running solar over long distance

[TARDISJumper23]

looking at a property where my panels would be about 1700 feet from the mppt trying to figure out voltage and amp losses setup would be two arrays of 8 panels each around 3240w per array planning to use victron 450/100 and 4-4-4-4 aluminum direct bury cable anyone here done long runs like this what kind of losses should i expect and how do i calculate them

 

[EpsonWorkHorse]

there are a butload of formulas that can estimate the loses so its up to you to do the math and see if you can live with it. I have to ask, cant you move things closer?

 

[mojojojo]

hey like that you gave all this information it really helps us put things into perspective... based on my calculations if it's correct and my mathematics hasn't given up on me yet, you're ginna be able to work with that 4 awg setup. but... you will have like around 5 and a quarter percent power loss? i'm not sure how else to work on it except to pick a better size. or as always run a higher voltage but that's just like... overdoing it.

 

[Chrome_Valley]

looking at a property where my panels would be about 1700 feet from the mppt trying to figure out voltage and amp losses setup would be two arrays of 8 panels each around 3240w per array planning to use victron 450/100 and 4-4-4-4 aluminum direct bury cable anyone here done long runs like this what kind of losses should i expect and how do i calculate them

what a project u got going on there! Interesting. thats a really long way to run a solar. havent done something like this so im interested how this will all turn out

 

[Ilove_theearth]

voltage drop will be an issue. 4 awg aluminum might lose 10 to15%, depending on voltage/current. Series wiring could help,

 

[RedandBlue90]

looking at a property where my panels would be about 1700 feet from the mppt trying to figure out voltage and amp losses setup would be two arrays of 8 panels each around 3240w per array planning to use victron 450/100 and 4-4-4-4 aluminum direct bury cable anyone here done long runs like this what kind of losses should i expect and how do i calculate them

you need to make sure that you use larger gauge wires (ex. 10 or 8 AWG) to minimize voltage drop and power loss. proper wiring techniques and connectors are a must

 

[Power4Home]

Agreed, using thicker wires and good connectors is key for less voltage drop and power that you can count on

 

[Greg0riee3]

looking at a property where my panels would be about 1700 feet from the mppt trying to figure out voltage and amp losses setup would be two arrays of 8 panels each around 3240w per array planning to use victron 450/100 and 4-4-4-4 aluminum direct bury cable anyone here done long runs like this what kind of losses should i expect and how do i calculate them

That's a long run but the most important thing is to wire your panels in series to get a high voltage. You know, higher voltage means lower current, and lower current means less power loss over a long distance. That shouldn't be a problem since you have two arrays of 8 panels each. To figure out your losses, you need to know your panel's voltage and current, the one-way distance of 1700 feet, and the gauge of your cable. I think a 3% drop would be ideal but you might need to accept a little more for a run this long. Just plug in your numbers and see what you get. You'll likely see a few percent power loss, which again is normal and acceptable for this kind of setup.

 

[PaulMC]

That's a long run but the most important thing is to wire your panels in series to get a high voltage. You know, higher voltage means lower current, and lower current means less power loss over a long distance. That shouldn't be a problem since you have two arrays of 8 panels each. To figure out your losses, you need to know your panel's voltage and current, the one-way distance of 1700 feet, and the gauge of your cable. I think a 3% drop would be ideal but you might need to accept a little more for a run this long. Just plug in your numbers and see what you get. You'll likely see a few percent power loss, which again is normal and acceptable for this kind of setup.

Thanks for the breakdown! I just started setting up solar for our off-grid workshop. My panel run is about 1200 feet, so this caught my eye. I'm curious, did you use copper or aluminum cable for your 1700ft run? And how did you protect the wiring, is it buried conduit or overhead?