300W SOLAR PANEL KIT Frequently Asked Questions
Find out the THEME you are interested in then read the questions and answers. If you cannot an answer to your question, please call us or send an email.
THEME: BATTERY
1. WHAT IS THE BATTERY CAPACITY OF THE KIT's 300W SOLAR POWER GENERATOR (SPG)?The Kit's 300W SPG has a LiFePo4 battery capacity of 614Wh (48Ah @ 12.8V). Lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4) offer lots of benefits compared to other lithium batteries. Longer life span, no maintenance, extremely safe, improved discharge and charge efficiency, just to name a few. LiFePO4 batteries are not the cheapest in the market, but due to a long life span and zero maintenance, it’s the best investment you can make over time. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are specially developed to handle high discharge currents. You can start easily heavy engines or use several electrical devices at the same time on your boat or RV.
2. WHAT IS THE LIFESPAN OF THE BATTERY?300W SPG’s LiFePO4 battery maintains >2000 cycles, which means 10+ years lifespan.
3. HOW CAN I GET THE LONGEST LIFESPAN FROM THE BATTERY?
1. Keep it within 20–30°C (68–86°F) and away from water and heat.
2. For safety reasons, do not store 300W SPG above 45°C (113°F) or below −10°C (−14°F) for extended periods.
3. LiFePO4 batteries should be “topped off” after each use. For greatest longevity, we recommend not fully discharging the battery nor overcharging by leaving it connected to a charger well beyond its full charge cycle. Remember that over the long term, the battery has a limited number of charge and discharge cycles with “one cycle” being either a complete charge and discharge cycle, or a cumulative of both to add up to a full cycle.
4. LiFePO4 batteries can be discharged up to 100% of their capacity. However, to optimize the performance of your LiFePO4 battery, to achieve a higher cycle life, and to avoid the BMS disconnecting the battery, we recommend limiting the discharge to 80%.
4. WHAT ARE THE BATTERY CARE AND STORAGE?
1. Recommended storage temperature: -5 to +35°C. Storage up to 1 month: -20 to +60°C. Storage up to 3 month: -10 to +35°C.
2. It is highly recommended to store LiFePO4 batteries indoors during the off-season. It is also recommended to store LiFePO4 batteries at about a 50% state of charge (SOC). If batteries are stored for long periods of time, cycle the batteries at least once every 6 months. Do not store batteries that are discharged.
3. Disconnect a LiFePO4 battery from the charging before storing. LiFePO4 batteries have a low self-discharge rate of 2% a month. This means that when a lithium battery is stored, it’ll lose 2% of its charge capacity every month. In order to prevent a higher rate of discharge, we recommend disconnecting all power draw from your batteries. When you store LiFePO4 batteries, it is important that you store them with a state of charge (SOC) of 50%.
300W SPG doesn't support extra battery
6. WHEN TO CHARGE MY LIFEPO4 BATTERY?
If LiFePO4 batteries are not fully discharged, they do not need to be charged after each use. LiFePO4 batteries do not get damaged when left in a partial state of charge (PSOC). You can charge your LiFePO4 batteries after each use or when they have been discharged up to 80% DOD (20% SOC). If the Battery Management System (BMS) disconnects the battery due to low voltage (voltage will be <8V), remove the load and charge immediately. Please note that we recommend storing battery at 50% state of charge (SoC) to minimize irreversible capacity loss.
THEME: PWM SOLAR CONTROLLER
1. WHAT IS A PWM SOLAR CONTROLLER?
The solar charge controller is used to regulate the battery charging and discharging process in the solar system. Its main function is to control the charging current flowing from the PV panel to the battery, and keep the current not too large to prevent the battery pack from overcharging.
There are two types of solar controllers on the market: MPPT solar controller and PWM solar controller. MPPT stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking, which is a technology to track and regulate the output energy from solar panels to batteries. PWM is the abbreviation of Pulse Width Modulation (Pulse Width Modulation), which is a technology that modulates the pulse width under specific rules to change the voltage and frequency of the solar panel's output energy to charge the battery. The MPPT controller has a higher conversion rate, and the 3-stage charging is healthier for the battery, but the price is high; while the PWM controller has a simple structure, mature and reliable technology, and is cheap and cost-effective, but The conversion rate is lower than that of MPPT pairs.
2. HOW DOES A PWM CONTROLLER WORK?PWM controllers work by slowly reducing the amount of power going into your battery as it approaches capacity. When your battery is full, PWM controllers maintain a state of “trickle”, which means they supply a tiny amount of power constantly to keep the battery topped off. They are especially suited for lithium-iron-phosphate batteries as once fully charged the controller then stays at the set float or holding voltage of around 13.6V (3.4V per cell) for the remainder of the day.
3. ARE PWM CONTROLLERS ANY GOOD?The PWM charge controller is a good low cost solution for small systems, when solar cell temperature is moderate to high (between 45°C and 75°C). To fully exploit the potential of the MPPT controller, the array voltage should be substantially higher than the battery voltage.
4. WHAT MAIN PARAMETERS HAS 500W SPG’s PWM SOLAR CONTROLLER?Voltage and amperage (or current) are the main parameters we use in solar charge controller sizing. The solar controller must be capable of accepting the voltage and current produced by solar panels and delivering the proper voltage and current to the battery. In fact, 300W SPG’s PWM solar controller is sized of 12V and 20A.
THEME: AC AND SOLAR CHARGING
1.WHAT ARE THE CHARGING STANDARDS? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CHARGE MY 300W SPG?It supports two charging methods: mains charging, and solar charging, which can be used together, mentioned as followed:
Mains charging
Voltage of AC charging input: AC 220-240V (50Hz)
AC Charging current: 20A
AC charging time: 48Ah : 20A = 2.4 hours
Charging with solar panel
Solar charging input 280W 15-44V DC charging current 16A (maximum)
2. WHAT TO DO IF CHARGING POWER IS LOW?
1. If the temperature is too high, turn off the SPG or stop the load, and let 300W SPG cool down for some time
2. If the temperature is too low, place 300W SPG in a place with high surrounding temperature or with electrical appliances to discharge for a while, let the battery heat up before charging.
3. The charging power of the SPG is related to the SoC of the battery. When the machine starts charging from 0% or is about to be fully charged, it is normal that the charging power gets lower.
3. WHETHER THE SIMULTANEOUS AC AND SOLAR CHARGING IS SUPPORTED?
Yes, both AC and Solar charging can be carried out at the same for charging.
4. IS IT POSSIBLE TO USE THE OTHER PRODUCTS TO CHARGE 300W SPG?No, you can use charging from home grid and solar panel only.
5. DOES IT SUPPORT AC CHARGING WHILE USING?No. You need to disconnect all loads from the 300W SPG before its charging by mains.
6. WHY 300W SPG CANNOT TURN ON?
1. Check if it is caused by insufficient battery. If it is, charge and turn it on again. If the charging fails, please follow the instructions on charging failures.
2. If there is no response after you short press or long press the Power Button for 1 seconds, please contact Energian Customer Service.
2. The charge temperature is too low. The charge temperature of 300W SPG is between 0℃ and 45℃. If the ambient temperature is too low and the cell temperature is lower than 0℃, please move 300W SPG to a warmer place.
3. The charging voltage or current is too low. Please charge the device according to the charging standard specified in Question 1.
4. Change the charging method or cable. For example, if solar charging doesn’t work, it can mean that the solar panel or MC4 cable is broken. You can try charging 300W SPG again with another MC4 cable or solar panel.
5. If all the above solutions cannot solve your problem, please contact Energian Customer Service and provide a video of your charging problem.
THEME: 300W SPG OUTPUT POWER
1. WHAT ARE 300W SPG OUTPUTS?500W SPG supports AC outputs, USB outputs, 12V DC outputs, which are total of 3 output methods, providing a total of 10 output ports:
1.AC output port - 2 pcs
Parameters: rated power 300W, peak value 900W, 220V, AC 50Hz
2. USB-A port - 4 pcs
Parameters: 20W max, 5V, DC 1A
3.DC5521 port - 4 pcs
Parameters: 240W max, 12V, DC 5A
2. IS THE 100% PURE SINE WAVE USED IN THE 300W SPG OUTPUT?
Yes, the 300W SPG has pure sine wave AC output, but the same as all others it contains a certain ratio of harmonics. The harmonic rate of 300W SPG products is as low as 3%.
3. WHAT ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES ARE SUPPORTED BY 300W SPG?
300W SPG supports the appliances having rated power within the standard 300W SPG output power range 300W. You can see the appliance rated power through the user manual or nameplate, or calculate according to the formula W=U*I (rated voltage multiplied by rated current). Note that since the start-up power and continuous power of different brands of products are different, it depends on the actual measurement to determine whether it can be supported.
4. WHAT TO DO IF 300W SPG CANNOT POWER ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES?
1.First, please check whether the output power of 300W SPG can meet the charging power requirements of your appliances.
2.In case of an alarm code on the LCD screen, make action as described in the User Manual (Section 7) for this code.
5. WHAT TO DO IF THE USE TIME OF AN ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE IS TOO SHORT?
As the power of each electrical appliance is different, the discharge efficiency of 300W SPG is less than 100%. Hence, the actual use time of electrical appliances may be shorter than the theoretical time. The discharge efficiency should be calculated based on the continuous power of your appliances. If you have any questions, please provide the specifications of your appliances to Energian Customer Service for calculation.
6. WHAT TO DO IF THE LOSS OF POWER OF 300W SPG IS TOO QUICK?
Check if there are any high-power electrical appliances connected. 300W SPG's battery capacity is 614Wh. Normally, if the power of connected electrical appliances is ~300W and the battery is discharged from 100% to 20%, 300W SPG's battery will run out in about 1.6 hour.
7. WHAT TO DO IF NO OUTPUT OF USB-A PORTS OCCURS?
1. Change to a different USB-A port, and confirm whether it is just the problem of single port.
2. Replace the USB cable to confirm whether the cable is faulty
3. If there is no output from the USB port after the above methods, provide a video explaining the fault and contact Energian Customer Service service
THEME: 300W SPG SOLAR PANEL CHARGING
1. WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM SOLAR CHARGING INPUT TO 300W SPG?Solar charging input 280W 15-44V DC 16A (maximum)
2. HOW QUICKLY WILL YOUR 250W/280W SOLAR PANELS CHARGE THE 300W SPG’s 78AH BATTERY?
Our 250W folding solar panel generates a maximum current of 13.33A at STC (solar irradiance is 1000W/m2 @ 25°C). However actual solar irradiance differs from the STC significantly for various UK locations (see Fig. b). For the UK a maximum solar irradiance in observed from May to July. For example, in London May-July’s monthly solar irradiance is approx 142 kWh/m2. If use actual daily sunshine hours at London in May-July for the period 2015-2021 (see here), then the average actual solar irradiance in London are 759 W/m2 in May, 853 W/m2 in June, and 740 W/m2, respectively. The average value is 784 W/m2. These data are approximate because they do not account for generation on cloudy days.
Therefore the charging current for the SPG battery might be lower, about 13.33A * (784/1000) = 10.45A * PWM solar controller efficiency (85%) = 8.9A. So as a rough estimate, to charge the 48Ah battery from 20% to 100% using 1x 250W folding solar panel will need (0.8*48Ah) / (1*8.9A) = 4.3 hours of charging. This period will be longer in cloudy weather.
Respectively, our 280W rigid solar panel generates a maximum current of about 8.86A * (784/1000) = 6.95A. * PWM solar controller efficiency (85%) = 5.5A. So as a rough estimate, to charge the 48Ah battery from 20% to 100%, 1x 280W rigid solar panel in parallel will need (0.8*48Ah) / (1*5.5A) = 7 hours of charging. This period will be longer in cloudy weather.
Of course, this is only a high level estimate - in reality many factors play a role in this process, such as temperature, the angle of the solar panel relative to the sun etc.
3. DOES IT SUPPORT SOLAR CHARGING WHILE USING?Yes, 500W SPG supports charging and discharging when charging in with solar panels. However, when the battery of the SPG is low or is about to run out, it is best not to output while connecting to DC charging (solar charging); at this time, if the input of the power is less than or equal to the output power, the device will continue to consume power, which may result in power loss and eventually damage the battery.
4. HOW CONNECT SOLAR PANELS - IN SERIES OR PARALLEL?
The solar panels can be used in series if the total voltage and current are not more than 15-44V and DC 24A, respectively. According to the specific parameters, it can be connected in parallel or in serial connection, but usage of solar panels with different wattages is not recommended.
5. WHAT TO DO IF SOLAR PANELS DO NOT WORK?
1. Solar panels must be placed outdoors for use. If being placed indoors, this function cannot be used.
2. Check whether there is any problem with the connection method or connection cables, remove incorrect connections or cables, and try again.
3. The total voltage and current can be used not more than 15-44V DC 32A. Please confirm whether the connected voltage and current are within this range and check whether the positive and negative poles are connected reversely.
6. WHAT IS THE OUTPUT POWER OF THE SOLAR PANEL IN VARIOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS?
1. The light is strong, the angle is vertical, and the output power is about 80% of the rated power. Taking a 300W solar panel as an example, the actual output power is about 240W
2. Cloudy: 50~80W
3. Cloudy days: 15~25W (In the case of low sunlight in cloudy days, it is not recommended to connect to solar panels for charging.The standby power of the device may be greater than the solar input power, which may cause damage to the battery of the device.)
4. Rainy day, night: 0W (The expression can be optimized for low battery and if the current input power of the solar panel is very low, charging with solar power is not recommended. Otherwise, it will always be determined that the charging state does not shut down, and the consumption of the standby power is higher than the input power, causing the battery voltage to leak and affect the battery life.)
1. The charging power may be influenced by sunlight intensity and angle:
2. You can use the solar panel between 9:00am and 3:00pm when the sun's rays are strongest. Avoid using it on a cloudy day or put it at a shady place.
3. Place the solar panel at 90° to the sunlight so that the equivalent area is the largest, and the solar charging power is higher.
THEME: 500W SPG EMERGENCY POWER SUPPLY (EPS) MODE
1. WHAT IS THE EPS MODE?When your 500W SPG is plugged into the wall socket, any electronics plugged into 500W SPG are powered from the grid and not its battery. In EPS mode, when the battery power is between 97% and 100%, the AC input will not charge the battery. When the power is below 97%, the AC input will be used as a bypass output and will also charge the battery. When power from the grid stops, as in a blackout, 500W SPG automatically switches to battery power within 4ms.
2. IS 500W SPG EPS MODE THE SAME AS UPS FUNCTION?500W SPG uses a non-universal UPS function and is only used as an EPS. When you connect the grid power to the AC Input Port of the product through an AC cable, you can power electrical devices through the AC Output Port (AC power will come from the grid and not the power station in this situation). In case of a sudden blackout, the product can automatically switch to the battery powered supply mode within 4ms. As a basic UPS function, this function does not support 0ms switching. Please do not connect the product to any device that requires 0ms UPS, such as data servers and workstations. Please test and confirm the compatibility before using the product. We recommend that you only charge one device at a time and avoid using multiple ones at the same time to avoid overload protection.
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