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This is a simulation of a Solar Power Energy System. Click the 'Simulator ON/OFF' button to start & stop the simulation. Then click any of the other Red Action Buttons. The 'Decrease' & 'Increase' buttons change the relative sunshine. This causes the Solar Panels to put out more or less power. The On/Off buttons next to each appliance toggles the appliances on or off. Below is a description of each element of the Simulator.
First is the Solar Panel Array. Solar panels generate electricity directly from sunlight when the photons strike the silicon substrate. The beauty of solar panels is that they have no moving parts to break down or require maintenance, and solar panels generate zero emissions. When it comes to generating electricity, solar panels are the ultimate in green energy generation.
The solar panels feed power to the Charge Controller which charges the batteries at maximum or limits the charge as the batteries become full. The meter to the right of the Charge Controller displays the amperage that is coming from the Solar Panel Array to the Charge Controller.
The Battery Bank is connected as a 12 Volt, 2000 AmpHour capacity bank. The meter on top of the Battery Bank displays the AmpHour Capacity. (2000 AmpHours is full). Three more meters are connected to the Battery Bank by red & black wires. The first two meters monitor the Battery Volts and the Charging Amps. The Battery Volts meter displays the current battery voltage. The Charging Amps meter (+/-Amps) shows the +Amps in green when the batteries are getting charged and displays the -Amps in red if they are discharging. The 3rd meter to the right of the '+/-Amps' meter is Amps Used meter and shows the number of amps the appliances are using. When you turn on appliances, this meter will display the drain on the batteries in amps and this number will be subtracted from the '+/-Amps' charging meter, often causing it to go negative (discharging).
After the batteries comes the DC to AC Power Inverter. In changes the 12 Volts DC battery voltage to house power. You need this component to generate normal 120 Volt AC power for household appliances. It comes on when you activate any of the six example appliances at the right of the screen.
The Circuit Breaker Box receives the standard 120 Volts AC from the power inverter. The breaker box is a typical unit like you would find in any house. From the circuit breaker box power is distributed to all the AC appliances.
Clicking any of the On/Off buttons in the right panel display will toggle that appliances on or off. Each appliance you turn on will increase the amps displayed in the '-Amps' meter. By clicking each one on & off, you can see how much power each appliance uses.
NOTE: In practice the charging and discharging of the batteries takes hours or even all day. To reduce boredom, the Simulator Speed runs much faster than real time. This way you can see the results of your changes to the simulator settings relatively quickly.
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