Tips for selecting 6 gate solar motors
“Going green” is a term that everyone, from the media to the CEOs of large companies, utters with increasing frequency. We can all do our bit to reduce our carbon footprint and conserve the environment so that our children and grandchildren can also enjoy this beautiful and unique planet of ours. One way to do this is to make use of solar energy to power electrical devices in your home or office, and in an age where frequent power outages have become commonplace, it could be the way to go. Going solar will not only drastically reduce your raw power consumption, it also means you won’t be left high and dry when the lights go out.
When it comes to gate automation, there are a number of solar options available. But what size solar panel do you buy? What kind of autonomy can you expect in the event of a power outage? My goal is to answer these and other questions in this article. We will look specifically at DC powered gate motors, as the solar panel will be used to charge the battery or batteries.
1. Check the voltage of your motor
Basically, there are two variants when it comes to DC gate motors, namely 12V and 24V models. 12V models typically use a single battery to power the motor, while larger 24V motors, which are typically designed for industrial applications or high-traffic properties such as townhome complexes, have two batteries connected in Serie. It is important to know if you have a 12V or 24V gate motor as this will determine how many solar controllers you need to purchase.
2. How many additional devices are connected?
This will come into play later, when you determine current consumption and power consumption. Items such as infrared security beams, intercoms, remote receivers, and the motor control card itself draw current and must be considered when selecting a solar panel.
3. Number of hours of sunlight
Obviously, the amount of nominal charge you’ll get from a solar panel depends on how much the sun shines on it each day. If you live in a mostly cloudy area, solar power might not be the answer. Typically, it takes five hours a day or more for your motor batteries to remain fully charged.
4. Do the math
Now that you know what your motor’s voltage is, how many auxiliary devices are connected to it, and how many hours of sunlight it receives per day, you can do the following calculations to determine the size of solar panel you need. But first, remember to check your gate motor’s documentation to see what its quiescent current draw is.
Next, get an amp-hour rating by multiplying the quiescent current draw by 24 (the number of hours in a day). For example, if your motor’s PCB draws 50 mA of current, the amp-hour rating will be 1.2 Ah (0.050 x 24 = 1.2 Ah). Perform this calculation for all your peripheral equipment and also for your solar regulator. If you haven’t settled on a regulator yet, you can use a 30A regulator (which draws around 10mA of current) for your calculation’s sake. Add up all totals for the motor, controller, auxiliary devices, and governor.
Example:
Consider an average home sliding door that operates an average of 10 times per day. It is equipped with a 12V home operator and also has a set of safety beams attached.
MOTOR CURRENT: 10 (the number of daily operations) x 0.111 Ah (net energy/operation) = 1.11 Ah
ELECTRONICS: Motor Plate = 0.384Ah
Safety beams = 1.60Ah
Solar regulator = 0.24Ah
TOTAL ENERGY DEMAND: 3,334Ah
5. Choose a panel size
You are now ready to select a solar panel. The following program should give you an idea of the charge currents and charge outputs associated with different sized solar panels:
Solar panel capacity Load Current load
20W monocrystalline 1.2A 6.0Ah
40W monocrystalline 2.4A 12.0Ah
65W monocrystalline 4.0A 20Ah
67W monocrystalline 75W 22.0Ah
The charging output has been determined by multiplying the charging current by the number of effective sun hours per day. I used 5 hours for the sake of this example.
Lastly, you should choose a solar panel that has a charging capacity greater than the total demand of the system. That is, if the demand of your gate automation is 3,334Ah as in the previous example, a 20W panel will be enough.
6. You will need the following…
When buying a solar panel, also make sure you buy a solar regulator. A regulator keeps the charge rate constant so your motor battery won’t overcharge or discharge. If you have a 24V system, you will need two solar regulators, as most regulators are rated for 12V systems.
