Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

westbranch wrote: »

Your delivery person should have given you a customer copy of their additional billing, mine (UPS) was for brokerage and HST and broker G/HST. My bill has it under the category of "IMPORT CHARGES" no mention of Shipping costs, $113.37 Cdn

Yes, they did give me a copy of the "import charges" bill. . . at my front door. - - sorry, but again - surprise !

I have tried to get a definite "this is what it's going to be" answer from AW&S. There isn't one. - or at least I have not been able to get one. - Not until I have it in my hands, and the delivery guy has left. I have even been told (when I ordered the battery monitor) that some items they let thru, while others are subject too charges. . . could not get a firm answer. That was on the cheap little battery monitor, hate to see what it would be on the 700 $ inverter !

That's why I am so keen on buying from Canada . . if I can avoid the border, I will. I have tracked down the sales center for the samlex inverter line in Canada, I will call them, and see what kind of deal they can give me.

I will be ordering the small controller from AW&S, since the price is the same . . will let you know how much the FDS! comes to.

Keep you guys posted.

NorthGuy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy wrote: »

That's why I am so keen on buying from Canada . . if I can avoid the border, I will. I have tracked down the sales center for the samlex inverter line in Canada, I will call them, and see what kind of deal they can give me.

And they know all that. That's why Canadian prices will be higher.

westbranch

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Yup, surprise. Like reaching in to a box full of chocolates!

The desk lady at the UPS drop point told me that she thinks it has to do with the person that does the UPS paperwork, as she had seen a parcel 2 x the size and weight as mine with charges of $4.00???

Rybren

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy,

If you can have NAWS ship the items via USPS instead of UPS/FedEx, you will save a fair bit. The couriers will gouge you on brokerage fees (and shipping rates) whereas USPS charges ~$15 brokerage (if and when they decide to apply it-often they don't)

The cheapest solution - if you live near the border, is to have the item shipped to a UPS store and then pick it up. Savings on having my epanel shipped is well over $100.

Blackcherry04

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy wrote: »

Yes, they did give me a copy of the "import charges" bill. . . at my front door. - - sorry, but again - surprise !

I have tried to get a definite "this is what it's going to be" answer from AW&S. There isn't one. - or at least I have not been able to get one. - Not until I have it in my hands, and the delivery guy has left. I have even been told (when I ordered the battery monitor) that some items they let thru, while others are subject too charges. . . could not get a firm answer. That was on the cheap little battery monitor, hate to see what it would be on the 700 $ inverter !

That's why I am so keen on buying from Canada . . if I can avoid the border, I will. I have tracked down the sales center for the samlex inverter line in Canada, I will call them, and see what kind of deal they can give me.

I will be ordering the small controller from AW&S, since the price is the same . . will let you know how much the FDS! comes to.

Keep you guys posted.

You need to have whoever you buy from use the Postal Service , there are no " Brokerage Charges " on International Postage. Go to Canada Post or the USPS. It has gotten more expensive lately, the last increase on a package I ship to Canada went from $4.08 to $9.75 on the last one.

http://ircalc.usps.com/CountryInformationLookup.aspx

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Blackcherry04 wrote: »

You need to have whoever you buy from use the Postal Service , there are no " Brokerage Charges " on International Postage. Go to Canada Post or the USPS. It has gotten more expensive lately, the last increase on a package I ship to Canada went from $4.08 to $9.75 on the last one.

http://ircalc.usps.com/CountryInformationLookup.aspx

I will have to look into the usps . . let you know what happens !

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy wrote: »

I will have to look into the usps . . let you know what happens !

1. Well, I don't think that the usps will deliver to a Canadian address . . will they ? If not, I am out of luck there. .

2. The good news, is I contacted the "samlex" office in Ontario, and I can get the same inverter, for the same price as AW&S + S&H . . no FDS , as I can go pick it up if I want to.. . So thats a bit of a savings. . .

QUESTION : Anybody out there have an opinion on Samlex inverters ? Good - bad - so - so ? Pure sine wave - 24 V - 2,000 watt - surge to 4,000 watt. - I don't think I need to get the 3,000 watt model.

3. I just got off the phone with a solar panel dealer who told me that a matching 12 V - 110 watt panel would cost upwards of 350 $ for 1 panel . . He then suggested that I connect all three together for 36 V - and the 15 amp - mppt charge controller would be able to handle it. . . attached is the pdf for the charge controller. . . and the solar panel picture is on here already . . . HELP ! If I wire all three of these 110 watt panels together for 36 Volts, will the 24 V morningstar mppt charge controller be able to handle it, or will it fry it ?

4. In my travels on the phone, and the internet, I have found a dealer who is selling 218 W panels for 160$. New in the box. . . so, I could get 8 of these panels, and a 60 amp morningstar CC for my primary array . . .if this 36 volt idea does not work, I may have to finally admit to screwing up, and just leave the 110 watt panels as a bird roost . . . . .:p . . . . . . . even if I just use 2 of the panels @ 24 V , is it worth buying the new charge controller for only 220 watts ? Probably not. . .

I will keep you updated as I go . .

westbranch

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

you will need to tell us the exact MPPT CC you are referring to...

Rybren

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

USPS definately ships to Canada. I get stuff in through them fairly often.

I just bought a Samlex PST-1500-24. The two things that made up my mind were that you can hardwire the output and that the high-voltage shutoff is 33V. Most of the other inverters in this price range are GFCI output only and the high-voltage cutoff is 30V, which can lead to the inverter shutting down in colder temps.

Note that not all Samelx inverters have 33V shutoff. IIRC, only the PST line does. They have a PST-2000 model with the same features as mine.

As to reliability, who knows? It seems as though Samlex, Cotek, and Meanwell all come out of the same factory in Taiwan and I do know that Meanwell LED Drivers are pretty darn good.

westbranch

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

UPS, around here, just does drop delivery, that is drop it at the depot... no door to door even if it is paid for as D to D:grr

NorthGuy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

westbranch wrote: »

UPS, around here, just does drop delivery, that is drop it at the depot... no door to door even if it is paid for as D to D:grr

Same here. Except this is not a depot, but convenience store.

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

westbranch wrote: »

you will need to tell us the exact MPPT CC you are referring to...

If I wire all three of these 110 watt panels together for 36 Volts, will the 24 V morningstar mppt charge controller be able to handle it, or will it fry it ? . . . . . . . . . attached is the pdf for the charge controller. . . . . . .

Its a morningstar ss-mppt-15L as shown in the pdf document attached. The reason I ask, is I am not all that familiar with all the numbers and letters on the back of the panel . . or c.c. . . so if I assume that I would look at the maximum pv open voltage ? on the charge controller, and each panel puts out 21.5 - that would work out too 64.5 V and the max for the controller is 75 V - so I would say - yes, it should handle it. . . I just want a second opinion on this before I buy. Amps does not change, so that should be o.k. - right ? As well, all 3 panels together (330 watt) are still under the 400 watt limit . . .

Cariboocoot

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Maximum input Voltage to a charge controller limits the Voc of the panels involved: if each panel has a Voc of 21.5 and you put three in series you get 64.5 which does come in under the MPPT 15's 75 Volt limit.

Cold temps have to be taken into consideration as well, because they will increase the Voc. In Ontario it is entirely possible for the temp to drop to -30C. As such the Voc would shoot way up (the exact number for this is not given on the panel specs) and could exceed the 75 Volt input limit. For this reason I would not recommend putting three of those panels in series on that controller at your location.

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Cariboocoot wrote: »

. . . For this reason I would not recommend putting three of those panels in series on that controller at your location.

Darn ! I never thought about the cold temps. Thanks Cariboocoot. After downloading the owners manual, I found this :

Certain grid-tie solar modules may also be used as long as the solar array open circuit voltage (Voc) rating will not exceed the SS-MPPT 75 V maximum input voltage rating at worst-case (coldest) module temperature.

So, that idea is out. . . . thanks for the help!

Thank you for the "glossary of terms" as well !

O.k. one more brain teaser for you guys ! I am planning on picking up some of the panels that I mentioned above, with the matching 60 amp charge controller . . all the panels are going to be connected in parallel - they are 30 V panels . . . just thinking out loud, but what if connected the 3 panels connected in series - too those - parallel ? So the 3 - 110 watt panels - putting out a minimum of 70 V, connected to 7 - 30 V panels in parallel. I would assume again, that the 7 - 30 V panels would draw down the voltage to match the "smaller" panels ?

Does that make sense ? Instead of 330 watts out of the 3 panels, it would drawn down to match the 218 watt panels ? Which is still better than nothing. . . Do I have that right

I do not have the information on the new panels as of yet, all I know is that they are 40 inches wide, 66 inches long, 218 watt panels, putting out 30 Volts. I will be talking to the seller on Monday, will get pictures and info for you guys to have a look at.

According to the owners manual of the tsmppt 60 amp - to fit under the rules and regs of the NEC, I cannot exceed 48 amps Isc. I am guessing that if each panel puts out 8 amps (Isc) then instead of buying enough panels to read the full 60 amp -. . . I should be getting enough panels to fill the 48 amps limit ? So 48 /8 = 6 panels ? That sound about right

I thank you guys for your patients and your help, as I work thru this . . .

Cariboocoot

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Short form:

12 Volt system w/PWM type controller; use panels with 17-18 Vmp all in parallel.
12 Volt system w/MPPT type controller; any array that has a Vmp greater than above but with Voc less than maximum of controller.

Panels with a Vmp of 30 will not work properly on a 12, 24, or 48 Volt system without an MPPT type controller.

Rule-of-thumb for array Vmp on MPPT controller is 2X system Voltage (i.e. 24 Volts for a 12 Volt syste, 48 Volts for a 24 Volt system, et cetera). Minimum Vmp after losses must be above system Charging Voltage, Maximum Voc with cold compensation must not exceed controller's V-max in.

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

cariboocoot wrote: »

short form:

12 volt system w/pwm type controller; use panels with 17-18 vmp all in parallel.
12 volt system w/mppt type controller; any array that has a vmp greater than above but with voc less than maximum of controller.

I also found your "Different Panel Configuration" thread (just now) . . . which one would you reccommend ? I never thought of putting these panels in series strings, since they are 30 V . . . 120 V in series ? wow . . . I have alot to learn yet. .

panels with a vmp of 30 will not work properly on a 12, 24, or 48 volt system without an mppt type controller.

Any charge controller that I purchase for this project will be MPPT.

Rule-of-thumb for array vmp on mppt controller is 2x system voltage (i.e. 24 volts for a 12 volt syste, 48 volts for a 24 volt system, et cetera). Minimum vmp after losses must be above system charging voltage, maximum voc with cold compensation must not exceed controller's v-max in.

This last one is kinda confusing without the hard numbers on the backs of the new panels. . . I will post a picture of the new panels - BEFORE I BUY - - That way, I can get a better picture of this setup. . .

Thanks again cariboocoot.

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

inetdog wrote: »

Hooboy! That is a question that you will see a lot of answers to. Here are some of the considerations raised:

1. The size wire needed to run a 2000 watt inverter off a 12 volt battery is expensive and difficult to work with. When you figure in the need for surge current, and the fact that the inverter will try to draw more current as the voltage drops, it gets a lot worse. A 12 volt inverter at high power will also be less efficient.

Thank you inetdog. I borrowed a 2.5 KW inverter, just to experiment with, and found that my current 100 amp hour battery (with the panels in full sun) would run my tea kettle (900 watts) for about a minute before hitting 50 % DOD . . . my toaster oven (1,800 watts) for about 30 seconds . . and it would not even start my washing machine. . . because of the size of the battery bank - combined with the start up surge.

24 V is sounding better and better.

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy wrote: »

As you guys know, I am currently playing with my 3 - 110 watt panels. .


So now, before I go and spend the money on the 12 V inverter and batteries, I thought I would ask you guys what you would do, as an example - cost wise . . .

existing parts: #4 gauge wire to the top of a hydro pole - 3 110 watt panels, pwm charge controller and a midnite battery monitor which can monitor different voltages. - not much that does not have to be bought new. . .

What do you guys think ? Ready, just trying to aim - no where near ready to fire

I was talking to a friend of mine, who thinks along the same lines as I do, and he is rather surprised that I am giving up on the small 12 V system that I have started here, in favor for the larger array - with the cheaper panels. .

He recommends that I get a 300 amp hour battery, with a 600 watt inverter (much cheaper parts to buy) . . . and hardwire it into my house - just to run lights . . as he puts it - a start to being off grid . . each circut I remove from the mains panel, is one small victory. Also, if the hydro does go out, I will still have lights !

Alot of my circuts are strictly lighting. I guess whoever wired the place heard of the rule that if you blow the fuse on the plugs, you don't want the lights to go out !

Now, as for loads, I have a bedside lamp that is an LED light, it does not even show up on the KAW meter . . . if I run the upstairs lights - thats 3 more 11 watt CFL . . the main floor of the house has 2 ceiling fans (unknown power requirements - but I don't HAVE to run them) as well as 4 or 5 CFL lights - all of these lights are on only when I am home, so for most of the day, and all of the night - their off.

Just thought I would run this by you guys. . any ideas ? It would be possible to install a seperate breaker box with a transfer switch ? . . .

I am going to look at the new solar panels tomorrow . . will keep you guys updated.

BB.

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Sure--A standard solution is to create a second "protected" subpanel for loads to be powered during an outage.

For my home, I wired up a small 6 circuit manual generator transfer switch into my main panel. Just pick the 1/2 dozen circuits to power (some lights, fridge/freezer, sump pump, and a couple plugs). Fire up the Honda 1,600 watt inverter and I can switch in and out loads as needed (and as the generator can supply).

Something like this:

http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/stories/3-How-to-Pick-the-Perfect-Manual-Transfer-Switch.html

And I did not have to move any of the branch circuits to a subpanel. I don't know if it is "to code"--But it is pretty simple (many places require an electrician, at a minimum, to connect a generator to the home's wiring).

And there are adapters that fit under your utility meter:

http://www.generatorsolutions.ca/generlink/

-Bill

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

I had a little fact finding road trip today, and went to have a look at solar panels for sale - .75 cents a watt. . . here is what I found :

Attachment not found.
Attachment not found.

EDIT : I just read in another thread that you can "overpanel" controllers ? Here I am reading about the NEC overrating the controllers by 125 % - so . .. I can put a full 60 amps of panels on a 60 amp controller ? - end of edit .:p

How many of these panels can you fit on a 60 amp Morningstar MPPT charge controller without going over any of the maximum ratings ? 24 Volt system My estimate would be 6 - wired in series of 3 sets of 2 - so as not to go over the max wattage of 1600 watt . . correct ? If I put 9 panels on in 3 sets of 3, I would be under the max amps, but over on the max watts . . right ?

I am trying to find all the formulas that you guys use to figure this out again, so I don't bug you too much with silly questions. . to make sure the panels match the controller that match the batteries, that can power the load I want to power . . since half my loads are variable, it kinda messes things up a bit. . . or like my buddy asked me, instead of using the toaster oven - use the crock pot. . .:p


charge controller info :
•
Maximum Battery Current ... 60 amps
•
Nominal Maximum Solar Input 24 Volt 1600 Watt

Max. Solar Open Circuit Voltage .. 150 volts DC
•
Battery Operating Voltage Range ... 8-72 volts DC

Solar: Overload, Short Circuit, High Voltage protected.

Again, the load being
Fridge : using kw meter : .65 kwh per day.
washer : using kw meter : .20 or so - kwh per load of laundry x 3 loads would be .60 kwh - if the batteries are fully charged.
The only thing that will be on this system 24/7 is the fridge, but have the option of running the washing machine - toaster oven - microwave - when the sun is shinning or have excess power . . if I get lots of sun, good - use em. If not - don't.

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

BB. wrote: »

Sure--A standard solution is to create a second "protected" subpanel for loads to be powered. I can switch in and out loads as needed (and as the generator can supply).

Something like this:

http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/stories/3-How-to-Pick-the-Perfect-Manual-Transfer-Switch.html

-Bill

Had a look at that web site. . . the smallest transfer switch is a 15 amp. . . the 600 watt inverter only puts out 5.1 amp - does that make a difference in anything ? I'm guessing that a rating that is too small for the loads is bad. .. but what if the rating is way too big ? I guess the breaker would blow out if it shorted regardless - correct ?

BB.

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy wrote: »

Had a look at that web site. . . the smallest transfer switch is a 15 amp. . . the 600 watt inverter only puts out 5.1 amp - does that make a difference in anything ? I'm guessing that a rating that is too small for the loads is bad. .. but what if the rating is way too big ? I guess the breaker would blow out if it shorted regardless - correct ?

Obviously, the "real" load needs to be within the inverter's capabilities.

Driving a 15/20 amp circuit with a transfer switch and a 600 watt inverter is not going to cause any problems--Other than if somebody plugs in a large load (coffee maker, hair drier, etc. to the circuit when the AC Inverter is operating--Then, either the Inverter will shut down (hopefully, temporary until load is removed) or the Inverter's fuse/breaker pops.

Note--There is an issue with MSW type inverter and grounding... MOST (not all) MSW Inverter will be shorted out if both the DC battery input is grounded (i.e., negative grounded to home ground rod) and the AC Neutral is grounded to the home ground rod (normal for North American Homes/utility wiring). If both DC and AC are ground referenced, the MSW inverter will let out its magic smoke (the inverter effectively has an DC to AC short).

Most TSW type inverters have fully isolated AC Output, and don't care if the Neutral/White wire is grounded or not (regardless of how the DC input is grounded).

Does that answer your question?

-Bill

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

BB. wrote: »

Obviously, the "real" load needs to be within the inverter's capabilities.

Driving a 15/20 amp circuit with a transfer switch and a 600 watt inverter is not going to cause any problems--Other than if somebody plugs in a large load (coffee maker, hair drier, etc. to the circuit when the AC Inverter is operating--Then, either the Inverter will shut down (hopefully, temporary until load is removed) or the Inverter's fuse/breaker pops.

Most TSW type inverters have fully isolated AC Output, and don't care if the Neutral/White wire is grounded or not (regardless of how the DC input is grounded).

Does that answer your question?

-Bill

Yes, that answers the question nicely . . .
I am going with a bit of an overkill by getting a pure sine wave inverter for the smaller system, but it has better grounding characteristics than a MSW inverter. . .
I just guessed at the 600 watt inverter, rough guess would be - anything larger would be overkill for the lights and the odd ceiling fan. . .
That is about the only worry with running the lights on the inverter - if I plug in something too big - what will blow out on the system ? I know with the C.T inverter I have here, the fuses are internal. . . so you have to take it all apart to fix it. . .

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

So, here is the general idea :

8 - 218 Watt solar panels with an Isc of 8.21 wired in 4 sets of 2 - so it would be under the max amp limit (33 amps), but just over the 1600 watt limit. 1744 watts - 2 panels together would be 60 V so it would be under the 150 V limit as well.
1 - 60 amp tristar charge controller
1 - 1,500 or 2,000 watt inverter
650 AH battery

using the calculations, I can apply a 1000 watt load for 4 hours if needed . . correct ?
also, by using the calculations, the array is within the upper - acceptable limits for charging that size of battery,

Did I get that right ?

Am I ready to fire ?

vtmaps

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy wrote:

EDIT : I just read in another thread that you can "overpanel" controllers ? Here I am reading about the NEC overrating the controllers by 125 % - so . .. I can put a full 60 amps of panels on a 60 amp controller ? - end of edit

Skippy wrote: »

8 - 218 Watt solar panels with an Isc of 8.21 wired in 4 sets of 2 - so it would be under the max amp limit (33 amps)

You might be a bit confused, or at least what you've written is a bit confusing to me. What max amp limit (33 amps) are you referring to? The 60 amp limit of your controller is 60 amps to the battery, not 60 amps from the panels.

That said, at the Vmp of your panels, 33 amps from the panels would yield about 60 amps to the battery, so 33 amps is a limit of sorts. It is not usual to refer to an input amp limit on MPPT controllers.

--vtMaps

BB.

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

In general, an over loaded good quality AC inverter should just "shut down" if there is excessive current/power draw and/or low (or high) battery bus voltage.

Will yours? I have no idea.

Skippy wrote: »

So, here is the general idea :

8 - 218 Watt solar panels with an Isc of 8.21 wired in 4 sets of 2 - so it would be under the max amp limit (33 amps), but just over the 1600 watt limit. 1744 watts - 2 panels together would be 60 V so it would be under the 150 V limit as well.
1 - 60 amp tristar charge controller

Is this a TriStar MPPT charge controller (they mix things up because there is an almost identical looking PWM version of the controller)? If so, yes you should be fine (you will need a series fuse/breaker--around 15 amps?--per string of panels (typically in a combiner box).

You did not mention the voltage of the battery bank--Assuming 24 volts (based on the probably Vmp-array of ~60 volts--too low for 48 volt bank), my suggestion is the max cost effective size of array for an MPPT charge controller would be around (nothing happens if the array is larger--just the MPPT limits output current to 60 amps in the middle of the day more often):

60 amps * 29 volts batt charging * 1/0.77 panel+controller derating = 2,260 Watt max cost effective array...

Is the input current limit to the TS MPPT 60 amp controller only 33 amps? From the TS MPPT manual:

To comply with the National Electric Code (NEC), the current rating of the controller must be
equal to or greater than 125% of the solar array’s short circuit current output (Isc). Therefore, the
maximum allowable solar array input to the TriStar MPPT controller for compliance with the NEC
is:
TS-MPPT-45: 36 amps Isc*
TS-MPPT-60: 48 amps Isc*
*Solar array Isc @ STC

I believe that is a terrible misunderstanding by the folks that wrote the NEC and trying to have one "rule" cover a wide variety of controllers and configurations and placing deratings on top of deratings (from UL/NRTL Listings, etc.).

Assuming you have the correct sized wiring and fusing/breakers (i.e., 60 amps * 1.25 NEC derating = 80 amp wire+fuse where needed), you are fine.

I can see the deratings (sort of) being applied to PWM controller which cannot control their output current with some extra safety factors--But even then, the Controller Mfg. (the good ones) have NRTL listings which do take into account the fact that solar panel outputs are highly variable.

1 - 1,500 or 2,000 watt inverter
650 AH battery

using the calculations, I can apply a 1000 watt load for 4 hours if needed . . correct ?
also, by using the calculations, the array is within the upper - acceptable limits for charging that size of battery,

I am getting a little confused here--What voltage battery bank are you looking at? 24? or some other?

-Bill

Photowhit

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

Skippy wrote: »

...using the calculations, I can apply a 1000 watt load for 4 hours if needed . . correct ?

...every day?
...once in a while?
just for a week in the dead of Winter when the sun hasn't shined for a month?

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

BB. wrote: »

If so, yes (MPPT) you should be fine (you will need a series fuse/breaker--around 15 amps?--per string of panels (typically in a combiner box).

yes, the person picking up the C.C. has told me that it is an MPPT.

You did not mention the voltage of the battery bank--Assuming 24 volts (based on the probably Vmp-array of ~60 volts--too low for 48 volt bank),

Sorry about that one, yes this will be a 24 V battery bank.

my suggestion is the max cost effective size of array for an MPPT charge controller would be around (nothing happens if the array is larger--just the MPPT limits output current to 60 amps in the middle of the day more often):

60 amps * 29 volts batt charging * 1/0.77 panel+controller derating = 2,260 Watt max cost effective array...

My supplier called me the other day . . . apparently, his "supplier" recommends wiring 3 sets of 3 (9 panels) or 1962 watts . . instead of going with the 4 sets of 2 (8 panels) or 1744 watts . . Thank you for confirming that. I will be getting the 9 panels instead of the 8

Is the input current limit to the TS MPPT 60 amp controller only 33 amps? From the TS MPPT manual:


Assuming you have the correct sized wiring and fusing/breakers (i.e., 60 amps * 1.25 NEC derating = 80 amp wire+fuse where needed), you are fine.

I am getting a little confused here--What voltage battery bank are you looking at? 24? or some other?

-Bill

Sorry about the missed battery voltage. I realize that every bit of information counts.

BB.

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

And always confirm your array specifications to controller's input capabilities. MorningStar has an array sizing tool which works very nicely for the task:

http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/strings/calc.php

While we all try to be accurate--None of us here work for any controller manufactures and it is your time and money that you will be spending.

-Bill "trust but verify" B. :roll:

Skippy

Re: Ready ! - Aim ! - ...

..every day?
...once in a while?
just for a week in the dead of Winter when the sun hasn't shined for a month?

I was using the calculations I found on here, and a 1,000 watt load for 4 hours - every day - on this size of system that load did not seem too bad. Keeping in mind, that I was just trying to figure out how much this system would be able to provied at peak times - you know, when everything is running like it should . . . . . I will probably be going by the health of the batteries, more than anything else. . . so if I get up in the morning, and there is lots of sun and the batteries are full, I can do a load of laundry . . if that does not drop them very much, maybe cook breakfast instead of cold ceral . . . if on the other hand, the batteries are sitting at 10 % on a cloudy day, I can hold off on doing the laundry . . . I am planning for the bare minimum right now. . .

I just wanted to run the numbers by you guys before buying, so that all the pieces fit together (no magical blue smoke) . . Now that I know that on a cold winters day, in the middle of winter, this will keep my fridge running - with a chance to do a load of laundry once in a while , I can go ahead . .

Thanks for getting back to me guys. I will put in my order, and get building .:D I will keep you updated as I go.

Now to find those shed plans . .