At Advanced Energy Systems, we understand that many customers seek the most efficient way to set up their solar energy systems while ensuring their equipment is safely stored and operates optimally. Understanding solar panel inverter distance is particularly relevant for homeowners and businesses with specific space and safety considerations, such as those who prefer to store their solar battery and inverter in a separate, temperature-controlled environment like a guest house. By addressing this question, we aim to provide clarity on the practicality of setting up a solar system with components placed in different locations, ensuring you can make informed decisions about your installation
What is the Impact of Distance on System Performance?
When considering the solar panel inverter distance, one of the first things to remember is how far your inverter and battery are from the main electrical panel. For example, placing your inverter and battery in a guest house 100 feet away from the main panel can affect your system’s performance.
Voltage Drop and Efficiency
Long wire runs can lead to voltage drops, especially if you’re using standard wires for DC connections. Voltage drop occurs because electricity traveling through a wire over long distances encounters resistance, which converts some electrical energy into heat. This means the further the current travels, the more voltage is lost¹.
Optimizing Distance with Higher Voltages
Higher voltages are generally preferred for long-distance wiring to minimize voltage drop. When you transmit electricity at a higher voltage, the current is lower, significantly reducing energy loss due to resistance². This ensures that more power your solar panels generate reaches the inverter, and less energy is wasted as heat in the cables.
By carefully planning the distance between your solar panels and inverter and opting for high-voltage systems, you can enhance the overall efficiency of your solar energy setup, ensuring better performance and maximizing your energy savings over time.
It can ensure that the power generated by your solar panels is delivered efficiently over longer distances.
What Type of Inverter Should Be Used?
Choosing the right inverter is essential for effectively managing your solar panel inverter distance. At Advanced Energy Systems, we recommend using high-quality inverters like the Victron Quattro 48/10,000. These inverters are designed to handle higher input voltages. This makes them perfect for setups where the inverter and battery are far from the main electrical panel, such as a guest house 100 feet away. With two Victron Quattro inverters, your system can better manage the voltage drop over longer wire runs. This ensures your system operates efficiently.
It’s important to ensure that the inverter you choose can support the highest possible voltage from your solar array. If the inverter can’t handle the full voltage, it may clip excess power, leading to energy loss and reduced efficiency. Always verify that the inverter’s maximum DC input voltage exceeds the highest voltage your solar panel array can produce³. This is especially crucial if your panels are connected in series, which increases the overall voltage of the array.
Should Temperature Coefficients Be Considered?
Another factor that can impact the practicality of this setup is temperature, especially concerning your solar panel inverter distance. If you live in an area where temperatures drop significantly, it’s crucial to account for the temperature coefficient of the panels and wiring. As the temperature decreases, solar panel voltage increases, which can benefit long runs. PV modules operate more efficiently in colder weather, as temperatures above 77°F cause decreases in voltage, and colder temperatures help boost efficiency⁴.
In this case, CuddleBuddiesJJ calculated the expected voltage based on the coldest recorded temperature and found that it would be around 430V, which is suitable for the Victron inverter, which can handle up to 450V. It’s essential to consider temperature fluctuations and adjust your system design accordingly. In colder climates, this increase in voltage can help compensate for the resistance in the wiring. Still, it’s always advisable to factor in the temperature coefficient to ensure the system remains efficient throughout the year⁶.
What About the Wiring?
When managing your solar panel inverter distance, the size of the wire you use becomes crucial. Larger gauge wires—such as 10 AWG or even 8 AWG—are commonly recommended for long-distance runs to minimize voltage loss. These thicker wires allow more current to flow with less resistance, making them more efficient over extended distances⁵. By reducing the resistance in the conductor, power drop or line loss is minimized, ensuring that more of the energy generated by your solar panels reaches the inverter and battery.
For solar systems, it’s essential to use wires that can handle high voltage, especially when running the DC connections from the solar array to the inverter and battery. Choosing the appropriate wire gauge for the distance ensures your system remains safe and performs as expected. Similarly, for the AC connections from the inverter to the main panel, using the correct wiring size is equally important to guarantee that your system operates smoothly without any issues.
What Impact Does Placing the Battery and Inverter in a Separate Building Have?
When considering your solar panel inverter distance, storing the inverter and batteries in a guest house is a practical decision, especially for safety and temperature control. Batteries, particularly lithium-ion types, perform best in environments maintained at moderate temperatures. Keeping them in a temperature-controlled guest house helps extend their lifespan and maintain their efficiency.
Additionally, many homeowners worry about the potential risks of storing batteries in the basement, such as overheating or fires. Placing the batteries in a separate building can mitigate these concerns while protecting the components from extreme temperatures.
However, it’s important to account for the increased complexity of the installation. Running long wires and ensuring the system is properly wired for safe operation may require additional electrical work. Depending on your property’s layout, you might need to invest in conduit and ensure that the wiring is correctly installed to meet local electrical codes.
Is This Setup Practical?
In conclusion, managing your solar panel inverter distance by storing the inverter and battery in a guest house and running the lines to the main panel over 100 feet is practical. This is true, provided the system is designed correctly. Key considerations include using inverters that can handle high voltages, properly sizing the wiring, and accounting for temperature fluctuations that could affect system performance.
At Advanced Energy Systems, we understand that every home and business has unique needs. We are committed to helping our customers design the best solar systems for their space, safety requirements, and energy goals. By following the guidelines outlined in this article, you can ensure that your solar installation operates efficiently, safely, and effectively. This applies no matter where you choose to place your equipment.
References:
- Cence Power. (n.d.). Voltage drop and its impact on electrical systems. Retrieved from https://www.cencepower.com/blog-posts/voltage-drop
- Tamesol. (n.d.). Why high voltage systems are more efficient for solar energy. Retrieved from https://tamesol.com/solar-panel-voltage/#:~:text=Reduced%20BOS%20(Balance%20of%20System,substantial%20modifications%20to%20existing%20infrastructure
- Solar Choice. (2021). Optimizing solar panel system efficiency through inverter sizing. Retrieved from https://www.solarchoice.net.au/blog/optimizing-solar-panel-system-efficiency-through-inverter-sizing/
- U.S. Department of Energy. (2020). Solar photovoltaics (PV) and winter weather resilience. Retrieved from https://www.energy.gov/femp/solar-photovoltaic-hardening-resilience-winter-weather#:~:text=PV%20modules%20operate%20more%20efficiently,and%20can%20limit%20power%20production
- PDK. (n.d.). How does wire gauge affect line loss?. Retrieved from https://support.pdk.io/hc/en-us/articles/360047588514-How-does-wire-gauge-affect-line-loss#:~:text=The%20power%20drop%20or%20line,drop%20according%20to%20Ohm’s%20law
- CuddleBuddiesJJ. (2024). Is this practical? r/SolarDIY. Recuperado de https://www.reddit.com/r/SolarDIY/comments/1gmkw39/is_this_practical/
