System ?

[HeathenNomad]

I am looking at building out a basic system like this and have some questions. Right now, all I have is a 33AH AGM battery that I use to run my HAM base station when off grid. What I would like to do is the following
Setup a system with 1 panel for now instead of the 4 in the layout above and I am wondering of there is any problem with getting all inverters/controllers, etc. to run a 400+W system, but start with just 100W panel and my 33AH battery with the plan to move to more panels and higher AH batteries including lithium at the right time?
TIA

 

[Bobert]

If you are like me it will be great fun and worth the money for the education alone. Don’t expect much from 33ah but it will do something. A $100 solar panel and a $20 pwm controller a few wires and small fuses and your in business. Depending upon the specs and condition of your battery you may struggle to run a 400 watt inverter but it’s worth a try.

 

[GLC]

I am looking at building out a basic system like this and have some questions. Right now, all I have is a 33AH AGM battery that I use to run my HAM base station when off grid. What I would like to do is the following
Setup a system with 1 panel for now instead of the 4 in the layout above and I am wondering of there is any problem with getting all inverters/controllers, etc. to run a 400+W system, but start with just 100W panel and my 33AH battery with the plan to move to more panels and higher AH batteries including lithium at the right time?
TIA

Short answer is yes. But buy your controller that you will expand to later, same with fuses and wiring. Buy what you want to expand to. Get a MPPT controller not a PWM. You will have more flexibilities in the future for adding panels. Example: if you buy a 40 amp MPPT controller that is 12 or 24 volts it will handle appx 525 watts/ 40 amps/ 150 volts with a 12 volt setup. Then in the future if you expand to 24 volts you can make 1050 watts/40 amps/150 volts with the same controller. When you buy your 1st panel, think about if you can get the similar panels in the future. Lets say you get one 305 watt Jenco panel 38 volts and 8 amps per panel. Your full future expansion would be at least 3 panels total making 915 watts when complete. Your could wire in parallel making 24 amps and 38 volts. If you buy small you may have to replace the items you purchased previously because they will not be able to expand to what you want to accomplish in the future. Or buy small and plan on replacing almost everything.

 

[Bobert]

Short answer is yes. But buy your controller that you will expand to later, same with fuses and wiring. Buy what you want to expand to. Get a MPPT controller not a PWM. You will have more flexibilities in the future for adding panels. Example: if you buy a 40 amp MPPT controller that is 12 or 24 volts it will handle appx 525 watts/ 40 amps/ 150 volts with a 12 volt setup. Then in the future if you expand to 24 volts you can make 1050 watts/40 amps/150 volts with the same controller. When you buy your 1st panel, think about if you can get the similar panels in the future. Lets say you get one 305 watt Jenco panel 38 volts and 8 amps per panel. Your full future expansion would be at least 3 panels total making 915 watts when complete. Your could wire in parallel making 24 amps and 38 volts. If you buy small you may have to replace the items you purchased previously because they will not be able to expand to what you want to accomplish in the future. Or buy small and plan on replacing almost everything.

That’s good advice but in my situation I found that getting my feet wet with the cheapest thing out there ( all I could afford at the time ) Enabled me to save tons of money on a budget system that actually works ( I still don’t have the money for the good stuff) if I hadn’t started that way I would have purchased expensive equipment that in the end would not have fit the needs that developed after I knew what I was doing. I say learn how to do it first then design your setup. So far I have repurposed most of what I bought in the learning phase anyway. I learn best by doing. I say safety first and go for it. When you are confident that you know exactly what you want and how to design it then spend the big bucks.

 

[GLC]

Understand what you are saying. I started out the same way only thing was what I purchased would not work to expand my setup in the future so basically I spent money on something i would not have a return on except for education. I purchased a small 400 watt setup , with a PWM controller from Renogy and a 2000 watt modified sine wave inverter. It was ok and I learned a lot but pretty well worthless for what I learned afterwards. Paid too much for the kit, not expandable and the modified sine wave converter did not work well with electronic devices. If I would have got a little more information, spent just a tad more money I would have had something to build on for the future instead of pretty well scrapping it. Well actually did not scrap it but gave it to my son.

Actually my first setup was a 100 watt setup from Harbor Freight, that I did scrap.

 

[Bobert]

Understand what you are saying. I started out the same way only thing was what I purchased would not work to expand my setup in the future so basically I spent money on something i would not have a return on except for education. I purchased a small 400 watt setup , with a PWM controller from Renogy and a 2000 watt modified sine wave inverter. It was ok and I learned a lot but pretty well worthless for what I learned afterwards. Paid too much for the kit, not expandable and the modified sine wave converter did not work well with electronic devices. If I would have got a little more information, spent just a tad more money I would have had something to build on for the future instead of pretty well scrapping it. Well actually did not scrap it but gave it to my son.

Actually my first setup was a 100 watt setup from Harbor Freight, that I did scrap.

We all have to start somewhere. I had a 45 watt kit and a 100 watt kit for harbor freight over the years given to me for Christmas and my birthday. We used the 100w kit for gazebo lights last year and the 45 watt kit to keep my Father in laws camper battery charged when he wasn’t using his camper. I really enjoy and benefit from this forum it helps to learn from other peoples experience. It’s a lot cheaper too. Still it can never quite replace learned the hard way knowledge but a hybrid of the two I think is the most cost effective. If money was no object I could just hire out what I want to accomplish but I would miss the satisfaction of creating something that works and understanding why and how it works. I think that’s worth more than money and that’s a lot of the reason why there is a diy solar forum.

 

[NVS]

If you watch harbor freight you can get their Thunderbolt solar panels with built in stands on sale for $90 and they have flat rate shipping for $6.99. I wouldn't by their charge controllers though.

100 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Amazing deals on this 100W Solar Panel Monocrystalline at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com