Solar panels are a key part to any solar installation ( state the obvious).. but this is not always the case, you can have a inverter and battery without solar panels and make good savings. You could also add solar as a token to that system.
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Solar panels come in various types, they are fairly standard, but there are a much winder range for recreation ( small panels) there are 12v system panels, 24v and high power systems.
We would recommend that every one stay away from 12v’s
24V and grid panels are usually around 39V (voc) this works with the 24V system because the panels MPP ( maximum power point) is usually around 30V which is the peak charge of most battery systems.
Solar works by converting photons that slap electrons in the panels out. this flow is called current, the voltage is set by the panel and therefore volts x current = power the rules are from Ohms law.
Ohm’s law is a fundamental principle in electrical engineering that describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in a circuit. It states that the current flowing through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points, and inversely proportional to the resistance between them. The formula for Ohm’s law is V = IR, where V is the voltage, I is the current, and R is the resistance. This relationship is valid for circuits containing only resistive elements (no capacitances or inductances) for all forms of driving voltage or current, regardless of whether the driving voltage or current is constant or time-varying such as AC 12.
In solar panels, VOC stands for “voltage at open circuit” and MPP stands for “maximum power point”. The voltage at open circuit is the maximum voltage that a solar panel can produce when there is no load connected to it. The maximum power point is the point on which the current-voltage curve of a solar panel is maximum.
In other words, VOC is the voltage that a solar panel produces when it is not connected to any load, while MPP is the voltage that a solar panel produces when it is connected to a load that draws the maximum power from the panel.
The power limits of an inverter depend on several factors, including the size of the solar panel system and the rating of the inverter. before buying an inverter to meet your needs, you should ensure that your solar panels can power the inverter, that the panels are not over volt, or over current. Then the next step is to pick what you would like if you are grid paralell.
For example; you can install a solar panel system with an inverter up to or under 3.68kW for a single-phase supply and 11.04kW for a three-phase supply without prior approval from the local distribution network operator (DNO). If you go higher, you need to pre apply. however if you are grid attached or off grid it does not matter.
According to Victron Energy, the preferred upper inverter power limits per system voltage are:
- 12V: up to 3000VA
- 24V: up to 5000VA
- 48V: 5000VA and upwards.
It is important to note that inverters are designed to generate AC output power up to a defined maximum which cannot be exceeded. The inverter limits or clips the power output when the actual produced DC power is higher than the inverter’s allowed maximum output.
However the battery system is designed differently and our recommendation is to check with us as you can vary this depending on the battery configuration you use.
12v 500w
24v 3000w
48v 5000w
76v 10000w
Battery or solar factors also apply to ohms law. If you have 100v of solar and a 24v battery the conversion would be 100/24 (4.16)
The current at 100v would be factored by 4.16 so a 4 amp pv would be x 4.16 (16.66) at the battery.
An AC out put is also subject to ohms law, therefore the voltage (230) would be divided by the watts output. Therefore a 2000W (2kW) AC is a current of 8.69 amps on the DC it is 2000/48 (41.66)
Its more easy to make volts than it is to make current, therefore the higher the voltage the better the system would work.