AKCP Battery Health Sensors

The Battery Health Sensor provides monitoring of the voltage, temperature and current load of batteries used in generator start-up circuits, solar PV installations and DC power systems. The sensor can monitor individual battery blocks and battery strings, and solar panel arrays.

Monitoring Generator Batteries

The Battery Health Sensor is connected to a generator starter battery to allow monitoring of the crank current from the starter motor, battery voltage and temperature, or the alternator charge current, voltage and battery temperature. This data can be used to identify if the starter battery requires replacement or there is a problem with the alternator or starter motor. For example, a decreasing crank current may be a sign that the battery although still having sufficient voltage does not have enough power output to crank the engine, resulting in a failure to start situation.

Monitoring Solar Batteries

Multiple Battery Health Sensors can be used to monitor a complete solar panel system from end-to-end. On a solar panel array, the sensor can be used to monitor the voltage and current output from the solar PV panels. Low voltages can indicate a need to clean dirty panels.

The Battery Health Sensor can monitor the output voltage and current from the connected energy storage system batteries and their temperature. By comparing the battery current load and the solar panel charging load measurements, the status of the system can be identified. For example, if the solar PV array is providing sufficient charging power or if the batteries are being discharged and the rate of discharge.