Solar diagram

[shawn.com]

Hi Tribe, 

Am I correct in my understanding of the flow of a solar setup....

sun > solar panels > charge controller > battery bank > off grid inverter > 


I think this is where I begin to get lost. 
H
do I get power from the inverter to my device or appliance?

 

[Almost There]

You get power to 12V appliances directly from the battery bank (through fuses of course). If you want to run 120V appliances then you have an inverter, sized to fit need of course, wired from the battery bank to either the appliances or outlets.

Most of us try to limit the amount of 120V appliances because an inverter has an inherent energy draw.

I wired my van so that most everything runs off of 12V (fridge, freezer, lights, fan, outlets for charging things etc). I also wired in a smallish inverter but put in a switch between it and the battery bank so that I can turn the inverter on and off as needed. I wired the inverter to a couple of regular 120V duplex outlets so that I can plug in appliances as needed.

BTW, calling it an 'off grid inverter' may be what is confusing you. An inverter is simply a device to change 12V DC electricity to 120V AC electricity. While we use them off grid they are simply called inverters. There are different types of inverters and many differently sized inverters but that's another lesson...

 

[highdesertranger]

try to run as much as you can off of 12v. you want as few conversions as possible because no conversion is 100% efficient. inverters are between 70 and 90% efficient.

first things first, what do you want to power? make a list of everything you want to power and how much it consumes at what voltage post it here and we will help you out.

highdesertranger

 

[Cajunwolf]

They have complete packages available nowadays from 300w to 1200w and above ranging in price from $250 to $5k. Everything included and matched for the system, and they are plug & play so great for the novice. Mount the box, plug in your panels, hook up the battery bank, and you're done. Just figure your max load per day times days, and you've got kwh required. If you buy each component separately, you spend as much as 30% more. If your the DIY type and like to do it all yourself, the sky's the limit. The amount of inexpensive solar goodies these days is mind-boggling. Good Luck!

 

[shawn.com]

Hi Almost There, High Desert Ranger, and Cajun Wolf,

Thank you so much. You all were a huge help. 

To make sure I understood you correctly. I can wire my 12V outlets directly into my battery bank? Then I plug my devices directly into the 12V plugs? Fans, phone, laptop, etc.? I can plug in basically anything that has a 12v power adapter that I can plug into it? I don't intend to use any giant appliances that will require 120v.

Things I want to run in my cargo express van include mobile phone charger, laptop, fan, lamps, refrigerator, electric toothbrush, radio, that sorta stuff. Basic "household" items really. Nothing fancy. 

What are a couple companies that I might research and buy a complete solar kit from for say 500 watts? I heard Bob Wells say that's a good number. 

Again you three are great and I really appreciate you.

 

[Cajunwolf]

@shawn.com

I have an HP8470 Mobile Workstation/ monster laptop with a 200w adapter. It doesn't use 200 watts, though. That's the maximum with all accessories on and plugged into a docking station. It supplies your laptop with the proper charging voltage and rate of charge. I rarely pull more than 40 watts plugged into the Inverter while using it. If worried, charge your laptop via an adapter and, once charged, run it on its own battery. The fan is what you have to watch. Small refrigerators aren't to bad, get a 12v the Alipcool C15 on Amazon.

 

[highdesertranger]

don't forget the fuses between the battery and the outlets. the only thing on you list that doesn't come in 12v is the electric toothbrush at least as far as I know. but a small inverter could run that.

so the first thing you want to do is figure out how much power you need per day
then size your battery(s) to that
then size your solar to your battery

so make a list of all your electrical stuff and how much power it uses and how long per day you will use it. we can help you through all this. so lets get the list going.

highdesertranger