Moretorque
New Member
Does it make sense to run real high quality charge controller so you can adapt any type of inverter to your system for flexibility and stay separates? Thanks.....
High Quality Charge Controller, flexibility on INVERTER ?
- Thread starter Moretorque
- Start date
sunshine_eggo
Happy Breffast!
To me, yes.
Moretorque
New Member
Thanks, this makes the most sense to me. Buy a couple Victron or equivalent charge controllers and spend the cash and buy a few good batteries and it allows you use any type of Inverter and set it up for what voltage DC input you want? This is all new to me but it makes the most sense but you give a little simplicity up...? So for doing a Will big hand truck what would probably work good?
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
To me as well but after installing a few AIO inverters this last year I can sure sure see thier attractiveness.
Case in point: I added a charge controller to a 25 year old existing system and it was easily (sadly?!?) a full day task and I'm an electrician with very nice work truck FULL of almost every sort of wire size and type of connector. In hindsight maybe that hurt me.
-had to figure out the mounting of the new CC.
-had to get the conduit between the new CC and DC load center worked out and installed.
-then I had to rewire a bunch of crap in the DC load center to make room the rearranging I had to do.
-almost forgot... I had to mount and install a breaker on the wire between the CC and the DC load center.
I really think I could have ripped the entire old system out and installed a new AIO in less time.
What is the long term future of AIO? I don't think any of them are 25 year products. What happens when you lose one of your MPPT's on an AIO 6 years from now? I bet it's throw the entire thing out and start over .... but it at least it will be easy.
Moretorque
New Member
If you are buying new from the ground up there has to be a simple way ? I want to tie it all to a solid piece and tie that to a large truck of some type so it is easily transported.... To me the EG4 stuff just seems like it does not have a long enough track record... Will was admitting the stuff kike Victron should last alot longer... Thanks for any help....
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
It's think it's the classic project management triangle. In the case I mentioned above replacing the CC would have been a 30 minute or less job. Adding a new one where one didn't exist before was the challenge.
If you are talking about a 5 year or less solution and AIO is the way to go. If you want something you can still service many years from now then separate components and a fair bit of luck are the way to go.
Moretorque
New Member
Why did you decide to go separate Vic?
The AIO was a RFI generator all across the HF spectrum and it consumed ~50w doing nothing with the inverter on, so I was looking for a replacement to cure those two problems. After seeing a friend's Victron SCC with just a hint of RFI, I decided that's what I wanted to get along with higher PV voltage input of 250v. I don't recall any AIO that was over 150v.
I also wanted some backup, as things break and didn't want to be in the dark.
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Not sure when that was but lots of AIO with 600Vdc MPPT inputs today.
My recall of things obviously is bad, which model/brand? They may have been larger than my requirements.
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
I think it's only been recently that's there's been any AIO that could take a Voc over 500 but I don't dare to pretend to be aware of more than a fraction of what it out there.
Moretorque
New Member
What about either a Victron 450/100 or Schiender 600/100... I How many 240 watt 37 volt panels roughly can I attach at a time? Or is there something better?
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
Sorry, I assumed you were talking about an All in One Inverter (AIO) vs a system with separate components.
Still, yes, go with a high quality MPPT charge controller, particularly one that can interface with your other components natively.
For purposes of meeting code, 600v is the hard cut off for residential systems in North America. (no idea about elsewhere).
The number of panels you can connect in series is usually the Voc rating of the device/Voc of the panel - 1. EG: 500/37= 13.5 - 1 = 12. Be sure to check the manufacturers string calculator before you take this keyboard warrior's rule of thumb though.
Nothing wrong with either of the CC's you mentioned but thier may be subtle differences when one of them is better fit for you.
