Winter 23-24 upgrade plan ideas

[pvdude]

The system has been through 3 Summers now, and I have modified it each Winter, based on what I learned each season.
Very cloudy here (tropical) Summers, PV performance suffers dramatically.

Have added more PV each Winter, w/ associated electronics.
Summer of 2023 demonstrated the need for more PV....again.....

Looks like I can "over panel" the Schneider MPPT 100A 600vdc charge controllers quite a bit,
as long as the "Max array short circuit current at ST" is observed, (35A),
as well as the 195-510vdc MPPT voltage range.

diysolarforum.com/resources/overview-of-over-paneling-an-mppt-controller.229/

Here is what might work for this Winter project:

Replace the 16 REC ALPHA 365AA with 16 SILFAB SIL-490 HN.
That upgrade will provide 2kw more PV capacity.
Ground mount, so not a big ordeal to swap panels.

The SILFAB 490's are enormous. 89" (2263mm) long!!!!
So I will have to extend the ends of the ground mount frame by more than
7' (214cm).

The Voc will increase from about 350vdc to about 432vdc.
(Not concerned about Winter temperature effects on Voc here.)

Current increases from 10.26 to 11.53.

Afterwards, there will be a pile'o 16 spare REC365AA to use for Winter 24-25, if needed.

Best part is that the SILFAB panels are local pickup (https://www.gexpro.com/), no shipping $$$ or anxiety!

There is just enough room in my van, the SILFAB's are 14" longer than the LG LG425QAK-A6 (425W) panels I picked up last year for the shed roof mount project.

 

[Doggydogworld]

I recommend therapy

 

[RV10flyer]

Looking great. Working on the last string and seventh array, hopefully final of 52kW. I really need a 12 step program.

 

[pvdude]

I can stop doing solar projects any time I want to, I just don't want to.....

 

[Mark Halvorson]

Buy a boat. You can never get enough solar panels on board. So then your hobby will have to change to inverters or convert the boat to electric power. Lol

 

[timselectric]

My boat would have to pull a trailer boat. (Solar dingy)

 

[Mark Halvorson]

They have solar/electric dingy. Well I am sure you would have more fun converting one

 

[Quattrohead]

Looking great. Working on the last string and seventh array, hopefully final of 52kW. I really need a 12 step program.

How do you manage to use all that ?
I am thinking 11kw is light here in Florida but enough to get me through almost everything, gonna bump it up another 6kw after CO but beyond that I just don't know what else I could use. I am planning 100kwh of batteries though.

 

[RV10flyer]

How do you manage to use all that ?
I am thinking 11kw is light here in Florida but enough to get me through almost everything, gonna bump it up another 6kw after CO but beyond that I just don't know what else I could use. I am planning 100kwh of batteries though.

I could power three efficient homes in the summer. On the darkest cloudy days of winter the production is about 4%. If I came close to using my 10kW LP Gen, then I added more PV. It’s really their for emergency repairs on the system. Heat pumps in the winter are used until the outdoor temps get below 25°F, then the blowers are used to circulate the heat from a wood burner and all hp set points are lowered to 60-65F.