Solar Engineering Bulletin

How Long Does It Take to Recharge Solar System Batteries?

What battery recharge efficiency are we going to assume since the efficiency changes as the battery state-of-charge increases? Are we taking into account the outdoor temperature? Is the load constant during the recharge period?

JANUARY 2007

According to these calculations, it would take 34.3 days to recharge the battery to 100% state-of-charge if all of the assumptions made above held true for those 34.3 days. Of course, that is never going to be the case, which makes our 34.3 day conclusion of little to no value. The fundamental job of the PV array is to replenish all the daily energy the load consumes back into the battery on a given day. Further, the array must do so during the worst-case time of the year when solar levels are lowest and it must do so while overcoming system losses. If the PV array is large enough to accomplish the above, and if the battery bank is adequately sized to carry the system through periods of inclement weather, then the system will perform successfully all year long. Nowhere in the above information did we specify or even consider the time required to recharge the battery. Does that imply the battery is sufficiently recharged to keep the system operational? Absolutely! But, we do not size the PV array nor the battery bank on that basis. As a result, we simply dont worry about how long it takes to recharge the battery. Properly designed PV systems always have a sufficiently sized solar array to offset the daily load draw under worstcase solar conditions. Those same systems also have an adequate amount of battery autonomy to carry the system through periods of inclement weather, when solar levels are below the daily average. We verify this through advanced sizing software based on math and statistical analysis. And we prove this through thousands of industrial SunWize PV systems successfully operating worldwide. Call us for more information about battery charging and system sizing.

Calculating the recharge time relies on a series of assumptions. Lets determine the recharge time based on the following assumptions: Customers often ask how long it takes for a photovoltaic (PV) array to recharge the battery bank in a solar electric system. The answer is it doesnt matter!! The battery bank is in a constantly changing state because it is always being either charged or discharged. Unlike a UPS backup system, PVs power source is not steady state, but is dynamic in nature. So, the time needed to recharge a battery bank from a PV array constantly changes. Consider a PV array using a single 110 watt PV module (a Mitsubishi model MF110) and a single 120 amp-hour battery (Concorde model PVX-1040T) powering a 750mA, 12VDC continuous load. Assume the system is operating in the Houston, TX area. Houston gets 3.6 hours per day of sun on average in the winter and 4.8 hours per day in August (at a 50-degree PV array tilt angle, facing south). There are many factors to consider: What does it take to recharge the battery? Since the levels of solar radiation change monthly, what time of year are we considering? What level of battery discharge are we considering at the start of our recharge cycle? How are we interpreting the solar radiation as an average daily amount for a given month, or something less or more than that? 1. 2. 3. Assume it is winter time at 3.6 hours/day of peak sun. Assume the load is a constant 750mA at 12VDC. Assume the battery is fully discharged to the 20% state-ofcharge point when the recharge begins. Assume there are 10% system losses.

4.

The peak current rating of our

110 watt PV module is 6.43 amps. The output of the array for an average winter day is: 6.43 amps x 3.6 hours/day x 0.9 (system losses) = 20.8 amp hours/day

80% of the battery = 0.8 x 120

amp-hours = 96Ah

The load is 0.75 amps

continuous = 18Ah/day

The difference between the

array output and the load is: 20.8 18 = 2.8 Ah/day

96Ah/2.8 Ah/day = 34.3 days to

recharge (assuming no temperature impact on battery recharging efficiency)

SunWize Industrial Sales Offices Arizona Mike Savino, tel: 480-626-7769 Colorado Charlie Bachman, tel: 303-604-1125 Illinois Mark Wilkerson, tel: 815-256-2222 Maryland Bruce Wilson, tel: 410-480-7175 Nevada Robert Damrau, tel: 775-969-3131 Washington State David Love, tel: 360-705-4322 For Sales in Latin America Dean Middleton, email: solisto@earthlink.net For Sales in Europe, Africa or the Middle East John DeBoever, email: jdeboever@sunwize.com

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ATSSAs Convention & Traffic Expo January 26-30 San Antonio, TX www.atssa.com Booth # 912 ISC West Expo March 28-30 Las Vegas, NV www.isc.west Booth # 9114 Entelec 2007 Conference/Expo April 11-13 Houston, TX www.entelec.org Solar Power 2007 September 24-27 Long Beach, CA www.solarpowerconference.com ASIS International Show September 24-27 Las Vegas, NV www.asisonline.org Put us on your calendar and put the power where you need it! We look forward to meeting you and discussing how SunWize can fulfill your remote site power needs. If you would like to schedule a meeting, call any one of our sales offices. We can also talk about setting up a training program at your location. Visit our web site, www.sunwize.com, for more information about SunWize solar power solutions.