Ninety-9 SE-L
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2021
- Messages
- 4
Hopefully I'm not coming in hot and starting a war, but I've noticed there are a lot of options now available for smaller off-grid setups, around 3kW. The thing I'm noticing is that some brands I really can't trust any further than I can throw them.
I have a 2-year old system that puts (4) 300W 24V panels on the roof of my 16' trailer. I mostly built the system for fun and it's just enough to run a small de-humidifier throughout most of a 24h period, plus lights and small power tool chargers. Despite the old picture, I now have 24V 300Ah worth of AGM.
Early pics:
In the future, I'd like to buy a newer trailer, maybe even PV my shed or a ~20' camper. For any of those, I would like to build a moderate <2kW PV in, 3kW 120V/60Hz out system that runs a few things, including small AC units. In addition, I want to be able to switch back to shore power if my batteries are depleted. So about 25A in/out for the AC side of things. You get the idea, this puts a pretty wide range of affordable products, especially All-In-One products like MPP, Growatt, Renogy, PowMr. You also have component-based systems, like Victron, EPEVER, Renogy, and then bigger hybrid/grid-tie systems, like Sol-Ark, Sungold, and SolarEdge (I think).
Thinking back to the idea of an RV/Camper/Trailer system that could see 1-2kW PV input and 12-24V in batteries, these All-in-one systems look really nice and clean to install. They also do a great job prioritizing different output sources and charging sources. My only issue is that a lot of these companies are new to the market, made in China, and seem to have growing pains. They're not UL listed, some have some minor flaws or bugs, some people question their quality or safety. Although they offer a VERY CLEAN solution with very few cables, quality and performance are a huge concern.
I think this is why I see a lot of RV owners using Victron products, because they seem to be very high quality, but Victron doesn't really have a lot of AIO systems, and definitely not 120V/60Hz. With Victron, you have to still buy all of the individual components and then wires, bus bars, breakers, combiners, etc. A typical "Clean" RV setup might look like this:
Which is still a lot of individual components and wiring.
I have a 2-year old system that puts (4) 300W 24V panels on the roof of my 16' trailer. I mostly built the system for fun and it's just enough to run a small de-humidifier throughout most of a 24h period, plus lights and small power tool chargers. Despite the old picture, I now have 24V 300Ah worth of AGM.
Early pics:
In the future, I'd like to buy a newer trailer, maybe even PV my shed or a ~20' camper. For any of those, I would like to build a moderate <2kW PV in, 3kW 120V/60Hz out system that runs a few things, including small AC units. In addition, I want to be able to switch back to shore power if my batteries are depleted. So about 25A in/out for the AC side of things. You get the idea, this puts a pretty wide range of affordable products, especially All-In-One products like MPP, Growatt, Renogy, PowMr. You also have component-based systems, like Victron, EPEVER, Renogy, and then bigger hybrid/grid-tie systems, like Sol-Ark, Sungold, and SolarEdge (I think).
Thinking back to the idea of an RV/Camper/Trailer system that could see 1-2kW PV input and 12-24V in batteries, these All-in-one systems look really nice and clean to install. They also do a great job prioritizing different output sources and charging sources. My only issue is that a lot of these companies are new to the market, made in China, and seem to have growing pains. They're not UL listed, some have some minor flaws or bugs, some people question their quality or safety. Although they offer a VERY CLEAN solution with very few cables, quality and performance are a huge concern.
I think this is why I see a lot of RV owners using Victron products, because they seem to be very high quality, but Victron doesn't really have a lot of AIO systems, and definitely not 120V/60Hz. With Victron, you have to still buy all of the individual components and then wires, bus bars, breakers, combiners, etc. A typical "Clean" RV setup might look like this:
Which is still a lot of individual components and wiring.