Solar charge controller

[Scottish dan]

Good afternoon all

I am needing some information on solar charge controller and inverter for a off grid system . I have 3 24 volt solar panels which are 195 watts each panel . Can I get a solar charge controller and inverter in 1 . If so which’s kind do people recommend so I cando some research on them . I don’t have a big budget . Thanks

 

[DThames]

Yes. I have no personal experience, so will say little. Look at Will's videos on "all in one" systems. Check this also.

 

[ianganderton]

Have you had a look at the blueprints section on Will’s site (linked at the top menu)

 

[DThames]

You should be looking at any future upgrade/expansion plans that might come up. All in one, charger/inverter has advantages of neat and small, but also you can't just upsize the inverter or swap out a charger if you need/want something larger. Some of the all in one units will allow you to gang them together, so you could double your system size.....also an advantage but something you should shop for if that is important to you.

 

[TedH]

Good afternoon all

I am needing some information on solar charge controller and inverter for a off grid system . I have 3 24 volt solar panels which are 195 watts each panel . Can I get a solar charge controller and inverter in 1 . If so which’s kind do people recommend so I cando some research on them . I don’t have a big budget . Thanks

Depending on your budget, You may consider the Aims inverter/charger. I went with the separate Solar Charge Controller since I had an older Inverter/Charger that did not have a user defined or lifepo4 battery option. There are a number of budget separate SSC and Inverter options.

What is your budget? Also, it appears you will be at 1Kw or less. That is typically the max for smaller SCCs. Check out the EPEVER product line for budget minded solution.

 

[Dacflyer]

I bought an AIMS 2Kw 48v charger / inverter recently, haven't hooked it up yet, but it has a lot of features.
charger / transfer switch / Grid power priority, or battery priority select..
I plan to use mine in battery priority mode, and my solar will charge batteries with a separate charge controller.
and if the batteries happen to get too low, the inverter will charge them back up til there's enough power to switch back over again.
I think I will be pleased with it.

 

[DThames]

I bought an AIMS 2Kw 48v charger / inverter recently, haven't hooked it up yet, but it has a lot of features.
charger / transfer switch / Grid power priority, or battery priority select..
I plan to use mine in battery priority mode, and my solar will charge batteries with a separate charge controller.
and if the batteries happen to get too low, the inverter will charge them back up til there's enough power to switch back over again.
I think I will be pleased with it.

Is it split phase (120v/240v) ?

 

[Dacflyer]

Mine is a single phase, but they do make a split phase as well..
12v, 24v,36, and 48v - single phase and split phase.

 

[Jdplus33]

Have you had a look at the blueprints section on Will’s site (linked at the top menu)

Where is “Will’s site”?

 

[gnubie]

At the top of the page, DIY Solar Blueprints - linked here for your ease.

Mobile Solar Power: Made Easy! DIY Off-grid Solar Power!

Building a vehicle mounted solar power system? Let me help.

www.mobile-solarpower.com

 

[Jdplus33]

At the top of the page, DIY Solar Blueprints - linked here for your ease.

Mobile Solar Power: Made Easy! DIY Off-grid Solar Power!

Building a vehicle mounted solar power system? Let me help.

www.mobile-solarpower.com

Thanks. I’m looking for design ideas for 6kw-10kw. If you can “name that forum” I’d be grateful.

 

[Dacflyer]

Will has a lot of great DIY videos, and he gives you confidence to do the project.
you can also find a lot of his videos on Utube.

 

[Hedges]

Thanks. I’m looking for design ideas for 6kw-10kw. If you can “name that forum” I’d be grateful.

On this page with a list of forums, you can start with "Residential", "Off-Grid" etc., but there are a lot under that.
These threads just happen, don't get organized in a way that you can select by various parameters. But you can search for keywords.

DIY Solar Power Forum

Love building DIY solar electric projects? Come hang out :D

diysolarforum.com

My system was in the range you mention, a bit bigger now. It has AC coupled grid-tie inverters (SMA Sunny Boy) going through battery inverters (Sunny Island) to do net metering when the grid is up, and battery backup when it is down. Several brands of inverters work this way, and some mix & match is possible. There are also systems with DC coupling (PV panels through charge controller to battery) which can do the same thing for on or off grid.

It depends on your on/off grid requirements, and the loads you want to supply.