Opinion needed on potential solar system install

Coger
Coger Registered Users Posts: 3
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
I have noticed several very knowledgeable members in this forum, which prompts me to ask for opinions on the following solar system I may purchase. As I am beginning my full time RV life style in June and I am not well versed in electrical and solar topics, I thought it prudent to tap the knowledge of others. Thanks for the help/suggestions.

Magnum MS 2812 pure sine w/125 watt charger
Magnum ME-ARC50 remote digital display
Hard wire installation
Cable is 4/0 fine strand welding cable

4 Trojan T-1456 volt 260 aH deep cycle batteries
4/0 fine stranded welding cable


4 Kyocera 140 Watt Modules' 7.91 Amp
Blue Sky 3022ii, 40 amp MPPT Charge Controller
Blue Sky IPN Pro Remote display 25' shunt
Large Dial tilt mounts
Tray Cable 10/2 per foot
Low Voltage 8/2 cable per foot
ATC fuse link 10 gage


Brad
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Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Opinion needed on potential solar system install

    Welcome to the forum.

    I've moved your inquiry to where it will get more 'traffic'. :D

    Let's see, four 260 Amp hour 6 Volt batteries gives you 520 Amp hours @ 12 Volts.
    First problem: you need like 52 Amps @ 12 Volts for that, or around 800 Watts on an MPPT charge controller. You've got four 140 Watt panels for 560 Watts. That will mean more gen time to keep the batteries up.

    This leads to the question: do you need 1.5 kW hours of stored energy? This is a very important thing to determine if you want the system to work right.

    One thing you want to lose off the list is that Blue Sky controller. They're not very good, frankly. I don't find a 3022ii on my list, but I'm pretty sure it's only a 30 Amp controller. This will not only not handle the current you need, it won't handle the current you might get (about 36 Amps from the four panels).

    I think there's a start to a redesign right there.
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  • SolInvictus
    SolInvictus Solar Expert Posts: 138 ✭
    #3
    Re: Opinion needed on potential solar system install

    Buying expensive 140 W PV panels and using an expensive MPPT charge controller is not the most economical choice. For 4 KD-140's in parallel in a 12 V system, I suggest the Schneider Electric C35 PWM charge controller.

    You ought to be able to make tiltable PV mounts from perforated metal L-rods less expensively than buying large dual tilt RV mount kits. But you will need to use a wrench.

    The Magnum MS 2812 inverter at 2800 W is a bit high powered for the small size of your PV and battery arrays. It consumes 7 W in search mode and 30 W when idle. Over 24 hours the idle power draw amounts to 720 Wh which is about 1/3 of the power output by your PV panels on a good day. What load needs 2,800 W in an RV? Air conditioner?

    For us to make sense of you selection, we need to know your loads, how much power they consume and how long you plan to run them per day.
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  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Opinion needed on potential solar system install
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    One thing you want to lose off the list is that Blue Sky controller. They're not very good, frankly. I don't find a 3022ii on my list, but I'm pretty sure it's only a 30 Amp controller. This will not only not handle the current you need, it won't handle the current you might get (about 36 Amps from the four panels).

    I second that. I've used two Blue Sky controllers over the years and blown out one. When I dissected it I found a location where a FET had to stand off 57 volts - and they were using 55 volt FETs. Second one has worked OK but it's in a very non-critical application (a 12V system I lend out for demos and ham radio events.)
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  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Opinion needed on potential solar system install
    SolInvictus wrote: »
    For us to make sense of you selection, we need to know your loads, how much power they consume and how long you plan to run them per day.

    And also the time of day of the loads. For example, does your RV have a washing machine or dishwasher? If you plan to use them only on sunny afternoons, then you don't need to account for these loads when you determine your battery capacity.

    Do you have a generator, or are you willing to pay for electric hookups whenever you notice your solar is not keeping your battery ahead of the loads?

    For occasional large loads, it is often more cost effective to run a generator, rather than supersize the whole system to handle that occasional load.

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Opinion needed on potential solar system install
    vtmaps wrote: »
    And also the time of day of the loads. For example, does your RV have a washing machine or dishwasher? If you plan to use them only on sunny afternoons, then you don't need to account for these loads when you determine your battery capacity.

    Do you have a generator, or are you willing to pay for electric hookups whenever you notice your solar is not keeping your battery ahead of the loads?

    For occasional large loads, it is often more cost effective to run a generator, rather than supersize the whole system to handle that occasional load.

    --vtMaps

    Totally agree!
    You need to really know your loads and when you'll be using them, then we can help you build your system around that info.
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  • Coger
    Coger Registered Users Posts: 3
    #7
    Re: Opinion needed on potential solar system install

    Ok, just as I was thinking. I need to develop a benchmark of electrical use before I purchase a system. Will be heading to Alaska in June and hope to return around Sept. That trip should give me an idea of what electrical I will be using. One last request, as I WILL NOT be installing the system I am open to suggestions on who I can contract to install the PV down the road?
    Considering I will be full timing it, I could go anywhere.
    Again thanks for the input guys.
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