Hi I am looking to create a setup that I plan to piece together over time. I stumbled across Bluetti after first looking into Jackery. I really like the Bluetti product and the options that are available. Bluetti looks like something that could be quite the beneficial investment but I have a couple questions before I make the leap.
I have a detached garage in South Florida that I currently cool and dehumidfy with a 18k BTU Minisplit that runs at 1645w@240v. In addition I have a backup window unit that runs at 1200w@120v and a dehumidifier that runs per my calculations at about 900w. Initially in my search I was looking to only power these things in the garage as they are my biggest energy hogs so I will start there and move up to tying the whole garage in over time.
This leads me to my first an most important question, are either of these devices capable as being a 24x7x365 power solution with my electric provider being a backup? My plan would be to spec this system out with at least 4x420w PV panels = 1680w of continous peak power (perfect conditions) and then I have a 30AMP power outlet that would provide 3000w of power if the panels cant keep up. This would at least allow me to power the Minisplit alone and since these dont run full time and they cut off after the desired temp/humidty is reached, the panels should be able to keep up with charging the batteries, if I am correct.
My second question is, why would one purchase the EP500 over the AC300 other than the obvious, portablity? I know with the AC300 as you add more batteries it gets hearvier but the starter with 1x B500 and 1xAC300 weighs less that 1xEP500 however the EP500 has wheels - this all makes sense and since my use case is mostly stationary, portabiltiy is not of a primary concern for me. So are there any differences that I would gain by choosing the AC300 vs EP500 and vice versa for my application?
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I look forward to hearing more about this unique product!
Marcus
the Ac 300 and 500 are roughly the same size if size is your deciding factor then it’s not …I have 2 Ac500s and alot of the issues the 300 had were fixed with the 500 and the 500 can take more solar then you stated so is tht all you have or wat you think you can do ?..each head unit has 2 mppt controllers capable of 150v or 1500w so I have 24 235 panels going to 2 ac500 so depending on how many batteries you go with you should be able to run it non stop
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Thanks for the reply!
So after I posted this the other night I continued my research on the units and it looks like the only way you can run 240v on the America versions of these is that you would need to connect 2 AC300, EP500 or AC500. This will allow for 240v otherwise, you can not provide power to 240v (correct me if I am wrong). In addition, it looks like the AC input for charging has to be a 30A@120v as well. So no 240v charging… bummer
With all that being said, I am still considering a small start and working to a point where I can provide 240v@30AMP to my Minisplit down there road. I could start with all my 120v stuff and get it moved over. The large items like my refrigerator, Dehumidifier and backup portable HVAC are all 120v and could benefit from moving to the solar.
My guess is if I want to power these items and then slowly move over the other 120v items in the garage such as the outlets and shop lights etc., I should be able to purchase 1x AC300/500 or EP500. Above you stated that there were some problems in the AC300 that the AC500 addressed. What are those problems that you are talking about and do you have any experience or opinion on the EP500 that I mentioned in the original post?
In addition, these panels that can be purchased, how long is the cable for connecting the panels back to the device? Id’ like to get a couple of panels and put one on the East of the hourse where the sun rises and then another panel on the west side of the house where the size sets but I am not sure how much wire I will have an if its possible to extend these cables if the length by default is not long enough.
Thanks again for the comments! It greatly helps me understand how I need to build this thing out.
I have a EP500pro and it is on 24/7. in the summer I have a small AC/dehumidifier running around 8 hours a day. I have 2x 1200Watt solar connected to the Bluetti. The cables are around 40 meters long. I picked the solar panels so I have a voltage around 135Volts. For me this works very well.