So... rain and dark cloudy skies for perhaps the week ahead. That means not much sunshine to even activate the solar panels. I'll be fine for a few days, but the batteries will need a charge.
I have two generators as a backup, one a traditional loud inverter generator. As a smaller engine, it isn't very efficient and no emissions system means a lot of carbon monoxide and NOx that is a big risk for inhalation (headaches and other mortal health risks.) It's only a few kilowatts, which is good for topping off the batteries. The other is my hybrid car, which can supply several kilowatts from its 350 volt inverter or about 800 watts from the 12 volt inverter. Each one has their own risks and safety requirements. I have run the 350 volt system to my solar inputs before, but the risks are high. If a fault happens, will my DC high voltage fuses blow correctly or turn into a 100,000 watt arc lamp? I've seen fuses fail before and a bad safety circuit can be worse than no safety circuit. Safety circuits need to be redundant and diverse, because they do fail in my experience.
The 12 volt inverter is a much safer choice as I don't need too much power this week. But I will continue to design a safety circuit for the high voltage inverter distribution system. Hopefully, I can make the communications to automatically connect with the car's high voltage system. That requires working with the relay disconnect safety check sequencing.
#offgrid #solar #SolarPunk
