Showing off my new solar / lithium installation

[georgiadawg]

I’ve always been very handy mechanically, but stayed away from most electrical projects. So, when I decided to add solar, lithium, inverter, etc. to our coach, I knew I needed to spend time learning, reading, and asking questions.

With the help of this group - especially David Wood (SolarPoweredRV) - I felt comfortable moving forward.

I installed ten (10) 200w panels from Rich Solar, two (2) Lifepower EG4 24v / 200ah rack mounted Batteries, and a “complete” Victron system: MultiPlus II inverter/charger, Orion 24/12 step down DC converter, Smart Solar MPPT charge
controller, Lynx Distributor, Smart Shunt, Cerbo GX, & touch screen. I even added a temperature controlled exhaust fan (controlled by a relay in the Cerbo GX).

Everything fit nicely in the washer / dryer closet of our coach, with room left over to hang a few shirts!

I’ve attached pictures.

Thanks again to everyone who lent a hand and gave me advice.

Jeff

 

[Soundsailor]

Sounds like a great setup! What kind of output do you get with all those panels?

 

[georgiadawg]

Sounds like a great setup! What kind of output do you get with all those panels?

We’re on our maiden voyage, camping in Tie Flume CG in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming (about 30 miles from our house in Shell, WY). We’re in a very wooded spot right now (11:25 am) and I’m getting over
800w. During testing this past weekend, I was getting 1200 - 1400 watts in less than ideal conditions.

So far, I’m really happy with the output.

By the way, per David’s advice, I installed two strings of five panels in a
series and then paralleled the two strings. Upper end of voltage would be right around 150v, so I went with the 250/100 Smart Solar charge controller.

 

[Soundsailor]

Yes, I've used series-parallel in my setup also. I have three strings of 100-watt panels wired in series, which are then paralleled before connecting to the charge controller. This keeps the amperage down on the 10 gauge wire GD used for the stock panel. On our first trip, even with cloudy skies, I was getting 700 to 800 watts out of the theoretical 900 max.

 

[RustyNCA]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but is going 24v better than 12v?

The trailer I just purchased has 6 175 watt panels on it's roof, so I should have 1,050 before loss? Prior owner took the batteries to use in his new RV so I need to get some.

Thanks
Bryan

 

[Soundsailor]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but is going 24v better than 12v?

The trailer I just purchased has 6 175 watt panels on it's roof, so I should have 1,050 before loss? Prior owner took the batteries to use in his new RV so I need to get some.

Thanks
Bryan

There are advantages to a 24-volt system. You would need to add a 24 to 12-volt converter to power your existing appliances.

 

[kb0zke]

On David's advice, I went with 24V batteries. I'm not sure that I saved any money or weight, but it seems to be a quite robust system. About 0200 this morning we were awakened by a thunderstorm warning, so I went out and unplugged. It is still rainy, with thunderstorms still possible, so I'm still unplugged. Right now I'm getting 210W out of a theoretical possible of 1095W. The batteries never dropped to below 70%, even though we used the electric fry pay, coffee maker, juicer, microwave, and toaster oven (not all at once, of course).

 

[georgiadawg]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but is going 24v better than 12v?

The trailer I just purchased has 6 175 watt panels on it's roof, so I should have 1,050 before loss? Prior owner took the batteries to use in his new RV so I need to get some.

Thanks
Bryan

Bryan,

I chose 24v batteries for several reasons, including the fact that I could get a LOT of watt/hours in a small, reasonably priced package. The two (2) Lifepower EG4 rack-mount batteries I chose are each 200ah with 5,120 watt hours available when charged to 100%. So, when wired parallel, they produce 24v have 400ah and 10,240 watt hours! I can run one of our two AC units for about 8 hours and still use the microwave.

Stacking them like I did in a small rack worked perfectly in my space, but they can be installed in any orientation (I’ve seen dozens of installations where they are standing up on their back).

The cost was $1,300 each and they are exceedingly well-constructed.

If you do 24v batteries, you’ll need to think about at least three things:
1. You’ll need a 24/12 step down converter like the Victron Orion I’m using. I simply removed the existing 12v converter/charger and wired the 12v output from the Orion to the output wires from the old converter/charger to the 12v distribution panel. I completely removed the old 12v batteries.
2. If your tow vehicle charges your coach, you’ll need to disable this 12v supply by removing the fuse or removing the 12v supply wire. My coach has all 7-pin supply wires going to a bussbar under the front of the coach, so I removed the 12v wire. I didn’t have the charging circuit fuse installed, so I didn’t need to worry about removing the fuse. You can supply your tow vehicle with 12v power from your coach, but that extra cost and complication just made no sense to me.
3. You must ensure that your solar array supplies about 5v more than the voltage of your battery bank in order for your charge controller to be able to charge your batteries.

Good luck and best wishes,

Jeff