Form for off grid solar newbies?

softdown

Does anybody know of such a thing? 

It would, of course, be a great start in the determination of the proper amount of panels, size of CC and inverter plus cabling. 

I do remember the beginning when I was so long on enthusiasm and so short on knowledge. I bought a few books and was certain the road would thusly be paved like the Autobahn. All they did was explain solar essentials  and advise the reader to hire a pro. Not bad advice for the majority who may lack a background in construction and electricity.

This board was instrumental in allowing me to muscle through my own 48 volt installation. That assembly has worked flawlessly outside of my questionable first choice on batteries....regular 8Ds that were highly recommended by a solar friend. With good batteries in current usage, there is almost no worry at all.

Have decided to focus on 12 and 24 volt cabin solar. Larger systems get a bit too complicated when dealing with the extra challenges of the consumer and a strange location. Plus...I am not licensed yet. Semi-retired, just need a little more money and little less time to spend it.

mike95490

Because first, you start with loads, as accurate as possible.  Then you factor in your local weather conditions (how many consecutive cloudy days do you normally get in winter?) and how many days to go before needing to run the generator. 
 THAT gives you your battery size in Watt Hours
Then you use your worst case Sun Hours ( say 3 hr ) in winter and you size your PV array so you can recharge your daily usage x1.8 in the short days.  Do that right, and you have excess capacity in summer and could run air conditioning !

Photowhit

I think somewhere I had done a list of questions, it could be put into a form of sorts;

Loads;
daily
peaks daily, weekly
types 12v/120/240
Seasonal peak

Solar insolation for your array orientation;
average
seasonal peak
seasonal minimum

Availability of alternate charging;
desired days of autonomy w/o alternate charging.

Type of battery bank /willingness to do monthly maintenance

That would be a good start...

Additionally would be distances,
array to cc/battery bank
battery bank to inverter

Location of battery bank / Batter bank exposure to ambient temps

Balance of loads day time vs night time.
Willingness/availability to load shift.

Queries about how they intend to handle;
Heating
Cooling
Water heating
...might save heartache and confusion.

Might even ask about the NEC version that is required if any...

westbranch

And don't forget you have to factor in losses within the system....  like the efficiency,  in % , of each  device you have in the system,...plus line losses
hth

softdown

westbranch said:

And don't forget you have to factor in losses within the system....  like the efficiency,  in % , of each  device you have in the system,...plus line losses
hth

Many reasons why I am only offering 12 and 24 volt cabin solar....at least for awhile. I suspect a common restraint may be what can they afford. Otherwise, it is unusual to have "too much solar" it seems. 

Anyway....no calls yet or emails yet. No surprise there. I rarely experience much ad activity unless sensational prices are offered. Most people are bargain hunters it seems, just look at WalMart crowds on Black Friday.

It is a lot easier to offer great service when you can make a couple bucks.