Hi,
This is an experiment to try to catch some rays early in the morning from the east (all my PV is on the west of the house at the moment) and provide a boost from diffuse light in the winter.
My slightly longer-term plan is to mount 4xES62 Unisolar panels (ie 248Wp) permanently on that flat roof for which I need some formal permission and some grown-ups to do the work to avoid the need for an inspection afterwards, and a new battery and controller to handle the extra power. That's likely to be at least £2000 total.
This is a little feasibility test for £50!
The panel is a 13W model from Maplin (at half list price) but what improves its value for money is that (a) it's a neat little briefcase design that can be put away and (b) it comes with a solar controller and LVD and regulator for various voltages rather than just 12V.
I've paralleled it with my existing controller for my small (40Ah) lead-acid battery, but positioned the panel so as not to get much light at and after noon so as not deliver current to the battery when the main panels on the other side of my house do to avoid charging the battery too fast and gassing it. As an SLA (gel) that would be BadNews(TM).
I'll have to see how robust this little controller is, but for now, I'm pleased.
Rgds
Damon
