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My brain is overheating trying to make sense of PV panel parameters and calculate the CSA of a DC feed cable to the inverter.
For my 16 HL Solar 250W panels, the spec is:
Imp 4.94A
Vmp 50.6V
Isc 5.35A
Voc 60.5V
Two strings of eight panels in parallel.
Therefore:
Total current at max power = 4.94 x 2 x 1.25 = 12.35A
Total voltage at max power = 50.6 x 8 x 1.15 = 466V
[Note 4.94A x 50.6V = 250W per panel, as spec, but allowing for max tolerance, 4.94 x 50.6 x 1.25 x 1.15 = 359W (ie unlikely!)]
However the DTI guide (Sec 2.1.6) uses Voc and Isc for their main dc cable size calculations:
Total Isc = 5.35 x 2 x 1.25 = 13.4A
Total Voc =60.5 x 8 x 1.15 = 560V
[Note 5.35A x 60.5V = 234W per panel, but allowing for max tolerances, 5.35 x 60.5 x 1.25 x 1.15 = 465W (ie ridiculous!)]
I believe the de-rating factors of 25% and 15% are to allow for possibly over-spec panels.
But surely the panels cannot be SIMULTANEOUSLY over-spec on both parameters of voltage AND current? And ALL of them, ALL of the time?
But the DTI guidance appears to indicate that they can be. Is this right, or am I misunderstanding something?
Also, surely Voc cannot simply be added up to give a 'real-world' figure for series strings can it? Are there not resistive losses?
So which voltage/current figures does one use to calculate DC volt drop? And why is only 1% recommended?
[*** EDIT: this is wrong. It's less than 3%, Ref: DTI Guide, Para 2.1.4.1 ***]
If calcs are made using the above absolute best performance figures, surely we don’t have to engineer the cabling to give less that 1% drop on the very few UK days when the panels are producing at the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM possible? Why bother? If there is a few percent loss on those fantastic days, then so what?
I don’t get this at all.
The upshot is, what is the minimum CSA for a 150m DC feed cable, XLPE SWA, laid to rest in the cold Norfolk earth?
For my 16 HL Solar 250W panels, the spec is:
Imp 4.94A
Vmp 50.6V
Isc 5.35A
Voc 60.5V
Two strings of eight panels in parallel.
Therefore:
Total current at max power = 4.94 x 2 x 1.25 = 12.35A
Total voltage at max power = 50.6 x 8 x 1.15 = 466V
[Note 4.94A x 50.6V = 250W per panel, as spec, but allowing for max tolerance, 4.94 x 50.6 x 1.25 x 1.15 = 359W (ie unlikely!)]
However the DTI guide (Sec 2.1.6) uses Voc and Isc for their main dc cable size calculations:
Total Isc = 5.35 x 2 x 1.25 = 13.4A
Total Voc =60.5 x 8 x 1.15 = 560V
[Note 5.35A x 60.5V = 234W per panel, but allowing for max tolerances, 5.35 x 60.5 x 1.25 x 1.15 = 465W (ie ridiculous!)]
I believe the de-rating factors of 25% and 15% are to allow for possibly over-spec panels.
But surely the panels cannot be SIMULTANEOUSLY over-spec on both parameters of voltage AND current? And ALL of them, ALL of the time?
But the DTI guidance appears to indicate that they can be. Is this right, or am I misunderstanding something?
Also, surely Voc cannot simply be added up to give a 'real-world' figure for series strings can it? Are there not resistive losses?
So which voltage/current figures does one use to calculate DC volt drop? And why is only 1% recommended?
[*** EDIT: this is wrong. It's less than 3%, Ref: DTI Guide, Para 2.1.4.1 ***]
If calcs are made using the above absolute best performance figures, surely we don’t have to engineer the cabling to give less that 1% drop on the very few UK days when the panels are producing at the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM possible? Why bother? If there is a few percent loss on those fantastic days, then so what?
I don’t get this at all.
The upshot is, what is the minimum CSA for a 150m DC feed cable, XLPE SWA, laid to rest in the cold Norfolk earth?
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