Inverter questions for a tiny system

djdenali
djdenali Registered Users Posts: 11 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
Howdy,

New to solar...have me a tiny system. One panel, 2 6-Volt batteries set up in Series. How can I determine the capacity of this system? The panel is a 80 Watt. I am not by the batteries currently. I know I can read something about Amps on the batteries, use a volt meter and an amp meter to determine the actual incoming watts from the panel and check the amps from the battery, but how do I determine what appliances would be appropriate ( I know this is a tiny system, ,so I'm talking about tiny appliances---recharging phones, batteries, computers, maybe a small 200-max watt blender-wand thing).

Regarding the inverter, how much MORE do I need than the appliances I plan to use (e.g. if I have a 200 watt wand, do I need more than a 200-watt inverter?) Does the inverter draw only what it needs? So, a thousand watt inverter won't 'cost' that much more energy than a 200 watt inverter? It would only be turned on when the appliance is in use. Lots of questions, but so much to learn, with excitement!!!

thanks so much,
dj
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Inverter questions for a tiny system

    Welcome to the forum.

    80 Watts is not really much panel. It probably has an Imp of about 4 to 5. Two 6 Volt batteries could have a very large range of Amp hour capacity, most likely exceeding the panel's ability to charge.

    When designing an off-grid system you really need to know what you are trying to run and how much power is needed, both in terms of maximum Watts and Watt hours consumed. Then you can fit an appropriate sized inverter and battery bank to run it. The panels & charge controller are there to recharge the batteries, and need to be sized accordingly. Otherwise you have a system which will supply more frustration than power.

    Different inverters have different power demands for their own consumption. Two units of the same output size (like 2000 Watts) may use quite different amounts themselves just to run. Some will have a standby mode which reduces consumption until a load is detected. It is necessary to look at several models in the same output range in order to determine which is best for your needs.
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