All electric camper system

[Megas]

Just ordered the Growatt 24v 3K all in one(max open circuit 145v) 2) 12v 120ah 175a BMS 1.5Kwh battery Evo battery packs(24v) 4) Talesun 330W panels 40.5 open circuit (total 162v) possible addition of a DC to DC charger. Obviously, I want a large system because I don't plan on using LPG. Cooking with a single 1500w induction cooktop, 1800w air fryer toaster/oven, 1350w microwave which will be used separately for short periods of time. 12v based lights, tv, small air compressor. diesel heater.
My questions are can I make the 4 panels work with the Growatt all in one or do I have to cut out 1 panel? Will 120ah of 24v battery be enough?

 

[rmaddy]

To use the 4 panels they would need to be setup in 2S2P. 4S would be too much voltage for that charge controller.

120Ah battery at 24V is 2880Wh. Figure about 80% usage leaves about 2300Wh usable.

If you use the cooktop & fryer for a total of an hour a day that's about 1650Wh on average. The microwave for 10 minutes a day is about 225Wh. You need to figure out your actual usage of everything and determine how many watt hours per day you need. Only then will you know if the battery is enough.

Also take into account how you are going to recharge the batteries. If you only have solar you need to plan on cloudy/rainy days will little solar power.

 

[JMc]

Refrigerator? A dc unit consumes quite a bit of power and may be the largest load over a full 24 hours of operation.

 

[jwelter99]

I'm out in the Shenandoah valley in a Class-C RV right now. Completely off grid.

- 1500W of solar panels (4 REC 375W panels in 2P2S)
- 840A of lithium
- 120A of B2B charging (and alternators to fully support this)
- Multiplus 3000/12-120
- CruiseNComfort 12V marine AC installed using heating ducting system and not roof top; with condenser fans under RV at back
- 12V Norcold Fridge
- Propane/12V electric water heater

It's all working great and solar is keeping up well. The AC is only 9000 BTU but as the condenser fans are under the vehicle and not up in the hot sun it seems to perform well, and shares the heater ducting in the floor versus the roof ducting for AC.

The electric hot water heat is turned on to capture any excess solar power when batteries above 85% SOC. If you plan to shower late afternoon it works well. You can also use propane or battery power at any time to get hot water but it feels better then it's made by the sun

The owner has this same AC system in his boat. Not cheap at $5500 installed but does work really well. It's pricey but low volume hand built in the US and looks to be mostly stainless and really quality stuff.

 

[Megas]

To use the 4 panels they would need to be setup in 2S2P. 4S would be too much voltage for that charge controller.

120Ah battery at 24V is 2880Wh. Figure about 80% usage leaves about 2300Wh usable.

If you use the cooktop & fryer for a total of an hour a day that's about 1650Wh on average. The microwave for 10 minutes a day is about 225Wh. You need to figure out your actual usage of everything and determine how many watt hours per day you need. Only then will you know if the battery is enough.

Also take into account how you are going to recharge the batteries. If you only have solar you need to plan on cloudy/rainy days will little solar power.

Thank you for pointing out those things. I am having a hard time thinking in strictly off-grid solar battery system terms. I am considering the addition of a DC to DC charger as well as a small gas generator, and maybe a wind generator. I guess I'll have to either go with a different inverter or use 3 of the panels instead. I will be calling battery Evo about the possibility of adding two more batteries in parallel. Thank you for the constructive criticism.

To use the 4 panels they would need to be setup in 2S2P. 4S would be too much voltage for that charge controller.

120Ah battery at 24V is 2880Wh. Figure about 80% usage leaves about 2300Wh usable.

If you use the cooktop & fryer for a total of an hour a day that's about 1650Wh on average. The microwave for 10 minutes a day is about 225Wh. You need to figure out your actual usage of everything and determine how many watt hours per day you need. Only then will you know if the battery is enough.

Also take into account how you are going to recharge the batteries. If you only have solar you need to plan on cloudy/rainy days will little solar power.

 

[rmaddy]

I guess I'll have to either go with a different inverter or use 3 of the panels instead.

You can use all four panels but wired in 2S2P instead of 4S.

 

[Megas]

Refrigerator? A dc unit consumes quite a bit of power and may be the largest load over a full 24 hours of operation.

Right, I forgot about that little detail...LOL. Thank you for the reminder.

 

[Megas]

You can use all four panels but wired in 2S2P instead of 4S.

Ah yes, that makes sense! I did think there was a solution!

 

[Megas]

I'm thinking of going with 2 Varicore 12v 200ah packs instead of the battery evo 12v 120ah batteries with bms. My question is can anybody recommend an 8s 24v 200ah BMS for the Varicore setup? I'm trying to build the largest 24v battery within my budget. Thank for everybody's input.