New to off grid solar help!

solarginger

I've purchased 8 100watt Monocrystalline solar panels from renogy and I have a renogy 40amp mppt charge controller that can be used to charge 12v or 24v battery banks. I also have a 2500watt TSW inverter and a 4 deepcycle batter bank that I'm going to upgrade from Wal-Mart group 29 deep cycle batteries which are cheap to some 6v Trojan or Duracell golf cart batteries. Now I only have 4 of the panels hooked up cause the mppt C.C. can only utilize 4 or 5 in a 12v system and all 8 or 9 in a 24v system. Now to my question. Is there a way to have my solar panels and charge controller in a 24v configuration and my battery bank and inverter as a 12v system or should buy another 40amp mppt CC at around $220 or buy a whole new $500+ 24v inverter?

westbranch

What are the loads you are feeding? that is usually the driver to increase voltage, especially large heavy loads like a water pump, A/C  , heat pump etc...

solarginger

I don't have any major loads. Largest thing I have in my tiny home is a very small 120v 1300watt all in one washer/dryer combo. Oh and I do have like the smallest window a/c but I normally run it off of a generator.

Lumisol

Those washer / fryers are rare indeed.

Horsefly

  

Estragon

As westbranch said, the loads are key. The short answer is yes, you can set up a 24v bank and use a 12v inverter, but this is almost certainly a bad idea.

Since you're already set up for 12v, it probably makes more sense to add the extra charge controller. Before you buy anything else though, I'd suggest thinking the loads through carefully. 1300w at 12v isn't a small load.