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Originally Posted by RipVanWinkle
Thanks for the info ...and I didnt order yet since i have to do more research on this. I was hoping to put at least 400 watt of solar on the roof so I can keep things running when boondocking.( still working fulltime and hating the sound of a generator ) Also have to take a close look at batteries and see how they all fit together..what good is solar if the batteries wont hold it.
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This article may help if you can get through some of the technical language and ideas (not sure of your background). On page 3 it gives a couple of examples which relate to wiring size, and whether it's limited by ampacity (in essence ability to conduct current without burning up) versus economy in order to maximize energy harvested from your panels. I think the difference is key.
Voltage Drop in PV Systems | SolarPro Magazine
The short article is written for large industrial PV systems, but the principle applies here too. You're probably not as limited as you may think. The real difference here appears to be that you have to work backwards. If you were engineering a complete system, then you can choose whatever size wire (conductors) make most sense. But in this case, given conductors are chosen by Thor, then the question is how much voltage drop are you willing to accept in order to harvest more power.
By the way, note the reference they make about higher voltages. The benefit is more significant than one would first think.
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