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> If you ever intend to build some kind of solar setup yourself, consider a 24 Volt or ideally an 48 Volt system to reduce currents and thus save on cabling cos
by ThatPlayer 4y ago
> If you ever intend to build some kind of solar setup yourself, consider a 24 Volt or ideally an 48 Volt system to reduce currents and thus save on cabling cost.
I sort of regret going with a 48V system because it prevents me from plugging in a lot of devices directly to the battery. I have a few USB-C PD fast charging modules I would want to use directly. Also a battery-to-battery charger such as an iCharger or ISDT product won't do 48V as input or output. Not a big deal if you just want to connect an inverter all the time.
A more relevant issue may be that your solar panel's voltage will have to be > 48V. Actual voltage will depend on your MPPT charger. Victron seems to require battery voltage + 5V. Mine requires a minimal of 60V from the panels, so I have 3 24V panels wired in series, and cannot downsize.
I think 24V would've been a good sweet spot. The USB-C PD modules only step-down, so they cannot output 19V with 12V power.
- jnsaff2 4y agoFor off-grid setups (which I consider the OP's setup) I would also consider 24V. I would consider ElectroDacus [0] which would replace the need for an MPPT and a BMS for lithium batteries. So besides a panel, battery and inverter this is all you need. [0] - https://electrodacus.com/ https://electrodacus.com/
- louwrentius 4y ago> I sort of regret going with a 48V system because it prevents me from plugging in a lot of devices directly to the battery I think there are plenty of 48->12 volt DC-DC converters that will alleviate this issue.
- asolidtime1 4y agoYou can still have a 12-volt bus, but since you're not plugging directly into the battery you'll suffer some conversion losses (buck converters are generally 80 to 95 percent efficient, depending on the operating conditions and cost)