Apologies up front.

[LPJR]

I will be frank, I am always keen to have a go but when it comes to Solar technology, I simply have no idea.

My aim. 12 ft by 6ft shed. Power 1 x small freezer. Up to 4 x Re-charge batteries for power tools. 2 x interior led lights and 1 x exterior led light operating motion detection. And most importantly my radio.

The only 24 hour item will be the freezer. I appreciate solar will not be able to power the system during the heights of winter, so a system where the battery can be topped up from the mains electricity would be needed, but hopefully i will not need to do this too often. Some sort of effecient monitoring system so I do not lose power without realising.

1/ can it be done?
2/ what do I need on my shopping list?

I would like to learn and build so appreciate any tips and advice.

 

[John Frum]

I will be frank, I am always keen to have a go but when it comes to Solar technology, I simply have no idea.

My aim. 12 ft by 6ft shed. Power 1 x small freezer. Up to 4 x Re-charge batteries for power tools. 2 x interior led lights and 1 x exterior led light operating motion detection. And most importantly my radio.

The only 24 hour item will be the freezer. I appreciate solar will not be able to power the system during the heights of winter, so a system where the battery can be topped up from the mains electricity would be needed, but hopefully i will not need to do this too often. Some sort of effecient monitoring system so I do not lose power without realising.

1/ can it be done?

Yes

2/ what do I need on my shopping list?

Too early in the process for a complete shopping list.

I would like to learn and build so appreciate any tips and advice.

Since you will have mains electricity you can use that with a kill-a-watt meter to get a good handle on your energy requirements over time.
The first tricky bit is finding out the locked rotor amps rating for your freezer.
The compressor in your freezer may take ~5 times its typical draw to get the compressor spinning.
This one data point will have the largest influence on determining have big of an inverter/charger you need.

Since you mention mains, where in the world are you located and what mains voltage/frequency is established there?

 

[Risky Rob]

Some solar charge controllers have a programmable "load" terminal that can be used to power lights, and possibly a DC freezer. If you already have an AC freezer you would need an inverter, which is fairly expensive.

 

[LPJR]

Yes

Too early in the process for a complete shopping list.

Since you will have mains electricity you can use that with a kill-a-watt meter to get a good handle on your energy requirements over time.
The first tricky bit is finding out the locked rotor amps rating for your freezer.
The compressor in your freezer may take ~5 times its typical draw to get the compressor spinning.
This one data point will have the largest influence on determining have big of an inverter/charger you need.

Since you mention mains, where in the world are you located and what mains voltage/frequency is established there?

Thanks for such a quick reply. With regards mains electricity. The shed is off grid. In emergencies i would run an extension cable to the shed to top up battery to maintain power to the freezer. I am in the UK.

 

[John Frum]

Thanks for such a quick reply. With regards mains electricity. The shed is off grid. In emergencies i would run an extension cable to the shed to top up battery to maintain power to the freezer. I am in the UK.

Is the freezer ac, dc or dual?

 

[LPJR]

Some solar charge controllers have a programmable "load" terminal that can be used to power lights, and possibly a DC freezer. If you already have an AC freezer you would need an inverter, which is fairly expensive.

I would be purchasing a freezer that best suits a solar system. Happy to take recommendations on that as well.

 

[John Frum]

I would be purchasing a freezer that best suits a solar system. Happy to take recommendations on that as well.

If all your other loads are dc then you might want to consider a dual voltage freezer.
Dc so that you can power it off your battery bank with out the ~15% conversion penalty from converter dc to ac.
Ac so that you can power it from the mains if the sun doesn't cooperate.
The first step in designing a system is determining your requirements.
You know what you want to run, now you need to know how much instantaneous power and power over time are required.
The instantaneous power must cover the locked rotor amps plus some margin for your other loads.
Instantaneous power is measured in watts.
Power over time is measured in watt hours.

 

[LPJR]

If all your other loads are dc then you might want to consider a dual voltage freezer.
Dc so that you can power it off your battery bank with out the ~15% conversion penalty from converter dc to ac.
Ac so that you can power it from the mains if the sun doesn't cooperate.
The first step in designing a system is determining your requirements.
You know what you want to run, now you need to know how much instantaneous power and power over time are required.
The instantaneous power must cover the locked rotor amps plus some margin for your other loads.
Instantaneous power is measured in watts.
Power over time is measured in watt hours.

If I understand this correctly if I switched everything on at the same time that I wished to power that would amount to approximately 200 Watts(very rough calculations) . In reality I would not be powering all the items at the same time. .

 

[John Frum]

If I understand this correctly if I switched everything on at the same time that I wished to power that would amount to approximately 200 Watts(very rough calculations) . In reality I would not be powering all the items at the same time. .

The locked rotor amps requires a special tool to measure.
Often though it can be estimated or may even be published for the device.

 

[Risky Rob]

The locked rotor amps requires a special tool to measure.
Often though it can be estimated or may even be published for the device.

If I understand this correctly if I switched everything on at the same time that I wished to power that would amount to approximately 200 Watts(very rough calculations) . In reality I would not be powering all the items at the same time. .

In my climate, about 800W of panels would do. In less sunny climes, it might require more.

 

[Risky Rob]

The locked rotor amps requires a special tool to measure.
Often though it can be estimated or may even be published for the device.

I found the specifications (including LRA) for my well pump motor by searching the motor part number. The manufacturer had everything listed online.