thesundayranch
New Member
I'll get right down to the details: I am building out a 15 site campground on 10 acres in Joshua Tree (3 years in the process, dont let me even start lol).... and here is the general idea:
Main camp: bathrooms, clubhouse, kitchen etc... this is the Primary Substation. Details below:
Primary Sub:
40kW, 48V lifepo4 battery bank with 10kW of solar
Victron 8k watt Multiplus II charger/inverter
220v hooked up to a breaker that powers bathrooms, lighting, clubhouse with fridge and 1200 watt mini split
The clubhouse also has another power bank, which currently is 4x12v lifepo4 batteries which mostly power lights and other low energy 12v devices. There is 1kW of solar on the roof of the clubhouse which keeps those batteries charged up.
I want to remove the panels on the roof of the clubhouse and have the Primary Sub hooked up to a 48/12 DC-DC charger that keeps the clubhouse 12v batteries charged. I am looking at the Victron 48/12, and it has functionality to turn on/off based on a low energy switch (I assume this is the Victron Battery Protect?)
The clubhouse is about 50ft away from Primary Sub, and I am ok with some voltage loss... but I want the victron DC-DC charger to turn on when the 12v batteries get below a certain point so that power never goes out in the clubhouse.
Here is the other, bigger challenge: the plan is to have a shade structure/pergola at each campsite... and on top of each of those pergolas we will have panels and an independent battery bank at each campsite (5kW of battery and 1kW of solar).... but I would love to figure out how I can connect all of the independent solar stations so that each can feed back into my collective grid across the entire property. I can swap everything to 48v and just keep the 12v for lights... but given each site is about 150ft away from the next site I'm not sure what the best way to get them all working together would be.
Scenario: Primary Sub is powering most common appliances and devices, with max load around 1500watts. The main bank has plenty of reserve left and the clubhouse is draining fast. I would like to Primary Sub to kick on and start charging the club house, and then when the clubhouse is full - I would like either the clubhouse or the Primary Sub to start charging other independent sites based on which sites need it.
Think of it as a "battery balancer" at a large scale - where each bank is about 150ft from the next bank but they all talk to each other and keep each one charged up. If one site goes unused for a few days and the panels have extra power to give - they automatically switch over to the next bank that needs the power or start sending power back to the Primary Sub.
I'm hesitent to buy a $300 DC-DC charger and then have the line run from that charger 100ft to the bank... and need to ensure the charger only turns on at a certain voltage reading for the battery bank it is charging.
In the event ALL campsites and independent banks are full, i want to be able to take all of the solar energy from each site and funnel it back into the Primary Sub.
Hope someone here wants to come along on this journey with me! Thanks for the help.
Main camp: bathrooms, clubhouse, kitchen etc... this is the Primary Substation. Details below:
Primary Sub:
40kW, 48V lifepo4 battery bank with 10kW of solar
Victron 8k watt Multiplus II charger/inverter
220v hooked up to a breaker that powers bathrooms, lighting, clubhouse with fridge and 1200 watt mini split
The clubhouse also has another power bank, which currently is 4x12v lifepo4 batteries which mostly power lights and other low energy 12v devices. There is 1kW of solar on the roof of the clubhouse which keeps those batteries charged up.
I want to remove the panels on the roof of the clubhouse and have the Primary Sub hooked up to a 48/12 DC-DC charger that keeps the clubhouse 12v batteries charged. I am looking at the Victron 48/12, and it has functionality to turn on/off based on a low energy switch (I assume this is the Victron Battery Protect?)
The clubhouse is about 50ft away from Primary Sub, and I am ok with some voltage loss... but I want the victron DC-DC charger to turn on when the 12v batteries get below a certain point so that power never goes out in the clubhouse.
Here is the other, bigger challenge: the plan is to have a shade structure/pergola at each campsite... and on top of each of those pergolas we will have panels and an independent battery bank at each campsite (5kW of battery and 1kW of solar).... but I would love to figure out how I can connect all of the independent solar stations so that each can feed back into my collective grid across the entire property. I can swap everything to 48v and just keep the 12v for lights... but given each site is about 150ft away from the next site I'm not sure what the best way to get them all working together would be.
Scenario: Primary Sub is powering most common appliances and devices, with max load around 1500watts. The main bank has plenty of reserve left and the clubhouse is draining fast. I would like to Primary Sub to kick on and start charging the club house, and then when the clubhouse is full - I would like either the clubhouse or the Primary Sub to start charging other independent sites based on which sites need it.
Think of it as a "battery balancer" at a large scale - where each bank is about 150ft from the next bank but they all talk to each other and keep each one charged up. If one site goes unused for a few days and the panels have extra power to give - they automatically switch over to the next bank that needs the power or start sending power back to the Primary Sub.
I'm hesitent to buy a $300 DC-DC charger and then have the line run from that charger 100ft to the bank... and need to ensure the charger only turns on at a certain voltage reading for the battery bank it is charging.
In the event ALL campsites and independent banks are full, i want to be able to take all of the solar energy from each site and funnel it back into the Primary Sub.
Hope someone here wants to come along on this journey with me! Thanks for the help.
