal 7

Ah battery.

Note also that the SP20R (the version of the SP20 fitted with a shunt

regulator) must not be connected to these chargers. This

combination will not result in successful battery charging.

Please see the Solar Panels User Guide (supplied with orders for solar panels from

Campbell Scientific) for further installation and technical details.

If you intend to use solar panels from other manufacturers (i.e. not supplied by

Campbell Scientific), choose a panel which gives its optimum power output at a

voltage greater than 16V. Some cheaper 12V panels show a sharp decline in

efficiency above 14V DC.

NOTE