diy solar

diy solar

Using 3 Bluetti SP200W solar panels to charge an AGM 12v 110ah deep cycle battery

joeyz101

New Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Messages
3
Hi Everyone !

I just purchased the Bluetti AC200P generator bundle which includes three Bluetti SP200W foldable solar panels.

this bundle includes everything I’ll need to connect and charge my Bluetti AC200P from the 3 solar panels but in the spirit of creating new projects for fun :) I thought I’d see if there is any way I can connect a brand new AGM 12v 110ah deep cycle battery to the same three Bluetti SP200W solar panels so I can charge it up as well.

If this is possible I’d like to buy a “smart battery box for my AGM 12v 110ah deep cycle battery and then use this along with my Bluetti AC200P generator to run various things in my house should we lose power.

I called Bluetti and the guy I spoke with referred me to mobile-solarpower.com which is how I found this forum and he thought I’d need a solar device controller and he said he wasn’t sure how the three Bluetti SP200W solar panels could be spliced together to charge the AGM battery so wondering if anyone here can share some ideas around how I can do this and what I’d need to buy.

Also if this can be done any recommendations on a really good smart battery box would be appreciated as well !

Thanks so much !

joeyz101
 
Do you want to charge Bluetti generator and AGM battery simultaneously or one by one?
What is your definition of "really good smart battery box" and what is your budget for it?
If you want to charge AGM battery separately from AC200P you can use simple 30Amp PWM controller like this https://www.amazon.com/Controller-Intelligent-Regulator-Paremeter-Adjustable/dp/B08L8TBCK6 and connect your 3 panels in parallel. But you will waste 20%-30% or so of your panel power since they are 20 Volts. Or you can connect panels in series and use MPPT controller like this one - https://www.amazon.com/Victron-SmartSolar-Charge-Controller-Bluetooth/dp/B075NQQRPD. This way you will utilize your panel power in full.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Brewmatic !

I was just checking out the mobile-solarpower.com site and I saw this solar charge controller featured and it said it is good if you're charging an AGM battery - do you think this one would do the job ?


To answer your question, I never really thought about using my three Bluetti SP200W solar panels to charge both the Bluetti AC200P Generator and my AGM 12v 110ah deep cycle battery simultaneously - guess I always thought I'd have to do it one by one ?

Obviously if my three solar panels are strong enough to charge both the generator and 12v battery at the same time that would be more convenient but I just don't know if they are.

As for my definition of a really good smart battery box I don't really have a ton of experience to draw upon - all I've seen are a few that others have used during kayak fishing tournaments. Primary purpose is to run an electric trolling motor but the smart box allows the user the ability to charge a cell phone or other device like powering a fish finder and/or GoPro.

In my mind I was thinking if I could get a smart battery box then once I charge up the AGM 12v 110ah deep cycle battery than I can plug things into it just like I will when I use the Bluetti AC200P generator - so if there is a smart battery box with a variety of connections or ports (maybe a few 3 prong, a few usb, etc.) then I can

The "smart battery box" I've seen is:


Wondering if this one below (or others you'd recommend) work better for my purpose of using this battery as almost another solar generator (alongside my Bluetti AC200P):

 
Yes, you can use the last one for your purpose. Please note that invertor on top of the box is not water proof. So you can easily damage it .

You can also built the similar box yourself for less than $100.
 
Thanks Brewmatic -

What does everyone think of this set up ?

Three Bluetti SP200W Solar Panels (600W total) to charge 1. my Bluetti AC200P generator (2000WH/2000W,LifePo4 battery cell) and 2. my AGM 12v 110ah deep cycle battery. Do you think 600W solar panels can charge both the generator and the battery simultaneously ? Might I need any special connections to keep them simultaneously charging ?

The ABM 12v 110ah deep cycle battery is brand new and I was thinking of pairing it with the KR3000 12v power inverter by Krieger ($300 on Amazon and recommended by Will Prowse). I would charge it with the EPEVER 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller 12V/24V ($209 on Amazon).

There are other models of the Krieger inverter (1100W, 1500W, 2000W) that are cheaper - since at the current time I am only going to have the one battery (again AGM 12v 110ah deep cycle) is the 3000W inverter for $300 overkill - what is the advantage of 3000W inverter over the 1100W if I only have that one battery ?

Also Will Prowse recommended the solar charge controller I mention in this post above and there are also three different models that range from $165 - $209. I believe Brewmatic recommended a solar charge controller yesterday that was $17 - is the one recommended by Will overkill for the set up I am describing here ?

With the items mentioned above I am not expecting that I will be able to power everything in my home (central air, lights, oven, refrigerator, TVs, etc, etc.) 24/7 during a power outage but I would like to have enough power to run a small humidifier - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PMLLT2W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - as well as a Cuisinart double electric burner (when needed to quickly cook some meals), charge some devices, stuff like that.

I am a newbie so please let me know if what I am describing makes sense - if you think I don't even need the 12v AGM battery since I have the Bluetti AC200P based on what I will be using it for or any other thoughts advice you might have.

Thanks again !

Joeyz101
 
- The KR3000 is a modified sin wave invertor. I'd recommend a pure sin wave invertor instead,
- 3000 Watt is overkill. 2000W or even 1500 w invertor should be OK considering 450 Watt humidifier power consumption.
- The EPEVER 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller 12V/24V for $209 is good but it is overkill for your panels and especially battery.
- The weakest part of your planned setup is battery. It will run your humidifier for less than 2 hours. You need a much bigger battery. Start you plan with defining for how long and how much equipment you want to run in case of power outages. It will give you an idea how many KW hours your battery should hold. Then you can select proper charger for your battery.

If you gust want to use existing battery anf solar panels - you will need much smaller/simpler charger and say 1500Watt inverter.

To simplify your setup you can buy an AC battery charger and run it from your Bluetti while it's charging from the panels. It's not a most efficient setup but simplest and the cheapest. Should be OK for occasional power outages.
 
Back
Top