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RAINBOW
POWER COMPANY
Email Newsletter # 69
INDEX:
1. BATTERIES IN PARALLEL
2. BSCE ACCREDITATION COURSE
3. COLD CATHODE TUBE TECHNOLOGY
4. LED LIGHTS
5. SELECTRONIC WM INVERTERS
6. WEBSITE UPGRADE
7. ENEWSLETTER
1. BATTERIES IN PARALLEL: Smaller capacity batteries are sometimes
cheaper (per Amphour) than larger batteries. I believe this is because
the smaller batteries are more ‘mass produced’. This cheaper
cost
sometimes leads customers to place several in parallel to achieve the
desired higher capacity rather than purchasing larger capacity
batteries.
Ray Prowse, who used to inspect failed systems for the
Solar Energy
Industries Association of Australia, commented that in every case of
system failure, there were batteries in parallel. While this may not
be
the core reason for the failure, it is an indication of poor practice.
Noel from Solar Tasmania subsequently commented, ‘Our experience
with
parallel batteries, even when wired correctly, is don’t try … even
when
they are identical type, age and capacity …’.
The biggest problem with parallel batteries is that
they will tend to
charge/discharge unevenly, which can lead to sulphation and
stratification of the electrolyte.
If you must place batteries in parallel, you should
limit this to two
parallel strings. Great care needs to be taken to ensure that there are
equal current routes through both strings. The positive lead should
come off one string and the negative through the other. The cable size
must be identical, as should the crimped terminations.
Australian Standard 4509.2 stipulates that ‘… the
number of parallel
strings be minimized …’. The standards also stipulate that
each
parallel string must be fused and earthed (or fused on both positive
and
negative if the system is floating). So to conclude, we would suggest
that you try and avoid connecting batteries in parallel, and to seek
the
advice of an experienced and qualified solar installer in this regard.
2. BSCE ACCREDITATION COURSE: Several years ago SEIA
(the predecessor
to BCSE) developed a 5-day Accreditation course (with government
financial assistance). They offered this course partly through
correspondence and at a number of other venues, including Rainbow Power
Company and several TAFE colleges. From our point of view, BCSE appears
to be going down the track of making accreditation more difficult and
expensive.
BCSE has now decided to only accredit those that go
through the TAFE
system. As I understand it, this is now a 1.5 – 2 year course. This
will make it almost impossible for existing electricians and business
people to get into the industry (they’d have to take 1-2 years off
work
to do the course!) We don’t agree with these changes and if you
disagree, all I can suggest is you make your views known to BCSE.
Peter still plans to hold his next course between April
22-26. If you
are interested in attending let us know. However, this will not lead
to
accreditation with the BCSE.
3. COLD CATHODE TUBE TECHNOLOGY: For some time we have
been selling a
100 mm miniature fluoro (CCFL) – our product code LIT-200. These
are a
very small, efficient and reliable type of fluoro. They are expected
to
have a 20,000 hour life. The LIT-200 looks a bit like a ballpoint pen.
We now have a 4.5 Watt 12 Volt model for sale in an Edison Screw
fitting. It looks a bit like a hybrid fluoro. It comes with a built in
reflector making it suitable for a very low wattage reading lamp. Our
product code is LIT-310.
4. LED LIGHT: We now have a 12 Volt white LED (12 LEDs)
in a Halogen
Dichroic fitting. Our product code is LED-004.
5. SELECTRONIC WM INVERTERS: These inverters have been
upgraded by 200W
at no cost! Contact us for more details.
6. WEBSITE UPGRADE: As mentioned in our last newsletter,
we are
continuing to upgrade our Website. Pictures of virtually all our
Products (including the new CCFL and LED lights) are now on our site.
There is now over 300 pages of information, so if you get lost, use our
onsite Search Engine.
7. We issue a free 1-2 page email newsletter once a
month with
information about renewable energy, new products, specials, etc. If you
would like to be included, you can subscribe by sending a blank email
to
rpc-news-subscribe@topica.com
To unsubscribe, send a blank email to
rpc-news-unsubscribe@topica.com
Please note that this email will go directly to our server. We will not
release your email address to any other organization or spam you with
other unwanted material. You can always choose to remove yourself from
the list in future. You can also view back issues of the newsletter via
a link on our web page.
Cheers from Dave and all the RPC crew
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