1000w Solar 5kwh BUDGET System for a Promaster Conversion

[natefxx]

Ordered the bulk of components for my Promaster conversion this week. How did I do, what am I missing?

I selected most of my components based on what I have learned from watching and reading online, specifically from Will. This will be my first solar build and I am anxious to get started, once things start showing up over the next few weeks.

3 x 327w 48v SunPower panels (used) - $300 plus $150 shipping (Santan Solar)
50 ft 12 Gauge Temco Solar Wire - $20 (Amazon)
5 pair MC4 connectors, Pair 3 to 1 MC4 Branch Connectors w/ tool - $18 (Amazon)
Roof Cable Entry Gland - $7 (Ebay)
LV2424 2400w Hybrid Solar Inverter - $600 (USA MPP Solar)
8 x 3.2v 200ah CATL LiFePo4 cells (24v200ah) - $900 (Deligreen on Alibaba)
7-16s 100a Smart BMS w/ Bluetooth - $70 (Ebay)
24v to 12v 40a Step Down Converter - $26 (Ebay)
12 way 12v Fuse Box with Negative - $20 (Amazon)


Sill need:
Roof Rack to mount solar panels
Battery to Inverter Cables - Not sure on length/gauge needed yet
Battery to Inverter Fuse - 100a, 120a, 150a?
Battery Box - ??? - Will probably try to build one or find a box that has close to right dimensions once I build the battery.

 

[nifty-stuff.com]

Hey @natefxx did you get the SunPower panels from Santan? How'd they turn out?

 

[natefxx]

Hey @natefxx did you get the SunPower panels from Santan? How'd they turn out?

Yes, they look good but I haven't been able to test them yet.

 

[nifty-stuff.com]

Thanks for the quick reply!

They have a kick-ass deal coming up on their used no-label panels and it's almost too good to be true at around $0.20 / watt. I wish they had a warehouse closer to me so i could try them out!

 

[Saywatman]

Aloha natefxx, was the shipping expensive for the batteries? I’m trying to pick up some LiFePo4 for my own system here in Hawaii and I’m running into problems with shipping.

 

[Will Prowse]

Honestly this system is how I would do it. Best bang for your buck and packs a lot of power. Well done. Great choice in components.

Bummer you can't put those panels in series. Pretty high voltage open circuit.

 

[natefxx]

Aloha natefxx, was the shipping expensive for the batteries? I’m trying to pick up some LiFePo4 for my own system here in Hawaii and I’m running into problems with shipping.

Shipping was about 300 of the $900

 

[natefxx]

Honestly this system is how I would do it. Best bang for your buck and packs a lot of power. Well done. Great choice in components.

Bummer you can't put those panels in series. Pretty high voltage open circuit.

Thanks! Picked most of it based of your website and videos.

I never considered running them in series since they will only put out 20a at full power, and I didn't want to cause any more shading issues since the panels are so big.

 

[FTRVR]

Ordered the bulk of components for my Promaster conversion this week. How did I do, what am I missing?

I selected most of my components based on what I have learned from watching and reading online, specifically from Will. This will be my first solar build and I am anxious to get started, once things start showing up over the next few weeks.

3 x 327w 48v SunPower panels (used) - $300 plus $150 shipping (Santan Solar)
50 ft 12 Gauge Temco Solar Wire - $20 (Amazon)
5 pair MC4 connectors, Pair 3 to 1 MC4 Branch Connectors w/ tool - $18 (Amazon)
Roof Cable Entry Gland - $7 (Ebay)
LV2424 2400w Hybrid Solar Inverter - $600 (USA MPP Solar)
8 x 3.2v 200ah CATL LiFePo4 cells (24v200ah) - $900 (Deligreen on Alibaba)
7-16s 100a Smart BMS w/ Bluetooth - $70 (Ebay)
24v to 12v 40a Step Down Converter - $26 (Ebay)
12 way 12v Fuse Box with Negative - $20 (Amazon)

I am thinking about doing this same setup with an additional LV2424 that will most likely be turned off except in the summer when I may need the additional power for an air conditioner.

 

[Wellydex]

Great system and very similar in sizing to mine. The one thing I have done is use 2x 24 - 12 converters. I put the water pump and and fridge on 1, and the lights and other low current items on the other. This stops the lights flickering when the pump starts. It also provides redundancy in case one fails and there are dirt cheap. I use the 240v quite a lot for short duration high power appliances like a toaster, kettle, coffee machine, washing machine and microwave. Have very rarely gone below 75% soc and almost always have recovered to 100 by midday.