[RE-wrenches] concord batteries, EQUALIZE Them!

R Ray Walters ray at solarray.com
Tue Dec 1 10:51:09 PST 2009


HI Tom;

We just almost set up a large system as you have recommended. I even had made up some huge isolated buss bars to run each string separately as you described.
In the end, I chickened out, as it was going to be a lot more 4/0 cable, and I wasn't sure if the inspector would go for it.
So we just did it with parallel cables, and single mains off the opposite ends.
I think you're right though, but I just wasn't sure if the inspector would agree with us, too.
What do you use for buss bars? How do you mount the busses in the battery room?
I know batteries aren't UL listed, but are the buss bars?
Do you have some Pics, and then I could show the inspector, and see what he thought.
It would be the best way.

R. Walters
ray at solarray.com
Solar Engineer




On Dec 1, 2009, at 11:37 AM, Tom Elliot wrote:

> Had that arrangement used a buss bar instead of paralleling the bank together through the batteries that part of it wouldn't have been a problem.  I'm still puzzled by the off-grid community's resistance to designing battery banks the way large telco banks are designed, using buss bars as parallel connections and the inverter connection point and leaving the series strings physically isolated from one another.
>  
> 
> From: Windsun at wind-sun.com
> Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 8:28 AM
> To: RE-wrenches
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] concord batteries, EQUALIZE Them!
> 
> You gotta wonder about why the customer bought such a battery layout, or why the installer sold that kind of configuration (which ever it was) with so many small batteries. We would never recommend  going over 2 parallel banks, but sometimes the "customer knows best...".
>  
> ..................................................................................................
> Northern Arizona Wind & Sun - Electricity From The Sun Since 1979
> Solar Discussion Forum: http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/
> ..................................................................................................
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Travis Creswell
> To: 'RE-wrenches'
> Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 11:18 AM
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] concord batteries, EQUALIZE Them!
> 
> Then you can patch together one or two strings in effort to get the system in some sort of operational state while the owner digests that his $12,000 ($300 each x 40) battery is toast but even if you could fix it, it’s just a bad band-aid and he needs to pony up another $8k-$12k for a real battery bank.
>  
> Gotta go, good luck!
>  
> Travis Creswell
> Ozark Energy Services
>  
>  
>  
> 
> 
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