PV Installation Practical
21 Oct 2006
Location: Moora Moora Community Coop
Supervisor: Glen Morris (BCSE Accred. F1441)
Install a 1020W PV array on roof
Removing old PV array.
Drilling holes in roof top mounting rails (zinc alum steel).
Attaching base mounting rails to roof. Note use of closed cell foam spacer for water proofing and to prevent dissimilar metals (old galvanized roof and new zinc alum mount rail) from causing any galvanic action.
Detail of water proofing/isolating shim.
Front and rear rails screwed to roof battens (below) using 65mm hex head screws.
Black plastic damp course used to prevent galvanic action between aluminum array frame and zinc alum mounting rail.
Panels are space 215mm apart to reduce wind loading of whole array. Gaps between modules helps prevent the array acting like a sail.
PV modules are attached to frame using compression clamps.
Half of array completed by students on the day. No wiring was done.
Completed full array (8 x 130W Kyocera K130 modules).
Roof top array marshalling box with isolation and overload protection installed (No signage applied yet).
Rear view (distorted perspective) of whole array (looking north).
Old module (Solarex 54W) being repaired. Produced full Voc but no current. Probably poor connection inside module wiring.
Silicone sealant has to be scraped away from solder joints. Wires re-soldered and sealed afterwards.
All four connections (2 x 6V sub array) of module resoldered. Still no current measured when in full sun.
Faulty connections finally found at bottom of module.
Detail of repair. All soldered joints where covered with silicone sealant afterwards.
A few weeks later, here's the performance data downloaded from the PL40 regulator.
HISTORY DATA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Days Ago |
IN |
OUT |
VMAX |
VMIN |
FTIM |
SOC |
|
Ah |
Ah |
V |
V |
Hr |
% |
1 |
42 |
73 |
29.4 |
24.2 |
0.0 |
94 |
2 |
108 |
74 |
29.4 |
24.4 |
11.5 |
97 |
3 |
131 |
110 |
29.4 |
24.4 |
13.5 |
97 |
4 |
97 |
76 |
29.4 |
24.4 |
12.1 |
96 |
5 |
99 |
66 |
29.2 |
24.2 |
12.7 |
97 |
6 |
82 |
67 |
29.2 |
24.2 |
14.6 |
96 |
7 |
68 |
61 |
29.2 |
24.2 |
15.4 |
95 |
8 |
102 |
60 |
29.2 |
24.2 |
12.7 |
94 |
9 |
58 |
60 |
29.4 |
23.6 |
18.4 |
90 |
10 |
217 |
61 |
29.4 |
23.2 |
13.4 |
90 |
11 |
44 |
46 |
25.8 |
21.6 |
0.0 |
74 |
12 |
41 |
19 |
26.2 |
23.4 |
0.0 |
74 |