Starting a new system in the deep Jungle of South America

"Low Budget Battery" and "Deep Cycle Battery" are rarely used in the same sentence.
Have you heard of a $100 230AH GC2 6 Volt Golf Cart Flooded Lead Acid Battery?
Two (2) x 6 Volt batteries wired in series would get you 12 Volts.
They are rated at 230AH, but you should only use 50% max each night before recharging next day.
Assuming you get good sun every day.

Does the compressor in your fridge runs 50% of the time?
180 Watts = 120 Volts x 1.5 Amps
2,160 Watt-Hours per Day = 180 Watts x 12 Hours per Day

Energy in the batteries ...
1,104 Watt-Hours = 12 Volts x ( 230AH / 2 ) x 80% efficiency

2 x 6 Volt GC2 Batteries would be just barely enough power to run the fridge for 12 hours per night.
Batteries would allow the fridge to run if there was a cloud over the Solar Panels during the day.



Does your 1100 Watt inverter require 12 Volts or 24 Volts DC input?
Are you saying your Fridge uses only 1.5 Amps?
Is that at 120 Volts AC?

I have to make a couple of assumption like you will be using a PWM controller and have access to golf cart batteries. I live in Panama just north of you and the first challenge is actual sun light. Jungle an solar panels do not work with each other. You must have direct sunlight all day long with no shadows. . So I have to assume you have a clearing.

If all you want to do is run the fridge during the day, and do not care about short lived batteries it will take 4 x 100 watt panels, 1 x 20 amp controller, and a pair of 6-volt golf cart batteries.

To add a couple more words. If you are running a Fridge, you should use a Pure Sine Wave inverter. They cost more, but less than replacing the Fridge. A motor running on a mod sine inverter, consumes about 20% more power and therefor, 20% hotter. In a fridge, the motor is sealed inside the compressor, and so the fridge has to run 20% longer to dump the extra heat. And if the motor is too hot, it dies, and you replace the fridge.

Charging a cell phone, a couple LED lights, consume next to nothing, if you are already running a fridge.. Expect to replace a pair of 6v golf cart batteries every year, since you will be subjecting them to heavy usage.

And you must have direct strong sunlight for the panels to work and charge the batteries,

Hello, thanks everyone for your responses. To answer them:

Have you heard of a $100 230AH GC2 6 Volt Golf Cart Flooded Lead Acid Battery?
No, I havent. There are some 100AH 12v batteries for $300 bucks, or a bunch of 8 years 100AH Lead Acid batteries no one uses. Maybe revive them?

I dont need my fridge to run at night, just while is sunny. And is VERY sunny here. North west of Ecuador, border with Colombia.

Does your 1100 Watt inverter require 12 Volts or 24 Volts DC input?
My inverter is 12volts
Are you saying your Fridge uses only 1.5 Amps?
Yes, that is what the fridge says in the door.
Is that at 120 Volts AC?
Yes

Will my 20a charge controller hold 4 the amps of 4 100w panels?

And I havent buy the inverter yet, I was goign to buy the Krieger 1100w 12v, but I can instead get the pure sine wave, but which one would you recommend?

Is there anything I can do with all the extra solar panels and 20a charge controllers?

yep, big box stores, Costco, Sams club, wally world $90-$120

Hello, I answered your questions, do you have any other ideas from what I replied?

Which inverter do you recommend?

Pick a name brand Pure Sine Wave Inverter
http://www.aimscorp.net/12-Volt-Pure-Sine-Inverters/

Here's another one avaib in 600w and 1000w + http://www.samlexamerica.com/product...l.aspx?pid=109 (thanks to Sunking for the link to that one)

You are welcome.

Here is another one I have specified in about 300 Cell Tower sites from Exeltech . They now make 12 volt models from 125 watts up to 2000 watts. They are hot swappable and redundant N+1. They are rack mount optional with redundancy. As more power is demanded the next unit comes on line. Example if you needed say 1000 watts, you would use 5 x 250 watt modules. If all you demand is 200 watts, only one unit is on line. The 5th one is N+1 redundancy.

But you can also just use a single 1000 watt unit. They are made for 100% duty cycle and 25 year MTBF. What is unique about the Exeltech no other Inverter can do is supply extremely poor PF loads like a bank of rectifiers or servers all of which are non linear loads even generators have trouble with. Motors and electronics are a piece of cake.

Samlex also makes a Professional 100% Duty cycle line in their PST line up. Those can also handle poor PF loads.

Mike you might want to check Exeltech out for a future upgrade. They can break you free of that 12, 24, and 48 trap you are locked in. They make inverters any battery voltage from 12 to 108 volts. Actually they will make them in any voltage you want. I have used them in small data centers using 400 volts to run 208/120 UPS. You can even put HVAC on them. But off the shelf stuff is 12 to 108 volts. They even make Mil Spec stuff.

Hello,
I just wanted to double check if what I am doing will work.

10 panels of 100w and 2 30a charge controllers. Working as 2 Sets of separate solar panels arrays 5 panels per charge controller:
connected to the batteries, reaching around 55amps max of charge

2 6volts 215ah batteries

1 pure sine wave sunforce 1000w peak 2000w

8avg cable for batteries and inverter

Will this work?

My needs:
I just need to turn on my fridge (180w) sometimes during daylight, a max of 6 hours a day.
4 LED lights for 3 or 4 hours. MAX.

Extra, but not necessary:
I also have a deep freezer that draws(240w MAX).
Will my inverter run it too? How long?

Thank you guys in advance.

in Jungle conditions you should be running a 24v chest type refrigeration unit. and not be using an inverter at all. A chest type will hold the cold 10X longer and you can make ice during the day when you have max solar input, equals much less battery. a front load refrigeration running from inverter is a waste of time, money and effort.

If my calculations are wrong, please let me know. 4x100w panels will do 400w / 12v = 33.33amps. How can I use 1 x20amp controller?

I bought 30 amps controllers now, but I am not sure if I can use 4 panels with it. Whats the suggestion?