Update: Buying solar panels

[BradKW]

I was working at our warehouse this morning and called the guy who's CL ad I linked earlier, selling panels. I told him where I was so he could give me directions to him...his response was, and I do quote:



"Well I'm right here, don't you see me?"



Not quite the response I expected, however he sounded older and possibly confused, so I politely played along and said, "umm, no...where exactly are you?"  



He replied, "I don't know how you can't see me if you are where you say you are...I am waving."  I got the impression that his opinion of my mental capacity was somewhat diminished now.



So it turns out that had I been on the other side of the warehouse, I could indeed have seen him waving...damned if he doesn't live right next door. It also turns out that he's a disabled 'Nam vet and a little on the nutty side, but I decided I like him. He seems to do solar more as a hobby servicing the boats mostly. I say "hobby" because I don't see evidence of him making much money from it, but there's plenty of evidence of money on the canal-side property with boats, vehicles, etc. I make that distinction because while he really wasn't even sure what the panels were specifically (he probably forgot), I think he's honest.



I looked up the serial numbers just now and here's what he has:


Suniva   325-C02-SW    Mono   Silver    72cell    325 watt   0.54/w   176.00

 

[BradKW]

copy/paste formatting got me messed up above, but to continue...

He bought a pallet of them from SunElecric in Miami...their price is $178 for 20 pcs...so he was actually telling the truth when he said he's only making $20 each.

Here's the manufacturer page/info: http://www.suniva.com/documents/Suniva Optimus 72 2013 06 26.pdf

I'm thinking I'm going to buy'em...he also says he's a "dealer" for Outback and can get me good savings on inverter/controller stuff.  Not the brand I was leaning toward, but I may rethink that if the price is right.  

He also has a welding setup and that's something I'm going to need too.

So I'm kinda thinking I might trust serendipity on this...after all, he was right there waving    

 

[Queen]

That cracked me up. Are you, by any chance, out of Stock Island in that row of warehouses by Hogfish? That place seems chock full of characters.

 

[BradKW]

That cracked me up. Are you, by any chance, out of Stock Island in that row of warehouses by Hogfish? That place seems chock full of characters.

We seem to have excess characters down here...they don't all fit in one spot, so overflow to the other islands. He's on Rockland Key...it's where "characters" who have some money and shower more regularly go. I go to Hogfish pretty often...since showering is more optional, I feel quite comfortable stopping in there after a long day at work

 

[29chico]

Those are good panels and at 61 cents per watt, cheap also.

If you have room for 39 inch wide panels that are very nearly 6.5 foot long they may be a sweet deal for you.

I recently bought some 315w LG panels that are around 65x39 inches as I could not really go any longer.  They were nowhere as cheap as those Suniva's.

 

[Queen]

We seem to have excess characters down here...they don't all fit in one spot, so overflow to the other islands. He's on Rockland Key...it's where "characters" who have some money and shower more regularly go. I go to Hogfish pretty often...since showering is more optional, I feel quite comfortable stopping in there after a long day at work  

I wandered around those warehouses after too good of a time at Hogfish one evening, trying to recover enough to ride my bike back to KW.  Fella offered to take me sailing and show me the world, he was too funny.

 

[jimindenver]

Brad

Nice panels and nice price too.

How many are you thinking? What way were you leaning? I did a considerable amount of research on the three big MPPT controllers while building my system. I had threads on two of the larger solar forums and rv.net too I think. I'll see if I can dig them up if interested.

 

[BradKW]

Brad

Nice panels and nice price too.

How many are you thinking? What way were you leaning? I did a considerable amount of research on the three big MPPT controllers while building my system. I had threads on two of the larger solar forums and rv.net too I think. I'll see if I can dig them up if interested.

I'm thinking of buying the last 3 he has, which would be 975 watts of solar. While that's a lot more that the 600ish I'd been planning on, it's actually less than I had budgeted for panels.

I'd certainly be interested in anything you know about Outback. I had mentally crossed them off the list due to reading things about how the company had changed and was using cheaper, Chinese parts...but if the price is right, I would consider it. For controller/inverter I had been planning on Morningstar/Magnum...higher price, but darn hard to find anyone unhappy with the products.

 

[akrvbob]

I'm sure you're aware, but they sell those in A, B and C grade. Might double check they are A.
Bo

 

[jimindenver]

https://www.solarpaneltalk.com/foru...6-morningstar-outback-midnite-which-to-choose

http://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/334570/morningstar-outback-midnite#latest

Here are the two discussions on the solar forums, still looking for the other. I chose Morningstar for the size of the controller, lack of fan and ability to get into the programs. Midnight was interesting for the free wiz bang and newest tech and Outback was older but had the reputation and size needed. Any would have done well enough. They were all priced similar.

970w should be good for 60 amps or so peak at 12v. You will join the handful of rolling power plants here that were we all together could power up a RTR from end to end.

 

[BradKW]

I'm sure you're aware, but they sell those in A, B and C grade. Might double check they are A.
Bo

That's a good point. These are actually "B" which according to the grading system where he bought them, means there are cosmetic blemishes. Both the blemishes I was able to spot were on the aluminum frames and don't appear to be impact related...

 

[BradKW]

970w should be good for 60 amps or so peak at 12v. You will join the handful of rolling power plants here that were we all together could power up a RTR from end to end.

That sounds like enough to power your little AC unit without even drawing on the batteries during the day?

 

[jimindenver]

Oh yeah, I do it running 40-45 amps. You wouldn't even need to spend the extra to get the lowest draw unit. I also run a hotplate and small heater on those cool clear days.

 

[jimindenver]

I reread the threads and found the comment about having to use the MidNight in legacy mode interesting.

 

[akrvbob]

 You will join the handful of rolling power plants here that were we all together could power up a RTR from end to end.

RTR????? Shoot, you'll could power a small city!
Bob

 

[BradKW]

https://www.solarpaneltalk.com/foru...6-morningstar-outback-midnite-which-to-choose

Now on to battery selection.Limited space and sticking to the no more than three connection rule is going to get expensive fast. Had I been smart I would done a pair of 6v's on the tongue for the trailer systems and then a 24v bank for the inverter. I'd also rather create a vented compartment than buy AGM's BUT paying for the heart attack Honey will have when I say I'm cutting a hole in the wall of the trailer will be kind of pricy too. lolr]

What is the three connection rule?

 

[jimindenver]

3 12v banks tied together in parallel is the maximum number for balanced charging, discharging and efficiency. Put too many together and battery A may get and give up more than battery D. It will wear down A faster and D will be undercharged. There are sites that show how to wire multiple banks and it starts looking pretty complicated when the numbers rise.

The second part is efficiency. I have three 12v and if I added another for more power it would be more efficient to turn the bank into a 24 volt bank. Fewer connections and 24v is more efficient than 12v.

 

[BradKW]

So what equals a"bank", and if you have 24v is it a simple matter to just change it to 12v?

 

[jimindenver]

A bank generally refers to more than one battery tied together. A bank of batteries.

Should you have a 24v bank you can use a 24v inverter for 120v and then something to step the 24v down to 12v for those needs. going 24v also means you can run twice the panels.