Thanks, I appreciate the additional information!
I guess it all depends on what your needs are; my last solar setup was 300 watts of panels, 600 watt inverter and dual T-105 golf cart batteries. Didn't run AC, didn't expect to... it ran the lights, the TV center and charged my devices, while still powering the furnace on cooler nights. If it was cloudy, I ran a small portable generator as needed. So, this Montana solution is massive,,, for me.
Now, I still didn't get the math on your system, but here is the math I did for the Montana system...
-4x Jaboni panels (latest is that they will be 300w panels). List is $800 each. Ok, maybe you can do other brands for less than half of that, so $1400 instead of $3200...
-3000w Magnum inverter... this is normally a $2800 unit, but some places have it on sale for $2000
-510ah of lithium... Battleborn 100ah are either $950 or $1050 depending on configuration, call it $1000 each, so $5000 for 500ah. NOTE, there will be no low temperature charging option with these, which is useful at times for our winter boondocking, even in the SW...
-dual Jaboni 30amp MPPT controllers, $450
-Victron battery monitor, $250
-Precision power management system; I cannot even find all of the parts, but best I could tell the 3 components are about $1500-2000 (look into this, it is not just a couple of dongles here...)
-dual soft starts on the ACs, $600
Total for above, about $11-12k, and that isn't apples to apples. Here's what's missing:
-all the bits and pieces of panel mounts, cabling and connectors, shunts, fuses, disconnects, etc
-no built in option to heat batteries to safely charge in cold weather
-protected cabinet, out of the way in the center of the coach
-labor to install
-factory warranty
So,if I do the math, there "might" be a $2-3000 savings for the DIY... if they do not want to acknowledge the dollar value to the extras above. However, if you do put an appropriate value on the items above AND also want to pay someone to install, to compare apples to apples? Then, $15k will be a bargain... and it IS $15k, not $20k...
So, while I stand to be corrected, I think for the "non DIY crowd", and the "I just want to order it all from the factory to have one throat to choke", or "I want it neatly installed in an out of the way, protected cabinet"... I would not be so quick as some are on this thread to dismiss this all as nonsense, or ridiculous in price...
But, again, if someone wants to provide alternate data, I'm listening...
Thanks!
Brad
