Hi all,
New to all this "off grid" stuff. Trying to get situated.. mostly for the future.. but also cause our local energy costs have gone up 3x in price the past 2 years. It's unsustainable now for most who are not wealthy.. giving up the use of AC in 100+ heat, and heat in 20 to 30 degree cold.
So I started down the path of looking at running my most common things outside of the fridge, AC, washer/dryer.. namely TV, computers, even some lights (switching to LED based plug in lights instead of ceiling mounted AC lights).
That led to a whole bunch of things. The DIY battery market seems to be much more affordable, and being a software/hardware engineer, and lots of DIY projects, I am OK with that.
My house has solar (6.5Kw system).. but with the increase in costs.. that barely covers my AC usage apparently in summer. I don't have anything like Powerwall (I have tesla solar).
I have been thinking of setting up a few portable solar panels.. in the back.. with 30fee tor so of cable/wire to bring inside to a LiFePO4 battery bank.. that feeds a power station, which my computer/lights in my office would be plugged in to.
From what I can tell, the EVE 280ah battery set.. 4 of them.. for about $700 USD.. offers 12, 24 or 48v options (each cell is 12v). But I am unclear how to best wire it up if I go that route. I am also unsure if 2 100watt panels would charge it up or not with 10 hours or so of sun.. at least during the 5 or so months of sunlight we get for most of the day.. or if I would need a lot more.. and thus be stupidly expensive.
My initial ask is.. 12, 24 or 48v? I read solar and even cars are headed towards 48v.. since its more stable, efficient.. than 12v. There are also inverters that can convert 48v to 12v (dc to dc) to allow a battery bank to connect to the 12v inputs of a power station (e.g. Yeti 1000 or similar). I want a portable power station as well.. one that I can take with me on camping/road trips.. hence why I am thinking of one of those + a battery bank.
I have been looking at the prices as well. The EG4 LifePower batteries for example.. run about $1500 for one unit.. and 6 of them would give 30Kwh of storage for under $10K. Not that I want to spend anything close to that now.. but thought buying one of those units now.. and building up as needed.. might be a more cost saving route. Not sure how they compare to the 4x12v EVE setup for $700.. still trying to learn all this.
In the states.. I am trying to stay USA company based when it makes sense.. Renology seems to be one of the USA made products.. but who knows.. maybe they source from China.. not sure. But they have a 980wh 1000watt power station on part with yeti/blueyeit/jackery/etc.. for $750.. about $250 or so less than others.. seems like a good price for what you get.
So my thought was.. run the EVE (or EG4) as a rechargeable battery bank.. build up as needed.. in 48v. Charge it by solar when I can, and AC during evening off peak hours if need be. Chain that to the Renology power station.. to keep it charged/topped off.. and plug computer/monitor/LED lights.. in to the Renology so I can avoid using AC during peak daytime/evening hours.
Feel like the EVE battery setup, + 200 or so watt panels.. + renology works out to about $2500 or so total..and should be enough for me to run my WFH setup during day.. and still have ability to take the Renology with me on trips/etc (with panels) as needed.
What am I missing.. how far off am I with all this? Is 12v better than 48v?
New to all this "off grid" stuff. Trying to get situated.. mostly for the future.. but also cause our local energy costs have gone up 3x in price the past 2 years. It's unsustainable now for most who are not wealthy.. giving up the use of AC in 100+ heat, and heat in 20 to 30 degree cold.
So I started down the path of looking at running my most common things outside of the fridge, AC, washer/dryer.. namely TV, computers, even some lights (switching to LED based plug in lights instead of ceiling mounted AC lights).
That led to a whole bunch of things. The DIY battery market seems to be much more affordable, and being a software/hardware engineer, and lots of DIY projects, I am OK with that.
My house has solar (6.5Kw system).. but with the increase in costs.. that barely covers my AC usage apparently in summer. I don't have anything like Powerwall (I have tesla solar).
I have been thinking of setting up a few portable solar panels.. in the back.. with 30fee tor so of cable/wire to bring inside to a LiFePO4 battery bank.. that feeds a power station, which my computer/lights in my office would be plugged in to.
From what I can tell, the EVE 280ah battery set.. 4 of them.. for about $700 USD.. offers 12, 24 or 48v options (each cell is 12v). But I am unclear how to best wire it up if I go that route. I am also unsure if 2 100watt panels would charge it up or not with 10 hours or so of sun.. at least during the 5 or so months of sunlight we get for most of the day.. or if I would need a lot more.. and thus be stupidly expensive.
My initial ask is.. 12, 24 or 48v? I read solar and even cars are headed towards 48v.. since its more stable, efficient.. than 12v. There are also inverters that can convert 48v to 12v (dc to dc) to allow a battery bank to connect to the 12v inputs of a power station (e.g. Yeti 1000 or similar). I want a portable power station as well.. one that I can take with me on camping/road trips.. hence why I am thinking of one of those + a battery bank.
I have been looking at the prices as well. The EG4 LifePower batteries for example.. run about $1500 for one unit.. and 6 of them would give 30Kwh of storage for under $10K. Not that I want to spend anything close to that now.. but thought buying one of those units now.. and building up as needed.. might be a more cost saving route. Not sure how they compare to the 4x12v EVE setup for $700.. still trying to learn all this.
In the states.. I am trying to stay USA company based when it makes sense.. Renology seems to be one of the USA made products.. but who knows.. maybe they source from China.. not sure. But they have a 980wh 1000watt power station on part with yeti/blueyeit/jackery/etc.. for $750.. about $250 or so less than others.. seems like a good price for what you get.
So my thought was.. run the EVE (or EG4) as a rechargeable battery bank.. build up as needed.. in 48v. Charge it by solar when I can, and AC during evening off peak hours if need be. Chain that to the Renology power station.. to keep it charged/topped off.. and plug computer/monitor/LED lights.. in to the Renology so I can avoid using AC during peak daytime/evening hours.
Feel like the EVE battery setup, + 200 or so watt panels.. + renology works out to about $2500 or so total..and should be enough for me to run my WFH setup during day.. and still have ability to take the Renology with me on trips/etc (with panels) as needed.
What am I missing.. how far off am I with all this? Is 12v better than 48v?