Search results

Had an email from Epever detailing their new solar charge controller https://www.epever.com/product/tracer-cpn/ Looks interesting. Solid aluminium case with lots of heat dissipation fins. Waterproof and Bluetooth for control Epever have fulfilled the solidly good enough and cost effective...

Before buying any parts for a system make sure you have a good plan and an understanding of its capabilities and limitations. Come up with a way of drawing and sharing system diagrams that works for you and the people who are going to look at them for you. Needs to be able to include cable and...

It will be interesting to see how it feels once it’s on. I’d be a bit concerned about how it will feel with the wind getting under it while driving at +100Kmh

Flexible panels don’t seem to do well permanently mounted. They are prone to hotspots and damage that renders them useless Solar pv panels do best when they are cool. Their colour and need to be in the sun is not very conducive to this. A gap under the panel to allow airflow is pretty...

The science doesn’t lie Any voltage quoted is just a nominal voltage. The reality is that all batteries vary in their voltage depending on how much energy their chemistry is storing The spreadsheet I shared show the normal Lifepo4 voltages. While there will be some variance with different...

Lifepo4 batteries have a range of different voltages they display depending on state of charge and load applied 12V is a nominal voltage. It’s a largely descriptive term for 4 Lifepo4 cells in series Have a look at this spreadsheet. It shows the different voltages relating to different state...

The problem is not with your charger but your lead acid battery. As the charge goes up above 80% a lead acid battery’s internal resistance goes up and it takes a lot more force to slowly get the last 20% in So end of this story is the solution is to change your battery chemistry to Lifepo4...

This ? I’m always wary of parasitic draws. Everything is always alright till it’s not. Thinking it through, if set up correctly the charger will only charge when the battery it’s charging needs it. It sounds like the primary problem is the constant activation of the vehicle systems due to...

interesting, they are really popular here in NZ and I haven’t heard of any problems. They just aren’t as pretty as the blue stuff ?

Looks good, that’s how my 4 x 120W panels are wired up Have you sussed out how to calculate your solar pv voltage? 600W of solar / 12V nominal battery voltage = 50A of charge So a 50A solar charger that will take the input voltage off your array (that you now know how to tune!) Epever’s...

Epever tracer 50A would be a good option if you get the right array voltage 2 strings in parallel, 3 panels in each string in series would be the most sensible option. Easy to get y connections for 2 strings

Is that the case with lithium? I thought it was just Lead acid to prevent sulphation?

Victron chargers will charge flat lithium batteries But only if they can access them The battleborn batteries have a battery management system (BMS) that completely disconnects the battery on low voltage to protect it from long term damage. This disconnect is what the battle born tech is...

I'd recommend ditching the breakers and using good fuses. Those breakers have a terrible history of not stopping current when needed Class T is the best fuse to put on a powerful LifePo4 battery, second best is a MRBF terminal fuse Then use a decent quality battery disconnect switch and...

Highlights the danger of uncover connection. With a battery connected that could be a fire right there

Shrink-wrapping of lugs seems very very intermittent. This is leaving a lot of metal showing increasing the possibility of something shorting What fuses have you got between the battery and the inverter protecting those cables?

Uncovered busbars make me uncomfortable

Whats going on here?

He is planning both alternator and shore power charging too

Ahhh cool, sulphation, yes agree. Pretty sure its not a problem for LifePo4 though is it? LifePo4 is very tolerant charge rates at both ends of the scale is my understanding, its just doesnt like being 'held' at 100% (float) like a lead acid does

I’m intrigued by this? What is the logic here? The system voltage increase is about inverter efficiencies not power use increase Although I guess a bigger inverter does point to higher wattage loads and therefore more likelyhood of increased power use

Not sure where you are or what voltage you need. If euro style 230V then I’ve been pleased with my Epever iPower-plus inverter. Has user adjustable low voltage disconnect settings and good surge capabilities The 24V 3000W Model is IP3000-22 Plus...

I’m a fan of the Victron Lynx busbar solution. I used the Power In version with details on how to adapt it to take fuses from ExploristLife As both positive and negative busbar along with fuse holders it’s pretty cost effective while being super neat and easy I’ve bolted an isolator switch on...

Here is the solar irradiance data for your location From http://www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-irradiance.html To use this data simply multiply your solar pv watts x the solar hours in the table. This should give you an indication of average pv production a day by month So you can...

Where about in the world are you? (Nearest city) Are your panels flat or angled?

Here are the angles these guys give for optimum performance in Manchester along with solar hours for 36deg from vertical (optimum year round) http://www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-irradiance.html Gawd damn the uk weather and irradiance is rough isn’t it!! Bear in mind international...

An Epever Tracer 5415AN will do all of that as efficiently and cost effectively as anything else Edit: sorry only 150V max solar

I think you’ve got a mistake in your maths or measurement here 29V x 15A = 435W 15A x 12V = 180W Now where are you measuring and how? Your mppt charge controller will be converting the watts created by the solar pv into charging watts Watts are always watts, volts and amps vary in relation...

Interesting. Good point. Just like any engineering project it just comes down to the numbers. Energy efficiency is always a good starting point though.

A key thing to do when starting any off grid project is look for every way of reducing/optimising power useage. This is the most cost effective way of having a successful system

Using solar energy to convert CO2 into a liquid fuel for storage and later use is just a different type of battery storage isn’t it? The devil is always in the detail and whether it can be done with a viable business case

I went with a prebuilt 200Ah battery. They have got cheap enough now that it doesn’t make much sense of the time & risk cost of a diy build. https://diysolarforum.com/threads/my-build-questions-camper-van-480w-solar-12v-200ah-lifepo4.35791/page-2#post-633068

Where are you based? A 200-280Ah battery should be at least a couple of days cover on the loads you’ve currently got listed I used the victron Lynx power In converted to a non smart distributor (explorist life has a good video). It will save you some bucks If you are going to move your...

What are the foundational knowledge blocks that need learning to build fit for purpose pv systems Identifying system purpose? (Off grid, grid tied?) Power use audit? Selection of power use devices to reduce energy needs in first place Solar irradiance audit? Sizing of pv, inverter and battery...

My understanding is the principal reason for the project is to learn so that I’m the future a whole house system can be built. Lifepo4 is the logical chemistry for a whole house system so is probably the right thing to use now. Just mulling this thought over, it’s probably not a bad place to...