The Bi-facial panel example I used, wouldn't damage the inverter because it wasn't over the 25 amps. It just wouldn't be able to use more than 17 amps. So the panels might not get used to their max capability.
Thanks! This video was awesome, and so easy to understand now. Can't thank you enough. More people should hit the THANKS button and leave a thank you tip!!
I am somewhat an "electronics geek". I couldn't tell you exactly how many data sheets that I have read and studied. Kudos to you for trying to explain it in "layman's terms" rather than in "geek speak".
Even Will Prowse was not considering this cold increase in voltage until recently. How many people have damaged their units over the years because most are not aware of this Critical Info? Thanks for doing this video!
You are really clued in on this system. I did understand the simple basics of what you said, but I haven't done much with solar, so it's a little bit beyond my simple mind! I would have to take advice from a person such as you to get a better clue of solar as a whole.
Hi Gary from the UK here grate video very interesting and informative keep them coming thank you so much for explaining it in simple layman terms, Great job
I used this same method. I believe the EG4 manual says that if the Operating Voltage is exceeded it will not harm the unit but will just not use the extra voltage. If you exceed the Max 480v you will fry the unit. We never get below 15f so I could do 10 panels with a 37VOC but I still went with 9 panels due to pallet size of 36 for 2 6000XP's. I went with the Talesun 400 bifacial due to price and specs allowing for bifacial gain not to exceed the 17 amps even if it does get really cold.
Glad to see temperature compensated Voc numbers on the board! 😊 So many people don’t do the cold weather calcs. Should mention that STC isn’t what people will see in the real world.
Hi Evan - That maximum voltage and amperage is (per mppt) not the entire inverter,, I didn't hear you mention (mppt's) and your X6000 has 2 mppt's so you can run two strings of 10 solar panels, some inverters may have 3 or even 4 mppts. Great information but I didn't hear you even mention the mppts.
Hey Evan another excellent video. I have a couple questions, how many XP 6000 inverters do you use with 19000+ solar watts & how many amps can you draw from the XP 6000 inverter. Seems your totally off grid, wondering if some of your house appliances & maybe your HVAC system would be a big draw on the system! Thanks for any help you can provide. Oh and 1 more ? how many EG4 battery systems do you need for your system?
You explanation is awesome! Well put and thorough! I am going through the process now for solar as we are preparing to build next year on our new farm. I’m looking for a grid tie system with 200Amp pass through for whole home solar for both house and barn. Have you spent more $ purchasing several units (and all the additional boxes wiring etc.) as compared to purchasing buying one large unit that could supply everything from one panel?
You will probably be better off buying one unit with 200 amp pass through. It can simplify the installation and keep the cost down. But I do like having 2 breaker panels. When the power goes out, it can be setup to automatically minimize loads, so the battery lasts longer.
I waned to add 8 panels to my system but had to order 10. I am in Florida so cold is not a concern except for a day or two a year. My plan is to mount the other two and arrange my wiring so I can take the extra two out of the circuit during cold spells.
A minor correction on the Max Input Current (A). Amps are PULLED in electric circuits, not pushed. The max the inverter will PULL is 17A, so using a panel that *can provide more* isn't a danger. That's the max it CAN provide, not what it is trying to push thru. Asking EcoFlow a similar question on their River Pro unit got the answer of: "If the current of the solar panel exceeds the solar input of River Pro (12A), it will not damage the unit, but the maximum current the unit can get is 12A. Charging the RIVER Pro with an 18V 16 amp solar panel will have the same effect as using an 18V 12A solar panel. Please note that the actual solar charging time depends on many elements such as sunlight brightness, panel angle, shade, etc. So you may not get its maximum wattage all the time."
I agree the charge controller regulates the current it uses. But for me I choose not to over amp a charge controller. I hate to take that chance, since it isn't documented in the manual.
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects I understand your hesitation, but this is fundamental. You cannot over amp from the source side, you can only over amp from the consumption side. Think of it this way, in your house you have multiple circuits running to outlets. Most likely, those are 20 A circuits. If you plug a table lamp into an outlet that has a 5W LED light bulb, that thing is only drawing 0.04 A. But you have it on a 20 amp source circuit. No danger because amperage is pulled not pushed. You cannot overamp from the source side. The danger comes in overamping from the usage side. If you put an arc welder that draws 40 amps on a 20 amp circuit, now we have problems and you blow the circuit breaker. If you did not have a circuit breaker, things would catch on fire because of the heat generated. This isn't called out in the manual because it's a fundamental of how electricity works, and has nothing to do with solar specifically.
@charleshill7184 what I am saying, is I don't think hooking up 20, amps, 30 amps, or 40, or 50 amps is a good idea if the manufacturer doesn't doesn't document it. So, hooking up within the max documented amperage is the safe bet. If a manufacturer wants to allow a higher input amperage, they should document it.
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects They do document it, though interestingly enough the docs for the 6000XP and 18K say it differently. For the 6000XP on page 13 of the manual it says "NOTE: The array may have a higher Imp than the 17A specified, but the MPPTs may not make full use of the extra current which could lead to component deterioration over time." But for the 18K is says on page 15 "NOTE: The array can have a higher Imp than the 25A/15A specified, but the MPPTs will not make full use of the extra current. Having an array that can produce more current than the MPPTs can utilize is useful for increasing morning, winter, or cloudy day solar production." Oddly enough that seems to be "you can, but be careful" on the 6000XP but "good idea" in the 18K manual.
Question - Is there a way to plan for the worst days but build for the average day with a panel disconnect or something like that. Something that will automatically turn off the extra panels on the worst day or even manually when you know winter is coming, so during the warmer times of the year, you are able to generate more.
It would be great to do the same presentation with the Eco flow delta pro ultra, since it can have a high voltage input and a low voltage input on the solar panels.
I agree with this comment. Within the last 6 months, I've purchased 2 Ecoflow DPU's with a total of 4 batteries. I use 3 batteries with 1 DPU to power my server rack (3x NAS boxes, 4 Network Switches, 2 ISPs, cameras and APs). I had to build a spreadsheet to easily compare solar panels and automatically calculate how many panels I can use on the HIGH and LOW PV inputs. Any more info on the Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra would be much appreciated.
Hi Evan, I have respect for your understanding of using power stations and I have a quick question. I want to buy a UPS for my internet fiber gateway and router. I see that the newer power stations show specs that they can also be used as a UPS device. What’s your opinion?
I have a power station on my computer. It works great to keep it powered up with No power blimps. I think it is a good idea. It will keep your device powered. And if you ever have a power outage, you know it the power station is charged and working when you need it.
I have a 10k sungoldpower inverter, and I didn't want to run my panels in series, but my inverter can only handle 22a but says 5000 v on each pv leg I have 2 so is that 22a per leg or 22 for the hole system thanks
Did you know EG4 is coming out with a new inverter that is twice the output as the 6000XP and I think it is going to be $2500? They have several new products coming out in November or December.
Hi Evan, we're ONOWTE, a manufacturer of Camera Systems. Now, we are looking for partners to test and review our camera system. Are you interested in getting one and working with us? I had emailed you some further details, looking forward to hearing from you soon.
all you need to know is how many watts your solar panel outputs .... total the amount number if more than one panels ... compare that to how many watts your charge controller can handle .... it should read total amount of watts it can handle ... it's that simple ...
Voltage is the most important variable. And voltage changes with temperature. Too much voltage will destroy a charge controller. It is not as simple as you want it to be.
3:00 is your receptacles the wrong way? I was told by a electrician if you use a metal cover plate receptacles should be ground up. That way if the cover plate becomes loose it hits the ground first. What is your thoughts?
That is the age old Discussion - Ground up or Ground Down. Different electricians will tell you a different answer. I installed in my house ground up. But every device you buy is designed to plug into ground down, so everything plugs in weird. So when I build the pole barn I put them in ground down. And everything plugs in easier. As far as I know there isn't a requirement in the National electric code. But if you look at a outlet's documentation/instructions, they always seem show it ground up, when they have it on a diagram. The reason why, if something falls down and gets between the plug and the outlet, it will hit the ground lug, no harm done. If you have it ground down and something metallic falls down in between plug and the outlet, it could create a short between hot and neutral. I changed back to ground down, because it works better with devices.
So as I understand you can have those maximum # panels (10 in your case) per MPPT. The recommendation I've been given for the EG4 6000 is 8000 watts of solar panels. Using your calculation that would be 10 panels per MPPT controller. Is that your understanding?
I have been thinking about this and hoping for a clarification in the comments and I am still not clear, to be honest. If the maximum PV power input is rated say 8000W and it is a dual MPPT hybrid inverter, does that mean that the total solar input must be split between each MPPT channel?
@@ekeretteekpo3004 According to the datasheet for the EG4 6000XP, you can have 4kW per MPPT. Don't assume if it's a dual MPPT that you can just halve the wattage. Some inverters have a HIGH PV input and a LOW PV Input, like the Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra.
Do the panels have to be wired in series? Why not in parallel? I'm sure I have seen some sort of device that gathers smaller groups of panels to reduce the possibility of an outage due to one panel going down. Thx.
When you build a series string, the voltage goes up and amperage stays the same. Higher voltage has benefits, it can increase the efficiency if the inverter directly uses Solar panel voltage to power loads. With Higher voltage You can have longer runs of wire, without increasing the wire size to compensate for voltage drop. (So solar panels can be farther away with major cost increase) With lower amperage, the wire size can be smaller. Copper stranded wire is required on the Solar DC circuit, and copper wire is very expensive. On my system if I wire my panels in 2 paralleled strings, the amperage would double, and be over the max 25 amps on the inverter specs. I would be way over the 17 amps of usable current. But if it did work, Parallel systems require fuses, usually implemented with a combiner box. (added cost) Also due to the distance, I would have to up size my wire to 8 gauge wire (added cost).
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects I've actually built a spreadsheet for this, but it has many other things on it. I specify my max V, A & W for my inverter/controller. From there, I input all of the solar panels data: Cost, Voc, Vmp, Isc, Imp, cold factor, adjusted Voc, adjusted Vmp, max wattage. It then calculates how many solar panels I can have in series, how many MAX watts it can produce and how much each model of panel costs per watt. It definitely needs polishing as I only created it for my uses.
If I had 4 or 5 items I would consider to be critical loads, such as 2-4 freezers and a refrigerator, then how would I figure up how much battery and panels I would need to buy?
Good question. That be a good exercise to cover in a video. As far as determining the amount of power needed to run those items. Their are smart outlets that can monitor the power consumption. Plug the items into a few smart outlets and you should be able to determine the power consumption. And you should also see the running watts. Which would help determine the minimum output needed from an inverter.
If you have the time, get a smart outlet or power meter and monitor each critical load for a week. Record average daily consumption and peak current for compressor start up. If monitoring during cooler weather apply a conservative correction factor for increased consumption in warmer weather. Add up all the daily watt-hours. Apply 15% conversion losses from DC batteries to AC inverter output. Add up running amps for all appliances that might possibly be on at the same time (concurrent load). Peak current is hard to capture without a quality device but its motor based, plan on 3x demand surge over nameplate. The general rule of thumb is to plan for three days without charging, but if insolation in your area has lots of grey cloudy/rainy days in the winter you, and you don’t want to go to generator, you might plan for more days. That gives you amp-hours needed per day with conversion factor. You can back that into total amp hours. For example one of my chest freezer averages 750WH/Day. It peaks at 380watts, and runs at 96watts. Rounding up, to run just that one freezer for three days, I’d need 2.25KWH + 15% conversion losses or 2.6KWH at whatever voltage your inverter runs at.
The Bi-facial panel example I used, wouldn't damage the inverter because it wasn't over the 25 amps. It just wouldn't be able to use more than 17 amps. So the panels might not get used to their max capability.
You are correct, But, EG4 says that exceeding the amps will degrade the charger over time because it must shunt the extra amperage.
What if you used a Tigo optimizer? Should allow each individual panel to be maximized.
Isn't a panel a voltage source rather than a current source?
Thanks! This video was awesome, and so easy to understand now. Can't thank you enough. More people should hit the THANKS button and leave a thank you tip!!
I am somewhat an "electronics geek". I couldn't tell you exactly how many data sheets that I have read and studied. Kudos to you for trying to explain it in "layman's terms" rather than in "geek speak".
Even Will Prowse was not considering this cold increase in voltage until recently. How many people have damaged their units over the years because most are not aware of this Critical Info? Thanks for doing this video!
Thanks, Evan, for this video. You are helping a lot of people with your videos on this channel.
Best explanation I have found. Great job.
Great explanation on the cold weather power correction. And showing it in the NEC book to back it up!
You are really clued in on this system. I did understand the simple basics of what you said, but I haven't done much with solar, so it's a little bit beyond my simple mind! I would have to take advice from a person such as you to get a better clue of solar as a whole.
Hi Gary from the UK here grate video very interesting and informative keep them coming thank you so much for explaining it in simple layman terms, Great job
I used this same method. I believe the EG4 manual says that if the Operating Voltage is exceeded it will not harm the unit but will just not use the extra voltage. If you exceed the Max 480v you will fry the unit. We never get below 15f so I could do 10 panels with a 37VOC but I still went with 9 panels due to pallet size of 36 for 2 6000XP's. I went with the Talesun 400 bifacial due to price and specs allowing for bifacial gain not to exceed the 17 amps even if it does get really cold.
Glad to see temperature compensated Voc numbers on the board! 😊 So many people don’t do the cold weather calcs. Should mention that STC isn’t what people will see in the real world.
I 100% agree. The test values are very hard to achieve in the real world.
im realizing how complicated this stuff is. Thanks
Great video! Well described.
Excellent video! I’m one step closer to figuring my system out now.
Thanks for explaining it so I can understand it. It does get confusing with out you explaining it
Hi Evan - That maximum voltage and amperage is (per mppt) not the entire inverter,, I didn't hear you mention (mppt's) and your X6000 has 2 mppt's so you can run two strings of 10 solar panels, some inverters may have 3 or even 4 mppts. Great information but I didn't hear you even mention the mppts.
I said that in the video. That I was using 10 solar panels in series per MPPT. Total of 20 solar panels, 7800 watts.
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects Ahhh I missed it, my bad. Tks !
I missed that, thank you for the clarification.
Hey Evan another excellent video. I have a couple questions, how many XP 6000 inverters do you use with 19000+ solar watts & how many amps can you draw from the XP 6000 inverter. Seems your totally off grid, wondering if some of your house appliances & maybe your HVAC system would be a big draw on the system! Thanks for any help you can provide. Oh and 1 more ? how many EG4 battery systems do you need for your system?
You explanation is awesome! Well put and thorough! I am going through the process now for solar as we are preparing to build next year on our new farm. I’m looking for a grid tie system with 200Amp pass through for whole home solar for both house and barn.
Have you spent more $ purchasing several units (and all the additional boxes wiring etc.) as compared to purchasing buying one large unit that could supply everything from one panel?
You will probably be better off buying one unit with 200 amp pass through. It can simplify the installation and keep the cost down.
But I do like having 2 breaker panels. When the power goes out, it can be setup to automatically minimize loads, so the battery lasts longer.
So just have 11 hooked up during the summer and fall, then unhook one during the winter. Max it out!
I already bought 20 panels
Thanks for sharing Evan. Great information you shared to be prepared. Fred.
I waned to add 8 panels to my system but had to order 10. I am in Florida so cold is not a concern except for a day or two a year. My plan is to mount the other two and arrange my wiring so I can take the extra two out of the circuit during cold spells.
A minor correction on the Max Input Current (A). Amps are PULLED in electric circuits, not pushed. The max the inverter will PULL is 17A, so using a panel that *can provide more* isn't a danger. That's the max it CAN provide, not what it is trying to push thru. Asking EcoFlow a similar question on their River Pro unit got the answer of:
"If the current of the solar panel exceeds the solar input of River Pro (12A), it will not damage the unit, but the maximum current the unit can get is 12A. Charging the RIVER Pro with an 18V 16 amp solar panel will have the same effect as using an 18V 12A solar panel. Please note that the actual solar charging time depends on many elements such as sunlight brightness, panel angle, shade, etc. So you may not get its maximum wattage all the time."
I agree the charge controller regulates the current it uses.
But for me I choose not to over amp a charge controller. I hate to take that chance, since it isn't documented in the manual.
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects I understand your hesitation, but this is fundamental. You cannot over amp from the source side, you can only over amp from the consumption side. Think of it this way, in your house you have multiple circuits running to outlets. Most likely, those are 20 A circuits. If you plug a table lamp into an outlet that has a 5W LED light bulb, that thing is only drawing 0.04 A. But you have it on a 20 amp source circuit. No danger because amperage is pulled not pushed. You cannot overamp from the source side.
The danger comes in overamping from the usage side. If you put an arc welder that draws 40 amps on a 20 amp circuit, now we have problems and you blow the circuit breaker. If you did not have a circuit breaker, things would catch on fire because of the heat generated.
This isn't called out in the manual because it's a fundamental of how electricity works, and has nothing to do with solar specifically.
@charleshill7184 what I am saying, is I don't think hooking up 20, amps, 30 amps, or 40, or 50 amps is a good idea if the manufacturer doesn't doesn't document it. So, hooking up within the max documented amperage is the safe bet. If a manufacturer wants to allow a higher input amperage, they should document it.
You are correct, But, EG4 says that exceeding the amps will degrade the charger over time because it must shunt the extra amperage.
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects They do document it, though interestingly enough the docs for the 6000XP and 18K say it differently. For the 6000XP on page 13 of the manual it says "NOTE: The array may have a higher Imp than the 17A specified, but the MPPTs may not make full use of the extra current which could lead to component deterioration over time." But for the 18K is says on page 15 "NOTE: The array can have a higher Imp than the 25A/15A specified, but the MPPTs will not make full use of the extra current. Having an array that can produce more current than the MPPTs can utilize is useful for increasing morning, winter, or cloudy day solar production."
Oddly enough that seems to be "you can, but be careful" on the 6000XP but "good idea" in the 18K manual.
Question - Is there a way to plan for the worst days but build for the average day with a panel disconnect or something like that. Something that will automatically turn off the extra panels on the worst day or even manually when you know winter is coming, so during the warmer times of the year, you are able to generate more.
I don't know of any device that would automatically switch off panels if voltage went to high.
It would be great to do the same presentation with the Eco flow delta pro ultra, since it can have a high voltage input and a low voltage input on the solar panels.
I agree with this comment. Within the last 6 months, I've purchased 2 Ecoflow DPU's with a total of 4 batteries. I use 3 batteries with 1 DPU to power my server rack (3x NAS boxes, 4 Network Switches, 2 ISPs, cameras and APs). I had to build a spreadsheet to easily compare solar panels and automatically calculate how many panels I can use on the HIGH and LOW PV inputs. Any more info on the Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra would be much appreciated.
Hi Evan, I have respect for your understanding of using power stations and I have a quick question. I want to buy a UPS for my internet fiber gateway and router. I see that the newer power stations show specs that they can also be used as a UPS device. What’s your opinion?
I have a power station on my computer. It works great to keep it powered up with No power blimps. I think it is a good idea. It will keep your device powered. And if you ever have a power outage, you know it the power station is charged and working when you need it.
Excellent video just what I needed to further my understanding 😊
I have a 10k sungoldpower inverter, and I didn't want to run my panels in series, but my inverter can only handle 22a but says 5000 v on each pv leg I have 2 so is that 22a per leg or 22 for the hole system thanks
usually that is per MTTP charge controller input
The only thing you didn't mention was Inverters with multiple MPPT Inputs. Most Inverters these days 5kW and greater have more than one MPPT input.
I sorta mentioned it. Because mine has 2 steps and I am looking up 20 solar panels.
Did you know EG4 is coming out with a new inverter that is twice the output as the 6000XP and I think it is going to be $2500? They have several new products coming out in November or December.
th-cam.com/video/ZmeT0VZTbfU/w-d-xo.html
EG4 stands for "Energy Generation for Everyone"
Yes It is the 12000XP
Is this with your battery connected? (I got burned when this first came but 14 days with power is changing my mind) just asking
This is calculating solar panels for the charge controller. The rate of charge to the battery can usually be adjusted in the settings.
👍👍👍👍👍👌
Hi Evan, we're ONOWTE, a manufacturer of Camera Systems. Now, we are looking for partners to test and review our camera system. Are you interested in getting one and working with us? I had emailed you some further details, looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Sorry cameras don't fit this channels content.
Great video, enjoyed watching this immensely. 🔋🪫
all you need to know is how many watts your solar panel outputs .... total the amount number if more than one panels ...
compare that to how many watts your charge controller can handle .... it should read total amount of watts it can handle ...
it's that simple ...
Voltage is the most important variable. And voltage changes with temperature. Too much voltage will destroy a charge controller. It is not as simple as you want it to be.
It's not that simple. All inverters/charge controllers have a MAX VOLTAGE. You can't make your decision on ONLY watts.
3:00 is your receptacles the wrong way? I was told by a electrician if you use a metal cover plate receptacles should be ground up. That way if the cover plate becomes loose it hits the ground first. What is your thoughts?
That is the age old Discussion - Ground up or Ground Down. Different electricians will tell you a different answer. I installed in my house ground up. But every device you buy is designed to plug into ground down, so everything plugs in weird. So when I build the pole barn I put them in ground down. And everything plugs in easier. As far as I know there isn't a requirement in the National electric code. But if you look at a outlet's documentation/instructions, they always seem show it ground up, when they have it on a diagram. The reason why, if something falls down and gets between the plug and the outlet, it will hit the ground lug, no harm done. If you have it ground down and something metallic falls down in between plug and the outlet, it could create a short between hot and neutral.
I changed back to ground down, because it works better with devices.
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects THANKS! Great videos.
Amazing job!!
Thanks Evan!
So as I understand you can have those maximum # panels (10 in your case) per MPPT. The recommendation I've been given for the EG4 6000 is 8000 watts of solar panels. Using your calculation that would be 10 panels per MPPT controller. Is that your understanding?
In my case with my solar panels. I feel 10 panels are the maximum on a series string to per MPPT.
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects Thanks for the clarification.
I have been thinking about this and hoping for a clarification in the comments and I am still not clear, to be honest.
If the maximum PV power input is rated say 8000W and it is a dual MPPT hybrid inverter, does that mean that the total solar input must be split between each MPPT channel?
@@ekeretteekpo3004 According to the datasheet for the EG4 6000XP, you can have 4kW per MPPT. Don't assume if it's a dual MPPT that you can just halve the wattage. Some inverters have a HIGH PV input and a LOW PV Input, like the Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra.
This video is "Not Even Wrong".
👌
Very informative. Amazing how many solar "dealers" can't answer the cold weather factor.
Do the panels have to be wired in series? Why not in parallel? I'm sure I have seen some sort of device that gathers smaller groups of panels to reduce the possibility of an outage due to one panel going down. Thx.
Cost of wire. Put a bunch in parallel and your amperage goes way up, which increases system cost due to wire sizing requirements
That's not very encouraging. Aren't you supposed to sugar-coat things for me?
@@djmoulton1558 I mean. You can 100% do it. Just price out 10AWG wire versus 6 or 4AWG and you’ll see why people generally don’t
When you build a series string, the voltage goes up and amperage stays the same. Higher voltage has benefits, it can increase the efficiency if the inverter directly uses Solar panel voltage to power loads. With Higher voltage You can have longer runs of wire, without increasing the wire size to compensate for voltage drop. (So solar panels can be farther away with major cost increase) With lower amperage, the wire size can be smaller. Copper stranded wire is required on the Solar DC circuit, and copper wire is very expensive.
On my system if I wire my panels in 2 paralleled strings, the amperage would double, and be over the max 25 amps on the inverter specs. I would be way over the 17 amps of usable current. But if it did work, Parallel systems require fuses, usually implemented with a combiner box. (added cost) Also due to the distance, I would have to up size my wire to 8 gauge wire (added cost).
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects typically you have to get to 3 parallel strings before you need to fuse things. But yes, wire costs go up a ton.
Is your system protected from a EMP?
It has emp shields installed. On the solar panels and the AC breaker panels.
Are you concerned about Skynet or is there another reason to consider EMPs?
@@DonaldCole_Hampton_Roads EMPs can be caused by a MYRIAD of events: Nuclear detonation, solar flares, EMP bombs, lightning, etc..
Thx
Is that -20 on a sunny day
Also is there an equation for the sun intensity loss in the winter time vs summer
That is -20 degrees with the sun out. That could 8 am in the morning.
Anyone put this in spread sheet form yet?
Good idea
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjectsIf no one has, I'll take a shot at it and ask for comments. Ok?
@@CountryViewSolar-DIYProjects I've actually built a spreadsheet for this, but it has many other things on it. I specify my max V, A & W for my inverter/controller. From there, I input all of the solar panels data: Cost, Voc, Vmp, Isc, Imp, cold factor, adjusted Voc, adjusted Vmp, max wattage. It then calculates how many solar panels I can have in series, how many MAX watts it can produce and how much each model of panel costs per watt. It definitely needs polishing as I only created it for my uses.
The Hyperion 395W Bifacial is Perfect for the 6000XP and they come in 36 per Pallet which is perfect for 2 6000XP's
If I had 4 or 5 items I would consider to be critical loads, such as 2-4 freezers and a refrigerator, then how would I figure up how much battery and panels I would need to buy?
Good question. That be a good exercise to cover in a video.
As far as determining the amount of power needed to run those items.
Their are smart outlets that can monitor the power consumption. Plug the items into a few smart outlets and you should be able to determine the power consumption. And you should also see the running watts. Which would help determine the minimum output needed from an inverter.
If you have the time, get a smart outlet or power meter and monitor each critical load for a week. Record average daily consumption and peak current for compressor start up. If monitoring during cooler weather apply a conservative correction factor for increased consumption in warmer weather.
Add up all the daily watt-hours. Apply 15% conversion losses from DC batteries to AC inverter output. Add up running amps for all appliances that might possibly be on at the same time (concurrent load). Peak current is hard to capture without a quality device but its motor based, plan on 3x demand surge over nameplate.
The general rule of thumb is to plan for three days without charging, but if insolation in your area has lots of grey cloudy/rainy days in the winter you, and you don’t want to go to generator, you might plan for more days.
That gives you amp-hours needed per day with conversion factor. You can back that into total amp hours. For example one of my chest freezer averages 750WH/Day. It peaks at 380watts, and runs at 96watts.
Rounding up, to run just that one freezer for three days, I’d need 2.25KWH + 15% conversion losses or 2.6KWH at whatever voltage your inverter runs at.