Hi,
I am in experiment mode on a small 12x16 shed that I have set up very minimal electrical usage in preparation for a total off-grid 600sf cabin. It has 12v USB charging ports, lights and a small 12v Cosco fridge. There are a couple rarely used 120 AC outlets. I have 2 12v Lead Acid batteries approaching end of life running in Serial with a 24v Inv/Mppt Charger. I have a 24V to 12V 30A/360W converter. Everything works fine.
My question has always been the value of 24v or 48v setup compared to 12v. The answer I usually get is the thinner wire needed. But given the stepdown converter is usually near the battery, it's still 12v running to the rest of the loads. 24v capable loads are usually more expensive than 12v and harder to find.
I spoke to a service rep at ShopSolarKits and he did add that on the Solar Panel side higher voltage systems can accept more panels. Which is the real reason why I will move forward with 24v battery banks, (that and I already have the LV2424 MPPSolar hybrid).
My solution is to run 12v batteries in Series with the reasoning being that if I ever lose the MPPSolar, I can swap everything around and use and old 12v MPPT I have in storage to keep things running while I wait for repairs.
Not really a question rather than maybe a point of discussion. Thanks for any input and comments.
I am in experiment mode on a small 12x16 shed that I have set up very minimal electrical usage in preparation for a total off-grid 600sf cabin. It has 12v USB charging ports, lights and a small 12v Cosco fridge. There are a couple rarely used 120 AC outlets. I have 2 12v Lead Acid batteries approaching end of life running in Serial with a 24v Inv/Mppt Charger. I have a 24V to 12V 30A/360W converter. Everything works fine.
My question has always been the value of 24v or 48v setup compared to 12v. The answer I usually get is the thinner wire needed. But given the stepdown converter is usually near the battery, it's still 12v running to the rest of the loads. 24v capable loads are usually more expensive than 12v and harder to find.
I spoke to a service rep at ShopSolarKits and he did add that on the Solar Panel side higher voltage systems can accept more panels. Which is the real reason why I will move forward with 24v battery banks, (that and I already have the LV2424 MPPSolar hybrid).
My solution is to run 12v batteries in Series with the reasoning being that if I ever lose the MPPSolar, I can swap everything around and use and old 12v MPPT I have in storage to keep things running while I wait for repairs.
Not really a question rather than maybe a point of discussion. Thanks for any input and comments.