Tecchie
New Member
Hello all. I'm currently in the planning stages for my Skoolie conversion. I have some power questions for you all.
I've settled on 48V (51.2V full charge OC voltage) LiFeP04 system. I've got some solar panels picked out (350W units from either Panasonic or LG)
This will be a long-ish term build for me, so I don't mind saving to buy things necessary.
A bit of background: We are a family of 6, so power requirements at certain parts of the day will be a bit high (hot water, pumps, cooking, etc)
I'm attempting to build a list of things I'll need to accomplish my goal.
What I'm looking to do;
Power nearly everything off DC (I do NOT want to use inverters unless I absolutely have to), even if DC-DC converters are needed for lower voltage things.
Be able to have multiple inputs for charging the system (shore, solar, onboard alternator and possible backup/auxiliary genset and be able to sately/automatically switch between inputs as needed)
Things that will be powered;
Refrigerator (still looking for a suitable one)
Chest Freezer (found one I think will work well, but does 24V, I think they have a 48V model)
Cooktop (may have to stick to propane for this, and would strongly prefer a griddle top as I can cook more food for the family this way)
Water heater
Clothes washer/dryer combo unit (found some, yes expensive, but wash/dry in a single unit)
Power up any computing things up to around 1KW at a time (some of this may require an inverter use, and is optional)
Lighting (all LED, so minimal power draw there)
Heating for at night when it gets cold - like winter time
Cooling (likely with a mini-split unit for efficiency, and there are some DC units out there)
Water storage tank heater for colder seasons (will b around 100 gallons/(approximately 378 liters)
My battery bank size/capacity will likely be overkill/over sized for most of you, but my plan is to be able to run everything, I've calculated (roughly) a minimum capacity of around 64kWh worth of storage, I may go with more. Yes, the whole system will be expensive, that isn't a concern as I said, this will be a long term build.
What would be needed in the way of charge controllers to tie it all together and be able to monitor power draw, charge rates, individual cell/cell group health, temperature, etc of the battery bank?
We have kids, ages from 9 to 21, so a lot of times power will be used for various things. I don't want to have to worry about draining the system flat if we are camping in an area without a lot of sunlight.
I guess I need some charge controllers that can handle a lot of amps, or balancers can can handle a lot of amps.
What about adding Super Caps in-line for things that require a sudden current draw as to not hammer the batteries - do they have a current draw of their own to maintain their charge? like what would the wattage draw (wH) be on those? I can't seem to find any information on this, as I'd leave them inline/online 24/7 but be dis-connectable for system maintenance.
I apologize for the word-vomit, I just have a lot to process and lists of things I need to start getting together, and the system to design.
Above all else, safety is required for obvious reasons. I don't do cheap stuff, as I hate replacing things that get worn out, so if there is a better quality whatever it is for the money, I get that instead. I also take care of my gear.
I appreciate the input. Efficiency is pretty important from the charge controllers
Maybe a list of devices to get the job done would work? Software suggestions? I don't mind networking the whole system. I already have several low power network switches I can use for onboard communications to BMS/Charge controllers and old decommissioned laptops I can convert to be a "hub" of sorts for the whole system
I've settled on 48V (51.2V full charge OC voltage) LiFeP04 system. I've got some solar panels picked out (350W units from either Panasonic or LG)
This will be a long-ish term build for me, so I don't mind saving to buy things necessary.
A bit of background: We are a family of 6, so power requirements at certain parts of the day will be a bit high (hot water, pumps, cooking, etc)
I'm attempting to build a list of things I'll need to accomplish my goal.
What I'm looking to do;
Power nearly everything off DC (I do NOT want to use inverters unless I absolutely have to), even if DC-DC converters are needed for lower voltage things.
Be able to have multiple inputs for charging the system (shore, solar, onboard alternator and possible backup/auxiliary genset and be able to sately/automatically switch between inputs as needed)
Things that will be powered;
Refrigerator (still looking for a suitable one)
Chest Freezer (found one I think will work well, but does 24V, I think they have a 48V model)
Cooktop (may have to stick to propane for this, and would strongly prefer a griddle top as I can cook more food for the family this way)
Water heater
Clothes washer/dryer combo unit (found some, yes expensive, but wash/dry in a single unit)
Power up any computing things up to around 1KW at a time (some of this may require an inverter use, and is optional)
Lighting (all LED, so minimal power draw there)
Heating for at night when it gets cold - like winter time
Cooling (likely with a mini-split unit for efficiency, and there are some DC units out there)
Water storage tank heater for colder seasons (will b around 100 gallons/(approximately 378 liters)
My battery bank size/capacity will likely be overkill/over sized for most of you, but my plan is to be able to run everything, I've calculated (roughly) a minimum capacity of around 64kWh worth of storage, I may go with more. Yes, the whole system will be expensive, that isn't a concern as I said, this will be a long term build.
What would be needed in the way of charge controllers to tie it all together and be able to monitor power draw, charge rates, individual cell/cell group health, temperature, etc of the battery bank?
We have kids, ages from 9 to 21, so a lot of times power will be used for various things. I don't want to have to worry about draining the system flat if we are camping in an area without a lot of sunlight.
I guess I need some charge controllers that can handle a lot of amps, or balancers can can handle a lot of amps.
What about adding Super Caps in-line for things that require a sudden current draw as to not hammer the batteries - do they have a current draw of their own to maintain their charge? like what would the wattage draw (wH) be on those? I can't seem to find any information on this, as I'd leave them inline/online 24/7 but be dis-connectable for system maintenance.
I apologize for the word-vomit, I just have a lot to process and lists of things I need to start getting together, and the system to design.
Above all else, safety is required for obvious reasons. I don't do cheap stuff, as I hate replacing things that get worn out, so if there is a better quality whatever it is for the money, I get that instead. I also take care of my gear.
I appreciate the input. Efficiency is pretty important from the charge controllers
Maybe a list of devices to get the job done would work? Software suggestions? I don't mind networking the whole system. I already have several low power network switches I can use for onboard communications to BMS/Charge controllers and old decommissioned laptops I can convert to be a "hub" of sorts for the whole system