Looking for input on a system build

[flashflood21]

Greetings,

I am new to the forum but have been lurking for many years in anticipation of building my off grid system. Well the time has finally come! I am super excited to start the build. I have 80 acres in northern MN (not a ton of sun in winter) I am planning on building a house on. It is completely off grid. We want to move out there full time. We have an 50 amp 2004 river forest 5th wheel that we want to live in for possibly the next few years while we build.

I thought I would build a 12 volt or possibly a 24 volt system for the camper. Was looking at the Victron 12v Multiplus-2 – 3000va 2 Pole 120v (2x120v) and planned the whole system out based on this inverter. I planned on around the 1600 to 1800 watts of PV for the system. The specs of this inverter for a 50 amp 5th wheel really appealed to me. We do have a large generator in place already.

Here's my dilemma. I am planning on building a 48 volt 240v split phase system for the house we eventually build. Should I just build the 48 volt system now and plug the camper in? We don't plan on moving the camper off the property. We plan on using it for a kind of guest house after we build. I could put a much smaller system in the camper then. The other part of this is we don't plan on building right where the camper is, so I would have to move the entire system once we build if I do a 48 volt system. I know everyone would probably do it different. I am just looking for general thoughts on my plans before I drop thousands of dollars. Thanks

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[MisterSandals]

Have you done an energy audit of your anticipated daily usage and max loads?

12V 3000VA MP sounds small based on RV size and amount of solar panels. I'd think 24V minimum. Upping the voltage later will prevent reusing a lot of equipment so i'd lean to getting quality 48V stuff from the start.

 

[Ampster]

I agree you should build out a 48 Volt system now. More than likely when you move into the home your needs may be different even if you do an energy audit. I am in favor of doing an energy audit now, but it would only be as good as the assumptions you make. It will give you a baseline which will be useful once you are in the home for a few months.
The advantage of a 48 volt system is they are more scalable and there are a lot more choices in that segment.

 

[Rocketman]

I full-time in a MotorHome. I put in a 12v lithium system to retain the boost ability (use the house battery to possibly help start the big diesel engine. I would go all the way to 48v.

12v 3000w system is a bit small for running a MotorHome. Yes it works- but you can only have one big thing on at a time - Microwave - no problem- but don’t start the toaster - or the inverter overloads and resets.

Also, the RV system - if 48v could be a limited backup system if you have something die in your house system.

Good Luck

 

[flashflood21]

Thanks for the responses. I have done an energy audit on my current house but needs will be way different in the camper vs the home we eventually build. The more I think about it the more I am leaning towards the 48 volt system too. The only thing that makes me hesitate is still wanting a small system for the camper but I guess that is something I can do down the road.