I'm brand new to solar, I'm looking to build a system to power fridge, freezer and and keep the lights on...in case of power outage. I'm a little apprehensive of using all in one equipment for the simple fact of a system failure. I'm thinking of building a system with individual components because I think it would be easier to trouble shoot and replace faulty components...also I could possibly add to it in the future. Any thoughts, direction or comments would be greatly appreciated.
first solar build
- Thread starter Poole222
- Start date
sunshine_eggo
Happy Breffast!
Calculate your needs:
diysolarforum.com
Find your available solar at https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/
System Energy Audit and Sizing Spread Sheet
To get the spreadsheet, click on the orange button at the top of this page. This sheet is intended to help you plan your system. Fill it out down to the last decimal place, look at the results..... and then make your best guess;) Notes...
diysolarforum.com
Find your available solar at https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/
It is hard to beat a Samlex EVO inverter/charger or the Victron Multiplus or Multiplus II inverter/charger and then add a Victron Smart Solar Charger Controller. I suggest going for a Low Frequency (LF) verses a High Frequency (HF) Inverter. The LF Inverter has better surge ability to start fridge & freezer. Solar Panels can be picked up locally at places like Home Depot or Lowes with less possibility of shipping damage since you look at them before accepting the panels. Panels can be bought on Amazon and other online places, but shipping damage can be a problem.
Batteries normally are some type of lead acid or Lifepo4 for solar. Lifepo4 can be a better value especially if building your own from individual cells although nothing wrong with server rack batteries or stand alone Lifepo4 batteries. There are some good ones out there. I personally like building batteries from individual 280 Ah Lifepo4 cells.
A 24 or 48 VDC System has a lot of equipment to choose from. I am happy with a 24 VDC system, but can see moving to a 48 VDC system in the future.
Are you looking to build a 120/240 VAC split phase or 120VAC?
A lot of research will need to go into building a system along with finding out your power requirements for solar panels, batteries, inverters & solar chargers. Don't want to build a system that can't handle what you need. It is best to figure this out before buying components. There are a lot of Resources on this forum at the top of the page. Click Resources and do some downloading.
I like your Idea of starting out smaller and adding to the system as it is a good way to learn.
Research before you buy is your best bet to putting together a system that works for you.
Welcome to the forum!
You have already been given some good info. I would add that a common mistake (or possibly regret) I notice on here is not doing enough research BEFORE purchasing items. As Sunshine Eggo pointed out, you should fully understand your energy requirements and solar availability in your area before doing anything. Next is doing a lot of research on the equipment. Posting up your detailed scenario and proposed equipment list/design for review before purchasing anything will likely save you money and headache.
I would also recommend keeping growth and expandability in mind with whatever you decide on. I see folks on here constantly looking to "upgrade" lesser quality equipment, or increase the capacity of their system(s), so I would highly suggest trying to "do it right the first time" rather than attempting to do things on the cheap.
You have already been given some good info. I would add that a common mistake (or possibly regret) I notice on here is not doing enough research BEFORE purchasing items. As Sunshine Eggo pointed out, you should fully understand your energy requirements and solar availability in your area before doing anything. Next is doing a lot of research on the equipment. Posting up your detailed scenario and proposed equipment list/design for review before purchasing anything will likely save you money and headache.
I would also recommend keeping growth and expandability in mind with whatever you decide on. I see folks on here constantly looking to "upgrade" lesser quality equipment, or increase the capacity of their system(s), so I would highly suggest trying to "do it right the first time" rather than attempting to do things on the cheap.
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
Well, I'll start the default answer to these questions and we can work from there. Here's you To-Do list:
1: Power audit! This will give you some important information on how big your inverter needs to be as well as how much battery capacity you'll need. There is a link in the FAQ section (I think, or someone here will post it shortly) so fill in the blanks and see what it comes up with. You'll probably need some sort of Kill-A-Watt to get accurate measurements. Are you going to be running a 12v system? 24v system? 48v system? What are the specs on your solar panels? VoC? Vmp? Being as this is a new build, throw together a wish list of what you want and estimate on the high side.
1a: Where do you live? Speccing out a system for Scotland is a LOT different numbers than Arizona due to the amount of light you actually get. Someone here can post the link to the PVwatts.com or JCR Solar Uber-Sun-Hours calculator sites to help figure out how much you'll have to work with. That will be a box in the Power Audit form.
2: Parts list: You don't need a make & model list, just a parts list to start from for reference. You'll need an inverter, a MPPT charge controller, fuses, shunt, buck converter, batteries, wire, etc. Once you have a basic list it can be fine tuned to make & models after that. If you're looking at the All-In-Ones check for correct voltage outputs (120v or 240v Split Phase for North America, 220v Single Phase for European type areas) and make sure it has enough capacity for a little bit of growth and fudge factor.
3: Budget!: Steak is great but doesn't mean anything if your wallet says hamburger.
Figure out what you're able to spend now vs what you'll have to cheap out on now and upgrade later.
4: Tape measure! Figure out where you're going to stick all the stuff you'll need. A dozen 3000AH batteries sounds great until you're sleeping on the floor because there's no room left for a bed. Is there a compartment that can house all this stuff? Will the server rack batteries fit? Are you going to have to make space? Physics can be pretty unforgiving.
5: Pencil out what you think you need and throw it at us so we can tell you what you've missed (because we ALL miss stuff the first go-round ) and help figure out which parts and pieces you're going to want to get.
1: Power audit! This will give you some important information on how big your inverter needs to be as well as how much battery capacity you'll need. There is a link in the FAQ section (I think, or someone here will post it shortly) so fill in the blanks and see what it comes up with. You'll probably need some sort of Kill-A-Watt to get accurate measurements. Are you going to be running a 12v system? 24v system? 48v system? What are the specs on your solar panels? VoC? Vmp? Being as this is a new build, throw together a wish list of what you want and estimate on the high side.
1a: Where do you live? Speccing out a system for Scotland is a LOT different numbers than Arizona due to the amount of light you actually get. Someone here can post the link to the PVwatts.com or JCR Solar Uber-Sun-Hours calculator sites to help figure out how much you'll have to work with. That will be a box in the Power Audit form.
2: Parts list: You don't need a make & model list, just a parts list to start from for reference. You'll need an inverter, a MPPT charge controller, fuses, shunt, buck converter, batteries, wire, etc. Once you have a basic list it can be fine tuned to make & models after that. If you're looking at the All-In-Ones check for correct voltage outputs (120v or 240v Split Phase for North America, 220v Single Phase for European type areas) and make sure it has enough capacity for a little bit of growth and fudge factor.
3: Budget!: Steak is great but doesn't mean anything if your wallet says hamburger.
Figure out what you're able to spend now vs what you'll have to cheap out on now and upgrade later.4: Tape measure! Figure out where you're going to stick all the stuff you'll need. A dozen 3000AH batteries sounds great until you're sleeping on the floor because there's no room left for a bed. Is there a compartment that can house all this stuff? Will the server rack batteries fit? Are you going to have to make space? Physics can be pretty unforgiving.
5: Pencil out what you think you need and throw it at us so we can tell you what you've missed (because we ALL miss stuff the first go-round
) and help figure out which parts and pieces you're going to want to get.Similar threads
