I'm hoping you can give me some advice. I thank you in advance. I recently purchased 14 Jinkosolar panels 310 watt. JKM 310P-72. Im looking for a off grid application. I am wondering is it better to look at 12v, 48v? What size inverters? Size controller? And everything else I may need to know for a safe install and usage. The cabin will be close to a regular size home as possible. Is it more efficient to change things up? Maybe install 12v lights instead of 120v? It looks like I will need a sine inverter since we are running computer equipment also. Thanks for any suggestions.
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7 years 7 months ago
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Hello Anon,
Congrats on making the first step in going solar!
I'd like to take a brief moment to address your questions to get you going in the right direction.
Typically in smaller off-grid applications you can find a 12 or 24V system is simple enough for many needs. This leads well into your second question, which is what size inverter you may need. This depends largely on what loads you will be running simultaneously to determin the proper output for your system. In order to do this, think about your loads for a moment and focus on the larger of the loads that "could" be running at the same time.
Sizing of the charger is a little bit easier given you have the modules already. This is probably best suited towards a 60 or 80A controller. However, depending on your loads, the number of modules and the size of the controller can impact the number of modules that are actually needed. You may require less or more modules due to your desired loads.
As for changing up your loads, you may find use of energy efficinent appliance and LED lighting will help in keeping your battery bank scaled down to a more reasonalbe size depending on your daily usage and required days of autonomy.
I assume you will have more questions and we can give you a much more indepth look at your system needs. So please do not hesitate to reach out and get started.