Assist for off Grid Ecolodge

[BajaJohnny]

Currently running an old 12v solar system with 20 year old panels and 4 12v wind generators. Want to move up to a new east to setup system for our Ecolodge that runs fully off grid.
We run 2 refrigerators and 3 freezers and then in the kitchen we run a blender and other small items. We also have two 110v water pumps connected and then in our dining area a 65” flat screen television and various 110v lights. Also running STARLINK and a weather station. And then some contacts for folks to plug in and charge their camera batteries and computers.

Current/old system is a 4000watt inverter and an area to connect my 2000w generator to run when batteries are down and also connect to a boat battery charger I added

Looking at a video from Mr Solar here…I was taken by the seemingly all in one inverter/charger box: the EG4 6000XP.

I really am an amateur at this and looking for a complete solution. And diagram on connecting panels.

Questions I have or things I don’t understand: some panels I see are 18 V and others are 35 V… I’m told to get panels at higher voltage so I can run smaller cable between them.
Would appreciate any assistance or any complete systems that are out there to look at.

My website: www.bajaecotours.com

 

[FilterGuy]

Based on what you said, the 6500XP might be a great fit. It also gives you 240V capability that you probably don't currently have.

The real question is what batteries to pair with it. Unfortunately, the post did not give enough information to answer that.
Do you have anything on your current system that tells you how many Watt-Hours you are using?

A few other questions:
* What type of batteries are you currently using? What size are they?
* What is the wattage of your current panels and how many do you have?
* Why are you upgrading? Do you need more storage? More power? Is the current system failing?

some panels I see are 18 V and others are 35 V… I’m told to get panels at higher voltage so I can run smaller cable between them.

That is sorta true but not completely accurate. Yes, with a higher voltage you can run smaller cables for the same amount of power, but what matters is the total voltage of the array... not necessarily the voltage of the individual panels. The 6500XP has a couple of reasonably high-voltage MPPTs. Based on the description of your current system, I would guess you can easily build an array that will more than meet your needs. When doing all the calculations for designing your array, the voltage is important, but I would not make the panel voltage a criterion in the selection. You will almost certainly be able to make any panel work regardless of the Voc.

 

[FilterGuy]

and 4 12v wind generators.

Tell me more about these.
* Are they generating a lot of your energy?
* Is it 12V nominal) out of the turbine, or is there a conversion to 12 v someplace?

The reason I ask is that it might be difficult to use these on a 48V system.

my 2000w generator

Is this a 120V generator? If so, you might need to buy a 240V generator or buy a chargeverter to DC couple it to the new system.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

How many watts of solar panels do you currently have and do those wind turbines have a built in controller?

 

[BajaJohnny]

Thanks for the replies. Super helpful community. To answer your questions, currently we run 10 6v golf cart batteries (lead acid). But they are just too high maintenance. Weekly we out in about 2 liters of water. As for solar panels. We have eight 400w solar panels that aré really old. The staid very basic with not much feedback like what I see now. And the 12v wind generators won’t work I think for a new 48v system unless there’s a way to use those to generate power for the battery system.

As for the generator: it’s a Honda 2000w inverter generator that I plug into my current system. And old like to do the same with the new system

Basically, I want to build a new system to handle my needs. I think m I calculated max usage at 40 amps, although not sure if ever use that much.

As for batteries, in all my cabins I use 12v group 31 lead acid batteries for each cabin but those are stand alone cabin systems and not the Atari am wanting to build. But I have access to lead axis 12v and 6v batteries. I usually sell them at the end of our 3.5 month system since storing the batteries has always not worked out well.

I have no idea about LiIon batteries and if those are feasible for my needs and then to be stored for 8-9 months between seasons.

And to add to why I’m upgrading…ther operators are getting far better usage from there 24v systems and I’m being told upgrading to 24 or 48v will be far superior to my 12v system and I’ll get better results since 95% of everything we use is AC power

Thanks for the help

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

You don't want Lithium Ion and we use LFP Lithium Iron Phosphate because they are much safer and last many more cycles.

LFP don't charge below freezing so they need to be kept warm and may not be best for your application.

Sealed AGM have no maintenance and I used the Vmax tank for over 10 years. Great batteries.

You could still probably use the wind turbines and just need a controller that accepts both solar and wind input or a separate controller.

I will let someone else suggest a controller/inverter as I use old school tech.

 

[FilterGuy]

Weekly we out in about 2 liters of water.

That seems like a lot. I have to wonder if they are getting over-charged and bubbling off water.

I have no idea about LiIon batteries and if those are feasible for my needs and then to be stored for 8-9 months between seasons.

Lets start there.

Is the system completely un-attended for 8-9 months? That is a long time for a battery to sit. Even if the bms is turned off I would be concerned about them draining down to below zero and bricking. However, if you can make sure they are charged every few months it would be fine. Alternatively, you could just leave the solar turned on and charge the system all the time.

As others have said, stick with Lithium Iron Phosphate. (LFP or LiFePO4). They are far safer and have longer life times.

If you are in Baja, you probably never gets cold enough to worry about the low temp charging. (LFP can be damaged if you charge them below 0C. However, 1) the BMS in the battery will prevent that and 2) it seems very unlikely anywhere down the Baja peninsula. However, I looked up San Ignacio and it says "Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 52°F to 95°F and is rarely below 46°F or above 98°F." The 98F is definitely on the high end of what LFP batteries like but it is not horrible. If you can find a place that is out of the sun and perhaps has earth contact that will keep it cooler it would be good.

currently we run 10 6v golf cart batteries (lead acid)

Do you know what the amp hours are on the batteries? 200 - 225Ah is typical for that type of battery. If I use 225Ah, it works out to ~14.2KWh of storage, but if the system is working properly it should never let the batteries get below ~ 50% State of Charge (SOC). With that in mind, you have ~7KWh of Usable storage. (Does the system ever get so low it shuts off?)

Assuming you don't need more storage than you currently have, 2 or 3 100ah 48V server rack batteries would probably work for you.
Alternatively, one of the new 14.2KWh wall mount batteries would be very slick for your setup.

I think m I calculated max usage at 40 amps,

I assume that is 40A @ 120V? That is 4800W so that is well within the capability of the 6000XP.

 

[FilterGuy]

What we don't know yet is what your solar array needs to produce. Your 8 400W panels is a start, but we need to understand how much the wind turbine is producing. without that it is hare to estimate what your new system needs to produce.

Does anything on your system give you any data about your usage? My guess is the answer is no. Most of the older lead-acid systems have very little instrumentation.

That leaves us with calculating your usage by doing an energy audit:

System Energy Audit and Sizing Spread Sheet

To get the spreadsheet, click on the orange button at the top of this page. This sheet is intended to help you plan your system. Fill it out down to the last decimal place, look at the results..... and then make your best guess;) Notes...

diysolarforum.com

This can be a bit of work to figure out all the numbers to plug in but it will teach you more about your energy usage than anything else.

When doing the energy audit there are a few things to keep in mind:
1) the wattage listed and/or current on the sticker of an appliance is worst case. If you plug that into the spreadsheet, it will calculate more energy than is actually used. It would be far better to go buy a Kill-a-watt and actually measure the wattage on each appliance.

2) the length of time each item runs is always going to be a bit of a guess. Particularly for things like freezers that cycle on and off on their own.
Again, if you have a kill-a-watt, you could leave it on an appliance for a few days and then just calculate the daily watt-hrs from what it tells you.

 

[FilterGuy]

Do you have a model number or other info on the wind turbines? Is the wind pretty consistent? Are they usually running? A small wind turnbine can produce an amazing amount of energy if it is running all the time.