Was curious to see if the 'phased upgrade' process below seems OK to some of you who have done it all.
This is for an existing small system for an off grid cabin, which has been working fine for 6-7 years and is basically powering tiny loads for weekends - laptop, lights, LCD TV, a couple other small odds and ends.
I'd like to get the span of power coverage up a bit - enough to cover 3 or 4 days without needing to fire up the generator, and also expanded such that I can also run a few larger appliances for longer...but to buy my 'dream system' for this is just too much cash at once. To avoid having bits and pieces appear and languish in the shed until everything is acquired I thought I might upgrade in phases.
Anyone see any egregious issues? Or tips a mostly-noob like me might benefit from?
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Current system: 2 x 140w Kyocera panels, 12v Morningstar 30amp PWM charge controller, Xantrex 12v 2000w inverter, Xantrex 12v battery charger, 4 x huge Dyno 12v deep cycle lead/acid batts (wired 12v - but almost end-of-life), and a Honda EU 2000 genset.
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The Plan:
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Phase 1: Get 4 x 300w new solar panels, using 24v wiring, w/good quality/expandable MPPT charge controller to hook into existing system, charging existing batteries along with the PWM and old panels. System remains 12v for now.
Phase 2: Get 4 x 6v new AGM batteries, wired in 12v to begin with, to take over for the existing old 12v battery bank. Other 12v hardware remains in service. Also, get a battery desulphator, and a bogart battery monitor/shunt, so the new battery bank will have monitoring capabilities from the start.
Phase 2A: After new AGM batts installed, use desulphator and TLC to determine if any of the existing 12v Dyno batts still have an effective life in them, then wire up a separate 12v system using the old 2 x 140w Kyocera panels, Morningstar PWM charge controller, and surviving Dynos for a dedicated 12v system for treehouse lights/radio/laptop.
Phase 3: Purchase a new 24v/3000w Inverter/charger, rewire the 6v/AGM batts from 12v to 24v.
Phase 3A: 1 or 2 paychecks after the above, acquire another 4 6v batts soon so as to have better storage capacity.
Phase 4: Purchase a new Honda EU3000w genset. (EU2000 relegated to emergency backup and/or for occasional portable use)
This is for an existing small system for an off grid cabin, which has been working fine for 6-7 years and is basically powering tiny loads for weekends - laptop, lights, LCD TV, a couple other small odds and ends.
I'd like to get the span of power coverage up a bit - enough to cover 3 or 4 days without needing to fire up the generator, and also expanded such that I can also run a few larger appliances for longer...but to buy my 'dream system' for this is just too much cash at once. To avoid having bits and pieces appear and languish in the shed until everything is acquired I thought I might upgrade in phases.
Anyone see any egregious issues? Or tips a mostly-noob like me might benefit from?
---
Current system: 2 x 140w Kyocera panels, 12v Morningstar 30amp PWM charge controller, Xantrex 12v 2000w inverter, Xantrex 12v battery charger, 4 x huge Dyno 12v deep cycle lead/acid batts (wired 12v - but almost end-of-life), and a Honda EU 2000 genset.
---
The Plan:
---
Phase 1: Get 4 x 300w new solar panels, using 24v wiring, w/good quality/expandable MPPT charge controller to hook into existing system, charging existing batteries along with the PWM and old panels. System remains 12v for now.
Phase 2: Get 4 x 6v new AGM batteries, wired in 12v to begin with, to take over for the existing old 12v battery bank. Other 12v hardware remains in service. Also, get a battery desulphator, and a bogart battery monitor/shunt, so the new battery bank will have monitoring capabilities from the start.
Phase 2A: After new AGM batts installed, use desulphator and TLC to determine if any of the existing 12v Dyno batts still have an effective life in them, then wire up a separate 12v system using the old 2 x 140w Kyocera panels, Morningstar PWM charge controller, and surviving Dynos for a dedicated 12v system for treehouse lights/radio/laptop.
Phase 3: Purchase a new 24v/3000w Inverter/charger, rewire the 6v/AGM batts from 12v to 24v.
Phase 3A: 1 or 2 paychecks after the above, acquire another 4 6v batts soon so as to have better storage capacity.
Phase 4: Purchase a new Honda EU3000w genset. (EU2000 relegated to emergency backup and/or for occasional portable use)
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