Newbie with a container needing advice

[rmaddy]

So if I wired them 2s5p, having 92.4v and 45amps, I could use a 60amp 105vdc (@24v) MPPT charge controller ?

10 315W panels is of course 3150W. 3150W / 26V is about 120A of possible charge current. A 60 amp controller is half of what you might need. It would be fine if you used two of them, each with 5 panels. That would give you 120A of charge current. Or do 2S3P (6 panels) on a controller and 2S2P on another. That would mean a 70 or 75A controller and a 45A or 50A controller.

That much solar is better on a 48V system. Then a single 60A charge controller could handle the 3150W of solar panels just fine.

 

[TimmehTim]

So maybe if I got a 48v hybrid inverter (like the Powland 3500) it would solve my problem?
Using the same 4 batteries (12v 200ah) and configuring them in series to make a 48v 200ah battery bank... how long would the batteries tolerate a 2000 watt draw?

10 315W panels is of course 3150W. 3150W / 26V is about 120A of possible charge current. A 60 amp controller is half of what you might need. It would be fine if you used two of them, each with 5 panels. That would give you 120A of charge current. Or do 2S3P (6 panels) on a controller and 2S2P on another. That would mean a 70 or 75A controller and a 45A or 50A controller.

That much solar is better on a 48V system. Then a single 60A charge controller could handle the 3150W of solar panels just fine.

 

[rmaddy]

So maybe if I got a 48v hybrid inverter (like the Powland 3500) it would solve my problem?

Any 48V inverter would work along with an SCC that handles 48V. Or one of the many 48V all-in-one "inverters" that supports 60A or more of solar charge current. The one you linked seems to have the needed specs. But I have no experience with it.

A 24V system will work. But for the amount of solar and battery you are planning, 48V would be better. I mentioned that way back in post #2.

 

[TimmehTim]

Ok. After some consideration I believe I have an idea for what I'm trying to do. Here is a diagram of the project. Any pointers or warnings before I electrocute myself or burn the hunting grounds down would be greatly appreciated. It seems like I should have some fuses somewhere... What am I missing or where am I doing it wrong?.

 

[Bobert]

Ok. After some consideration I believe I have an idea for what I'm trying to do. Here is a diagram of the project. Any pointers or warnings before I electrocute myself or burn the hunting grounds down would be greatly appreciated. It seems like I should have some fuses somewhere... What am I missing or where am I doing it wrong?View attachment 92631.

It might be cheaper to not buy 2 solar chargers and simply buy a 48v AIO then you wouldn’t need any buss bars only a breaker between the batteries and the AIO. Regardless of what you decide if you have more than 2 panels in parallel you need a fuse between each panel. It is best practice to have a switch that switches both legs of the solar string simultaneously.

 

[TimmehTim]

Thanks Bobert.

It might be cheaper to not buy 2 solar chargers and simply buy a 48v

How would making this a 48v system change my battery bank? With 4 sealed lead acid 12v 200ah batteries, I would go from 24v 400ah to 48v 200ah, but what does that translate into? How long could either bank maintain a continuously draw of 2000w? And how long would it take to recharge after said usage assuming the recharge was done at a time where there was no power draw from the battery bank?

Regardless of what you decide if you have more than 2 panels in parallel you need a fuse between each panel.

For these 315w panels (46.2voc 9.01a), which fuses would you recommend? Something like a 15a PV in-line fuse?

It is best practice to have a switch that switches both legs of the solar string simultaneously.

Would this Aims 1000v 64a disconnect work? Or should I isolate each string with its own disconnect?

 

[Bobert]

How would making this a 48v system change my battery bank? With 4 sealed lead acid 12v 200ah batteries, I would go from 24v 400ah to 48v 200ah, but what does that translate into? How long could either bank maintain a continuously draw of 2000w? And how long would it take to recharge after said usage assuming the recharge was done at a time where there was no power draw from the battery bank?

The wattage output 400 ah at 12. 24 at 200 and 48 at 100 is the same the amps are less because the voltage is higher watts X Volts = amps. Putting 4 batteries in series instead of 2p2s makes no difference In watts.

For these 315w panels (46.2voc 9.01a), which fuses would you recommend? Something like a 15a PV in-line fuse?

The fuse rating should be on the panel somewhere probably 15 amps and yes inline fuses will work. They are to prevent a fire in the unlikely event that one of the solar panels shorted out internally.

Would this Aims 1000v 64a disconnect work? Or should I isolate each string with its own disconnect?

actually with what you have you probably would only need one string because the solar charger on a 48v AIO commonly has a max PV input of at least 145 v at 80 amps. The actual specs on the AIO’s solar charge controller will determine what arrangement of your solar panels will be best. The AIO has an additional benefit of being able to charge your batteries from a generator or grid power as well as pass through the same power to whatever is plugged into the inverter.

 

[TimmehTim]

Thanks Bobert.

How would making this a 48v system change my battery bank? With 4 sealed lead acid 12v 200ah batteries, I would go from 24v 400ah to 48v 200ah, but what does that translate into? How long could either bank maintain a continuously draw of 2000w? And how long would it take to recharge after said usage assuming the recharge was done at a time where there was no power draw from the battery bank?

For these 315w panels (46.2voc 9.01a), which fuses would you recommend? Something like a 15a PV in-line fuse?

Would this Aims 1000v 64a disconnect work? Or should I isolate each string with its own disconnect?

Ok. I can see the Aims is only rated for 32amp arrays. But wouldn't I just use a 63amp 2-pole DC isolator?

 

[TimmehTim]

Here is a new diagram. I'm going to stick to a 24v system at the moment because it will cost more to switch it over.

Does this all look right?

 

[RobertGreen]

Does your battery monitor have an internal fuse? I would want a fuse in between it and the positive side of the system

 

[TimmehTim]

Does your battery monitor have an internal fuse? I would want a fuse in between it and the positive side of the system

Like a 100amp ANL fuse?

 

[Bobert]

Ok. I can see the Aims is only rated for 32amp arrays. But wouldn't I just use a 63amp 2-pole DC isolator?

That aims unit is pretty neat but all you really need is a switch that will cut power from both wires that is rated for dc and the amps you will produce since you already have each panel fused and the potential output of the array is less than the input capacity of the charger.

 

[RobertGreen]

Like a 100amp ANL fuse?

no, not for the battery monitor; I would use a fuse that is appropriate for the wire/device, which in this case would be only a few amps.

 

[TimmehTim]

Ok. Here is my pasts list

1) Jinko JKM315P-72 315w Solar Panels


2) ZOOKOTO Solar Panel PV Connector with 15A Diode


3) DC Circuit Breaker, 2 Pole 1000V 63 Amp Isolator


4) OOYCYOO MPPT Charge Controller 80 amp 12V/24V


5 & 6) 4 Post Bus Bar - 250 Amp Rating - (3/8)


7 & 8) Battery Disconnect Switch 12V-48V


9) Mighty Max 12v 200ah SLA


10 & 11) CGELE DC Battery Monitor w/ Shunt 200V 300A


12) WZRELB 5000W 24V Off Grid Pure Sine Wave Inverter


13) Breaker Box to Appliances

 

[rmaddy]

You can't put 5 of those panels in parallel using the 5-way MC4 connector. MC4 connectors are usually rated to 30A at the most. Your 5 panels in parallel will be 45A. You need a proper combiner box so you can fuse each of the 5 panels. The wire between the combiner box and the SCC needs to be able to handle the 45A over the required distance with minimal voltage drop.

Why is your inverter connected to the batteries and not to the bus bars? Everything should go to the bus bars.

The shunt must be between the battery negative and the negative bus bar.

 

[TimmehTim]

You can't put 5 of those panels in parallel using the 5-way MC4 connector. MC4 connectors are usually rated to 30A at the most. Your 5 panels in parallel will be 45A.

The 5 to 1 connectors I have are related for 60a and the SCCs are rated for 80a.... if my math is correct, the 5 panels will create a 46.2v and 45a, so this shouldn't be a problem unless my math is a problem. Is this not right??
Why am I doing things the way I'm doing them...??? Because I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I'm certainly glad to have people like you to help make sure I survive this.

 

[rmaddy]

The SCC rating of 80A is its output for battery charge current. That's irrelevant to the input amperage from the panels.

But if the 5-way connector can handle 60A then it should work. But you still need to fuse each panel.

 

[TimmehTim]

The SCC rating of 80A is its output for battery charge current. That's irrelevant to the input amperage from the panels.

I'm super confused.

It says:
Max Power Current: 80a
Load Output Current: 40a
Max PV Input Power 2000w@24v
Max PV Input Voc 96V@24v

Will this not work?

 

[rmaddy]

I've never seen the term "load output current" for an SCC so I'm not sure what that means.

I'm assuming the 80A rating is the max battery charge current which at 24V means up to about 2000W of panels.

 

[Bluedog225]

I like your nice linear layout and list. Easy to digest.

 

[TimmehTim]

Could the "Load Output Current" be the current provided by the Load terminals? That's probably it.

Ok. So how do I find out for sure if this SCC can handle 46.2v and 45a from the solar panel array?

 

[rmaddy]

Look at the max PV input voltage for the SCC. It's 96V for a 24V system. Your panels are less than half that so you are well below the limit. There's no mention of a max PV input current so you should be fine with the 45A.

 

[TimmehTim]

Lol. Ok. I misunderstood something along the line. I thought you were doing some calculations that I wasn't following. Somehow I thought you were saying that the 80a rating was too low so I wad totally disregarding the 96v

 

[rmaddy]

The 96V limit is the one you must not exceed. You over panel with more wattage just fine. You can have higher input amperage. But never exceed the max PV input voltage. Bad. In some cases it's the "let out the magic smoke" bad.

Look back at post #26. for 5P you only need a 60A SCC, not 80A. 60A x 24V = 1440W. 5 x 315W panels is 1575W. Since your 5 panels will rarely give the full 1575W of power and the SCC will actually be more like 60A x 26+V then you get a really close match. No need to spend the extra money on two 80A controllers when two 60A controllers will meet your needs. If you plan to add more panels then that's a different story.

 

[LithiumCanuck]

What a great analysis Rmaddy!

I absolutely second that !