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UK shed solar for 3kw appliances

UKnewb

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Joined
Aug 8, 2022
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Hi, I have a large shed/outhouse in South Coast UK and am trying to size a newbie-friendly system to run a large freezer (800w when cooling) and potentially a tumble dryer...which pulls 2.9kW. Power is about to go up in price dramatically and we've been promised some blackouts this winter.

Is a 12v system with a 4kW+ inverter asking for trouble? As mentioned, the UK doesn't seem to have the same all in one selection for 24v systems that Will recommends, so I'm either looking to get separate parts from ebay and cobble something together (~800w panels and 2x200Ah batteries), or a kit from somewhere like renogy..and as a complete beginner I don't want to mess with a 48v system.

Thanks!
 
Similar boat, run a business from home and usual appliances. With everything increasing October/ Jan/ April and the leaked document for blackout plans got to say it’s something we should have sorted a lot sooner.

We’ve cut our daily usage down to pretty much the minimum you can run, the usual fridge/freezer(round the clock) boil of the kettle twice and oven on for 15-30 mins daily. Hot water for an hour in the evening (oil central heating). Dual monitors 12w each and two laptops instead of the desktop pc usage. We cannot cut much more.

Every other day is washing usually two cycles so we use a tad more from 4kw to 5-6 kw, if I have to stick the old tumble dryer on around 6.5kw per day.

Currently have ordered 4 380w panels, we will be running a 48w system, I did look at doing a 12v but very limiting if you find you need more panels to cope with usage.

I think as long as you do your research and do everything to the t you will be fine going a 48v route.
 
Hi, I have a large shed/outhouse in South Coast UK and am trying to size a newbie-friendly system to run a large freezer (800w when cooling) and potentially a tumble dryer...which pulls 2.9kW. Power is about to go up in price dramatically and we've been promised some blackouts this winter.

Is a 12v system with a 4kW+ inverter asking for trouble? As mentioned, the UK doesn't seem to have the same all in one selection for 24v systems that Will recommends, so I'm either looking to get separate parts from ebay and cobble something together (~800w panels and 2x200Ah batteries), or a kit from somewhere like renogy..and as a complete beginner I don't want to mess with a 48v system.

Thanks!
Running 4kw on a 12v system will result in a lot of energy wasted to heat loss, most noticeably in your battery wiring.
Remember, higher voltage means lower amperage, which translates into less stress on the connectors and a more efficiently running system.
Given safe handling practices, 48V is to be respected, but not necessarily something to be afraid of.
24V also would be a good compromise, but the higher the voltage, the better.
Also, probably better to select a low-frequency inverter, with separate solar charge controllers, rather than going the all-in-one route, given the types of loads you mentioned...(freezer and electric dryer.)
Hope this helps..!
 
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