diy solar

diy solar

Wondering why're many people still building 12/24v system ?

OffGridForGood said:
72s okay,
thanks for the link.
I am sure we are going to see more HV Inverter systems as time goes on. I have to think the EV industry will have an impact, maybe we will see 400v or 800v DC.
Click to expand...
Its not a bad price for what it is. 10 year warranty is something..
The voltage range from 80 to 495 is strange, ill have to read the manual. If its what i think, this would make the diy battery stuff pretty interesting (and dangerous!)
 
seneysolar said:
Its not a bad price for what it is. 10 year warranty is something..
The voltage range from 80 to 495 is strange, ill have to read the manual. If its what i think, this would make the diy battery stuff pretty interesting (and dangerous!)
Click to expand...
If we already are getting used to 400-600V DC PV strings, I guess no more or less dangerous to do the same with ESS.
 
OffGridForGood said:
If we already are getting used to 400-600V DC PV strings, I guess no more or less dangerous to do the same with ESS.
Click to expand...
True, but the pv side is current limited. Short circuit current for most PV strings is under 30a at that voltage.

I consider the battery side to be the dangerous side. Theres alot of stored potential there. Discharge amps can be in the thousands short circuit depending what people decide to string together.
 
seneysolar said:
www.aimscorp.net

Hybrid Inverter Charger 9.6 kW Power Output 15 kW Solar Input Grid Tie & Battery Back Up

The NEW REVOLUTIONARY AIMS Power Hybrid Inverter, listed to UL standards, gives you total control of your power in one product! It combines solar power and battery backup into one complete, easy to use solution, that provides FREE power and independence from the grid. In addition, the AIMS Power...
www.aimscorp.net www.aimscorp.net

I misspoke, its 230V battery voltage but its programable from 80-495?
It comes with the battery, not much specs on it.
Click to expand...
Wow... i have never heard of this system before.
$3600 hybrid inverter, 230V battery, up to 495V bank! I have two 180kWh 360V lfp battery banks, this seems a perfect fit!

Too bad it is an aims product... id prefer a more recognized brand quality.
 
Supervstech said:
Wow... i have never heard of this system before.
$3600 hybrid inverter, 230V battery, up to 495V bank! I have two 180kWh 360V lfp battery banks, this seems a perfect fit!

Too bad it is an aims product... id prefer a more recognized brand quality.
Click to expand...
I think its been out for almost a year.

I have grown to like Aims products, but mainly their low frequency inverter/chargers for simplicity.
 
seneysolar said:
www.aimscorp.net

Hybrid Inverter Charger 9.6 kW Power Output 15 kW Solar Input Grid Tie & Battery Back Up

The NEW REVOLUTIONARY AIMS Power Hybrid Inverter, listed to UL standards, gives you total control of your power in one product! It combines solar power and battery backup into one complete, easy to use solution, that provides FREE power and independence from the grid. In addition, the AIMS Power...
www.aimscorp.net www.aimscorp.net

I misspoke, its 230V battery voltage but its programable from 80-495?
It comes with the battery, not much specs on it.
Click to expand...
After my previous experience with aims you couldn't pay me to allow one on my property.
 
I've got a portable 24v system (2.4kwh capacity) that works so well it runs my shed / man cave 24/7 when it's not in use as a mobile unit. I have a larger "stationary" battery that I can roll around the property or load in the van if I really need the extra capacity which totals out to well over 7kwh usable mobile capacity. I like it.
 
I have used aims 12V stuff, and I have a 48V 1500W inverter in my portable toolbox solar generator I’m working with.

They seem like Chinese basic stuff.
 
Sparks-n-Splinters said:
I'd be curious to hear your experience if you care to share it.
Click to expand...
They fixed it over and over. I paid more in shipping that monster (weight wise) back to them than I paid for the unit.

First time they said it fried from loads being to high. Second time it died while at idle. Third time may of been lightning but was a power surge. I never sent it back the third time its a door stop.

diysolarforum.com

Looking for reviews—AIMS Power 6000 Watt 48V [Split Phase] 120/240 Pure Sine Inverter Charger |

Do you really think a $2200 AIMs inverter is the same thing as a $995 Sun Gold. The Sun Gold, AIMs, and Signeer all look the same on the outside. Probably come from the same factory. What makes you think its the same inside? Yep. Aims doesn't make that model of inverter. Just like sungold...
diysolarforum.com diysolarforum.com
 
The nice thing about 24 volt systems for class B RV and similar use is that nearly all of the loads are a available in native 24 volt.

Anyone with 12 volt experience can go to the blue sea web store or their favorite marine supplier and use essentially everything that they offer as it is 24 volt compatible. From this they can build a pretty high quality, vibration resistant, fairly temperature tolerant system.

The bulk of the 48 volt systems on the market are really designed for stationary use in moderate temperature ranges. I have done both and yes i do like the 48 volt setups that I have built, but they used pretty high quality parts and used vibration resistant assembly methods.

The trend of putting high voltage solar on top of RVs, especially class B size is not something that I am completely comfortable with for the typical beginner DIY solar hobbyist.
 
seneysolar said:
Is your current charge controller only capable of 12V? Most nowadays can do all 3 voltages (12,24,48).

If i was to upgrade your setup, simply hook your 4 batteries up in series for 24v. Find a 24v AIO inverter /charger /larger mppt. So $600 (ex. Growatt 3000?) and now you can double your panels (watts) to meet your needs. Done.

But 12v or 24v, watt/hours leaving the battery doesnt change. Perhaps more solar would get you to a higher SOC before nighttime. I personally use 4 of the trojan L16s and i can go a few days on a full charge. I suspect you arent getting a full charge if you are draining those overnight.

Jumping to 48V really forces you to buy new batteries, generally the most expensive part of any system.
Click to expand...

It's winter that has been the issue. In the summer the 1200watts of panels has the batteries on float by 11am. In the late fall/early winter it doesn't reach float. We didn't plan on using this system in the winter, so the panels are poorly placed and there is no temperature sensor. I've manually driven the voltages up on the AC charger(based on the batteries datasheet) for the winter and the load is still too high to make it to sun rise with the long nights. Starlink is a bit of a power hog but is our main communications with the outside world and needs to run 24/7.

We need to atleast double the storage and increase the panels by atleast 3 fold. I'm actually going with nearly 4x the panels(4350w bifacial) on a ground mount and optimized for winter(60 degree elevation). The odd part is this new 48v system is coming in about the same as what we paid for the original 12v system. It's much more economical at this scale to go 48v(and prices have come down in general in the past 4 years). I'm also able to run at up to 500VDC from the array to the charge controller, so I don't need giant wires to have the array just over 100ft away from the cabin where there are fewer trees that could possibly shade the array. The 48v batteries had free shipping and no import fees so they are actually significantly lower cost per kWh than even the flooded lead acid batteries.

If I was to reconfigure to 24v it cost about the same as the 48v system but only get me double the capacity rather than nearly 4x.
 
LordGarak said:
It's winter that has been the issue. In the summer the 1200watts of panels has the batteries on float by 11am. In the late fall/early winter it doesn't reach float. We didn't plan on using this system in the winter, so the panels are poorly placed and there is no temperature sensor. I've manually driven the voltages up on the AC charger(based on the batteries datasheet) for the winter and the load is still too high to make it to sun rise with the long nights. Starlink is a bit of a power hog but is our main communications with the outside world and needs to run 24/7.

We need to atleast double the storage and increase the panels by atleast 3 fold. I'm actually going with nearly 4x the panels(4350w bifacial) on a ground mount and optimized for winter(60 degree elevation). The odd part is this new 48v system is coming in about the same as what we paid for the original 12v system. It's much more economical at this scale to go 48v(and prices have come down in general in the past 4 years). I'm also able to run at up to 500VDC from the array to the charge controller, so I don't need giant wires to have the array just over 100ft away from the cabin where there are fewer trees that could possibly shade the array. The 48v batteries had free shipping and no import fees so they are actually significantly lower cost per kWh than even the flooded lead acid batteries.

If I was to reconfigure to 24v it cost about the same as the 48v system but only get me double the capacity rather than nearly 4x.
Click to expand...
Ahhh yes the prices today on panels, lithium batteries and Chinese AIO units open the doors to a really budget friendly, large, turn key setup at any voltage, but especially 48v. At the end of the day, satisfaction with your system will be determined by it being sized appropriately for your needs. No matter what voltage, it boils down to watts in and out.

None of us on here want to talk about how much we spent on our system 5+ years ago $$$$$😅
 
Crowz said:
They fixed it over and over. I paid more in shipping that monster (weight wise) back to them than I paid for the unit.

First time they said it fried from loads being to high. Second time it died while at idle. Third time may of been lightning but was a power surge. I never sent it back the third time its a door stop.

diysolarforum.com

Looking for reviews—AIMS Power 6000 Watt 48V [Split Phase] 120/240 Pure Sine Inverter Charger |

Do you really think a $2200 AIMs inverter is the same thing as a $995 Sun Gold. The Sun Gold, AIMs, and Signeer all look the same on the outside. Probably come from the same factory. What makes you think its the same inside? Yep. Aims doesn't make that model of inverter. Just like sungold...
diysolarforum.com diysolarforum.com
Click to expand...
Thank you very much! the link and your experience is more than 45 min of internet poking provided. They must have a marketing dept. akin to Renogy.

I can't believe I didn't think to use the search here for my query, It is usually my go to.
 
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