User Manual

PowerOptimal Elon® 100 User Manual

Version date: 2022/06/28

Page 4 of 24

Version number: 2.15

property and/or information contained herein remain vested in PowerOptimal, except if otherwise agreed in

writing.

1. Introduction

Thank you for buying the PowerOptimal Elon® 100 solar PV water heating unit! You can look forward

to many years of savings and free energy from the sun.

1.1 System overview

The PowerOptimal Elon® 100 operates on a very simple principle: it enables you to connect solar PV

modules directly to a standard geyser with alternating current (AC) heating element and AC

thermostat, with no need for an inverter. It uses the water in your geyser as a battery to store solar

energy in the form of heat.

You can connect the system completely off-grid or connect it to your existing grid AC power supply.

Connecting the system to the existing grid supply allows for grid power backup in case of cloudy /

overcast days, or where you use more hot water than your solar PV array can generate.

Note: the system is designed in such a way that there is no possibility of solar array-produced

electricity feeding back into the grid. For municipal registration purposes it is classified as "off-grid".

Below is a simplified layout of the main components of the water heating system.

An array of solar modules (a string of 3 to 6 solar modules connected in series, or two parallel strings

of 4, 5 or 6 solar modules each) is connected to the Elon® 100. Grid electricity is also connected to the

Elon® 100.

The Elon® 100 is connected to the geyser element and thermostat.

When the solar modules are producing electricity, the Elon® 100 feeds this into the geyser element to

heat water, until the water reaches the temperature setting on the thermostat.

The Elon® 100 controller dial setting (see Section 2.3) will determine if or when the Elon® 100 will

boost the water heating with grid electricity.