Duplicate Solar Power Systems

Looks great Bill! Welcome to the world of solar!

Kev

Thanks Kev,

You were missed at Quartzsite.  Actually your cutie grandaughter was probably missed more...LOL

Yeah we missed you guys too. We were actually only about 25 miles south of you at a place called KOFA. We spent three nights there and hoped to get into QZ and see everybody - just couldn't make it. Jo Jo's doing great - still loves to go camping with Gramma and Grampa - and still remembers riding in your golf cart!

Kev

Here is the second part of the solar project.

The Solar on the stacker has been completed and I have mostly been waiting for the weather to warm up.  I also put the project on hold because we are looking at new DP?s.  I am going to go ahead and install the solar power system on the country coach because even if we get the new one I will give the current one to a family member.

I already have two of the 140 watt panels for this system.  I am going to pick up three more of these for a total of 700 watts on the roof of the DP.

I had already purchased a 30 amp charge controller.  I went back to the dealer and they sold me a better MPPT charge controller, (Blue Sky 30001), that acts as a master control and display that can be daisy chained with up to 7 more 40 amp charge controllers, (Solar Boost 3024IL), to expand the system.

I am mounting these panels with tilt mounts and making sure that nothing can cast any shadows on the panels.

I was going to run the wire down a roof vent until I realized that I could go thru the roof into a corner cabinet and directly down into the area of the bedroom where the washer/dryer is located. 

This entire run is inside the cabinet and after connecting to the charge controllers the cables go thru the floor directly into the battery compartment.

The second half of the system is already in place.  The Invertor is a Xantrax 3000 watt and the batteries are 4 T-105s.

As a side note, I never use the washer/dryer and I am going to remove it and give it away to use the space for more storage.

If anyone in Quartzsite wants it they can have it or I will just put a free sign on it and give it away here at the RV Park.

OK,  I spent the last couple of days installing the second half of the system.

I choose to go ahead with the install even if we get a new DP.  I needed a project to do anyway and if I get a new one I will give this one to a family member.

I upgraded my original plan for the DP from 290 watts, (two 145 watt panels), to 725 watts, (five 145 watt panels).

I also am doing something a little different.  The Blue Sky controllers have a method of controlling more that one controller, ( Up to 8 controllers, a master and seven slave controllers) for expandability of the system.  The Blue Sky 3000I is a 30 watt MPPT controller with a display and the ability to be the master controller with an IPN address of 0.  I am using a Blue Sky 3024IL as the first slave controller.  It is a 40 watt MPPT controller without a display and has the IPN address of 1.  I probably will not add more capacity but I can add up to six more slave controllers.

These two systems are wired as two discreet systems and both put thier output into the same battery bank.  They are networked and the master controller works to cooridinate charging the batteries.  It also displays the combined total function of the networked system.  One advantage of this configuration is that if one system has a problem, the other system will operate independently and the ability to expand the system if needed without rewiring or changing wire size.

I also got an IPN Pro display that connects to the master controller, (3000I ) by way of a standard RJ-11 phone cord.  This display uses a shunt at the negative post of the battery bank just like the Trimetric monitor.

I was going to use the Trimetric battery monitor based on recommendations by others on the Forum such as Kevin Means.  The owner of Discount Solar here in Quartzsite assured me that the Blue Sky monitor has the same functions such as Amps in, Amps out, % of charge in batteries and such.

He also told me today that he is interested in how this system works in real life as this is the first actual configuration in this way that he knows of from Discount Solar.

OK enough of the description.

Here is the actual installation. 

I mounted the panels so that there are no shadows on any of the panels.  They can be tilted in either direction without causing shadows on other panels.  I probably will not tilt them unless I am stationary for at least a month somewhere.  However, if I did not install the tilt mounts I would not have this option.

I wired them in parallel and connected the first two from the back to supply the 3000I controller.  The next three I wired a little differently.  The third and the fourth from the back are wired just like the first two and run thru the roof.  The fifth panel from the back is the most distant from the roof entrance to the combiners so I was advised by the owner of Discount Solar to run it on its own seperate wire.  The third and fourth panel input and the fifth panel input both connect to the same combiner block and then go down to the fuse and controller using #6 cable just like the first two panels do.

I drilled the hole thru the roof into a cabinet behind the TV in the bedroom.  There is a wall space behind the cabinet that containes the vent pipe for the washer/dryer and that is what I used for bringing the wiring down to the controllers.

Now you will probably get a laugh out of where I mounted the Master controller and the IPN Pro Display.  It is in the bathroom, clearly visable, and the buttons can be pushed from the throne.

The second controller, (3024IL) is mounted inside the wall and can be accessed from the cabinet where the washer/dryer used to be.  I also used a little extra cable so that I could lift the controller off its hanger and work on it without being double jointed.

Both controllers have fuses on both the input from the panels and the output to the batteries.  The 30 amp master has 40 amp fuses and the 40 amp controller has 50 amp fuses.

I was able to drill holes thru the floor directly into the battery compartment.  Both positive output cables connect to the most positive post on the battery bank.  In the following pictures it is the left nearest post.  The two negative cables go to the shunt located at the right rear post where the twisted pair for the IPN Display also connects to the shunt.  The temperature probe is connected to an available different post as it was tight on bolt length at the shunt post at the negative post.  The temperature compensation wire goes to the master controller.

I used cable clamps to secure the cables to the ceiling of the battery compartment.

After rechecking all my wiring I placed the four fuses in the fuse holders and then went up on the roof and removed the cardboard that has been covering the panels since I installed them a few days ago.  It was sunset as I removed the cardboard and took the pictures.

The displays show the status but tomorrow will tell the story about charge current.

Here are the pictures and I will probably post some in another post because of size restrictions.

More pictures

Last pictures

Bill, I'm sure your Blue Sky monitor will work just as well as a Trimetric. You're going to love the battery power % remaining feature! It looks like a clean install on those panels. By the way, it's totally acceptable if Old Glory casts an occasional shadow on our panels! I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion about solar after you've had it awhile. We're sure happy with it.

Kev

Here is an update on the system for the DP.

It is hard to do a good evaluation because since I installed it I have driven all accross the country to South Carolina and I am mostly either charging the batteries from the engine alternator or from being hooked up at the RV park.

I am now at the destroyed hospital where we are placing the temporary hospital.  Last night I operated on only the Invertor and drew the battery bank down to 66% according to the battery monitor and watching two TVs, two computers, lights and other loads.

By 11:00 AM this morning I had recharged the batteries from 66% to 100%.

The way I use this system or rather do not utilize the system it will stay on 100% most all the time.

I am now hooked up to 50 amp service here at the hospital because the maintenance staff drilled a hole thru the brick wall into the hospital electrical room and tied me directly into one of the main power panels.

Update:

It has been almost 6 months and I an adding a fourth system to the project.

This extra system is going into the Stacker. 

The current system in the Stacker uses two 140 watt Kyrocera panels, a Gopower charge controller, two blue top Optima sealed batteries, and a 1,000 watt invertor.

I want to insure that I have plenty of capacity for running the chest freezer and for charging the golf cart.  I am adding a completely seperate system.  I am doing this in part because I did not want to put the new 6 volt golf cart battery bank (4 batteries) in the same battery bank as the two Optima AGMs.  I will use the current system with the two optimas and completely seperate the new addded system.  The old system will power the lights, hydraulic car lift, stereo, and the two front power jacks.

The new system is just for the freezer and for recharging the golf cart.

The new system includes three 160 watt Grape solar panels, a Blue Sky 3024il 40 amp MPPT charge controller, a Magnum MMS 1012G Invertor/charger, a trimetric monitor, and four 6 volt GC2 batteries.

I have ordered all the components and will take pictures as I do the install over the next week or two.

OK Bill, what we all want to know is what are you removing from the Stacker to to make weight allowances for the new system?  ;D Dumb Question- is your golf cart 36 volt or 48 volt? If 48 volt (or maybe will work with 36 volt), can you charge the cart directly from a 48 volt charge controller, and keep the freezer on the existing system?

I guess I will have to get rid an anvil ot two.

I did spend a lot of time considering the option of  installing two 160 watt 19 volt panels on the roof of the golf cart.  There are charge controllers that can output 36 volts.  The panels are a little to large and the voltage of the two in series might not be high enough to put out the chargeing voltage level.

I have also been thinking for quite a while for a way to use the 6 golf cart batteries as an auxillary battery bank while boondocking.  The big issue is rerouting the cable configuration in an easy and idiot proof manner.

In the end my decision was influenced by doing what is easiest and least likely to require lots of careful reconfiguration to work.

I do recognize that there are duplicate inefficiencies in converting DC to AC and back to DC.  My rationale is that as long as the sun is providing the power I can live with the loss.

Our usual use of the golf cart is in the evening to cruise the area.  I am also using a small golf cart  battery charger that only requires about 700 watts to slowly recharge the batteries.

BTW,  I do have a solar panel on the roof of the golf cart.  It's only purpose is to tell the other old guys around here that the golf cart is "Solar Powered" and "Green"

I kinda figured you researched all that, but thought I'd throw it out there.

I got all the parts in and will start soon

I thought I would bump this thread to let anybody that wants a deal on solar panels to know that Home Depot has Grape Solar 160 watts panels on sale for $199 online.  You order them and they send them to the store or to you.  Best price I have seen.

Installed the new system yesterday.

I already had two 145 watt panels on the Stacker and I added three more 160 watt panels.

This additional system is totally independent of the other system.  I used a Blue Sky MPPT 40 amp controller with fuses on the input and output.  I also installed a Trimetric battery monitor and connected to four 6 volt GC2 golf cart batteries with a Magnum 1,000 watt invertor/charger.

The two original blue top Optima batteries are still connected to the other system ( 290 watts, 30 amp PMW charge controller and 1,000 watt WFCO sine wave invertor.

Both battery banks are completely isolated because they have different charging voltages and settings.

The old system is now connected to the lights, hydraulic car lift, and the two electric tongue jacks.

The new system is for the chest freezer and the 7 amp/36 volt golf cart charger.

The two systems on the DP have about the same wattage for a combined total of the DP and the Stacker to have about 1,500 watts of Solar

Here are a couple of pictures.

Second picture of controllers

Update:

I have been on the road for eight days and the fully stocked freezer has stayed on and frozen solid without any charging of the four T-105s in the stacker except for the solar panels.  The trimetric monitor has mostly showed fully charged batteries when ever I checked it.