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12V vs 24V System Which is Best and Why


mz-Blue

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Hi 

 

I curently have a small sysytem at my cottage that due to the equipment that I had available runs on

-24V panels (440 watts)

then is converted to 12 v at the charge controller

then stored in a 12 volt battery array made up of 6 75ah batteries ( 450 ah total)

I had a 12 v to 120 inverter that converted the power to run my cottage lights and appliances. Given that my inverter has malfuntioned, i need to buy another inverter. I am considering buying a 24v as I heard that they are more efficient (however more costly). What are the pro and cons of switching and exactly how musgh more efficeint is it to switch from 12 to 24 volts. I know that a 24 volt inverter would be about 2 times the cost and I will have to buy another charging unit if I want to charge the batteries. If it really worth it to switch from 12v to 24 volt arrays for batteries?

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I would say no, its not worth it as long as the leads between charge controller and battery and battery & inverter  are short and of the correct diameter. As long as it has been installed with the correct sized cable there will be minimal voltdrop. The only way 24 volts is "more efficient" is that the current flow is half that for 12V to do the same job. This means the cables can be thinner but you already have the cables so cable size and voltdrop should not be an issue.

You would have to reconfigure your battery bank into pairs of batteries in series then parallel them for 24 volts.

450 Ah @ 12V and 75 Ah at 24 volts both represent the same amount of "usable  electricity".

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10 hours ago, mz-Blue said:

Hi 

 

I curently have a small sysytem at my cottage that due to the equipment that I had available runs on

-24V panels (440 watts)

then is converted to 12 v at the charge controller

then stored in a 12 volt battery array made up of 6 75ah batteries ( 450 ah total)

I had a 12 v to 120 inverter that converted the power to run my cottage lights and appliances. Given that my inverter has malfuntioned, i need to buy another inverter. I am considering buying a 24v as I heard that they are more efficient (however more costly). What are the pro and cons of switching and exactly how musgh more efficeint is it to switch from 12 to 24 volts. I know that a 24 volt inverter would be about 2 times the cost and I will have to buy another charging unit if I want to charge the batteries. If it really worth it to switch from 12v to 24 volt arrays for batteries?

You might get more advice if you directed your searches to the South and a bit West of your location rather than East across the Pond.

There are lots of folks Stateside running their houses on solar and they use 24 or even 48v for their battery banks.

It seems daft to go to the trouble of an inverter as well as the inefficiencies of the conversion to use it for lighting especially as LED lighting is getting cheaper and more efficient.

FWIW my boat is 24v and all major lighting is 2-D fluorescent which gives a lot of light for low current drain. For higher powered units I've found that 24v inverters give more power for less cost that an equivalent 12v unit. Methinks it would be more profitable for you to rethink the whole system rather than patch one part of it. 

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