Iza, I have a friend who did the same as you in NSW and after the first summer, put a slopping roof carport thingy over the van and moved the 24v panels connected in series for 48v onto the roof. This reduced the heat and power use dramatically because he insulated the roof cheaply and made the roof wide enough so there was a decent overhang, further reducing heat and giving those inside the van a covered area outside. He has a 1.5kw inverter a/c and it seems to work fine, as I've stayed in it a couple of times and his lifepo4 system is 20kwh. Adding a gal water tank gave the occupant water from he covering roof which meant being on acreage didn't effect his house water supply and made the set up self sufficient using gas and a portable induction cooker to cook.
It works very well and he bought the panels secondhand from some one upgrading their system on gumtree, has a cheap 3000w inverter and 60ah MPPT controller from ebay. He installed a solenoid switch that cuts of the solar input at 14v. Won't be long before sodium ion batteries and cells become common and cheaper than they are now, which should revolutionise off grid systems. My lifdepo4 packs are approaching 20 years and the most used pack has lots around 10% in the last few months, so will be looking to update or increase my house system in a couple of years I think and hope to go sodium ion.
How much do I need, Solar and Battery bank?
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Izabarack
- Posts: 169
- Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:28 pm