Solar Expert Component Review Requested

Also not a fan of the glued down bendable panels. Way too expensive on a per watt basis, too fragile for extended use. The covering tends to haze, cutting production further. Heat also cuts production, so stuck to the roof yields a hotter panel than one elevated above it.

No personal experience, but from YouTube reviews AIMS does not get the best reviews. I friend bought a Samlex SA series to power his Burning Man site. He was very happy with it. They come in both 12V and 24V input.

Trojan T105RE batteries.

Aims was considered a joke by some repair persons. I'd go stand alone, or I'd go for Victron, Outback, or Magnum.

I'd also consider a 24 volt battery bank and the Grape controller. It does mean adding a small 24 volt DC to 12 volt DC converter, but that will more than make up the price difference on the other components. A 24 volt inverter only has to work 1/2 as hard as a 12 volt for the same wattage output.

Less installation cost, more watts, and less overall cost by going to 4 nominal 24V modules if you can fit them.

My thought on the panels was to be able to lose one panel to a failure and only lose 100 watts. I can jump the wire over the top of it in this case. It's a balancing act I know. More panels, more failure modes too.

There is little chance of failure of a well installed module. Your connectors and hold down hardware are the arbiters of how the modules will live. Since the acetates used to encapsulate the cells are really tough, there should be not too much that can break a typical module.

I'd strongly advise you to research those bendable modules. There have been reports of failures and I believe, in most cases, it is about either bending them too much or they stress crack from not being installed correctly. If they are adhesed to a surface, you will be giving up watts when the weather is warm. I know it sounds like a convenient idea, but there is no way I would buy one.

pianotuna wrote:
Do you have prices on the aims? I would consider stand alone products rather than inverter/chargers

Follow the Amazon links for price and limited descriptions. I like the interver/charger combo as it has a nice pc interface to be able to monitor both aspects.

2oldman wrote:
What battery configuration?

Right now I have 4 Trojan t105 in series/parallel for 12 vdc - 450 AH. I probably will be adding two more once the system is in to bring it up to 675 AH.

westend wrote:
Less installation cost, more watts, and less overall cost by going to 4 nominal 24V modules if you can fit them.

My thought on the panels was to be able to lose one panel to a failure and only lose 100 watts. I can jump the wire over the top of it in this case. It's a balancing act I know. More panels, more failure modes too.

time2roll wrote:
Panels say they can connect in series... I would check that they have bypass diodes. All I see is blocking diodes.....

I will check on the diodes, but if memory serves me correctly, the diodes just act as one way valves for current. Will block one way, but flow the other. Like I said, I will check.

As for mounting the panels, I was going to go with a single strip of double back surface mount adhesive down the middle of each panel and Dicor tape for the edges. No bolts in the eyes.

Yeah, the meter is more of a gadget, but it does have the on/off switch on it too.

3000 watts is probably overkill and I'll probably pull more then 2000 only a few times a year. But, the rig has three TV's and the wife does like her hair tools. I like my drip coffee and the Bose sound system with the subwoofer. I guess the Tim Taylor - "More Power" in me is poking through.

Thanks for the feedback so far!

Hi,

Do you have prices on the aims? I would consider stand alone products rather than inverter/chargers

Panels say they can connect in series... I would check that they have bypass diodes. All I see is blocking diodes. Maybe it serves as both somehow. Bypass diodes allow current to bypass a shaded panel and avoid damage.

Under 6 amps and 12 amps parallel I would just use some parallel MC4 connectors and #10 MC4 cable to run down to the controller. Skip the box. No fuse needed but I recommend a switch rated DC 90+ volts to disconnect power for service. DC is a different rated switch than AC at these levels.

How are you mounting the panels? Adhesive? Two sided tape? screws in the mounting holes?
Larger 24v panels are about half the price per watt. Although large size and weight could be an issue.

Mounted flat on the roof you need to have extra shade clearance from vents, A/C, antenna etc. compared to a framed panel that is elevated several inches.

800 watts into the 60 amp controller is fine.

I skipped the controller remote meter. Have not missed it. Can add later if you need to.

3000w does seem big. 2000 watts will run anything you would plug into a normal outlet. OK to have reserve power too. If you plan to run over 2000 watts I recommend six+ batteries.

I am sure the inverter/charger is fine. I personally prefer separate components that would include separate inverter, transfer switch, and converter for charging. Inverter/charger does make whole house installation easier. Or are you thinking to break out inverter only circuits with a subpanel?

Just some random thoughts for discussion.
Looks like it will be a good system.

Less installation cost, more watts, and less overall cost by going to 4 nominal 24V modules if you can fit them. BTW, what is the mounting schedule of those bendable panels?

I don't think I'd buy an inverter/charger because I'd be afraid of losing 1/2 along the way. It may fit your needs better, however.

I have a Morningstar MPPT controller, the smallest one they make, and it has programmability beyond what you get elsewhere. I think they make good controllers.

What battery configuration? As to the inverter, 12v @ 3000w (should you ever need that much) is a whopping lot of amps.