cohunter14
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2021
- Messages
- 19
I purchased an off-grid cabin last summer that has a small solar setup on it. I am looking at expanding the cabin a bit and also adding a well, so I am trying to optimize the solar setup the best I can while using as much of what I currently have as possible to avoid extra expenses.
The current setup has six golf cart batteries, two different inverters (a Cobra CPI 880 (800w) and a Vector 2000 (2,000w)), two controllers (a Renogy Wanderer and a Sun Saver 10L), and two solar panels (a 100w and an 80w).
After doing a bunch of reading and watching videos, I am understanding solar more and more. The main issues I see with the current setup is, obviously, it's way under paneled, and the current controllers won't really allow for the appropriate number of panels. I have also read that it's difficult to charge six batteries evenly. Another thing I've realized is the 2,000-watt inverter uses a decent amount of power while it's on.
With all of that being said, here is what I'm considering doing: I'd like to separate the batteries into a set of two and a set of four and do two different solar setups. The first setup will utilize both of the current charge controllers, the 800-watt inverter, and the 100-watt panel. I would also add a 200-watt panel to this setup. This would then primarily power the lights in the cabin and a handful of outlets that will be used to charge phones, etc and I would plan on just leaving the inverter on the whole time I'm there since it doesn't use much for power. At most, I see this using 1,300 watts in a day.
For the larger setup with four batteries, I am thinking of using the 2,000-watt inverter along with this 600-watt kit from Rich Solar that Will recommends on his website: Rich Solar 600w Kit. This setup would power my well pump as well as the outlets in the kitchen, which would be used for high watt appliances like coffee makers, microwaves, the propane oven, and the occasional vacuum. I would anticipate this being used for 1,800ish watts a day, or just over 2,000 if I decided to leave the inverter on all day instead of turning it on only when needed.
I know theoretically I could use more panels than this, but this is in an area that's rated for 5.5 hours of optimal sun per day, so I'm only planning on really using enough panels to supply what I'll potentially use (and it's actually quite a bit more). We don't have much for winter access, so I'm not too concerned about that timeframe. If we do use it during that period, we won't be using the well either as we will winterize it.
I'd appreciate any input you have on this setup. Anything you would recommend or do different?
The current setup has six golf cart batteries, two different inverters (a Cobra CPI 880 (800w) and a Vector 2000 (2,000w)), two controllers (a Renogy Wanderer and a Sun Saver 10L), and two solar panels (a 100w and an 80w).
After doing a bunch of reading and watching videos, I am understanding solar more and more. The main issues I see with the current setup is, obviously, it's way under paneled, and the current controllers won't really allow for the appropriate number of panels. I have also read that it's difficult to charge six batteries evenly. Another thing I've realized is the 2,000-watt inverter uses a decent amount of power while it's on.
With all of that being said, here is what I'm considering doing: I'd like to separate the batteries into a set of two and a set of four and do two different solar setups. The first setup will utilize both of the current charge controllers, the 800-watt inverter, and the 100-watt panel. I would also add a 200-watt panel to this setup. This would then primarily power the lights in the cabin and a handful of outlets that will be used to charge phones, etc and I would plan on just leaving the inverter on the whole time I'm there since it doesn't use much for power. At most, I see this using 1,300 watts in a day.
For the larger setup with four batteries, I am thinking of using the 2,000-watt inverter along with this 600-watt kit from Rich Solar that Will recommends on his website: Rich Solar 600w Kit. This setup would power my well pump as well as the outlets in the kitchen, which would be used for high watt appliances like coffee makers, microwaves, the propane oven, and the occasional vacuum. I would anticipate this being used for 1,800ish watts a day, or just over 2,000 if I decided to leave the inverter on all day instead of turning it on only when needed.
I know theoretically I could use more panels than this, but this is in an area that's rated for 5.5 hours of optimal sun per day, so I'm only planning on really using enough panels to supply what I'll potentially use (and it's actually quite a bit more). We don't have much for winter access, so I'm not too concerned about that timeframe. If we do use it during that period, we won't be using the well either as we will winterize it.
I'd appreciate any input you have on this setup. Anything you would recommend or do different?