Good afternoon I just starting a little project and looking to do everything on my own with good advice from the SMEsin here.
I have a van which I plan to go off the grid it has a Smart alternator.
2 x 200w panels
Smart solar MPPT 100/50
1 x 280ah battery with Bluetooth
1 x 3000w pure sine inverter
1 x Smart Shunt 500a/50mV
What else do I need
Thanks in advance for any advice
Cable, i would personally use 16mm² minimum and fusing recommended.
Recommended cabling and fusing
Besides some cabling and mc4s. You will definitely need at least one ac In and one out disconnect.
DC breaker for the PV.
Sizing is based on the formula Volts x Amps= Watts.
All the manuals have install ideas. Example the smart shunt one.
What voltage battery? And what Voc for the panels?
A 3000W inverter on 12V will draw 300A or more at peak and requires massive cables.
Your costs for cables and inverter will be greatly reduced if this can all run at 24V instead of 12V.
Will you need to charge it from the vehicle’s alternator and what voltage does that run at?
There are some pointers in this FAQ.
Smart alternators often drop the voltage to 12.5V and are not suitable for direct charging of a house battery bank. The alternator charges the engine battery and then you connect an Orion DC to DC charger between the starter battery and the house battery. This boost the low voltage from the Smart alternator to a suitable voltage for charging the house bank. Look at the Victron Orion XS.
https://www.victronenergy.com/dc-dc-converters/orion-xs-dc-dc-battery-chargers
ECO-WORTHY 12.8V 280AH LiFePO4 Lithium Battery
I have the MC4s