Need help designing off grid PV system for outdoor lighting & landscape lighting

Hello all. I have a semi large property approx 4 acre. I like to design and install a DIY PV system to power my landscape/outdoor lighting and water fountain, etc. I will be using all 12v dc components (LED lights, water pumps, fans....) Any recommendation on a turn key design? Also how can I calculate my drop on power if I am running the 12 V DC on long distance, say 200 ft?... Thanks

Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Need help designing off grid PV system for outdoor lighting & landscape lighting

    you need to determine the loads presented to the system and for how long they will each be running for a whole day. this will determine what is needed for storage as well as what is needed in pv to charge it. i do trust the diy installation does not mean you are building pvs as i will advise against doing this.

    once all the pertinent info is collected and you determine a good system the wiring can be figured using the v drop calculator in my signature line.
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Need help designing off grid PV system for outdoor lighting & landscape lighting

    You may find that using a small 120VAC inverter, will cost less than the wire gauge needed for the long runs @ 12VDC.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,