November 17, 20214 yr Hi Everyone So I have finally got my DIY setup connected to my DB board. (with qualified electrician assistance of course) I've been gradually adding on as I have budget and this is my current setup: Axpert 3.0 + 3kw with 1Kw MPPT (wired to seperate sub-DB with all the necessary change over switches etc) Mastervolt 24v 24/160 Lithium battery (old but still does the job) 2x 100W twinsel panels in series which gets up to around 41V Prior to connecting to the DB board I was just running wifi and laptop with a few lamps. My setup is currently only for backup during load shedding. The supply is now feeding the main DB board: 2x light circuits (all LED) and 2x plugs on 1 breaker. The other plugs in the main house are ALL wired to 1x breaker which means I am avoiding that one as I don't want any hair dryers etc pulling off the inverter. I have a flat on a sub-DB which has most of the kitchen appliances, stove etc and geyser so that is not an option without major expense or a distinct system I'm guessing. I have now got 2x TV's and 1x Xbox one X attached. The Xbox / TV is the biggest power hog of all at around 300W If I just run lights, fibre/ Wifi / NAS and laptops with the 40 inch plasma my power usage peaks at around 200W. With the 2nd TV (55 inch LED and Xbox) it jumps to 500W ish. I'm planning to get another 300 / 400W panel to add to the solar in parallel to get the solar up to a matching power level. Remember this system is just to provide backup during load shedding. As far as I have researched as long as the Voltage across the panels is around the same, losses will be minimal. It was suggested to me to put in voltage regulators or caps between the panels to avoid any issues on the inverter. The current panels are also on a flat roof between the house and flat, tilted to N/W direction, and in late afternoon do get shade from the roof, more pronounced in winter. Based on the voltage readings I'm ok with the performance and I don't think any other location will improve exposure. I could move the panels to the roof on the right side in the picture which is the garage roof and will probably get slightly longer sun exposure. (I'd say maybe 30 min extra) All that being said, should I be ok to just add another panel (36V Voltage Pmax) without having to swop existing panels? I can leave the power hungry xbox and tv off, but I also prefer the option of them being more isolated from load shedding and power spikes etc. For now I've set the inverter to mains priority as the solar power is now less than the load, and the inverter is consequently only drawing nominal power from the panels.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.