Estimating the Capacity of Solar Panel/Battery System

[SunEagle]

I closed this old post and edited out that link for Estimating services

[littleharbor2]

Do I smell Spam?

[Flyn Jake]

Your system can produce around 6-8 kWh on sunny days, but to fully cover your 2.5 kW daily usage, you’ll need more panels and a larger battery bank. Upgrading your charger capacity is also a good idea. Electrical Estimating Services can help fine-tune these calculations for a better fit.

[SIGP2101]

You will need more than 24V coming out of your solar array into 24V MPPT CC to charge your 24V battery bank. I suggest you do some reading on this matter.

[Mike90250]

....... I should ride across the street and talk to people on break at SolarWorld (as he turns his white stallion around and gallops into the sunset).

The difference between Solar World and Me, is that I will give realistic advice. I'm not selling you any solar gear at all. I live off grdi, and can give you a realistic viewpoint.
So, you are stuck with a system, that is what it is. Batteries are toast. I suggest cheap golf cart batteries to get it going again,

But we need screenshots of the stickers on the back of each of the panels. What all the gobblty gook letters and numbers say will be the best way to wire them all up.

[Sunking]

As far as living in the cloudy NW, that is my lot and non-NWers who say forget it are spoil sports at best and wouldn't probably do well as pro engineers.

I woul dnot say that. I am a professional engineer of 40 years and well off retied at age 57 living in Panama, luxury, and tax free where it is spring year round. Designed hundreds of battery systems and paid quite well for doing it.

[Solchar]

I appreciate all the pessimistic (poorly dubbed realistic) responses. This system was NOT obtained designedless and I do take offense for that arrogance, Mr.Mike. I agree about the batteries as the Local Interstate store already warned me that could be the case but they weren't so eager to write them off. as you people. This was sold to me by a supposedly solar independent as a system who did have a design in mind which seemed reasonable back then in theory,I just never powered it on to test his wit. Yes, I am well aware of the open circuit voltages of the panels. The 290s were the original panels to work with a simple 12vdc charging system and the 250s were added in when we changed to the 24v MPPT charger. I assumed (my butt) that they would be put in series together in parallel with the other 4 (2+2 also in series) to input the new charger. Before i could test this all out (hand on the switch) I had to disassemble it after the Solar guy did his damage and disappeared after getting paid. My wife then said we're moving from Bend to here and here I am plowing thru insult to injury.

As far as living in the cloudy NW, that is my lot and non-NWers who say forget it are spoil sports at best and wouldn't probably do well as pro engineers. The do or die of my generation finds a way just like life does. Yes, the current panels probably won't charge the "gone like buffalo" batteries or new replacements so guess what, dust myself off and start up again. I think it is safe to say that just adding more panels to compensate for less Sun/day will provide a higher rate of charge for the time the Sun is out. Some balance point is there. Panels doesn't cost a Tesla car. The idea, guys is to make it work where your home is, not scoff at someone who is stuck living here and tell him to move The weather may not be good but the money at Intel is. I don't regard a one way Jose solution or quit the way to solve an electronic problem. I had hoped that this forum would have serious people to help others with reasonable answers, not a country club make sport activity. So much for DIY advice. I should ride across the street and talk to people on break at SolarWorld (as he turns his white stallion around and gallops into the sunset).

[Sunking]

Not true about there excess of hydro power. Look at the 500KV powerline running from Colstrip Montana to the northeast to supply them power. Most of No Cals power now is coming from Utah/Wyoming.

WWW Norcal gets it power from the Western Interconnect consisting of 7 states CO, NV, MT, OR, UT, WY, and WY. My point is all 7 of those states have extremely inexpensive electric rates and sell excess capacity to Norcal at inflated prices. None of them need any Solar or Wind generation to meet their demand. OR generates 68% of their energy from hydro, and WA generates 25% of the USA total hydro power and 71% of the states power. Neither state has any significant solar generation. So little in fact it is not even measured or mentioned in EIA facts.

The whole point is CA energy policy has failed big time. Each year CA has to import more electricity. It is loosing ground and completely dependent on 9 states total to meet energy demand. Sooner or later there will be rolling Blackouts in CA because outside states will not be able to meet the demand. CA has no one to blame but themselves for letting it happen.

I do understand your point, Montana biggest fuel is coal followed by hydro and yes they have a lot of excess power to scalp CA with.

[Wy_White_Wolf]

http://www.opb.org/news/blog/ecotrope/why-oregon-imports-power-from-fossil-fuels-and-exports-renewable-energy/

Any that Oregon or Washington send to California is offset by power being imported by them from the rest of the area. That's why they have a 500KV line running from Colstrip Montana and PacifiCorp is trying to build the gateway west power transfer line.

WWW

[SunEagle]

Look at the gif map in the chart. Wyoming and Utah are in the Northwest power grid.

"Approximately 122 billion kWh were supplied by the northwest region of the Western Interconnect, consisting of most of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington and a small area of northern California."

WWW

I agree. But how much of that 122 billion kWh came from Utah & Wyoming and how much came from Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Montana & Colorado? There is a lot of hydro and wind power in Wash, Ore & Mont and Solar in Nev so I would have a hard time knowing how much came from each but 122 bill is a lot.

[Wy_White_Wolf]

Hmmm actually CA imports a lot of it's power from the NW according to this article.

Look at the gif map in the chart. Wyoming and Utah are in the Northwest power grid.

"Approximately 122 billion kWh were supplied by the northwest region of the Western Interconnect, consisting of most of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington and a small area of northern California."

WWW

[J.P.M.]

Makes perfect sense for them. They are using tax payer money just like Walmart. It is all a PR campaign to claim they are Green Mafia paid for by Tax Payers.

Speaking only about the eastern half of OR, and Prineville in particular to SunEagle's point, by PVWatts, a fixed array will harvest something like 1,500+ kWh/yr. By way of comparison, a San Diego sited array will harvest something like 1,700 kWh/yr. The OR array will ,however, have more seasonal shift, summer/winter, and that won't help much in terms of POCO capacity requirements, but the Prineville situation may be an example of storage measures and capabilities making R.E. measures a bit more viable in the future. Not yet, but someday.

[SunEagle]

Not true about there excess of hydro power. Look at the 500KV powerline running from Colstrip Montana to the northeast to supply them power. Most of No Cals power now is coming from Utah/Wyoming.

Hmmm actually CA imports a lot of it's power from the NW according to this article.

[Wy_White_Wolf]

True but Washington and Oregon have unlimited dirt cheap hydro power. If it were not for Washington's Oregon's excess capacity, Northern California would be dark. Southern CA depends on AZ and NV to keep the lights on.

Not true about there excess of hydro power. Look at the 500KV powerline running from Colstrip Montana to the northeast to supply them power. Most of No Cals power now is coming from Utah/Wyoming.

[littleharbor]

True but Washington and Oregon have unlimited dirt cheap hydro power. If it were not for Washington's Oregon's excess capacity, Northern California would be dark. Southern CA depends on AZ and NV to keep the lights on.

This is an off grid system we're talking about here though, sort of.