Solar Power Needs

o1marc

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Joined
Dec 23, 2017
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10,479
Location
Dawsonville, Ga.
I know I need to check the usage on each appliance I get to know for sure, but with 2450W of solar and a 3000/6000 inverter is there anything I would be concerned about running?
 
I know I need to check the usage on each appliance I get to know for sure, but with 2450W of solar and a 3000/6000 inverter is there anything I would be concerned about running?
1500 watt heater/ac ,is it worth to spend few grands on solar setup with 10 years ROI ,and how many sunny days u get a year? how many years you planning to sleep in it.
Military 3-5kw diesel generator cost anywhere 500-1500 with low hours on auctions .much better and cost efficient imo
 
Folk like me who have significant amounts of PV on their buses have it for reasons other than simple cost-effectiveness and RoI. The main reason for me quite simply is that there is no noise and no fumes from it, and I will never have to buy fuel for it; for someone who plans on staying in the sunny Southwestern states it makes absolute sense. The fact that I will never need to do any maintenance or repairs on it, except for occasionally washing it down to get leaves and birdcrap off, and it will never ever fail and leave me without power, are just added bonuses. I never calculated whatever the RoI or financial comparison is between PV and a conventional generator, and I simply don't care! I now have essentially free electrical production for the next quarter century or more, and I never need to concern myself with adding mechanical complexity to my bus. For me it was a no-brainer.

John
 
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I know I need to check the usage on each appliance I get to know for sure, but with 2450W of solar and a 3000/6000 inverter is there anything I would be concerned about running?

There is a really hazy line between powering things from "solar" and powering from battery. When the sun is blazing, power being drawn by a component basically comes directly from the array (up to whatever the limit of the array is). When the sun is not shining, that power comes from the battery. So, it is generally best to design the system as if the battery is the power source - the fuel tank - and think of the array as filling that tank.

With that in mind, your inverter is limited by your battery limitations. That varies based on type and size.

Nobody likes to hear it from me so I'll refer you to the following:
https://www.solarpaneltalk.com/foru.../10394-inverter-size-vs-battery-size-tutorial
 
Heres something to consider. Make sure your charge controller can handle your total PV output. Some can't take what your PV can put out. So you may assume that your panels only put out lets say 1800 watts, but panels actually can take in more than they actually are rated. So they may be taking in 2000 watts. And if your charge controller cant handle the entire load (usually voltage rating you will actually be losing power, so aim for a Higher rated Charge controller for sure. Check the voltage rating on it for total PV input, and then see what your PV panels will put out depending how you have them wired, and you should have some flexibility between the two.
 

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