Tired and looking for help on going from, “yeah this works” to, “this is what I should have done 12 years ago”!

[David93561]

Looking for the TV show “Solar Rescue” I’m sure we can all say, to some extent, there’s always room for improvement. To those who can’t, my hat is off to you and thank you for helping us see there is a lite at the end of the tunnel.

My stepdad helped me initially to get set up with off grid power out of necessity and he’s since passed, so I’ve slowly added to the system and have taken away. One take away was my Southwest Whisper 3.2kw wind generator. (Too windy where I am) Anyways, things got added to the system and the numbers weren’t ran and I blindly did what I thought needed to be done and out of sheer luck, it’s worked. But there comes a time when an expert is needed and it’s time to back up and regroup and be smart about it all. Does anyone provide this type of service? Someone that can be vouched for on this forum? TIA.

 

[Danke]

Spend enough time on this forum, and if you’re handy at all, you’ll be a DIYer.

 

[David93561]

Yes sir! Just tired. I’ve learned a lot…. Here’s a little bit about my set up,

And handy? Yeah, I’ve done 95 % of this.

Total off grid system that’s about 12 years old now. 2 Zantrac SW5548 synced for 240, 2 Outback MX80 not paired. 96 Costco golf cart batteries that need replacing. Wires that are not in boxes and non-existent safety other than grounding and lighting suppression. A bunch of solar panels that I’ve seen put out 30kw in a summers day. Also a 6k Kohler 48vdc backup generator. My southwest whisper 300 wind generator 3.2k bit the dust, blessing in disguise. I use a 48V well pump now, so the 240 isn’t used anymore.

 

[Mattb4]

Looking for the TV show “Solar Rescue” I’m sure we can all say, to some extent, there’s always room for improvement. To those who can’t, my hat is off to you and thank you for helping us see there is a lite at the end of the tunnel.

My stepdad helped me initially to get set up with off grid power out of necessity and he’s since passed, so I’ve slowly added to the system and have taken away. One take away was my Southwest Whisper 3.2kw wind generator. (Too windy where I am) Anyways, things got added to the system and the numbers weren’t ran and I blindly did what I thought needed to be done and out of sheer luck, it’s worked. But there comes a time when an expert is needed and it’s time to back up and regroup and be smart about it all. Does anyone provide this type of service? Someone that can be vouched for on this forum? TIA.

You have a whole group of folks here at this forum that can provide you that type of service online. As you no doubt know after your years of Off grid power production that it is loads that drives your supply needs. The tendency for most PV beginners is to make a supply and see what they can power with it. All well, fine and educational but not necessarily satisfying the needs.

A common reply on the Forum to someone just getting started is to do an energy audit. Because once you know your load you can work to design how to supply it.

However you are long beyond that stage and likely have a good grasp on your needs. First up is your batteries. You will find that LiFePO4 is the recommendation as replacement. Not sure what a bunch of solar panels are in terms of actual ratings and arrangement (series, parallel, strings, arrays) plus I would guess you mean 30kWh per day production and not 30kW peak. As to proper wiring, fuses, breakers, distribution boxes, combiner boxes, proper battery cabling, and just general safety, there are ways that work, better ways and if you have to get government permit ways.

 

[Q-Dog]

96 lead acid batteries?

 

[OzSolar]

As Matt B mentioned, let's start with figuring out how much energy (kWh) you need per day and how much power (kW) you need at any one time.

You could try calculate it all out or you could get something like the Emporia Vue and just measure it for a few weeks.

Wires that are not in boxes and non-existent safety other than grounding and lighting suppression. A bunch of solar panels that I’ve seen put out 30kw in a summers day. Also a 6k Kohler 48vdc backup generator. My southwest whisper 300 wind generator 3.2k bit the dust, blessing in disguise. I use a 48V well pump now, so the 240 isn’t used anymore.

30kW or 30 kWH?

I'd suggest look into starting completely over with and AIO (All in One). Since you've already got the hang of most of stuff, swapping over to an AIO would be easy and it would clean up a lot of your wiring issues.

Below is copied and pasted from this thread Midnite AIO that is supposed hitting the market this year. Worthy of serious consideration.

Some specs:
PV Input voltage up to 600VOC, MPPT operating range of 70V to 550v (this is a higher top and lower bottom than SA and EG4)
3 MPPT inputs
48v battery input
100A passthrough/transfer switch
15kW solar input
10kW continuous inverter
Surge: 13kW on a single leg (WOW!)
Field serviceable! First AIO to have this ability.

 

[David93561]

You have a whole group of folks here at this forum that can provide you that type of service online. As you no doubt know after your years of Off grid power production that it is loads that drives your supply needs. The tendency for most PV beginners is to make a supply and see what they can power with it. All well, fine and educational but not necessarily satisfying the needs.

A common reply on the Forum to someone just getting started is to do an energy audit. Because once you know your load you can work to design how to supply it.

However you are long beyond that stage and likely have a good grasp on your needs. First up is your batteries. You will find that LiFePO4 is the recommendation as replacement. Not sure what a bunch of solar panels are in terms of actual ratings and arrangement (series, parallel, strings, arrays) plus I would guess you mean 30kWh per day production and not 30kW peak. As to proper wiring, fuses, breakers, distribution boxes, combiner boxes, proper battery cabling, and just general safety, there are ways that work, better ways and if you have to get government permit ways.

Thank you, yes, production per day. And being my state of charge is saying all is good each day, would it also be safe to say that 30kw would also be my daily need?

 

[David93561]

96 lead acid batteries?

Yes sir. Posted pic

 

[David93561]

96 lead acid batteries?

 

[Mattb4]

Thank you, yes, production per day. And being my state of charge is saying all is good each day, would it also be safe to say that 30kw would also be my daily need?

If you are generating 30kWh a day than it must be going somewhere. That is entirely your loads from house, batteries and loss. Unfortunately with lead acid batteries that are failing a lot of power might be going into simply creating heat instead of capacity.

 

[David93561]

If you are generating 30kWh a day than it must be going somewhere. That is entirely your loads from house, batteries and loss. Unfortunately with lead acid batteries that are failing a lot of power might be going into simply creating heat instead of capacity.

I agree. I posted my battery room (if interested ) and was wondering if I should go to something with less maintenance as they are getting neglected and have no BMS or auto watering. With that 30kWh number, any thoughts on what and how many? We do get snow but melts a few days. Thanks for helping.

 

[seneysolar]

Wow ive never seen that many golf cart batteries wired together! Its almost a guarantee they are not getting charged properly.

The most I have done is 16 Trojan L-16's (2 strings of 8) on a 48v system.

It actually seems to perform pretty good, but I wouldnt try any more than that. Otherwise time to get bigger batteries or switch to liFepo4 if your temps allow.

 

[Mattb4]

I agree. I posted my battery room (if interested ) and was wondering if I should go to something with less maintenance as they are getting neglected and have no BMS or auto watering. With that 30kWh number, any thoughts on what and how many? We do get snow but melts a few days. Thanks for helping.

Sounds like you need a up to date energy audit. If your system had extra capacity (PV and batt) in the beginning it may have coasted downwards to the point you are just barely getting by. You will have the added complication that any upgrades you do will require a major reworking of your old system and having to do that Off grid.

A lot of what you do will depend on how much budget you have to work with and your tolerance to living without daily power.

 

[David93561]

So, pull out all the lead acid batteries and replace with?

 

[400bird]

So, pull out all the lead acid batteries and replace with?

As much Lifepo4 as your energy audit x desired days of autonomy require.

Unless you haven't caught on yet, it's nearly impossible for anyone here to guess on your needed energy storage needs. Do an energy audit to get accurate results or guess. Do 30kWh times your desired days of autonomy (days without solar or generator)

I'd recommend SOK rack batteries from Current Connected.