Understanding the nature of a LiPo4 battery is critically important. The battery is (should be) the most expensive component in the solar lighting system. Its protection is paramount.
All LiPo4 batteries have a built in battery management system. Its job it to balance the charging and protect from over discharge.
Charging
When the battery is first put on charge, the voltage shoots up quickly. This behaviour can be compared to lifting a weight with a rubber band, causing a lag. The capacity will eventually catch up when the battery is almost fully charged. This charge characteristic is typical of all batteries. The higher the charge current is, the larger the rubber-band effect will be.
Managing
In some extreme weather conditions, there simply isn’t enough sun energy to replace the spent power from the previous night. Continuing to run the load all night will cause the battery managenent system is step in and turn the battery off to protect it from going completely flat.
Depth of Discharge (DOD)
Having a light turn off when the battery goes flat greatly reduces the life of the battery.
Completely negates the benefits of higher quality batteries
Monitoring
OziRoo reads the weather, measures the depth od discharge (DOD) and state of charge (SOC), checks the operating parameters, controls the output and protects the battery all while attempting to give the maximum benefit at the critical times.
Inteligent mode
OziRoo implements an 8 stage managent plan to control the brightness and hours of operation automatically based on the weather conditions and many other factors. It can be tailored to suit individual requirements. As the weather worsens, the system introduces more controls. As the weather improves the restrictions are lifted.
A bigger battery is useless unless the solar panels can replace the power used by the load during 1 day.
