Solar Panels?

[Forbisher]

Lol with a, it's a Point Zero Titan with one battery for now, in the future a second one.

Are you getting the Titan in 2022 or 2023? Haha
Plenty of time to study up.

Read their website as they will tell you how many watts of panels, max input voltage, amps, etc. .

I think it has 2 MPPT scc?
Did you know that?

You can use any solar panel with the Titan if you connect correctly.

 

[Forbisher]

It's a Point Zero Titan with one battery, in the future a second one

2 minutes on Google for Titan specs.
Just because the Titan has a 24V battery it doesn't mean you have to use "24V" panels.

You could use 10 100 watt 12V panels arranged 5S2P

Obviously using 3 320w panels would be easier and cheaper if the Voc x 3 is comfortably under the 145V max input when you allow for low temps.

Solar MPPT Charge Controller:
Dual MPPT controllers
Input Volts: 35V to 145VDC
Maximum input Amps: 30 amps per input port
Maximum charging amps: 80A (40A per port)
Charge rate: up to 2000W (using both ports, and with two or more batteries)

 

[Ols]

2 minutes on Google for Titan specs.
Just because the Titan has a 24V battery it doesn't mean you have to use "24V" panels.

You could use 10 100 watt 12V panels arranged 5S2P

Obviously using 3 320w panels would be easier and cheaper if the Voc x 3 is comfortably under the 145V max input when you allow for low temps.

Solar MPPT Charge Controller:
Dual MPPT controllers
Input Volts: 35V to 145VDC
Maximum input Amps: 30 amps per input port
Maximum charging amps: 80A (40A per port)
Charge rate: up to 2000W (using both ports, and with two or more batteries)

Have watched other you tubers and they called it 24v system. So when looking at solar panels need to look at the voc and have above 35v and below 145v for the mppt. If I would buy three 300w panels with a voc of 40.1v ×3= 120.3v I would be in the range.

 

[Forbisher]

Have watched other you tubers and they called it 24v system.

So when looking at solar panels need to look at the voc and have above 35v and below 145v for the mppt.

If I would buy three 300w panels with a voc of 40.1v ×3= 120.3v I would be in the range.

Yeah that would work.
Three 300w panels in Series.

So what if you tubers called it a 24V system as that only means the battery is 24V.
Panels can be 12V or 24V or whatever works with that 35Vmp to 145Voc.

Bluetti AC200 has a 52V battery so can you only use 52V solar panels???

 

[unsubscribed]

@Ols But watch out that the MPPT can take the voltage. If you're going to with a system that produces 120 Voc, then the Victron 150/35 might be your only game in town.

 

[Forbisher]

@Ols But watch out that the MPPT can take the voltage. If you're going to with a system that produces 120 Voc, then the Victron 150/35 might be your only game in town.

He is using a big $$$$ Titan "solar generator" that has 2 MPPT SCC's built in.

Titan Solar MPPT Charge Controller:
Dual MPPT controllers
Input Volts: 35V to 145VDC
Maximum input Amps: 30 amps per input port
Maximum charging amps: 80A (40A per port)
Charge rate: up to 2000W (using both ports, and with two or more batteries)

 

[Forbisher]

Lol with a, it's a Point Zero Titan with one battery for now, in the future a second one.

Where and how are you using your Titan powering what?
Where are you installing the panels.
When did they say they will ship?

 

[unsubscribed]

Okay, I figured out the math.

My gut instinct that a ratio of 4:1 was right, although it's a function of load, not of battery bank capacity.

Basically, you do this:

24 hours x L (where L is your average one hour load, in watts) - 6 hours x P (where P is your actual (not theoretical) peak solar power, in watts) = 0.

This equation says that, during the day, you have to put in to your batteries the power that the load took out in the past 24 hours. Do this and your SOC should stay at whatever it was when you started. So if your battery is fully charged by the end of the day, you should end up with a fully charged battery by the end of the next day.

Solve for P and you get 24L=6P => 6P=24L => P=24/6 L => P=4L.

So, as a minumum Rule of Thumb, to establish a lower boundary, you need to generate a peak solar power that's 4 times your average one hour load to keep your battery from discharging over a 24 hour period.

(And so the ratio of 4 comes from the number of hours of good daylight divided by 24 hours in a day. Which is what my intuition was telling me.)

And so, for my case of a continuous load of 200 watts day and night, I need 800 watts of peak solar. Which, as I had guessed, means that I need to buy another panel.

This equation assumes no clouds. It got the figure of 6P from my anecdotal observations of my current system during equinox, where my typical peak power yields 6x of total daily harvested power. At my latitude. (Arizona.)

 

[Ols]

Where and how are you using your Titan powering what?
Where are you installing the panels.
When did they say they will ship?

Forbisher, last summer went thru a power outage for a couple of weeks this open my eyes to alternative power sources. A friend let me use his gas generator which was loud and of course could not be brought inside. Like I said this greenhorn is looking into solar. So I am starting out with portable generator and a couple of panels. The panels will be on the ground which I will move around to follow the sun. My plans are to use the Titan as a backup for another power outage to run a refrigerator, TV, and fan not the whole house. When the power is on, tv, a lamp, laptop, will play around with it. Still in the process of putting it all of it together.

Also, want to say "thanks" to all who commented with their input. And to those who had the patience to learn this greenhorn.

 

[AZRoadrunner]

Hopefully someone smarter than I am has the answer already.

I'm not the one with the answers, but maybe a little perspective. I've been a ham radio operator since 1974, worked professionally as a radio communications officer for the federal government, and earned a piece of paper along the way that says I'm a certified electronic technician. Been working in, around, and with electronics for most of my working life (now in my 60s). The two most important things I learned along the way is that 1) the devil is in the details, and 2) humility is my best asset. Don't let this stuff frustrate you -- even those of us who might be considered "professional" miss the mark on a regular basis. Pushing electrons around on wires and trying to control their behavior in a manner that provides us with something useful is a very tricky and sometimes mind-altering experience.

 

[iamrich]

I'm not the one with the answers, but maybe a little perspective. I've been a ham radio operator since 1974, worked professionally as a radio communications officer for the federal government, and earned a piece of paper along the way that says I'm a certified electronic technician. Been working in, around, and with electronics for most of my working life (now in my 60s). The two most important things I learned along the way is that 1) the devil is in the details, and 2) humility is my best asset. Don't let this stuff frustrate you -- even those of us who might be considered "professional" miss the mark on a regular basis. Pushing electrons around on wires and trying to control their behavior in a manner that provides us with something useful is a very tricky and sometimes mind-altering experience.

I would add that in a sub forum specifically titled "beginners corner" I would expect a little patience with any posts. What seems obvious to some, might not be obvious to others.

 

[AZRoadrunner]

I would add that in a sub forum specifically titled "beginners corner" I would expect a little patience with any posts. What seems obvious to some, might not be obvious to others.

Exactly. At least this place isn't run like so many other online forums -- where newcomers are publicly ridiculed and told to "search the forum" or "RTFM". Sometimes you don't know what to search on or the search results generate too much noise. The separate discussion area for beginners is an excellent solution.

 

[Ricktara]

Wow, can’t get near that price here in NH

 

[unsubscribed]

Smokin' Deal of the Day

I should probably post this somewhere else in the forum, to let others know. (If there's a Moderator, feel free to cross post this.) But since we've been talking about buying Solar Panels from SanTan Solar (in the Phoenix, AZ area) in this thread:

I just got back from SanTan Solar. I was planning to buy two REC 350W Twin Peak 2S poly's (REC350TP2S72) for $150 each. (Per their website.)

When I got there, the sales guy asked if I wanted "in the box or out of the box." I asked, "What's the difference?"

Answer: (rough quote) "Out of the box is where an installer buys a bunch in boxes, takes them out of the boxes for a job, doesn't use some and returns them. Out of the box are not covered by REC's 25 year warranty."

But I know that in the box REC's are not covered by REC either if not professionally installed. So no difference to me.

"How much for out of the box?"

"$110"

(Some drama: "But I don't know if I have any left." (Not on their website.) "I can check." Yes, he had some.)

I bought two. (As I've gotten older, I figure that if I'm going to drive an hour or two to buy a solar panel, I might as well by two of them.)

(BTW, I had asked about a discount for cash. (Since I'm saving them the 3% credit card fee.) "Yes." But I don't think I got a discount on these. In retrospect, since no discount, I should have paid for these with a credit card, just in case of a problem.)

They check out okay here with a Voc test.

As a comparison, a few months ago I had driven up to Flagstaff (two hours each way) to buy some REC N-PEAK 330 W mono's. They were also "out of the box." (I think that's because Northern Arizona Wind & Sun buys them by the pallet this way.) I paid $205 for those. They work well. And I know mono is more efficient than poly (by 1% in my case). But even if I harvest only 330 W out of my new 350 W poly's, that's at half of what I paid for my N-PEAK's.

And considering that I was paying about $90 from Amazon after tax for 100 W panels (Hey, Amazon, Arizona doesn't charge sales tax on solar panels. So what's up with you charging me tax?), I am now officially kicking myself thoroughly.

Also, SanTan also sells large gauge wire. (Although not yet posted on their web site.) They don't crimp connectors on for you. But a customer there said that NAPA Auto Parts will.

 

[AZRoadrunner]

Thanks for the report @pmikep -- Santan Solar is on my short list of places to visit in the near future. Google Maps indicates it's exactly a 2 hr drive from down here by Tucson. For now, I'm proceeding with the Eco-Worthy 195w panels, but waiting for the second one to come in (one of them was smashed to smithereens by Fedex). If I had known about Santan there's no way I would have had panels shipped in!

 

[iamrich]

(As I've gotten older, I figure that if I'm going to drive an hour or two to buy a solar panel, I might as well buy twelve of them.)

Fixed it for you....

 

[Sanwizard]

Plans are to purchase some solar panels but I am limited to space two to three panels, 300w 24v. My question is with all negative comments on solar companies, who would be a reputable and trusted company to buy from? Any help would be appreciated.

I have had good experience with Alt-e solar in Mass. Their prices are competitive, and the Qcell panels I bought from them are great.

 

[Sanwizard]

I "hate" to suggest these panels, because if Will mentions them, they will sell out like SOK batteries did.

330 Watts for just over $200. (5% discount for first order.) Blows the doors off the silly 100 W panels that I was buying when I first got into solar.

I've seen two produce 687 Watts this month on a partly cloudy day (so they had cooled down before the sun come again) in Phoenx, AZ.

I've seen them produce 450 Watts on a cloudy day here!

REC Solar N-PEAK Series 330 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Module

Note: This model has been succeeded by the REC365NP2.

www.solar-electric.com

No sales tax. (Something about Arizona not taxing solar stuff.)

The only "down" side, is that they are expensive to ship ($120 for the first) because they have to go by truck.

But if you live in AZ (or nearby) just drive up to Flagstaff to get them.

(@AZRoadrunner : If you drive up there, I would like to buy two more. I'm near I-17.)

For those living in the Northeast, I drove to Lowell Mass to pick up 16 of these. They fit perfectly in the back of a Subaru Forester. 330W QCELL for $186 each.

Qcells Q.PEAK DUO XL-G10.3 485W bifacial pallet (29)

Wholesale pricing on pallets of Qcells Q.PEAK DUO XL-G10.3 485W bifacial solar panels! Qcells solar panels deliver max performance in real-world conditions.

www.altestore.com

 

[unsubscribed]

You bring up an important consideration. The 330 W REC n-PEAK's that I first bought fit easily in a Ford F-150. However, the REC 350 W Twin Peak 2S's that I bought today required that I leave the tail gate down for the 1 hour trip home.

 

[unsubscribed]

Here's a handy interactive tool from Victron that tells you what size your battery bank and panels need to be for an average load in your area.

(Kinda like that old joke 1040EZ form that you see - "not enough.")

Off-grid - Victron Energy

How do you build scalable, cost-effective and robust off-grid systems that provide peace of mind?

www.victronenergy.com