I am looking to mount my solar panels on an uninsulated pole barn about 30m from my house.

Does it make more sense to route my 48V dc lines to my climate controlled house or should I build a climate controlled space for just my solar inverter/batteries in my barn?

Are there any off the shelf containers for battery storage? Like a chest freezer designed to keep the interior at 15c?

The system will be hybrid grid tied with about 7kwH of battery capacity. My house is very shaded, but the pole barn is not. That is why mounting panels on the house is not an option.

  • Iced Raktajino@startrek.website
    6·
    5 hours ago

    You definitely want the batteries in a conditioned space. You didn’t say what type of batteries, but I’m assuming LiFePO4. You can store them at a fairly wide range (my hybrid battery does fine all winter parked outside) but charging/discharging them has much more restrictions if you want your batteries to remain healthy and happy.

    • Discharging Range: Typically from -20°C to 60°C (-4°F to 140°F). This is the widest and most permissive operational range.
    • Charging Range: A much stricter range, typically from 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F). Respecting this range is critical for battery health.
    • Storage Range: The ideal range for long-term health is between 10°C and 35°C (50°F to 95°F).

    – https://www.anernstore.com/blogs/anern-solar-insights/lifepo4-battery-temperature-range-guide

    Those are “absolute” limits but there’s a table on the linked page with the recommended temperature limits and they’re quite a bit more narrow.

    Whether it makes more sense to condition the shed or run your PV output 30 meters from the shed depends on the amperage and voltage from the PV. The higher the voltage, the less amperage and thus smaller conductors can be used and less loss along the way. Not sure what your charge controller accepts, so you’ll have to check.