Looking into purchasing one of these systems...

[Kugel8x57]

400 Watt 12/24 Volt Polycrystalline Solar Panel Kit w/ 40A MPPT Charge Controller

HQST 400 Watt Off-Grid Polycrystalline Solar Starter Kit is designed specifically for customers new to solar. This 400w solar kit is great for off-grid applications, such as RVs, trailers, boats and sheds - providing many benefits

hqsolarpower.com

My plan is to get another mppt controller and make two 24V - 200W systems out of it. Each system would use 4 - 16Ah 12V batteries to make a 24V - 32Ah battery bank.

Input, advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks and God bless!

Kugel

 

[Kugel8x57]

One thing I did notice different about this mppt controller is that there are no "Load" terminals on it. Therefore, I assume all loads would be directly connected to the battery, yes?

Thanks and God bless!

Kugel

 

[Kugel8x57]

I have changed my plans, yet again!

Now I am looking at getting two of these systems. Seems like a good package price. Any suggestions?

Also, I have already purchased 16 of these Miady LiFePO4, 12-16Ah batteries. As of right now, I plan to split them up into a 24V-96Ah battery back and a 2vV-32Ah battery bank.

I do have some questions about the proper charging and discharging of the batteries. If you folks could take a look and the attached battery spec sheet and help me understand the data therein, I would appreciate it.

Many Thanks and God Bless!

Kugel

 

[MichaelK]

I have already helped a friend put together a 1000W system for 380$US (minus batteries). I wouldn't even consider spending that much money for that overpriced junk. You can get far more bang for your buck buying components separately. Do NOT buy panels retail. Do NOT pay shipping for panels.

 

[JoeHam]

First, stop buying stuff until you have a plan put together.

Second, look for solar panels locally from Craigslist etc.

If that doesn’t work out take a look at SanTanSolar.com. I have had good experiences with them picking up in AZ and having them shipped cross country to OH.

I paid 14 cents per watt for used panels I picked up and around 50 cents per watt, including shipping cost, for new panels shipped to OH.

After you have your solar panels picked out it will be easy to help you pick an appropriate Solar Charge Controller.

By going the DIY route not only will you save money, you will learn a lot. ?

 

[Kugel8x57]

Thanks JoeHam!

I do have a plan. I going to build two systems. The applications are physically about 100 yds apart, hence the plan for two smaller systems.

My region and physical location will give a yearly average of 5.51 solar hours per day, with a low monthly average 4.92/day and high monthly average of 6.49/day

System-A will be 24v-96Ah and have a 2000Watt Pure Sine Wave inverter for running a small freezer and small fridge. Together, according to my calculations, including 15% inverter loss, they will use 42.3Ah/day @ 24vdc. Therefore, I should have enough battery to run them for two solid days with no solar input.

System-B will be 24v-32Ah and will be intermittently running a 24vdc-16A deep well pump. It will only have to run about 1/2 hr per day for a total daily usage of 8Ah @ 24vdc. There may be some line loss that I will need to account for, but I should have enough battery to get close to 4 days of operation with no solar input.

Keep in mind that I already have a 24VDC generator (engine driven) that is adjustable from 10A to 100A continuous duty. I have this as a back-up for any prolonged bad weather situations, to charge the batteries, and if I need to use the System-A for some combined, prolonged 2000Watt load - Microwave, Instant Pot, coffee pot, etc. I understand that I cannot run all of this stuff at the same time and might need to unplug the freezer and fridge when running some of the heavier loads. But that would only be temporary, say 1/2 hr at a time. Also, I think I will need to have a separate charge controller for the DC generator for charging the battery bank(s), and that I will need to throttle it back, so as not to exceed the Max Charging Current for the battery bank.

I plan to use a minimum of 400 watts of solar panels per system. If I find a good deal, like maybe the SanTanSolar.com folks, I may buy more, so that I can expand the system(s) in the future.

BTW, the 16Ah Miady LiFePO4 batteries that I purchased appear to be one of the best $/Ah values out there for LiFePO4 batteries. That's why I went ahead and purchased them. I didn't want them to get away from me!

Thanks for pointing out the SanTanSolar folks and the used solar panel market. That has opened up a lot of possiblities.

Best Regards and God Bless!

Kugel