2000w, 24v solar system

CoachMcG · Oct 11, 2020

Dzl said:
awesome!

I would locate this as close to the battery as possible if this is to be your main battery fuse. All current flowing in/out of the battery should flow through it. I would personally size the wire to handle at least ~220A, which I think might translate roughly to > 1/0 AWG but I encourage you to reference a wire size calculator or ampacity chart (screenshots in my profile) and adjust to your conditions (important variables include insulation temperature of the wire, ambient temperature, whether the wire is bundled or in conduit, and wire length). If all that sounds too complicated, err on the safe side, just choose 105*C rated marine wire of 1/0 or larger and keep your wire run short and you will be good to go.

Lots of alternatives, just depends what you are looking for. Battleborn are expensive but they are a good product from a good reputable company with a good warranty. If I was going to buy drop-in lithium batteries I would strongly consider Battleborn, especially if I wanted something consumer friendly with a minimal learning curve.

The cheapest option is to build your own using raw cells from aliexpress or alibaba ('grey market cells') there is a much steeper learning curve and more risk and responsibility with this route, but considerable cost savings per kWh.

Middle ground options include:

sourcing used Valence batteries (drop-in replacements),

buying a cheaper drop-in replacement alternative to battleborn, I don't have a brand to recommend but there are many options including the costco deal. Personally I would be semi wary of a company you may come across called SOK, I have no reason to believe they sell a bad product in fact they might sell a very solid product, but they are a very new company and there appears to be a lot of astroturfing / manufacturing of interest going on with them right now.

buying higher quality grade A (non-grey market) raw cells from the manufacturer or a distributor and building your own battery (same responsibility and learning curve as the grey market option, but more uniformerly high quality and less risk--though still some).

In your case, I think it may be a good decision to stick with BattleBorn or a similar option (maybe the Costco deal) unless you want to take on an additional DIY project / learning adventure in which case the raw cell route is an option. I encourage you to do your own research.

From everything I've read the Samlex Evo is an exceptional inverter that should serve you well for years, the manual is great (I reference it all the time and I don't even have a Samlex Inverter) and tech support is supposedly very helpful and knowledgeable. I think you made a good choice.

The Evo also gives you the option to pass the Solar Charge Controller through which opens up some additional functionality that may or may not be useful for you. And the second AC input for a generator is very useful in some use cases.

guidecca said:
Dzi, I pulled the trigger on an inverter charger, Samlex EVO-2224 2200W Pure Sine Inverter/Charger, Samlex EVO-RC Remote Control, and 175A Class T Fuse Kit from Don Rowe. They matched the Anchor Express price for the inverter charger and remote control. The solar panels are coming, the book is coming, and the stuff from Don Rowe will be here next Friday (from Oregon). Not really sure where the 175A fuse kit should go; maybe between the batteries and the inverter. Do you see any alternatives to the Battleborn batteries? Was going to buy two and put them in series to make 24 volts. Thanks for helping with the diagram and advice. This EVO-2224 has adjustable LVD, warning, and reset so it looks to be okay. Opinions?

I pur

guidecca said:
Dzi, I pulled the trigger on an inverter charger, Samlex EVO-2224 2200W Pure Sine Inverter/Charger, Samlex EVO-RC Remote Control, and 175A Class T Fuse Kit from Don Rowe. They matched the Anchor Express price for the inverter charger and remote control. The solar panels are coming, the book is coming, and the stuff from Don Rowe will be here next Friday (from Oregon). Not really sure where the 175A fuse kit should go; maybe between the batteries and the inverter. Do you see any alternatives to the Battleborn batteries? Was going to buy two and put them in series to make 24 volts. Thanks for helping with the diagram and advice. This EVO-2224 has adjustable LVD, warning, and reset so it looks to be okay. Opinions?

I purchased this same unit at the start of August. I LOVE it!

I was at the camp for the first two weeks so i could monitor how it worked and it's limitations. No Solar panels. Just the generator to charge my 4x12V series/parralel AGM battery bank (24V 165Ah).

First thing... firmware and manual for EVO2224 and RC needed an update. Still worked without it but new features/ setting options available with the updates. I Sent an e-mail to Samlex and within a few hours i received the necessary files and instructions! Great customer service!

Second, when i fired up the keurig (approx 1400W for 3-5mins), if my batteries were near 25V State of Charge, the draw for the Keurig would cause the Voltage to drop in the high 23.xxV. This would trigger my alarm and eventually cut off the inverter. To alleviate this, i fired up the genny first thing in the AM to run the Keurig and bring my Batteries full charge for the day. I run a small bar fridge... probably not the most efficient but it works!?

With the new firmware, I was able to select a profile to charge my batteries more efficiently. Otherwise, it would stay in absorption stage 10times the amount of time it was in Bulk... before i changed this, it would remain in absorption for many hours before reaching float and shutting down the generator.

Fast fwd to Sept 20th... i installed 2x320W Solar panels with a Victron MPPT 100V 30A Bluetooth charge controller. (LOVING IT!!) Each day, sunny or not, my batteries reach full charge. On less sunny days, charging remains in bulk stage longer but on a good day i can be in float before noon?

I changed the alarm settings to 23.5V and low voltage to 23V. Now when fire up the keurig first thing in the morning at around 25V, the draw doesn't cause the Voltage to drop below that treshold and the alarm doesn't trigger.

CoachMcG · Oct 11, 2020

Apologies for the multiple quotes in my previous posts... technical difficulties with my App in a low cell reception area... good news is my solar power system works! Lol

dirtybobby423 · Oct 14, 2020

Sounds like you'd be better off with a GroWatt or MPP all in one unit to me.

guidecca · Oct 14, 2020

Is a battery protect necessary if I'm not going to use the vehicles alternator?

guidecca · Oct 14, 2020

dirtybobby423 said:
Sounds like you'd be better off with a GroWatt or MPP all in one unit to me.

I agree. I tried to find an MPP but the website appeared to have shipping problems and there may have been people who paid and did not know when they would receive their units. Buying the parts for this system at the lowest prices I could find has required constant attention from shipping issues to payments issues. I'm still waiting for a tracking number from the vendor for my Samlex EVO-2224. He has had my money for four days now. Two other online vendors cancelled my order saying they would or might have the units in November. There are big supply problems unless you buy everything from Amazon at premium prices.

Dzl · Oct 14, 2020

guidecca said:
Is a battery protect necessary if I'm not going to use the vehicles alternator?

In what capacity would you be using the battery protect?

For charging a lifepo4 battery from the alternator, the usual component would be a DC-DC charger, such as the Victron Orion-TR Smart. Renogy, Sterling, and maybe a couple other companies also have products.

guidecca · Oct 14, 2020

Dzl said:
In what capacity would you be using the battery protect?

For charging a lifepo4 battery from the alternator, the usual component would be a DC-DC charger, such as the Victron Orion-TR Smart. Renogy, Sterling, and maybe a couple other companies also have products.

This diagram shows a battery protect but not sure what its purpose is. On another topic, how many branch connectors Y connector are needed to connect four panels, two sets in series and then in parallel as shown here:

Thanks in advance for the help.

Dzl · Oct 14, 2020

guidecca said:
View attachment 25040

This diagram shows a battery protect but not sure what its purpose is. On another topic, how many branch connectors Y connector are needed to connect four panels, two sets in series and then in parallel as shown here:

The job of the battery protect in that design is to cut DC loads (electronics) if the voltage gets too low to prevent the batteries from being over discharged or depleted.

Its role is on the load side and it cannot be used bi-directionally. So if you want to add alternator charging, this would not affect or conflict with the battery protect, but it would be wired separately. It could be a fourth circuit off the bus bars, somewhat similar to the charge controller + PV panel circuit (except a DC-DC charger instead of the SCC, and your vehicles charging system instead of the PV panels).

guidecca · Oct 16, 2020

Anyone have any suggestions or ideas/experience mounting four panels on ladder racks on a Ford E250 cargo van? I had to use ladder racks to raise everything over the fiberglass conversion van roof.

Was thinking of using unistrut/superstut here:

Superstrut 10 ft. 12-Gauge Half Slotted Metal Framing Strut Channel in Gold Galvanized ZA1200HS 10 - The Home Depot

The Superstrut 1-5/8 in. x 10 ft. Metal Framing Channel can be used for framing and mounting and for constructing load centers and vertical pipe supports. With a gold-galvanized finish and a half-slot

www.homedepot.com

.

Or, Bob on CheapRVLiving used a couple of 2'x4's between 2-3 ladder racks here:

Cheap RV Living.com -Mounting a Solar Panel to a Ladder Rack

Recently on my forum a member named PeaceTara posted that she had a solar power system installed, but she still needed to mount the panel to her roof. When I found out she was in the San Francisco area (which … Mounting a Solar Panel to a Ladder Rack Read More »

www.cheaprvliving.com

Seems like the KISS Rule (keep it simple stupid) would apply here. Don't like the idea of drilling into the ladder racks. Was hoping to shield the panels from the wind by placing them behind the front horizontal rack like this one:

guidecca · Oct 17, 2020

Do you recommend inline 15 amp fuses on the solar panels (in series) and a 30 amp fuse on the four solar panels in parallel?

Dzl · Oct 17, 2020

guidecca said:
Do you recommend inline 15 amp fuses on the solar panels (in series) and a 30 amp fuse on the four solar panels in parallel?

My understanding is that there is no reason to fuse between solar panels in series, you may need to fuse panels in parallel, typically if you have 3 or more parallel connected strings.

schmism · Oct 17, 2020

guidecca said:
Anyone have any suggestions or ideas/experience mounting four panels on ladder racks on a Ford E250 cargo van? I had to use ladder racks to raise everything over the fiberglass conversion van roof.

I had a E350 with ladder racks so Ive worked with them before which is more than most people can say. The vans are wide, my 345w are 1x2m panels would fit nice ontop of a van in a 6'x'6 sq. for 600w

Id use the uni-strut (half height). Its easy to cut, bolt together (no welding) low profile. If you designed it right you could have the possibility to tilt the panels depending on how your parked.

guidecca · Oct 17, 2020

schmism said:
I had a E350 with ladder racks so Ive worked with them before which is more than most people can say. The vans are wide, my 345w are 1x2m panels would fit nice ontop of a van in a 6'x'6 sq. for 600w

Id use the uni-strut (half height). Its easy to cut, bolt together (no welding) low profile. If you designed it right you could have the possibility to tilt the panels depending on how your parked.

I bought two Vantech ladder racks so I've got a 6' 6" span if I mount 4 panels sideways, or 7' span if I run them longways. Was thinking of just welding four pieces of angle iron around them. Not sure how strong the aluminum angles are. Grainger sells them in 8' lengths. They sell 1.5" x .25" aluminum angles which you would think would be strong enough. I'm trying to avoid any glue and as little drilling as possible. Wish I could find some brackets to wrap around the Vantech racks.

guidecca · Oct 18, 2020

The Samlex EVO-2224 arrived today. It weighs 65 lbs. I can barely lift it. This is for my conversion van solar project. This was $1200. I hope it works.

guidecca · Oct 18, 2020

Giandel 2000W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 24V to AC120V with Dual AC Outlets with Remote Control 2.4A USB and LED Display weighs 12.27 lbs. So, what is in the Samlex that weighs so much? The Giandel costs about $390, about one-third the price of the Samlex and weighs over five times as much. I forgot how bulky 65 lbs actually is. In a van it is too big.

gnubie · Oct 18, 2020

Only by brief look at the unit, probably a hefty transformer. It seems to be a low frequency design where low voltage DC is converted to AC then stepped up to the desired output voltage using a large 50/60Hz transformer.

The Giandel is a high frequency design where the battery voltage is stepped up to 200+ VDC using high frequency boost converters that are able to use much smaller transformers as they are switched at > 100kHz.

Low frequency inverters usually have more grunt than high frequency ones, but only because the high frequency units are 99% built down to a price.

Dzl · Oct 18, 2020

guidecca said:
Giandel 2000W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 24V to AC120V with Dual AC Outlets with Remote Control 2.4A USB and LED Display weighs 12.27 lbs. So, what is in the Samlex that weighs so much? The Giandel costs about $390, about one-third the price of the Samlex and weighs over five times as much. I forgot how bulky 65 lbs actually is. In a van it is too big.

Giandel is a high frequency inverter, Samlex is a low frequency inverter with a big ass heavy transformer, from what I understand, this is a big part of what gives a quality low frequency inverter its ability to handle large surges and reputation for durability/longevity.

From what I've heard, the transformer is about 70-80% of a low frequency inverters weight is the transformer. This video has more context and shows some of the differences. If the Samlex Evo won't work for you based on the size, the Victron Multiplus Compact, Samlex PST, Xantrex (not sure of the model), would be some options to look into, the Giandel is an option, but as previously discussed does not have a LFP friendly low voltage disconnect.

guidecca · Dec 10, 2020

Dzl said:
Here is a quick sketch (there are probably omissions and/or mistakes) of my take on the system in the picture, with a couple modifications:

View attachment 24520

I look at Will's example systems as good basic starting points, I learned a lot from those videos. They show how simple and accessible a basic system can be, and use the minimum amount of components possible in most cases, this is good for learning because it doesn't over-complicate things, but has some limitations. To me, many of the examples are more like quick and dirty starting points to adapt to your needs, than systems to follow to the T. And no matter what, going the DIY route should include some mental legwork and research on your part, its important to understand what you are building at least at a basic conceptual level.

I believe the only changes I've made are adjusting it for the Battery Protect, adding a positive bus bar, adding a battery monitor (which his schematic omits but the text recommends), adding basic default grounding (but follow the recommendations of your inverter manufacturer).

This design requires that you buy an inverter with a proper low voltage disconnect compatible with Lifepo4. I recommend buying through a reputable specialized seller and not amazon/ebay, they know their products better and have better curated selections. Altestore.com and Baymarinesupply.com are two options. Most top tier and many mid tier inverters have adjustable low voltage protection. I would look for an inverter with an LVD at least as high as 22 volts, but ideally LVD should go up to 24v to 25.6 volts. Victron, Samlex, and Xantrex are some options. I'm sure there are others, and probably some more budget oriented options, but I can't reccomend a specific option.

Dzi, what battery protect would you buy and what circuit breakers. I have the main fuse, 200 amp fuse for the battery bank and I have a 50 amp fuse as specified in Will's setup. I am going to do it myself; no one is coming for me. Just wonder if I need the battery protect if the van's battery is not going to be connected. Thanks.

Dzl · Dec 10, 2020

Full disclosures:
- I am not an expert or an electrician
- Its been some time since I initially commented on your design, so I don't remember specifics, and am only giving general pointers below
- Many people would tell you I err on the side of caution (in part to compensate for disclosure #1, in part because its my nature), and may consider some of the below overkill
- Follow manufacturer advice when it is available. Often manufacturers will recommend fuse and wire size

The fuse (or breaker) is an engineered weak point in your system, to protect your system adequately it needs to be smaller than the wire it is meant to protect. That is rule #1 of fuse sizing.

There are two good resources I point people to for OCP / Fuse / Breaker learning, One is a resource created by filterguy the other is a short video

guidecca said:
Dzi, what battery protect would you buy and what circuit breakers. I have the main fuse, 200 amp fuse for the battery bank and I have a 50 amp fuse as specified in Will's setup. I am going to do it myself; no one is coming for me.

Eaton Bussmann and Blue Sea are good brands, there are others too, anything sold on altestore.com or baymarinesupply.com is probably reputable.

Based on the layout of the earlier diagram:
- A main battery fuse
- A dual pole breaker or switch between the PV array and controller
- A fuse or breaker after the busbar before the battery protect
- A fuse or breaker after the busbar before the solar charge controller

guidecca said:
Just wonder if I need the battery protect if the van's battery is not going to be connected. Thanks.

The (usual) role of a battery protect is to disconnect DC loads before the battery voltage gets too low. Your AC (inverter) loads already have that protection built in to the inverter, but without a battery protect (low voltage protection) the DC loads could still drain the battery (with lithium batteries the BMS can also be used to accomplish this).

guidecca · Dec 10, 2020

Thank you Dzi. Does this mean I need to buy a breaker box and breakers? Will needs to do some serious changes; circuit breakers were not in the videos and there were no qualifications that his videos were just ideas. Appreciate your advice!

2000w, 24v solar system

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

Unofficial Forum Librarian & Perpetual Newbie

New Member

​

Unofficial Forum Librarian & Perpetual Newbie

New Member

New Member

Unofficial Forum Librarian & Perpetual Newbie

Solar Addict

New Member

New Member

New Member

Solar Wizard

Unofficial Forum Librarian & Perpetual Newbie

New Member

Unofficial Forum Librarian & Perpetual Newbie

New Member

Attachments

Similar threads