Thanks! It appears that we will need to stick with the 12 V setup and max of 400 watts of solar for now!
I wasn't realizing that I would need to "step down"/convert it again to use the 12 V system and to be able to still charge using the existing system setup.
We are limited on battery space and had hoped for more amp hours available, which is what LiFePO4 seems to allow.
I can see that the consensus is to stick with 12 V now!
Thanks so much!
pianotuna wrote:
There is little advantage to 24 volts, especially since the existing controller can easily accommodate 400 watts.
If at a later date, you wish to move to 24 volts and add more panels that option is open.
I would go with 2 SiO2 100 amp-hour batteries wired in parallel, for these reasons.
1. no special chargers are required
2. they can be taken to 0 volts without damage, after 620 times 80% of oem capacity is still there.
3. they can be used in extreme cold.
4. they are 1/2 the price of Li.
For 24 volts if you place two 12 volt batteries in series the number of amp-hours remains the same--but the number of watt-hours of capacity doubles.
For 12 volts if you place two 12 volt batteries in parallel the number of amp-hours doubles--and the number of watt hours of capacity doubles.
If you move to 24 volts, the sensible solution would be to get a DC to dc converter that is capable of running all the 12 volt loads in the RV.
This series of articles may help you understand solar better: https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/
In your case my personal choice would be to stay with 12 volts.
