BFL13 wrote:
Not sure going 24v has any advantage with inverters after that last thread about how the batteries at 24v have such a high R. You get little relative R advantage just from using thinner wire-- in fact, you might lose on the deal. Plus you then still need 12v to run the rig.
That is inverter-battery, not solar panel-controller, where I think we have that thinner wire advantage established as fact.
Ohm's law is not selective. There's a "thinner wire advantage" at higher Vs everywhere. From the solar panels to the charger for sure, but also from a higher V battery bank to the inverter, from the charger to the battery bank, ... everywhere there is less lost wattage over wire at higher voltages.
Where there does not seem to be any advantage at higher voltages is in the internal V drop under load and resistance of the lead acid battery bank itself. Reconfiguring a battery bank from 12 to 24 or 48V does increase the bank's internal resistance and internal V drop under load but not the *percentage* V drop (or wattage loss), as the bank's V is higher and current is lower at the same load. So, no disadvantage either.
AFAIK there is no disadvantage to higher Vs electrically, but cost, availability and complexity are certainly factors to consider.
