@ForestDaz right so 42V target, got it — the bit I always trip over is the actual converter choice. Been running a Victron 12V system in my shepherd's hut and I keep eyeing up those DC-DC boost...
Ran a cheap PWM on my shepherd's hut for about eight months. Honestly? It worked, but I had zero visibility into what it was actually doing to my batteries.
Bought three of them last summer for the shepherd's hut project. Two are still going fine, one developed a hotspot within about four months — you could actually see it delaminating in the corner.
Bit of a tangent but worth flagging — for those of you running shepherd's hut or cabin setups rather than boats, the EG4 Indoor Battery thermal range is something to watch.
Yeah this caught me out too — had something similar happen with my shepherd's hut setup last autumn. Grid limit was set in ESS but on a couple of occasions the export just...
@EssexNomad what's your worst-case winter day looking like load-wise? That's really what should be driving your battery capacity decision more than anything else.
I've got a similar-ish setup in a...
The access point @ThingamyBob mentions is spot on—I learned this the hard way with my shepherd's hut setup.
The recycling centre route genuinely works if you're patient. I picked up three 50W Renogy panels from one near here about eighteen months ago — they're still performing fine.
Spot on about the weight, @Fiona1974. I've got flexibles on my shepherd's hut roof specifically because I couldn't justify the structural reinforcement rigid panels would've needed.
Been there with my cabin setup. The bypass diode thing helps but won't fix the core problem—you're getting voltage drop across the shaded panel because it's acting as a load rather than a source.
@CamperCarl spot on about the noise — that's been my experience too with the hut. The real issue is runtime though.
Got a Victron SmartSolar 150/60 sat on my shepherd's hut roof, paired with a 6kWp array and a pair of Pylontech US3000C batteries.
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I'm running HA with a Victron MultiPlus II and honestly the real game-changer for me was setting up proper automations around low battery warnings.
What's your battery capacity looking like? That's where this gets real. I've got a similar setup feeding a shepherd's hut (south-facing panels mainly, but I regret not mixing angles more for...
The key difference between boats and static setups is that you're not actually stationary. Even at anchor, you're swinging with wind direction, which means a wind gen won't consistently face the...
