Your suggestions for an ALL-N-ONE for a Remote, Austere, 120V 12A 24/7 MEDEVAC system

[ghostwriter66]

So thought that I would run this by some of you and get your thoughts on the design.

I need to operate a helicopter safety beacon (MEDEVAC) that is 120V 60Hz 12A and run it 24/7 ... 365 ... infinity ... Beacon is on constantly ...

what I do currently have are (10) 400-455 solar panels that they are pushing 8A max .... and I can purchase an electric start generator of any size and brand that I require to be used to charge the batteries if/when they run low. If I don't need to use 10 it would be easier to use 8 since space is tight on the roof.

Instead of building the battery packs like I normally do i am thinking of taking the easy way out and just getting some of those EOY battery (turnkey) packs. ((If there is something different you would use please let me know))

SO now what I need to find is an All-in-one that is large enough to power the 12A requirement but small enough where my idle wattage is not going to eat up my batteries over night. PLUS it needs to be able to have a high enough charge rate (ie 60A+) to charge the batteries quickly during the day (ie winter) PLUS the ability to remote start a generator if/when the batteries get low... so when the batteries get low - it switches on the generator .. and then turns it off when it gets full ...

ANY initial thoughts on which All in one I should be looking at ... and battery pack size you would recommend...???

I'm sure there's going to be some good questions so fire away...

 

[sunshine_eggo]

I think your scale is off by at least a factor of two. With 60A MPPT, you'll be running the generator > half the day.

120*12/.85 * 24 = 40.7kWh/day - 33% more than the average U.S. household.

You'll need at least 10kW of solar and at least 32kWh of batteries

8000W/48V = 166A
8000W/24V = 333A

PIP 3048LV-MK 48V + SC48120 MPV- 120A MPPT

No idea if they offer auto start for the genny. Do any of the low end MPP/Growatt units?

 

[svetz]

You need an LED beacon version for sure. Also, don't you need multiple lights and a lit-up windsock? Some HQ bean counter picked the one you're quoting because it was $10 cheaper not understanding how much it would cost to run it or that an LED would outlast a filament by a factor of 25. If your boss doesn't want to buck HQ suggest that HQ's can be installed and generator powered as a "backup", whereas the primary are LEDs. I was looking at https://www.flashtechnology.com/helipad-lights-heliport-lighting-requirements/ to see if something LED might be available. They show a lot of lights...

From the image to the right, I suspect you'll need the lighted windcone too, not sure if you'll need the floodlights, FATO or TLOF lights. The FAA probably sets the minimum requirements based on the structure, for example in an impromptu field it sounds like flashlights can be used. Your setup sounds like it needs to be for some "permanent" structure. So, looked up the watt requirements for a couple of FAA approved devices (first ones I googled, there are lots): $4k Heliport beacon consumes 90 watts (16x less power). $3k lighted Windcone consumes 42 watts. So, now you're looking at (90+42) / .85 x 24 = 3.8 kWh. Assuming an insolation of 3 for winter, and that's about 4 of your 400 watt panels. Not sure if they're applicable for your structure, but saw some battery powered FATO and TLOF lights (they look like solar-garden lights), so they're self-contained and wouldn't need panels or generator wiring.

 

[svetz]

Salt Water?
As to the inverter selection, is this an oil-rig or coastal where salt is going to be a big problem or hurricanes? If so, it might eliminate all of the all-in-ones (Victron and SMA might have something appropriate, I don't believe Sol-Arc is rated for outdoors). Otherwise, if you can get to under 2kW as per #3, there are a number of small marine off-grid inverters & SCC that would do. I'd suggest two, so if one fails with a bypass switch you can cut over.

Enphase is sealed and works off-grid The nice about Enphase is that they're a top-tier company making quality products, which is important in a life-saving applications such as medical emergencies. They also have superb technical support and documentation and the entire system can be remotely controlled. Enphase is more expensive but has some big advantages. First, there's no single point of inverter failure, which can be important as Murphy says the generator fuel resupply will hiccup when most needed. Even if a microinverter goes out, the system will still keep working except for a few hours in winter. The image to the right are the parts I suspect you'd need, your load panel would connect to the Enpower. Looks like about 4x$170 + $1000 + $3000 + $3000 < $8000 The next advantage is scalability, if the FAA doesn't approve something or changes the rules you won't need to forklift the old inverter if you need more power you can just add another microinverter. If there was a grid, you could even grid-tie the system so corporate would see some recovery from it.

Where Enphase batteries won't place nice is in sub-zero temperatures. Their IQ Batteries are meant to be indoors.

 

[svetz]

Let us know how it goes with this, always curious to read about your real-world engineering adventurers.