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Welcome to the Open Source Solar Project
The mission of Open Source Solar Project is to share information in various langauges about the design and installation of off-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems to lead to better performing, safer systems in the developing world. Please reach out to alex@opensourcesolar.org if you are interested in collaborating, have found mistakes, would like to contribute or need assistance creating training materials.
Be advised that design, installation, and maintenance work should only be performed by qualified individuals in accordance with local codes and laws. There is no guarantee that the information provided on this website is accurate or complete - use it at your own risk. It is intended to serve as an educational and reference resource - appropriate hands on training is required in order to safely work with electricity and PV systems. See Training providers for a list of recommended training providers.
Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.
Contents
- 1 About OSSP
- 2 Basic concepts
- 3 System components
- 3.1 Certifications and ratings
- 3.2 Photovoltaic (PV) source
- 3.3 Energy storage
- 3.4 Charge controller
- 3.5 Inverter
- 3.6 Power distribution
- 3.7 Mounting system
- 3.8 Conductors (wires, cables)
- 3.9 Physical conductor protection
- 3.10 Protection devices and disconnects
- 3.11 Grounding
- 3.12 Loads (lighting and appliances)
- 4 System design
- 4.1 Design tools
- 4.2 Background
- 4.3 Site evaluation
- 4.4 Design parameters
- 4.5 Energy storage sizing and selection
- 4.6 PV source and charge controller sizing and selection
- 4.7 Inverter sizing and selection
- 4.8 Wire, overcurrent protection, and disconnect sizing and selection
- 4.9 Grounding system sizing and selection
- 5 Design examples
- 6 System installation
- 7 Operations and maintenance
- 8 Resources
- 9 Country pages
About OSSP
Basic concepts
- What is an off-grid (stand-alone) PV system?
- PV system types
- Basic stand-alone PV system components
- Electricity and energy
- Electricity types
- Voltage and frequency by country
- Power flow between components
- Series and parallel connections
- Electrical codes
- Electrical safety
- Multimeters
System components
Certifications and ratings
Photovoltaic (PV) source
- PV module (PV source, solar panel)
- Insolation (peak sun hours)
- Tilt and azimuth
- Shading
- Module connectors
- Combiner box
Energy storage
Charge controller
Inverter
Power distribution
- Distribution panel
- DIN rail
- Busbar
- Wire terminal
- Twist-on wire connector (wire nut, marrette)
- Switch
- Outlet
Mounting system
Conductors (wires, cables)
Physical conductor protection
Protection devices and disconnects
- Overcurrent protection device (OCPD)
- Disconnects
- Residual current device (RCD or GFCI)
- Ground fault protection device (GFPD)
Grounding
Loads (lighting and appliances)
System design
Design tools
Background
- Design process overview
- Stand-alone system configurations
- DC system voltage
- Voltage drop
- Surge loads
- Power factor
- Duty cycle
Site evaluation
Simplified design process
- Simplified physical evaluation
- Simplified load evaluation
- Simplified weather and solar resource evaluation
Detailed design process
- Load evaluation
- Physical evaluation
- Weather and solar resource evaluation
- Load and solar resource comparison
Design parameters
Simplified design process
- All design parameters are incorporated into the other simplified design process pages.
Detailed design process
- Design parameter overview
- Irradiance safety parameter
- Continous duty safety parameter
- Low voltage disconnect parameter
Energy storage sizing and selection
Simplified design process
Detailed design process
PV source and charge controller sizing and selection
Simplified design process
- Simplified minimum PV source size
- Simplified PWM charge controller sizing and selection
- Simplified MPPT charge controller sizing and selection
Detailed design process
- Minimum PV source size
- PWM charge controller sizing and selection
- MPPT charge controller sizing and selection
Inverter sizing and selection
Simplified design process
Detailed design process
Wire, overcurrent protection, and disconnect sizing and selection
Simplified design process
Detailed design process
Grounding system sizing and selection
Simplified design process
Detailed design process
Design examples
System installation
- Principles of installation
- Equipment clearances and safe working space
- Wiring practices
- Wiring basic load circuits
- Battery wiring
- Installing module connectors
- Charge controller programming
- Inverter programming
- Labeling
- Commissioning
Operations and maintenance
Resources
Country pages