Sol-Ark 12k off grid with 3 signature solar 48V/100AH EG4-LL 5.12KWH Tesla charging

[dobsonimages]

Hello
I live off the grid and I purchased a tracker that will hold 12 450 watt Suntech panels.
I plan on running a 48 volt system with a SOL-ARK 12K inverter to charge a model 3 standard range Tesla with a 240 14-50 outlet
I may upgrade to a Tesla wall charger in the future. The only 120 usage I use is for LED lights for the home a energy saver fridge and a 200 watt sound system. The 240 side of the Inverter will be for the Tesla.

What settings should I use for the signature solar 48V/100AH EG4LL 5.12 KWH batteries to get the longest life out of this battery bank?

Will the 12 panels be enough to charge the batteries and the Tesla. I also have the option to add 4 more 450 watt suntechs to the
system, but plan on starting with 12 for now.

Will the SOL-ARK 12K handle the charging for the Tesla? I
I have purchased all the panels , 3 batteries , tracker. I have not purchased the SOL-ARK just wanted to reach out to make sure I am making the right choices and that my battery settings will work. I have been off grid for 30 years I have no plans of ever going on the grid. Any help would be appreciated , an electrician will be doing the final hook up and inspection. The panels will be on a manual solar array close to my house that I can easily move though out the day to get the most out of the sun.
Thank you for your time.
48V 100AH LCD Battery by EG4 – Signature Solar
Suntech 450 W Mono HiPower Mono Solar Panel STP450S-B72/Vnh

 

[Samsonite801]

Hello
I live off the grid and I purchased a tracker that will hold 12 450 watt Suntech panels.
I plan on running a 48 volt system with a SOL-ARK 12K inverter to charge a model 3 standard range Tesla with a 240 14-50 outlet
I may upgrade to a Tesla wall charger in the future. The only 120 usage I use is for LED lights for the home a energy saver fridge and a 200 watt sound system. The 240 side of the Inverter will be for the Tesla.

What settings should I use for the signature solar 48V/100AH EG4LL 5.12 KWH batteries to get the longest life out of this battery bank?

Will the 12 panels be enough to charge the batteries and the Tesla. I also have the option to add 4 more 450 watt suntechs to the
system, but plan on starting with 12 for now.

Will the SOL-ARK 12K handle the charging for the Tesla? I
I have purchased all the panels , 3 batteries , tracker. I have not purchased the SOL-ARK just wanted to reach out to make sure I am making the right choices and that my battery settings will work. I have been off grid for 30 years I have no plans of ever going on the grid. Any help would be appreciated , an electrician will be doing the final hook up and inspection. The panels will be on a manual solar array close to my house that I can easily move though out the day to get the most out of the sun.
Thank you for your time.
48V 100AH LCD Battery by EG4 – Signature Solar
Suntech 450 W Mono HiPower Mono Solar Panel STP450S-B72/Vnh

According to Google, the Model 3 has a 32a onboard charger, so just roughly, 32a x 240v = 7680w... Unless you turn the amps down on the Tesla charger, which will make it charge more slowly.

I know my brother who lives on-grid has to turn his Model S down to 29a or he blows his dryer breaker, so it can be turned down to accommodate limitations, but also depends on how much energy you can harvest through a day, and how many miles you need to charge back per day. My brother is on-grid so he can pull power 24/7, where you may perhaps only be able to effectively pull power during the day hours (since you don't have a lot of battery storage)...

12x of 450w panels indicates 5400w max, but that's full Sun, likely most of the time they will put out less in the real world, and how many Sun hours do you get per day...

Sol-Ark says the inverter can do 9000w total on the inverter (4800w per leg on 120v), not sure how hot it gets running near maximums most of the time. The 10-year warranty is good on the Sol-Ark.

 

[dobsonimages]

I have great sun and take full advantage of it with the tracker. This time of year I'm getting 8 hours of full sun.
I have an extra 4 450 watt panels I should be able to add to the system (the Sol Ark 12K hopefully will handle a total of 16 450 watt panels.
2 strings of 8.
Appreciate you took the time to help me out.

Best

 

[Rossman]

What exactly is your use case, can you elaborate on usage and behaviours wrt to the EV?

Like are you going to drive the car around in the day, then come home at night to charge it? Or will it be less frequently used and able to be charged during the day? How many miles do you plan to drive it every day/week?

12panels @ 450W = 5400W .... at 240VAC thats only 22amps (will be less after inverter losses). So you will not be able to max the current into the car even under peak sunlight.

Also your total battery capacity is ~15kWh. As I recall a Telsa battery back is 50kWh or greater so even completely depleting your off-grid batteries will not even fill your car halfway full. This may not matter if you drive once a week for 20 miles but if you commute on the daily this could be a real problem.

Anyway, just a few things off the top of my head. We have a much larger off-grid system than you have spec'd, and I'm still hesitant to add an EV due to charging concerns.

 

[dobsonimages]

Thank you for your reply. I am retired will use the car for about 1.5 hours each day, the rest of the day I will be charging the Tesla with a 14-50 240 outlet and I might upgrade that to a Tesla Charger.
Once a week I will make a 60 mile hilly trip to town and use a Tesla supercharger in town and return home in the evening with a fully charged 15kWH battery bank.
The once a week trip to town will have the biggest drain on the Tesla. I take my children to school every morning when school is in session and return home and drive back to pick them up around 3 PM each day. It is a total of 15 miles each day 6 miles of steep roads and 9 flat. Weather permitting I will have full sun for an average of at least 8 to 10 hours each day. December and January are the months with less hours of sun so during those months and rainy periods and fog I will have to use my Toyota ICE.
With your comments it seems I need to add at least 4 more 450 watt panels which I already have on hand, but not installed.
That would give me a total of 7200 watts of panels. If necessary I could increase the size of my battery bank too.
I am lucky at least I will on Sunny or Partly cloudy periods I will be able to charge most of the day.
During the summer we will be taking long road trips and using the Tesla network of charging stations.

I am buying a Tesla for safety issues , when my two 14 year old children start driving I want them in something safe , the rural roads they will be driving are dangerous and I want to keep track of their driving habits. The goal is to sell the model 3 when the cyber truck I have ordered is shipped. The cyber truck will be a more practical EV for the area where I live and more than likely safer then a model 3.
At least with the model 3 , I will have an EV that I can find out how my new solar system will handle charging an EV.
The model 3 I have ordered is the standard range version. The rural roads in my area have numerous pot holes , gravel sections.
I have already ordered a set of Martian 7.5 inch 18 inch wheels and will put 205 55R 18 inch all weather tires on the wheels.
Telsa stock wheels are cast and not forged, they crack easily if you hit a pot hole or large rocks.


One important question you may be able to answer for me is do you think the SOL-ARK 12kw will handle up to 7200 watts of solar and handle charging the Tesla without shutting down because of an unbalanced draw ?Or do you suggest another inverter that is UL approved for off grid use?
Ninety five percent of the solar I produce will be used to charge the Tesla , I rarely use power tools, I have LED lights , a small 65 watt fridge and a wood cook stove to cook on and heat our small home. I use an instant propane water heater and a propane stove and oven.
NO big screen power hungry smart tvs just some laptops and ipads.
This Tesla will be a big change for my family and the first new car I have ever purchased.
Oh and another option I may take is I have heavy winds during the rainy periods so I can install a wind mill to charge the batteries.
Not sure what wind mill to get next fall I will do some research on that as well.

Thanks again , your ideas are useful. Please feel free to give me your advice.

 

[Rossman]

I don't think you will have a problem with an unbalanced draw - Tesla charger is 240V so should pull from both 120V legs, the rest of your loads are inconsequential. If you have a super charger location handy, and are willing to drive to it and wait for the charge to happen, you've got a good fallback for times when you may not be able to fully charge it. And sounds like you still have a regular car as well for any problematic times, so that's good.

Forget about wind/windmills, they are not effective or cost effective at small scales - unless you're gonna drop minimum $50k to install a real tower (50' or taller) and big turbine, forget about it. They are also more complex (= more expensive) to wire, and require maintenance. You are better off increasing the capacity of your solar array/system, solar panels are so cheap these days. I probably would have taken a pass on the tracker as well, personally, but you have it now so enjoy it.

Given that your usage of the EV is fairly low, I'd guess you are largely fine. But there will probably be some learning involved when you get everything set up.

Personally, I am not sure I believe that the Tesla is particularly "safe", or the best EV for you, but you appear to be all-in on Tesla, so I wish you well with that.

Please do post back with an update on how things are going once you get it all set up and are using it!

 

[dobsonimages]

Thankfully ,panels are really inexpensive, I decided to go with a tracker because I have used them in the past and I get at least 50 to 70 percent more power by moving the tracker.
Thanks for the advice on the windmill too.
I will keep you updated on the progress .

 

[koppted]

Thankfully ,panels are really inexpensive, I decided to go with a tracker because I have used them in the past and I get at least 50 to 70 percent more power by moving the tracker.
Thanks for the advice on the windmill too.
I will keep you updated on the progress .

what sort of tracker do you have?

 

[dobsonimages]

what sort of tracker do you have?

Array Technologies 90038-000 Single Pole tracker . The main office is in New Mexico , the single pole tracker is made and shipped out of New Jersey. Cost is around 2300 for the tracker shipping to California was 1000. Comes with a 20 foot beam that weighs 400 pounds , tracker head that mount on an 8 inch sch 40 metal pole weighs about 300 pounds when all the tracking parts are put together. The 8 inch pole is not included but I was able to find a 12 footer at a salvage yard for 100 dollars super deal.If you got the exact dimensions of the 20 foot beam you may be able to save money and find that at a salvage yard too.
It comes with the module mounting rails.
You can contact Jeff Greulich 973 476-1256 jeff@wattsun.com tell him Ray Anderson suggested you call him.

 

[Bluedog225]

Christ on a cracker, their (Array Technologies) website isn’t doing them any favors….

Here is a small sample of what they offer.

 

[koppted]

Array Technologies 90038-000 Single Pole tracker . The main office is in New Mexico , the single pole tracker is made and shipped out of New Jersey. Cost is around 2300 for the tracker shipping to California was 1000. Comes with a 20 foot beam that weighs 400 pounds , tracker head that mount on an 8 inch sch 40 metal pole weighs about 300 pounds when all the tracking parts are put together. The 8 inch pole is not included but I was able to find a 12 footer at a salvage yard for 100 dollars super deal.If you got the exact dimensions of the 20 foot beam you may be able to save money and find that at a salvage yard too.
It comes with the module mounting rails.
You can contact Jeff Greulich 973 476-1256 jeff@wattsun.com tell him Ray Anderson suggested you call him.

Was looking at various tracking options for my build this summer. Will keep this in mind, Thanks!

 

[Ampster]

I just stumbled on this thread and I am wondering why @koppted is considering a grid interactive All In One Inverter if they are off grid? You are paying for a lot of features that will not be used including a transfer switch. Have you priced off grid inverters?

 

[dobsonimages]

Thanks so much , I was going to go with growatts but there were issues on the grounds and I am not a professional.
Then I looked at the LVX 6048 but it seemed a little more expertise was needed to wire it all.
Anyhow what would you suggest, I am not an expert and looking for a more plug and play option. The main power use will be for the Tesla.
I've just got the 12 450 watt panels on a tracker and will wire 2 rows of 6 and with the sol ark 12 K I can add 6 more 450 panels which I can change the wiring to two rows of nine.
Willing to listen to any suggestions you may have.
Got a good deal on the SOL ARK 6300 with free shipping and no sales tax.
thank you

 

[Ampster]

Anyhow what would you suggest,

I was confused and did not realize you had started the thread. I have no experience with off grid inverters. Look at some of the reputable vendors to see what is available. I know Outback Power has several models and a quick search reminded me that Magnum, Schneider and Victron are well known names in that space. There are also lots of Chinese brands.

 

[koppted]

I just stumbled on this thread and I am wondering why @koppted is considering a grid interactive All In One Inverter if they are off grid? You are paying for a lot of features that will not be used including a transfer switch. Have you priced off grid inverters?

Not sure where you got this from . But I'm looking at the LVX6048WP, which is a hybrid inverter that's supposed to have UL certification through TUV, whatever that means. So i can use it in an off-grid situation, but can feed the grid if I decide to go that route. I already have a manual transfer switch(with switching neutral) that was installed by an Electrician about 2years ago. Have had to use that setup with my generator 3 times I think, all during the winter. My setup will mostly be a backup system for when the power goes out, instead of a generator, although I will still have that as a last resort. I will also be using the Solar setup to play around with and learn welding without having to deal with huge electricity bills in the process.

 

[robby]

I just stumbled on this thread and I am wondering why @koppted is considering a grid interactive All In One Inverter if they are off grid? You are paying for a lot of features that will not be used including a transfer switch. Have you priced off grid inverters?

Well it's very good at keeping power going. It will Autos Start the Generator and charge the batteries to a specified amount and then shut the generator back off. It's kind of a seamless operation even off grid. Solar and batteries not cutting it on a rainy day, it will turn on the generator and supplement the two.

 

[koppted]

Well it's very good at keeping power going. It will Autos Start the Generator and charge the batteries to a specified amount and then shut the generator back off. It's kind of a seamless operation even off grid. Solar and batteries not cutting it on a rainy day, it will turn on the generator and supplement the two.

This is precisely my plan. Although I'm still undecided on whether or not to have the Inverter AutoStart the generator, or for me to start it at a time of my own choosing.

 

[robby]

This is precisely my plan. Although I'm still undecided on whether or not to have the Inverter AutoStart the generator, or for me to start it at a time of my own choosing.

You can do both with the Sol-Ark. Personally I would just set the setting very conservative, like have the Generator start only if the Batteries go down to 10% SOC. If you know that on even an average night the batteries will still have 30% SOC by time the panels start producing in the morning then the Generator will only kick in if things get really bad, like if a storm or super cloudy day is starting. You can then let the Generator charge it to whatever level you want and then it will shutdown.

I would go with 16 panels from the get go. Two strings of 8 panels is right in the sweet spot for the Inverter in terms of voltage and you do need those extra panels for the Tesla. If the sunshine is as good as you say it is I would expect the batteries to be charge by 11am or noon.
The Tesla is always going to be a mileage game if used daily but since your only making trips once a week it will be no issue at all as it should be fully charged within 3 days even if you don't use the batteries for charging the EV.

 

[koppted]

You can do both with the Sol-Ark. Personally I would just set the setting very conservative, like have the Generator start only if the Batteries go down to 10% SOC. If you know that on even an average night the batteries will still have 30% SOC by time the panels start producing in the morning then the Generator will only kick in if things get really bad, like if a storm or super cloudy day is starting. You can then let the Generator charge it to whatever level you want and then it will shutdown.

I would go with 16 panels from the get go. Two strings of 8 panels is right in the sweet spot for the Inverter in terms of voltage and you do need those extra panels for the Tesla. If the sunshine is as good as you say it is I would expect the batteries to be charge by 11am or noon.
The Tesla is always going to be a mileage game if used daily but since your only making trips once a week it will be no issue at all as it should be fully charged within 3 days even if you don't use the batteries for charging the EV.

What brand, Wattage and Specifications panels do you have in mind?
Btw Sol-Ark is a no go. They are a premium for BS, Their product is just as Chinese Made as the Growatts and MPPs, all they do is modify it and charge of premium that in my opinion is not worth it.

Edit: I just realized you mentioned something about a Tesla, which I've never owned. You might be responding to someone else's post.

 

[robby]

What brand, Wattage and Specifications panels do you have in mind?
Btw Sol-Ark is a no go. They are a premium for BS, Their product is just as Chinese Made as the Growatts and MPPs, all they do is modify it and charge of premium that in my opinion is not worth it.

Edit: I just realized you mentioned something about a Tesla, which I've never owned. You might be responding to someone else's post.

Sorry I was responding to @dobsonimages.