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I’m trying to power some 12v lights and a pc for my off grid office Can I use power safe telecom batteries model number 12v170fs with a 200w panel and a 30a mppt controller ? I’m brand new to this any advice would be welcome
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Hello Martynmiffy and welcome to Solar Panel Talk
Based on what I have heard and know usually telecom batteries were not designed for daily cycling which is needed for a solar energy storage system. A telecom battery is usually designed to be standby power in case standard power is lost similar to a UPS battery.
Sure you can use a telecom battery but you should expect them to not work in a much shorter time frame then a quality deep cycle battery. -
Hi Sun Eagle thankyou for the response in your opinion what would be a suitable battery for me and how many would I need
ps. Why can’t I upload photosComment
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I have 3 panels and this inverter
what batteries would be suitable pleaseComment
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Here is the kitComment
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I guess I am a little confused. That inverter is not a charge controller so it is probably not the right equipment to charge batteries. It looks like a grid tie type inverter.
What are the specs of those panels? That will get you closer to finding a quality charge controller and batteries. If being off grid is what you want to be.Comment
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Hi there here are the panels
what would you suggest for a controller and batteries pleaseComment
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I am trying to run a small office off grid
pc or laptop and printer
12v lights
battery chargers for power tools
maybe a small fridge kettle microwave etcComment
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I also purchased the above controller ? Would this work pleaseComment
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With 2 x 240w panels and that 40amp MPPT CC you can build a small off grid system. You might be able to go between a 320 to 480Ah 12V battery system. Where 400Ah is the middle and best size. The type of batteries should lower voltage (2V, 4V or 6V) FLA type wired in series. You also need to determine approximately what you will use in Watt Hours per day. Remember a 400Ah 12V battery system may only provide about 1200 watt hours (400Ah x 12V x 25% = 1200Wh) a day or less depending on how well they are charged and discharged. So having a large load like the microwave or frig can drain the batteries quickly.
You will also need a quality inverter that can change the battery DC voltage to an AC voltage to run that type of load. But an inverter may consume up to 10% of it's watt rating even without a load.
And finally there is no where on the earth that you can guarantee quality sunlight every day so at some time you will need a generator and charger to get your batteries up to full again.Comment
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Thankyou so much for your input ! Maybe I will skip the microwave and fridge !Comment
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When you say 400ah would that be the total ah for all the batteries connected up or would each one need to be 400ah
also if I run these in series would that add up the voltage per battery as opposed to keeping it at 12v in parallel?
reason I ask is that I’ve bought 12v strip lightsComment
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Most people try to wire 12V batteries in parallel to increase the total Amp hour of the system. I try to convince others that getting lower voltage with the desired Ah rating batteries and wire them in series to get the desired voltage. Since you should get around 40 charging amps from those panels a 400Ah battery system fits into your plan. If you can find 6V 400Ah batteries then get 2 and wired them in series otherwise look for lower voltage batteries at 400Ah and get enough to wire them in series to achieve 12V. If you can't find low voltage 400Ah batteries then you will have to wire what ever you find in parallel. That can cause one or more of those batteries to be charged and discharged unequally which will shorten the life.
Going off grid can be expensive due to battery cost and maintenance. Sometimes I suggest running a grid connection to the building that has the loads. If you compare the cost sometimes a grid connection gets you more power at a cheaper cost then a solar/battery system. Food for thought.Comment
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I’m learning something new every minute
but if I just used what I have to run the lights and a pc
would you be able to draw a wiring diagram from what I’ve sent using 12 v car batteries all same ah say 95ah? I have 3 solar panels a 30amp mppt controller and the tranergy inverter kitComment
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