Are you planning to install an off-grid system at home? That’s surely a great option. But how would you get to know where to start? How will you choose the quality of the components? These things are crucial. One such component that has utmost importance in an off-grid system is a shunt. It helps to monitor the energy created and utilized by your solar system. It measures the flow from the batteries into or out of the system. Since it measures the voltage of a system, you’ve to install it on the negative terminal of the battery. The shunt compares all the data to the parameters already in the monitor. It helps in determining the charge, power consumption, and remaining energy. The user can then assess this information using a battery monitor for monitoring the system.
Let’s look at the workings of a shunt electrical system and see what it offers for off-grid solar systems.
How Does an Electrical Shunt Work?
You may install a shunt within a power system to effectively monitor the “state of charge” of the battery. And for them to work well, they must be installed close to the battery. Also, you must ensure that there are no interrupting connections. There is a possibility to install more than one shunt as well. But the highest priority is given to the one connected to the battery.
Shunts are helpful in maintaining or saving the battery charge by triggering a response. They don’t let the state of charge deplete below a predefined threshold. A relay contact generates the trigger and is present on the body of the shunt. You may also locate it on the inverter or regulator. However, the purpose will remain the same.
Here are some of the actions a shunt may trigger:
- It may start/stop and auto-start the generator.
- It can shed some load when required. For example, if you’re using both essential and non-essential applications, the battery may start to deplete. In that case, the shunt will shut down the non-essential circuits. It will not only lessen battery use but also recover its state of charge. So, a shunt may work as an Emergency Load Shedding System (ELSS).
- It can communicate with the operator via email or message to tell the battery’s condition.
Most Li-ion batteries used in solar systems have built-in “Battery Monitoring Systems (BMS).” These systems may vary depending on the brand and battery type. Some of these systems need to let you access the data they collect. They do it all by themselves. In such cases, you must install a shunt to monitor and view the data with ease. On the other hand, some Li-ion batteries contain a Bluetooth interface. It is beneficial because you can even view the battery information on your phone.
Whether you have a Bluetooth system or a simple battery setup doesn’t matter. However, the level of monitoring varies with each device. But one common thing among both is that they don’t let the owner set any parameters. However, including a shunt is one of the best ways to set up battery connections using real-time data.
Why is a Battery Shunt Important for Your Off-Grid System?
As mentioned earlier, battery shunts monitor the battery status of your system. That’s why they’re of utmost importance for off-grid systems. Setting the parameters is the real deal. And when it all comes down to you, you’ve to do it using a battery shunt. Firstly, view and measure the amount of current that goes into or comes out of the battery. You don’t need to calculate it, don’t worry about that. The device will do it. But it is essential in a way that you can manage battery life. Also, you might have heard about the terms “undercharging” or “overcharging”. None of them is good for the battery’s health. So, by preventing them both, the performance of your off-grid system will improve, and the battery will last longer.
Off-grid systems rely heavily on solar energy, and power management becomes crucial. Since the entire energy reservoir is a battery, there’s nothing better than a battery shunt to monitor its performance. Since you get precise measurements of voltage, current, and other parameters, you can make decisions regarding power consumption also.
Challenges Associated with Off-grid Systems
You may face challenges while managing off-grid systems. Overcharging and over-discharging of batteries is what we’ve mentioned before. You must not let any of these happen to your battery. These issues result in wear and tear on the battery. And they further result in reduced lifespan. A battery shunt plays a vital role in this regard. It is a sophisticated safeguard. So, it informs you about the state of charge and discharge of the battery. Hence, you manage to maintain the health of the battery bank.
Choosing the right battery shunt is another factor. It also affects the off-grid solar systems’ performance. Under such circumstances, you must consider a few factors. These include the type of battery, system voltage, and other specific requirements. And if the battery shunt has a self-calibration feature, that’s worth the investment.
Selecting the right size of the battery shunt is also crucial. For that, you’ve to consider the voltage calibration and ampacity ratings. If these ratings match each other, they can measure the amount of current running. For example, if you have a 500 Amp/ 500mV monitor, you must have a 500 Amp battery shunt. The same is the case with other sizes. Using undersized battery shunts is quite dangerous. The reason is that it can get hot and may melt as well. So, ensure that you don’t overload your shunt so your shunt and off-grid system can work well enough.
Conclusion
Battery shunts have a pivotal role to play in improving the performance of your overall system. And you cannot rely on battery monitors only. They need battery shunts to work correctly. So, make sure you choose the right size of the shunt and install it as close to the battery as possible. That’s the only way you can make your off-grid system more efficient. So, give it a try and see how it goes!