difference between 12v and 24v home solar battery system

12 volt solar system is suitable for portable needs like boats, cars, RV etc. You can certainly use a 12v system for powering the porch-lawn lights and cabins. But if you need to power up a family home and plan to scale then go for a 24 volt solar system. Initial investment for a 24v system would be high but Return on Investment (ROI) would be significant too.

Over the past years, the sun, a natural source of light, has provided one if not the best alternative energy source. Solar panels have gained popularity among many people due to various factors such as its eco-friendliness. Solar energy consumed in solar systems is clean, and as a result, no harmful carbon emissions.

We cannot ignore the fact that it is also the cheapest source of energy available, provided free-of-charge by the sun. Choosing to install a solar panel is one of the best investments one can consider making today and have a 25-year guarantee of uninterrupted power supply.

1.     Where to Use 24v Solar battery Systems

Power Hospitals, Banks, Hotels etc

In apartments/living spaces

Powering the whole Home and all the appliances

2.     Advantages of a 24V Solar battery Systems

24-volt solar batteries systems can be used for appliances with different voltages, both 12v and 24v. A 24v solar panel can charge a 12v battery bank.

Heat loss is minimal due to its compatibility nature. Compared to a 12-volt solar system, a 24-volt is more efficient because it has heat retention properties.

It’s cheaper to install on a large scale because there are less parts that need to be purchased.

A 24v solar panel produces a high voltage of about 32-36 volts, using 72 solar cells.

Since the current that is supplied is half of the power supplied, the voltage drop is low.

Disadvantages of a 24V Solar Systems

If you buy a 24v solar system, it will be more than the prices of a 12v system.

Why Use a Solar Sytem

Low heat loss. The compatible components on these help to reduce heat loss.

They are light and easy to transport.

They’re cheap, too! Prices for both systems can be found on retail and 24v is cheaper when installing a large area.

Produces power that you can use to charge appliances at home or in hospitals or banks.

3.     What is a 12V Solar Battery System

A 12v solar panel is one of the most common types of solar battery systems. It produces 12v to power batteries and devices that are also 12v. A typical 12v solar panel has around 36 cells, each producing 0.5 v. Most 12v solar panels are rectangular in shape, but can be small or large too. Solar panels absorb the sun’s rays using converters to make electricity for your home or other purposes like powering your car battery when you don’t have direct sunlight available during blackouts.

A 12v solar battery system is good for small things like boats, cars and RVs. You can use a 12v system to power the porch-lawn lights and cabins. But if you need to power up the whole house and want a better return on your investment, choose a 24V system. The initial investment will be high, but so will the ROI.

4.     Where to Use 12v Solar Battery Systems

Power Home Appliances

Power Phones/Laptops

Power for Car and Boat Batteries

Advantages of a 12V Solar battery Systems

A 12v solar battery system does not need much maintenance. It rarely breaks down. If it does, parts are usually available to fix it.

You can add other solar panels as long as the space is big enough to hold them all.

The 12v solar panels are light and easy to carry around, too!

If you buy a solar panel, your electricity bill will be cheaper. The cost of buying the solar panel is cheaper than paying for monthly electricity.

A 12v solar batteries system is very efficient and the parts stay close together to make sure heat does not escape.

Most devices are made to work with 12v power, so it is easy to find things like inverters, fuses, and batteries. This makes it an easy choice because most people want a 12v system for their home or business.

Disadvantages of a 12V Solar Battery Systems

A 12-volt solar panel loses a lot of its energy when sending it over long distances.

You can only use 12-volt appliances, which are usually smaller devices.

5.     12v vs 24v Solar Battery System: Which Is Better？

Compared to a 12-volt solar system, a 24-volt is more efficient because it has heat retention properties. It's cheaper to install on a large scale because there are less parts that need to be purchased. A 24v solar panel produces a high voltage of about 32-36 volts, using 72 solar cells.

 6.     Battery System voltage - 24V or 12V, which is best?

12V or 24V - which is best?We often get asked what’s the benefit of configuring an off-grid power system for 24V rather than 12V, especially as a 12V system can seem cheaper at first glance? 

Most deep-cycle industrial grade batteries are 12V so assuming one battery can store the required power, it is cheaper to have just one battery than doubling up for 24V – it’s practically impossible to source a 24V battery. 

DC solar panels are more frequently available as 12V panels so again, assuming one panel can generate enough power, you only need to buy one panel. That’s not to say there aren’t 24V panels, they are but only available in a limited number of power outputs. 

The decision to move to 24V comes into play with medium to large sized systems. Let’s look at the impact of each component in turn.

Cable size

Doubling voltage, halves the size of the cable required. Keeping cable size down, keeps cost down too. In longer cable runs, losses come into play so cable size is increased to bring losses down to an acceptable level.

For 200W of PV, a cable run of 5m requires 2.5mm2 with losses of 3%. A longer run of 10m using 2.5mm2 cable results in a 7-10% loss so the cable size is increased to 4mm2 to bring losses back down to 3%.  By comparison, we can use 2.5mm2 cable for a 10m run in a 24V system. 

For even longer distances such as 30m, the 24V system requires 10mm2 cable and this jumps to 25mm2 cable costing £4/m in a 12V system (a 48V system would only need 2.5mm2 cable).

Inverter

When taking power from the battery bank and converting to 230V, it’s advisable not to draw more than 250A, otherwise you’ll need more expensive cables to cope with the high number of amps, larger fuses and a large enough battery bank to not become fried!

For a 12V system, this is a maximum of 3kW so if you need to draw more than this, consider a 24V system and if you need to draw more than 5kW consider moving to 48V.

Batteries

It is inadvisable to have more than 6 batteries in parallel otherwise the battery bank won’t balance properly.  Balancing ensures all of a battery banks’ energy is available for use and it increases the battery's longevity.  As batteries are heavy items, there’s a tendency to choose smaller batteries that are easier to lift – sizes such as 120Ah or 145Ah are popular as the safe limit for one person to lift is 40Kg.

The largest battery bank using 120Ah batteries is 720Ah on a 12V system, holding 8640Wh.  Changing to 24V means we can now have 12 x 120Ah of batteries storing twice as much power or on a 48V system, twice as much power again.  

Solar controller

Suppose I’m looking to install 400W of PV, as 4 x 100W solar modules, on a 12V system you would need a 30A MPPT controller costing around £150 +VAT.  As soon as you change to 24V, the same amount of PV can be run through a 15A MPPT controller at half the price.

7.     What Is the Difference Between a 12v and 24v Solar Battery System?

As time goes on, solar input systems have become relatively popular. Aside from offering many economic benefits, solar installation is beneficial for households in terms of low maintenance, cheap, renewable, and many others. If you’re new to solar systems, this guide will help you decide if the 12v system is better for you or the 24-volt system.

1.     12V Battery System

All solar panels differ in their battery system, energy, watts, power needs, etc. Some appliances require high voltage, while some require low voltage. The 12v battery solar panel is used for low voltage equipment such as camping lights, emergency radios, etc.

Features of 12V Batteries

Number of Solar Cells，The Voltage of Battery for 12V Solar Panels，Inverter Compatibility for 12V Solar Panel，Charge controller for 12V Solar Panels, Price Ranges.

Appliances

12V solar systems can be used for machines that don’t require as many volts. Find out how much power your appliances require. The volt of your appliance should be the same amount as the solar panel voltage. If they need less than 1000 watts of energy, you’re better off opting for a 12v solar panel.

Some of these appliances include:

Phone charger,Street lamps,Camp lighting equipment such as flashlights,Air conditioners

Heating systems,Maintenance of car battery,Fishing boats.

Pros of a 12V Solar Panel

12V solar systems can be beneficial if it matches your energy needs. Here are a few of their pros:

Cost-Efficient, Little to no Maintenance, Lightweight, Availability.

Cons of 12V Solar Panels

Size of Wire, Loss of Voltage.

       2.     Pros of a 12V Solar Panel