trying to slowly convert my reef tank to solar where I can

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in Advanced Solar Electric Technical Forum #1
ok, so maybe not 100% the spot to put this, but reading what the question was, it might be close (otherwise pleas let me know where to put it)


situation is that I have a big Reef tank (600 gallon total water), now lighted by power sucking metal halides.

I have ordered about 180 CREE LED’s each 3 W

now I also was thinking to run them on solar (to start with maybe 30 ore 50 ore 80 ore so, depending on cost) but the plan is to se if I over time can go all solar on the reef tank.

the LED’s are like these:

http://reefledlights.com/shop/cree-xp-g-r5-cool-white-3w-led-on-star-copy-copy/

thy run on for instance http://reefledlights.com/shop/mean-well-eln-60-48d/

but I have drivers build that need a 24V input

now I was wondering if I can gust have a 24V battery charged by solar, and connect the drivers to it, ore do I need to go first 110V and than have a power inverter bring it down again to 24V




and beside this light, I’m even considering running pumps directly from solar, so when light comes up, pumps start to run, mid day the pumps run full power, and in the evening the flow will go down again, also would this be possible yes / no


on the reef forums the guys dont realy know, so I thought go to a solar forum to se what your input is.

it is gust playing in my mind to se what I can do to run things on solar, without to go over board with inverters and so, as the LED’s drive low voltage, and also pumps I can get at 12 ore 24V

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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: trying to slowly convert my reef tank to solar where I can

    Welcome to the forum.

    Those are some of the nicest pictures we've ever had posted here. :D

    Regarding the lights, if you've got LED set-ups that will run off 24 VDC there's no reason why you should have to inverter first and then reduce the output and re-rectify it. That's inefficient. The only sticking spot I can see is that "24 Volt" deep cycles recharge at nearly 30 Volts, and have to be occasionally equalized at slightly more than that. This might be above the input limits for your lights.

    As for pumps ... that could be a whole 'nother ball game. Kind of have to have some pump specs to know what's expected of them to see what amount of power would be required. There are direct solar power water pumps for wells. Look at the SunPumps and Grundfos units here http://www.solar-electric.com/sodcwapu.html to see what I'm talking about.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #3
    Re: trying to slowly convert my reef tank to solar where I can

    hmmm.

    the drivers i have build are of the same kind as these: http://shop.stevesleds.com/The-Quad-Dimming-LED-Driver-The-Quad.htm

    only I have 8 driving chips on my boards in stead of 4

    the thing is that thy need a steady 1000ma, and when conected to the net thy need this converter http://shop.stevesleds.com/Switching-Power-Supply-350w-24V-146A-S-350-Switching-Power-Supply.htm

    so what I had in mind is lets say i have 150W of LED's on a 230W solar pannel / betery combo.

    the lights would run for 8 houres a day = 1.2 kwh whereas the 230W pannel I asume over the corse of the day would bring in more than the 1.2 kwh I need, making shore the batery never runs down.

    the tricky part is how do I controll that I only get 1000ma in to my driver chips, ore would I need some kind of resistor ore so, that would only alow 1000ma to flow into my driver.


    regarding the pumps, the type of pumps I would be locking st would be:

    http://www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&C=CA&user_tunzeprod_pi1[predid]=-infoxunter025

    http://www.tunze.com/fileadmin/gebrauchsanleitungen/x6065.8888.pdf

    thy have a 12 - 24 DC power supply, are extreamly low in power use (less than 25 watt for 3500 gal/houre and are for use in salt water aquaria
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: trying to slowly convert my reef tank to solar where I can

    Oh dear. Most of the time a 24 Volt battery system would be operating above the input limits of the driver.

    I think I shall move this thread into the advanced section and see if we can attract the attention of some of the guys who like to build circuits, because it looks like you'd need some additional external regulating circuit to maintain a steady <25.5 Volts and 1000 mA supply.

    If I'm reading the pump data right, they're 12 Watts and 230/115 Volt. That's fairly easy to supply. The question would be how many hours you want to run them (probably not suitable for direct panel operation). This might make a 120 VAC system more desirable; easy of set-up and all that.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #5
    Re: trying to slowly convert my reef tank to solar where I can
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    Oh dear. Most of the time a 24 Volt battery system would be operating above the input limits of the driver.

    I think I shall move this thread into the advanced section and see if we can attract the attention of some of the guys who like to build circuits, because it looks like you'd need some additional external regulating circuit to maintain a steady <25.5 Volts and 1000 mA supply.

    If I'm reading the pump data right, they're 12 Watts and 230/115 Volt. That's fairly easy to supply. The question would be how many hours you want to run them (probably not suitable for direct panel operation). This might make a 120 VAC system more desirable; easy of set-up and all that.

    regarding the pumps, thy come with a transformer to make from 110V 12 - 24 V

    regarding opperation time, I have pumps running steady one, but there are also pumps that could be conected to a wave maker, creating alternating curent (gal/hour) so I thought, and I could be wrong,

    if I would run such a pump on a solar, than thy would pump much at full sun, but when a cloud would pass by, it would give less power = less flow, and during the night when there is no loight, there is no power produced, so no water flow, creating the most natural alternating water movement men can produce with power

    the only thing you can have at this time is pre programed water flows, nothing that would be influanced by nature like clouds and season.

    this for me would be ultimate goal to create flow as nature provides power.

    I know manny reef guys would like to se something like this.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: trying to slowly convert my reef tank to solar where I can

    The trouble with running these pumps directly from solar is that they're not designed for it. The direct-from-PV pumps use a linear current booster to smooth out operations. This is because a solar panel's output varies wildly without a battery. The Voltage will fluctuate between zero and Voc, and the current between zero and Imp. How much sun they get and how much load is put on them will affect their V and I output at any given time. Some motors will run directly off them, varying in speed as the panel output changes. (Some attic cooling fans run like this, for instance.) This is what you're after, of course. But it can be dicey picking the right motor/pump combination. Are you willing to experiment with one pump? With the DC specs you could size a panel and perhaps try a few filter cap sizes to even out some of the changes and allow a bit of power build-up to turn the pump (motors trying to pump water are notoriously hard to get moving).
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #7
    Re: trying to slowly convert my reef tank to solar where I can
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    The trouble with running these pumps directly from solar is that they're not designed for it. The direct-from-PV pumps use a linear current booster to smooth out operations. This is because a solar panel's output varies wildly without a battery. The Voltage will fluctuate between zero and Voc, and the current between zero and Imp. How much sun they get and how much load is put on them will affect their V and I output at any given time. Some motors will run directly off them, varying in speed as the panel output changes. (Some attic cooling fans run like this, for instance.) This is what you're after, of course. But it can be dicey picking the right motor/pump combination. Are you willing to experiment with one pump? With the DC specs you could size a panel and perhaps try a few filter cap sizes to even out some of the changes and allow a bit of power build-up to turn the pump (motors trying to pump water are notoriously hard to get moving).

    I might have to contact Tunze, as I found a conector switch that will controll the pump on solar when there is a power outage.

    http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewitem.aspx?idproduct=TZ1611&child=TZ1611&utm_source=mdcsenextag2&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=mdcsenextag2&utm_content=TZ1611

    thing with it is that it is not 100% clear, as it discribes that it wil go from 110V to solar, ore solar batery
    so is it now a solar batery it can run on, ore directly from the pannel, it douse not say that, so have to ask them.

    I would try it if I had one, but dont have them yet, as it as something I had as option when I wold go for solar controll, as thy are only a few watts and are driven by 12 - 24V

    down side for a try is that it is around $360 to $ 460 a pump
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