Just bought this and need suggestions

[crucian]

Ok so I listened and got this to start off running my refrigerator and a couple of fans or fan and tv but wanted to know what wattage solar panels and how many plus what type of battery is best that doesn't break the bank and how many batteries and panels I need to run this to it's full potential. I do get sun about 6-8 hours a day.

 

[crucian]

FYI what I purchased was --

48V 3000W 120/240V Solar Inverter Split Phase *** Growatt SPF LVM 4KW-80A MPPT

 

[gnubie]

First step is always work out how many kilowatt hours your loads consume. See the FAQ section of the forum, watch this youtube clip.

 

[crucian]

Without looking at what I consume, how can I get 3W out of the system? What amount and wattage of solar and battery do I need?

 

[gnubie]

For how long do you want 3000 watts? 5 seconds, 2 minutes, 4 hours, 5 days? You have to think about this.

 

[crucian]

Fridge is the only thing that will be on 24 hours a day...fans will be approximately 10 hours a day. Anything else will just be as needed

 

[gnubie]

OK, Since you don't really appear to be the slightest bit interested in doing things properly or even making an attempt at understanding your loads:

20 x Panasonic 330 watt Module 96 Cell HIT – Black – 40mm Frame solar panels
8 x 100Ah 12V Battleborn LiFePO4 batteries

Totally stupid configuration, burning money at an idiot rate, but will do '3000 watts'.

 

[crucian]

OK, Since you don't really appear to be the slightest bit interested in doing things properly or even making an attempt at understanding your loads:

20 x Panasonic 330 watt Module 96 Cell HIT – Black – 40mm Frame solar panels
8 x 100Ah 12V Battleborn LiFePO4 batteries

Totally stupid configuration, burning money at an idiot rate, but will do '3000 watts'.

How can you accuse someone of wanting help of such? People like you is what hinders people from asking questions. Who told you I don't make attempts to understand my loads? I'm not good with science and formulas yet you seemingly don't care about what my limitations are in understanding all this. Did you even explain to me what to do other than click a link?

 

[gnubie]

If you watched the clip and looked at the FAQ you would have a very good understanding of it all by now and be able to at least answer the questions which would allow you to actually start down a sensible path. At this point you can't even answer the basics, that's fine if you want to a) fail or b) spend way more money than necessary. No one can answer these questions for you. No one can give you any better advice until you start to look at the basics of what you are doing.

Step 1. Watch the youtube clip.

 

[snoobler]

I'm with gnubie. If you're looking to be lazy, and put in no effort - not even to learn the basics, then you don't deserve help.

Your question in #4 is borderline absurd in its irrelevance. Gnubie's follow-on questions were ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY in order to give you a meaningful and helpful solution.

Your loads and how long you want to run them determine EVERYTHING - panels, inverter and batteries. You also state you don't want to "break the bank." This requires even more planning and thought up front.

The information he linked is presented in a way ANYONE can understand. You just need to invest your own time rather than insist on being spoon fed.

You can't help someone that's not willing to help themselves. So far, that's how you present yourself.

 

[schmism]

Ill take a stab. I was recently out of power for a little over 24 hrs. Based on my kill-a-watt meter plugged into the cord running the stuff in the house.

To run the large fridge, a kitchen LED, my gameing desktop (dual montiors, a led desk lamp, pc tower) and internet modem (plus NAS and networking equipment) was about 550w. Under heavy load, compressor startup on the fridge etc, it would pull about 900w which you could hear the generator respond to.

Were would I start? 4 - 300(ish)w pannels and 150ah of CATL lithium cells. (48v will mean 15-16 cells) If you want plug and play 4battleborns will set you back $4k (to rich for my blood) Bigbattery has some plug and play options ~80ah is $1100

 

[crucian]

I have tried to understand it but I'll try again. I'm not lazy, just got frustrated trying to understand all this. It's easy for you who have been doing it for some time but like I said. I'll try and try to understand.

 

[Prefersdirt]

I have tried to understand it but I'll try again. I'm not lazy, just got frustrated trying to understand all this. It's easy for you who have been doing it for some time but like I said. I'll try and try to understand.

OP, relax. I am very new at this. I have spent many, many weeks trying to understand everything. I have asked questions and been sent back to get more information so others could help me. Folks here are VERY helpful - but your lack of effort to try and get the requested info, folks can't help you.

 

[MisterSandals]

Ok so I listened and got this to start off running my refrigerator and

So who did you listen to that told you to buy this?
My thoughts are that after determining your energy needs, one should buy enough battery(s) to provide that energy, then enough panels to replace that energy, AND THEN buy an SCC that works with panels and batteries.

But, we’ve seen this before and have gotten thru it.

You’ve forced your battery solution to be 48v so that means 4x 12v batteries. This alone more than likely will provide sufficient power for your refrigerator with even modest battery size (100ah-ish or more).

OP, do you have a battery type preference? Lithium or lead acid? The former is more cost up front but will eventually be cheaper in the long haul (5 years+). If you want recommendations, please ask.

Can you locate any big cheap panels in your area on craigslist?

Hopefully we can get this rolling with just a little more info than we have now.

 

[crucian]

So who did you listen to that told you to buy this?
My thoughts are that after determining your energy needs, one should buy enough battery(s) to provide that energy, then enough panels to replace that energy, AND THEN buy an SCC that works with panels and batteries.

But, we’ve seen this before and have gotten thru it.

You’ve forced your battery solution to be 48v so that means 4x 12v batteries. This alone more than likely will provide sufficient power for your refrigerator with even modest battery size (100ah-ish or more).

OP, do you have a battery type preference? Lithium or lead acid? The former is more cost up front but will eventually be cheaper in the long haul (5 years+). If you want recommendations, please ask.

Can you locate any big cheap panels in your area on craigslist?

Hopefully we can get this rolling with just a little more info than we have now.

I listened to Will who said it was a pretty nice system.

I live in the Caribbean so there's no one here selling used Panels, I do see SunTan sells good used panels so I may end up going with them. I'm thinking longevity so lithium is what I'm leaning towards to. Wondering if buying a battery vs builting a LiFePO4 is worth it. Still trying to size what I need but so far I think a 2kw for now would be a good start and I can add as time goes on.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[MisterSandals]

I think a 2kw for now would be a good start

Working from this assumption and that 2kw can only mean 2000w of solar panels we can work ahead a little. Will assume 7 hrs solar (you said 6-8).
2000w x 7h = 14000wh produced at 100% efficiency each day.

Edit: originally stated 14000kwh (both places)

With a 48v battery system, 14000wh / 48v = 292ah of battery that you can fully recharge each day. Your actual usage needs are still unknown but based on equipment you have and your stated goal of 2kw of solar.

 

[schmism]

2000w x 7h = 14000kwh produced at 100% efficiency each day.
With a 48v battery system, 14000kwh / 48v = 292ah

to nitpick You math'd correctly however you insterted kilo infront of the watt*hour incorrectly.
so 14,000wh/48v = 292ah or 14kwh/48

 

[Deleted member 165]

Wow, this forum has officially become exactly like Facebook. It is a shell of what it was when it started last year. It's a shame, because it was a great thing.

 

[MisterSandals]

Wow, this forum has officially become exactly like Facebook.

How so? I appreciated the correction, assuming that is what you are referring to.
If I'm blowing smoke out of you-know-where, i expect to be called out!

 

[snoobler]

to nitpick You math'd correctly however you insterted kilo infront of the watt*hour incorrectly.
so 14,000wh/48v = 292ah or 14kwh/48

I'll join in too.

Watts are a capital "W"

 

[crucian]

Working from this assumption and that 2kw can only mean 2000w of solar panels we can work ahead a little. Will assume 7 hrs solar (you said 6-8).
2000w x 7h = 14000wh produced at 100% efficiency each day.

Edit: originally stated 14000kwh (both places)

With a 48v battery system, 14000wh / 48v = 292ah of battery that you can fully recharge each day. Your actual usage needs are still unknown but based on equipment you have and your stated goal of 2kw of solar.

Again, I live in the Caribbean so this would be a system to use rather than a generator in case a hurricane or tropical storm hits and we go without power for weeks as we did when Maria hit and we went months without grid power. Also, my local power company does these rolling blackouts sometimes. I'm also taking into consideration the panels aren't damaged by a storm.

I found a local guy who sells solar batteries and he says we work on 13 hours of sunlight here but to me, it's more like 10-11 hours of sunlight. I also did some research used an online calculator putting in which appliances and lights I'd need initially and here are my numbers, does that look right? The washer would only be used once a week and figured clothes can dry on a clothesline.

Appliance​	Quantity​	Watts​	Hours On per Day​	Watt Hours per Day​
Fridge - 20 cu. ft. (AC)	1	59	24	1416
Microwave	1	1000	1	1000
Box Fan	1	200	13	2600
16	2	200	10	4000
Ceiling Fan	2	120	3	720
Clothes Washer	1	800	1	800
TV - LCD	1	150	5	750
Bluray Player	1	15	5	75
LED Bulb - 60 Watt Equivalent	11	13	2	286

System Calculation Results​
Killowatt Hours per Month:	454 kWh
Peak Sun Hours:	11 hours/day
Solar Panel Watts:	250 W
Number of Panels:	7
System Size:	1.65 kW

 

[crucian]

First step is always work out how many kilowatt hours your loads consume. See the FAQ section of the forum, watch this youtube clip.

Would these numbers help? Used an online calculator inputting the appliances I would most likely use and yes, I did verify the watts on my appliances except for the ceiling fans and bulbs

Appliance​	Quantity​	Watts​	Hours On per Day​	Watt Hours per Day​
Fridge - 20 cu. ft. (AC)	1	59	24	1416
Microwave	1	1000	1	1000
Fan	1	200	13	2600
Fan 2, 3	2	200	10	4000
Ceiling Fan	2	120	3	720
Clothes Washer	1	800	1	800
TV - LCD	1	150	5	750
Bluray Player	1	15	5	75
LED Bulb - 60 Watt Equivalent	11	13	2	286

System Calculation Results​
Killowatt Hours per Month:	454 kWh
Peak Sun Hours:	11 hours/day
Solar Panel Watts:	250 W
Number of Panels:	7
System Size:	1.65 kW

 

[MisterSandals]

used an online calculator putting in which appliances and lights I'd need initially and here are my numbers, does that look right?

Those numbers all look reasonable, i have no way of knowing if they are right.
I would think the 2000w of panels would just handle those loads.
I will stand with my battery estimation above though I would think about whether you want more storage for cloudy days or when full recharging daily is not possible.

 

[crucian]

Those numbers all look reasonable, i have no way of knowing if they are right.
I would think the 2000w of panels would just handle those loads.
I will stand with my battery estimation above though I would think about whether you want more storage for cloudy days or when full recharging daily is not possible.

Thanks for the quick reply. One thing to consider is the washer won't be used for an hour every day. It may be used for 2-3 works a week max but more than likely 2 hours. The microwave is only used to reheat food so an hour a day is a bit of a stretch. It will more than likely be used for a total of 1-2 hours a week. What's used most are fans being it's hot but we do have tropical breeze which helps. I'll continue to research and ask questions to make sure I fully understand how to properly size my system. As I look at the numbers, I can see a 3-4 kW system running the entire house easy and might be able to add air condition to use for a few hours a day. I was thinking of doing a small system to use just for air condition. I always thought I'd need a large 10-15 kW system but most don't run air condition all day here. We'd use a split unit and run it a few hours

 

[snoobler]

I question the peak sun hours. The questions isn't, "how many hours/day you have sun?" It's how many hours of equivalent peak charging do you get? Since you're in the Caribbean, I highly doubt you get 11 hours of peak solar per day. No place on earth gets that.

From the link in my sig:

Solar Irradiance Calculator

www.solarelectricityhandbook.com

Kingston, Jamaica in the Carribean has a minimum 5.14 hours of solar irradiance per day in December. This assumes panels are due south and at the optimal 18° from horizontal.

That means in order to satisfy your 15.1kWh per day use, you would need:

15.1/5.14 = 2.9kW of panels.

Almost twice what you've estimated.