Victron Energy: Alternator/Solar Charging - LFP Battery System

dreadlocks

Well-known member
soo 2600W of solar to get 21A of charge current, ouch.. but I guess thats 10%, and really awesome you could see a current that high w/out ever seeing the sun directly.

basically what I see in similar conditions w/out sun, about 10%.. which is only about 5A of current for my 650W.. enough to gain some ground and sustain base loads but not anything more.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
In cloudy conditions like that amorphous panels have more output per area.

A number of remote arctic communities that rely 100% on diesel generators for electricity, have moved to solar power with lithium storage. Even with the sun barely rising most of the winter, they have dramatically improved efficiency. They use a single smaller generator, and a large lithium bank buffers the need. So the gen runs at full power most of the time. In the summer the generator barely runs at all with all the sun.
 

shade

Well-known member
For a second panel, I think I'd try to keep it anchored to a track at the top corners, and tilt the bottom down to improve efficiency. 80/20 has some parts that could make that happen without too much trouble. I may use some of their T-slot sections to anchor the main panel to the roof anyway.
 
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b dkw1

Observer
I'm still wondering how some of the roll-able panels would fare sowed to an awning. I heard rumors of such an awning at one of the expo's but never saw any photos.
 

dreadlocks

Well-known member
they would fail after a few times of use, flexible panels are total garbage.

@luthj the panasonic HIT he is using are N-Type amorphous..
Panasonic’s unique heterojunction technology uses ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. These thin dual layers reduce losses, resulting in higher energy output than conventional panels.

I can vouch for Solar & LFP being great for conditions where you only get a very few precious hours of sunlight.. I went from very heavy generator usage, too almost none boondocking in dense forests.. just the edges of spring and fall I need to depend on the genset.
 

shade

Well-known member
they would fail after a few times of use, flexible panels are total garbage.

@luthj the panasonic HIT he is using are N-Type amorphous..


I can vouch for Solar & LFP being great for conditions where you only get a very few precious hours of sunlight.. I went from very heavy generator usage, too almost none boondocking in dense forests.. just the edges of spring and fall I need to depend on the genset.
I learned something else. Thanks!

Another reason my LG panel should do well.
 

shade

Well-known member
I stumbled across this product while looking at METS coverage. Maybe it's been around for awhile, but this is the first I've heard of it. 12VDC & 120VAC versions are available.

"The Peak Power Pack is a complete substitute for heavy lead acid batteries in applications where high currents occur for short time. Being primarily meant for caravan movers, it is equipped with a built in charger allowing charging from the vehicle electrical system whilst travelling with the caravan. This way the pack will be fully charged upon arrival to the camping site. If necessary, the charging is possible using the supplied adapter via a grid outlet. Charging from a solar panel is also possible."

$635 for the 40Ah version, which is competitive with the $600 40Ah Goal Zero Yeti. I'm guessing that the GZ is more fully farkled, though.


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Alloy

Well-known member
For a second panel, I think I'd try to keep it anchored to a track at the top corners, and tilt the bottom down to improve efficiency. 80/20 has some parts that could make that happen without too much trouble. I may use some of their T-slot sections to anchor the main panel to the roof anyway.

A 2-3" air gap under the top panel woul be best.

How about setting the panels next to each other with the long side across the vehicle.

One or both portable would be better on the days when the last thing you want is to be parked in the sun. My 14yo daughter can set up our portable panels.

The removable hinge pins in my panel are easy to work with.

 

dreadlocks

Well-known member
that 40ah powerpack intrigues me, from specs on it looks like it'd be good for running a trolling motor and you can charge it at .5C so it'd be easy to refill PDQ off house/solar.. and could be used as extra reserve capacity and home backup supply.
 

shade

Well-known member
A 2-3" air gap under the top panel woul be best.

How about setting the panels next to each other with the long side across the vehicle.

One or both portable would be better on the days when the last thing you want is to be parked in the sun. My 14yo daughter can set up our portable panels.

The removable hinge pins in my panel are easy to work with.


As much as I'd like another 360W of capacity in one piece, I don't know that I'd want to wrestle a 40 lb panel off the roof of my camper for remote placement. Otoh, that would simplify things by not needing any attaching hardware; just a pair of channels to slide it in below the fixed panel. I could also use a smaller panel for a remote, but that's no fun.

I've had your mount bookmarked; neat solution. Since I can already tilt the camper roof by opening it, I may not bother with an additional axis of movement.

that 40ah powerpack intrigues me, from specs on it looks like it'd be good for running a trolling motor and you can charge it at .5C so it'd be easy to refill PDQ off house/solar.. and could be used as extra reserve capacity and home backup supply.

I didn't look into it more than I posted, but I'd rather go with a Victron product over GZ if I was shopping for something like that.
 

DRP

Member
A question about Syncronization for the Victron / LFP crowd.

Of course the manuals say sycronize when the battery is full and amperage is below 4%


Do it when the it hits 14.xx?
Do it when it is at 13.6?
Do it when it just drops back to 13.3?
Its below 4% in all those conditions
Thanks
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
Do you mean set 100% full? Or do you mean cell balance. 100% full reset typically this is done at the desired charge voltage. 4% return amps above 14V is usually above 95% SOC.

Balancing can be done anywhere above 13.9V typically.
 

DRP

Member
Sorry, yes. Set 100% SOC

Not equalize cells

Victron calls it synchronizing SOC

Edit again, yes on a BMV 712
 
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