Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

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The sun is the ultimate open energy source and OSSP aims to help everyone harness it. Solar PV in the developing world has been growing at an exponential rate and has managed to provide energy access to millions of people, unfortunately adequate standards and appropriate training programs have not followed suit. Many equipment vendors and installers have little to no training nor are they subject to any form of regulation and end users often have little understanding of the technology. This has lead to the proliferation of many improperly designed PV systems that not only lead to poor end-user experiences but also represent a safety risk. This website is an effort to improve small-scale battery-based (SSBB) solar PV system design, safety, and user experiences in these areas by providing appropriate information, resources and tools on the universal, basic aspects of off-grid system design and installation in these contexts. OSSP hopes to serve as both a direct resource in these areas (via smart phones and internet in hub cities) and as a readily-adaptable base for the development of low-cost training materials and programs that are tailored to the needs and standards of a particular area. Please reach out to alex@opensourcesolar.org if you are interested in collaborating, contributing or need assistance creating training materials.
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The sun is the ultimate open energy source and OSSP aims to help everyone harness it. Solar PV in the developing world has been growing at an exponential rate and has managed to provide energy access to millions of people, unfortunately adequate standards and appropriate training programs have not followed suit. Many equipment vendors and installers have little to no training nor are they subject to any form of regulation and end users often have little understanding of the technology. This has lead to the proliferation of many improperly designed PV systems that not only lead to poor end-user experiences but also represent a safety risk. This website is an effort to improve small-scale battery-based (SSBB) solar PV system design, safety, and user experiences in these areas by providing appropriate information, resources and tools on the universal, basic aspects of off-grid system design and installation in these contexts. OSSP hopes to serve as both a direct resource in these areas (via smart phones and internet in hub cities) and as a readily-adaptable base for the development of low-cost training materials and programs that are tailored to the needs and standards of a particular area. 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.
  
 
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Revision as of 14:35, 19 January 2021

Welcome to The Open Source Solar Project (OSSP)

The sun is the ultimate open energy source and OSSP aims to help everyone harness it. Solar PV in the developing world has been growing at an exponential rate and has managed to provide energy access to millions of people, unfortunately adequate standards and appropriate training programs have not followed suit. Many equipment vendors and installers have little to no training nor are they subject to any form of regulation and end users often have little understanding of the technology. This has lead to the proliferation of many improperly designed PV systems that not only lead to poor end-user experiences but also represent a safety risk. This website is an effort to improve small-scale battery-based (SSBB) solar PV system design, safety, and user experiences in these areas by providing appropriate information, resources and tools on the universal, basic aspects of off-grid system design and installation in these contexts. OSSP hopes to serve as both a direct resource in these areas (via smart phones and internet in hub cities) and as a readily-adaptable base for the development of low-cost training materials and programs that are tailored to the needs and standards of a particular area. 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.

Aims of OSSP:

  • Provide an appropriate level of detail for each topic in a way that is practical and accessible for an audience with a varying level of technology literacy.
  • Present universal concepts in a way that is universal. Information or resources that are location specific should be added to a country page.
  • Utilize well-designed graphics that include minimal text to enable easy adapatation and translation using captions.

Be advised that design, installation, and maintenance work should only be performed by qualified individuals in accordance with local codes/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/reference resource and not intended to qualify anyone to perform any type of electrical work. Appropriate hands on training is required in order to safely work with electricity and PV systems.

Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.

Basic concepts

System components

Certifications and ratings

PV source

Energy storage

Charge controller

Inverter

Power distribution

Mounting system

Conductors

Physical conductor protection

Protection devices and disconnects

Grounding

Loads (lighting and appliances)

System design

Simplified system design process

1. Simplified physical evaluation
2. Simplified load evaluation
3. Simplified weather and solar resource evaluation
4. Simplified energy storage sizing and selection
5. Simplified minimum PV source size
6a. Simplified PWM charge controller sizing and selection
6b. Simplified MPPT charge controller sizing and selection
7. Simplified inverter sizing and selection

Simplified wire, overcurrent protection, and disconnect sizing and selection

Simplified grounding system sizing and selection

Detailed system design process

Background

Site evaluation

Design parameters

Energy storage sizing and selection

PV source and charge controller sizing and selection

Inverter sizing and selection

Wire, overcurrent protection, and disconnect sizing and selection

Grounding system sizing and selection

Design examples

System installation

Operations and maintenance

Resources

Country pages

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