Eight years ago we purpose built an RV Lithium Battery and Solar System to support a crew of DBCA researchers on the remote and uninhabited island of Delambre, in Ngarluma Country off the coast of Karratha in the Dampier Archipelago.
At the time of the 2017 build, the system was designed to run two Dometic RPD190 full size upright 190L Fridge/Freezers, an 80L Waeco CF80 Chest Fridge/Freezer in temperatures ranging from low to mid 30’s to in excess of 40C, plus LED Strip camp lights, Laptop computers, Tablets, Mobile phones, and Cameras.
The demand on the system's capacity has grown over time, due to the addition of more fridges, E-bike charging, and extra equipment charging, necessitating a review of the setup and ways to enhance capability.
The original system featured four 250W 40V Individual Solar panels, wired in series as two 80V Solar Panels.
Going strong and at the heart of the DBCA system is a 200AH / 24V RV Lithium Systems Battery Bank, which is the equivalent of 400AH’s if it was set up as a 12V system, so extra solar input capacity was required to keep up with output.
The additional solar input was designed using two 250W 44V Solar Panels linked in series to make a 500W 88V Portable Array. For easy set up, the panels are linked by colour coded Anderson plugs and have solid adjustable, folding brackets. Three separate Victron MPPT Solar Controllers were wired in to the system to account for the addition of differing solar panels.
Install A Gadget has further contributed to science by designing and building an off grid charging solution for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to power drones equipped with LiDAR technology, to research and identify pests and weeds on trees in Northern Western Australia. Read more.
Need a resolution to your unique off grid power needs? Contact us.