Instructions / Assembly

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6
System Sizing: Step 3 - Inverter Sizing
The solar panels put out DC power that is fed through a charge controller onto a battery bank. If you have
an application that requires AC power you will need an inverter to take that power off of the battery and
turn it into 120V AC.
When selecting an inverter it is important to know the total Wattage of your load. In Step 1 we determined
the Watt Hour consumption, but for inverter sizing we can go back to just using Watts, and ignore the time
factor.
The GS-100+KIT has two options for inverters, a light 450W modified sine and a heavy 2000W pure sine.
Because of the modular design of this kit, other inverters may be used as long as they are compatible with
the voltage of the battery bank.
Lighting example:
Four 15W LEDs for 8 hours per day
4 Bulbs x 15 W/bulb = 60 W Use the small 450 W inverter
Pumps and Motors example:
One 1hp pump for 1/2 hour per day
1 pump x 745 W/pump = 745 W Use the larger 2000 W inverter
Misc. Electronics example:
One 65W laptop for 6 hours and one 800W microwave for 10 minutes, per day
1 laptop x 65 W/laptop = 65 W Use the 450 W inverter
1 microwave x 800 W/microwave = 800 W Use the 2000 W inverter
Together = 65 W + 800 W = 865 W Use the 2000 W inverter
Battery Charging example:
Two 80Ah batteries per day
No AC required - No inverter needed
Pure Sine vs. Modified Sine
The 450W inverter option uses what is called a modified sine wave. This means that the output of the in-
verter looks more like a stair step pattern than the smooth wave shown in the diagram above. Modified
Sine is fine for charging small devices but if you plan to use anything that has an AC motor you will need
the 2000W inverter with pure sine output. Also, some stereos and musical equipment may emit an un-
wanted “hum” when powered by a modified sine inverter.
time
+V
-V
+12
time
+V
-V
+120
1/60th of a second
AC - Alternating Current DC - Direct Current
GS-100+KIT EXPANDABLE PHOTOVOLTAIC
POWER GENERATION SYSTEM
CONFIGURATION MANUAL Rev. 140303
Valid from March 2014