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cc5084 avatar image
cc5084 asked

Interaction Between Victron Inverter, Solar Charge Controller, and Alternator

I am looking to have a system with 5 auxiliary 100Ah relion batteries hooked up with solar panels, a 3000W multiplus inverter/charger, and the vehicle alternator (rated at about 265A). Basically, the batteries will charge via the mppt solar controller as long as there is sufficient light on the panels, as well as via the alternator when the truck is running. There will be DC and AC loads applied at any given point during the charging/discharging throughout the day.


So, my question is, will there be any unintended interference between all 3 of these systems? Meaning, when the alternator is charging the battery, will the solar charge controller get thrown off in how its trying to charge the battery? Or any other kind of scenario like shore power being plugged in. I just want to make sure that the victron components won't be affected by a back feed of any type when multiple output/inputs are connected to the batteries.

battery chargingMPPT SmartSolaralternator
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pwfarnell avatar image
pwfarnell answered ·

They work together, my boat is similar, the solar charge voltage is set a little higher than the inverter charge voltage so shore power for DC charging does not stop free solar. The same for the alternator. If you have a Victron shunt and Venus device like a Cerbo or Ekrano then you can share the battery voltage from the shunt with the other Victron devices which makes this hierarchy of charge voltages work better.

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kevgermany avatar image kevgermany ♦♦ commented ·
@cc5084

To add to the reply.

Don't charge direct from the alternator. Use Orion DC:DC charger(s) for this.

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cc5084 avatar image cc5084 commented ·

With the components that I mentioned above, are you familiar with what the hierarchy of charging should be? And if possible, how does it all work and interact with each other to know what is best for the battery?

Additionally, the alternator is a ford alternator, so it should be "smart" enough to and safe for lithium battery charging.

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