Ive learned a lot from this forum. Im hoping to get a quick opinion from people. I am installing a very small back up system at my very small weekend cabin. The power goes out somewhat frequently. I want to run my small water pump and a few other very small things during short power outages. The cabin is surrounded by trees. However, I have a shed that gets full sun all day. Its in the Colorado mountains so I get a lot of very strong sun. I will be installing 2x100 watt panels on the shed that charge two 12 volt 50 amp hour batteries. I have a 12/24 amp 30 amp PWM controller (Renogy Adventurer). The problem is the batteries and inverter need to be about a 55' run from the panels. All I have left to buy is my inverter and the wire from the panels to the charge controller. My problem is do I buy a 12 volt or 24 volt inverter?
-If I run the two panels in parallel and keep the system at 12 volts I have about a 10% voltage drop at peak power over that 55' run (10 gauge wire, 12 volts, 12 amps). But, it is very easy to find cheap, reliable, 12-volt inverters. I could run 8 gauge but its still 7%.
-If I run the two panels in series and make it 24 volt I have about a 3% voltage drop over that run (10 gauge wire, 24 volts, 6 amps). But, Im having a harder time finding a 24-volt inverter. They seem to be a lot more expensive and dont get very good reviews.
1. Am I thinking about this correctly? This is my first time working with solar.
2. How big of a deal is the 7%-10% voltage drop in a very small back up system like mine?
3. Do you have any suggestions for an affordable 24 inverter? Probably 1500 watt continuous.
Thanks! -Will
-If I run the two panels in parallel and keep the system at 12 volts I have about a 10% voltage drop at peak power over that 55' run (10 gauge wire, 12 volts, 12 amps). But, it is very easy to find cheap, reliable, 12-volt inverters. I could run 8 gauge but its still 7%.
-If I run the two panels in series and make it 24 volt I have about a 3% voltage drop over that run (10 gauge wire, 24 volts, 6 amps). But, Im having a harder time finding a 24-volt inverter. They seem to be a lot more expensive and dont get very good reviews.
1. Am I thinking about this correctly? This is my first time working with solar.
2. How big of a deal is the 7%-10% voltage drop in a very small back up system like mine?
3. Do you have any suggestions for an affordable 24 inverter? Probably 1500 watt continuous.
Thanks! -Will
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