Location: Russia, Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan
Task: Autonomous power supply of the floating house, to ensure long-term autonomous cruises along the Volga
Type: Hybrid solar power plant
Installation time: 3 hours

About the object

A solar power plant project for autonomous power supply to a floating house where there is no centralized power supply.

A self-propelled houseboat will almost always be located in an open area, away from trees and tall buildings, so to obtain the highest possible energy production, a 1280W solar panel array was installed in combination with a hybrid solar inverter with a built-in PWM charge controller. The system was assembled at 24V. The inverter also operates on 24V.

What should work from solar panels:

• Double chamber refrigerator
• LCD TV
• Wi-Fi router
• Music Center
• Deck lighting
• Lighting in cabins
• Water pump
• Recharging smartphones, tablets, laptops and other gadgets

About equipment

• Solar panels: Delta BST 320-60M – 4 pcs., monocrystalline, power 320W
• Inverter EASun 3K is a hybrid solar inverter with an output power of 3000W and a rated voltage of 24V, with a pure sine output, purchased by the client independently
• Battery: LiFePO4- 1 pc., 24V, 200Ah, purchased by the client independently
• Fastening kit for 2 panels – 2 pcs., minirails for installation on a flat roof
• Parallel connector MC4-T4
• Solar cable 2*6mm2
• Protective equipment: DC circuit breaker and SPD

The client purchased the inverter and battery independently, so all we had to do was install solar panels and assemble everything into a single system. The hybrid solar inverter included in the kit of this solar power station will work in tandem with shore power during stops, as well as with an inverter gasoline generator. Shore power or the output of the inverter generator is directly connected to the ~220V input of the inverter. Switching the input power will be carried out through the ATS unit. As soon as external power supply ~220V appears, the inverter will begin, to help the solar panels, charge the battery, and will also transfer all deck power to the generator or network, i.e. the inverter will operate in bypass mode.

About the installation and installation of solar panels and equipment on the platform

To install solar panels, there was a free area on the second deck measuring 1.8 x 4.8 m; based on these dimensions, it was decided to install 4 solar panels with a power of 320 W, the size of each panel is 1.7 * 1 m. Since the client purchased an inverter with a PWM charge controller, with a maximum input voltage from solar panels of up to 80V, all 4 panels had to be connected in parallel.