A couple weeks ago I dipped my foot in the solar world by purchasing a Pecron E1600LFP solar generator. I now want to expand and work towards the eventual plan of going totally solar.
To start I have someone local that has a bunch of Canadian Solar 275W panels for $30/ea. My pool house is almost perfectly south so I figure if I get 4 panels and do 2 pairs in series and then put the pairs in parallel it would give me theoretically 62.6V and 550W. The Pecron can take a max of 95V and 700W so this would work nicely. When I’m not charging the Pecron I’d like to power the pool house. I happen to have a 48V 2400W inverter from a UPS project that I can press into service. So if I’m correct in my thinking all I need to add are batteries (some configuration of 48V) and a charge controller. Therefore I’m thinking of saving some money and going with an inexpensive charge controller like the Temank 30A and putting the money into a good LiFePO4 battery.
Assuming this all works as expected and I learn a lot, the next step is to get my well pump solar powered. I replaced the pump a few years ago and at the time solar was not on my radar. So I have to make do with the 3 wire 240 AC pump that’s down 250 ft. I’ve read the forums here and understand the large surge that I need to deal with so I’m looking at the AIMS 48V 6000W Inverter/charger to dedicate to the well.
The final phase would be to continue to expand the system with more panels/batteries and a high end charge controller to handle all the daily 120VAC requirements. Unfortunately with 2 kids in college I don’t have the funds to invest thousands upfront right now so I have to build in small increments. So are there any major flaws or really dumb mistakes in my plan? What size LiFePO4 battery should I start with? Do you think 50aH or am I better off saving my pennies and going with a 100aH right off the bat? Thanks for any wisdom you all can impart on this rookie.
To start I have someone local that has a bunch of Canadian Solar 275W panels for $30/ea. My pool house is almost perfectly south so I figure if I get 4 panels and do 2 pairs in series and then put the pairs in parallel it would give me theoretically 62.6V and 550W. The Pecron can take a max of 95V and 700W so this would work nicely. When I’m not charging the Pecron I’d like to power the pool house. I happen to have a 48V 2400W inverter from a UPS project that I can press into service. So if I’m correct in my thinking all I need to add are batteries (some configuration of 48V) and a charge controller. Therefore I’m thinking of saving some money and going with an inexpensive charge controller like the Temank 30A and putting the money into a good LiFePO4 battery.
Assuming this all works as expected and I learn a lot, the next step is to get my well pump solar powered. I replaced the pump a few years ago and at the time solar was not on my radar. So I have to make do with the 3 wire 240 AC pump that’s down 250 ft. I’ve read the forums here and understand the large surge that I need to deal with so I’m looking at the AIMS 48V 6000W Inverter/charger to dedicate to the well.
The final phase would be to continue to expand the system with more panels/batteries and a high end charge controller to handle all the daily 120VAC requirements. Unfortunately with 2 kids in college I don’t have the funds to invest thousands upfront right now so I have to build in small increments. So are there any major flaws or really dumb mistakes in my plan? What size LiFePO4 battery should I start with? Do you think 50aH or am I better off saving my pennies and going with a 100aH right off the bat? Thanks for any wisdom you all can impart on this rookie.
