Photovoltaic Emergency Lighting System at Springfield Guest House, 2004

When we arrived at Springfield, there were two 12-volt PV panels, each at 1.5 amps, hooked up to a 12-volt battery. Our mission was to harness these 36 watts of power and use them for backup lights at the guest house. From the States, we brought a 200-watt inverter, a voltmeter, a power-source that was rated for 20 amps, five feet of number-10 red fine-stranded wire, five feet of number-10 black fine-stranded wire, a box of round rings, and a few bolts. Our first mission was to go to Roseau and pick up a few more screws to mount the voltmeter and inverter, some number-12 wire, and a plug for the inverter. We ran two more wires from the battery (connected with the round rings); one to the voltmeter and another to the inverter. In order to bring power to the inverter, we used the 12V receptacle, which allowed the flow of electricity from the battery to the inverter. We then mounted the voltmeter and inverter (twice—the first time, we put them in a location that did not provide enough shelter from the frequent rains).

After the mounting was completed, we then wired the plug to a breaker box that Ian pulled out of a downstairs closet. The breaker box prevents surges of electricity from running through the wire by cutting power. From the breaker box, we distributed the energy from the panels to seven different areas of the guest house (although Gordon took care of most of this). To make the system look neater, we nailed the wire along the walls and taped up some loose wires. We also put labels on everything so people can see what each piece is.

Diagram of the PV System

220AC