supercapacitor scam? 2f my arse

jimmyhackers

jimmyhackers

10 kW
Joined
May 11, 2015
Messages
603
i recently bought some supercapacitor banks for my solar setup.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16V-2F-Farad-Capacitor-Module-2-7V-10F-Super-Capacitor-F5X7-Withtection-Se-G5X5/313025182525?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

each 2f unit contains 6x 10f supercapacitors in series.....so 1.667 farads in total... should i be bothered about this?

im missing 0.333ish farads...

also seeing as im using two in series im left with 0.834farads not the 1f i was expecting.

TIA
jim
 
What does a bunch of capacitance do for your solar power system?
 
thanks for the advice, it was a veritable choclate tea set.

small setup + uk weather

they act as a small intermediary battery. so the intermitant/weak sun can build up enough energy to the point it will run my grid tie inverter for a few minutes at time instead of not at all.

i was doing the same with two 12v Pb batteries but they dont last like caps do.


now does anyone want to go back to topic? or just add another useless reply just to inflate their own post count?
 
It wasn’t advice; it was a question. Thanks for answering it.

I was curious whether you were dealing with an electrical noise or power factor issue, in which case you’d want lower ESR rather than whole farads of capacitance.

P.S. -
For what you need, NiCd batteries instead of supercaps would offer both greater capacity and a flatter voltage curve on discharge.
 
i prefer caps as they have a much longer cycle life of discharge and recharge. as this will be happening multiple times daily.

also there is no worry about messing them up with non complete cycles of charge/discharge. or leaving them flat for extended periods.

i have a feeling any battery tech would die after a year or two of the abuse my solar will give.
 
jimmyhackers said:
thanks for the advice, it was a veritable choclate tea set.

small setup + uk weather

they act as a small intermediary battery. so the intermitant/weak sun can build up enough energy to the point it will run my grid tie inverter for a few minutes at time instead of not at all.

now does anyone want to go back to topic? or just add another useless reply just to inflate their own post count?
Click to expand...
Another spoon for your chocolate tea set ... :D ..sounds like that tea set is more useful than your Solar system ! 8)
You dont need more capacitance... you need more sunshine !
Honestly, is it really worth trying to catch enough energy just to keep a “small” solar system running for a few minutes ?
 
short answer "yes"

long answer "yes" there are a lot of low light situations, where the panels are producing but not enough to start or run an inverter for very long if at all.

this can be at the start and finish of each day, every time clouds go over, overcast days etc.
with this method/style it has potential to run an inverter for intermitant periods on a day that otherwise it wouldnt even turn on.

id estimate it somewhere between 1-5% more energy gained on almost any solar system by doing something similar.
 
jimmyhackers said:
i recently bought some supercapacitor banks for my solar setup.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16V-2F-Farad-Capacitor-Module-2-7V-10F-Super-Capacitor-F5X7-Withtection-Se-G5X5/313025182525?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

each 2f unit contains 6x 10f supercapacitors in series.....so 1.667 farads in total... should i be bothered about this?

im missing 0.333ish farads...

also seeing as im using two in series im left with 0.834farads not the 1f i was expecting.

TIA
jim
Click to expand...
I have always found super caps fascinating, but I started to loose interest when I realized that they can lose their theoretical million cycles etc when just being exposed to the elements like room temperature cycles etc, so its no more amazing than just batteries in terms of expected life span, IMO.

I had to reference cap math in series because I never use this stuff in the real world and forget...
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/circuits-topic/circuits-with-capacitors/v/capacitors-series
^ Great video showing that they suck power from each other when "working together", I don't really have a specific answer but I guess you should have bought more...
 
jimmyhackers said:
i recently bought some supercapacitor banks for my solar setup.

each 2f unit contains 6x 10f supercapacitors in series.....so 1.667 farads in total... should i be bothered about this?
Click to expand...
I noticed other identical looking "6x 10f supercapacitors in series module" sellers actually call it 1.6farads.
It is pretty common for china ebay sellers to exaggerate the specs when they see other sellers doing it.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/16V-1-6F-Farad-Capacitor-Module-2-7V-10F-Super-Capacitor-With-Protection-Bo-X2P6/193532487567
This one calls it a 2f module but in their description say "Model Number: 16V1.6F
Capacity: 1.6F"
This is typical of ebay sellers.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/16V1F-2F-Farad-Capacitor-Module-2-7V-10F-Super-Capacitor-With-Protection-Board/153031884450
 
yeah i kinda figured chinas lieing again.

on the plus side i order a pair of these from a china seller......and their account got removed and ebay automatically gave me a refund for them without me asking. i thought they would never arrive

i then ordered the same thing from a different seller, and they came within 2 weeks.

but about 3 months later the original pair i ordered arrived (about a week ago). so i have twice as many now.

i will have to see how long they last.
 
i just did some math....

i use two 1.667F in series to get 30ish volts i get 0.834F total. add the two extra modules in parrallel im back upto 1.667F

thats about 0.2wh of an energy storage buffer.... :s

im suprised it works as well as it does compared to the lead acid storage buffer and its only 0.1wh currently.
 
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