I'm really struggling to make my solar setup work efficiently. I've recently purchased four 12v 100ah LiPo batteries connected to 600 watts of solar panels, and I'm using a Renogy charge controller with a 1000w modified sine wave inverter. Right now, the only thing I have running on this system is my 1100 CFM swamp cooler, which consumes between 220 and 250 watts continuously. Unfortunately, this setup only lets my swamp cooler work for around 2 hours after sunset, but I really want it to run for 4 hours. Should I add more batteries, more solar panels, or is there something else I can do? And please, no complicated math—numbers are not my strong suit! I really appreciate any insight you can provide. Thanks!
3 Answers
You should definitely consider adding more solar panels. Your swamp cooler is drawing a significant amount of your solar generation during the day, which means your batteries might not be getting fully charged. Ideally, doubling your solar panels could help. Remember that solar panels often don't produce their full rated output due to factors like shade or cloud cover, so more panels would definitely help by providing extra energy to both power your swamp cooler and recharge your batteries.
If I were you, I'd calculate the total watt-hour need. You have 4800 watt-hours worth of battery capacity, which sounds like it should last longer, but if your solar panels are only providing enough power for about 300 watts on average due to environmental factors, then you likely need more panels to keep your batteries topped up while using the cooler. Think about how many hours of sunlight you actually get for charging as well. Adding panels could bring you closer to your goal of four hours of runtime.
I appreciate the clarification! Sounds like more panels could be the solution.
Consider inspecting how your system is wired. It's possible you might be pulling from only one battery instead of using them all efficiently. Also, using a modified sine wave inverter tends to consume more power than a pure sine wave inverter. If possible, plan for an upgrade to a pure sine wave inverter for better efficiency and longer life for your devices. That might help a lot in the long run!
Thanks! I’m actually looking into upgrading my inverter soon!
That makes sense! I'll look into getting more panels.