Hi Guys,
With the rising costs of electricity here in the UK i'm looking to get a solar setup.
I'm a complete newb so please reply with comments/advice etc - any would be greatly appreciated!!!
We use a lot of power approx £600 per month as I have some computer servers running from home. approx 3600w per hr in total
I realise I would need a lot of panels to fully run this setup from solar, however we don't have the space or budget...
With this in mind, I just want to save some money - I was hoping to setup a 4 panel array (340W each) linked to some batteries and also a ATS - which will switch mains power/solar as and when batteries reach a certain % until they recharge. I was hoping to run a portion of my servers approx 1200w p/h
As I don't have much roof space (I think I could fit 8 or 9 max)- I have been looking for panels at high wattage & reasonable price.
I found these panels which look reasonable :
I would be looking to get max of 4 panels (maybe just 2 initially) , for a total of 1360w.
I would like the option to be able to add more same panels in future without having to buy new battery charger.
I had a look at the calculator to try and work out which mppt controller would work.
(I think I filled out the boxes correctly) - looks like I would need a controller with max operating 200v. - however wouldnt be able to add more panels.
I have some newb questions as follows:
- Can you use cheap mppt controllers rated a lot lower and just connect e.g. two panels to each one, linked to the same batteries? - I can still have a single invertor linked to both controllers?
-I understand I need some deep cycle batteries, and to chain 2 x 12v together to get required 24v, im not sure how to work out the AH requirement.. With the ATS I will switch seamlessly to mains power when the batteries are flat and so charge time is not an issue - bigger the battery the better.
I'm not sure if any of this can be achieved for my budget - Ideally id like to buy 2 small cheap controllers rather than an expensive £500+ one, i'm not sure how much the batteries would cost or spec. I guess a 2000w invertor would happy supply the 1200W required.... any advice or comments greatly appreciated..
-
With the rising costs of electricity here in the UK i'm looking to get a solar setup.
I'm a complete newb so please reply with comments/advice etc - any would be greatly appreciated!!!
We use a lot of power approx £600 per month as I have some computer servers running from home. approx 3600w per hr in total
I realise I would need a lot of panels to fully run this setup from solar, however we don't have the space or budget...
With this in mind, I just want to save some money - I was hoping to setup a 4 panel array (340W each) linked to some batteries and also a ATS - which will switch mains power/solar as and when batteries reach a certain % until they recharge. I was hoping to run a portion of my servers approx 1200w p/h
As I don't have much roof space (I think I could fit 8 or 9 max)- I have been looking for panels at high wattage & reasonable price.
I found these panels which look reasonable :
I would be looking to get max of 4 panels (maybe just 2 initially) , for a total of 1360w.
I would like the option to be able to add more same panels in future without having to buy new battery charger.
I had a look at the calculator to try and work out which mppt controller would work.
(I think I filled out the boxes correctly) - looks like I would need a controller with max operating 200v. - however wouldnt be able to add more panels.
I have some newb questions as follows:
- Can you use cheap mppt controllers rated a lot lower and just connect e.g. two panels to each one, linked to the same batteries? - I can still have a single invertor linked to both controllers?
-I understand I need some deep cycle batteries, and to chain 2 x 12v together to get required 24v, im not sure how to work out the AH requirement.. With the ATS I will switch seamlessly to mains power when the batteries are flat and so charge time is not an issue - bigger the battery the better.
I'm not sure if any of this can be achieved for my budget - Ideally id like to buy 2 small cheap controllers rather than an expensive £500+ one, i'm not sure how much the batteries would cost or spec. I guess a 2000w invertor would happy supply the 1200W required.... any advice or comments greatly appreciated..
-