Current good options for easy and cheap LiFePO4 self built solar generator

[chuck1011212]

Hi. I am in north Florida where we just got blown up by a hurricane. I came though it with no damage, but power was out for several hours. I don't have any means of making power in that situation, so I would like to make a solar generator to cover a fan, some lights and my fridge at least next time that happens.
I have seen lots of Will's and jehu's videos on this subject, however every day there are new ideas and solutions, so I wanna choose fromt he best idea going currently.
I don't want to spend the bucks for a pre-made off the shelf device since I will use it rarely.
Goals:
LiPo for safety, cheap, easy to construct without need of special tools, weather resistant, power output of around 2000 watts continuous, can sit on the shelf for long periods between uses, and ability to last 1 day without sun and charge from 1 to 2 random solar panels that I plan to round up locally once I find them. Maybe 200 - 300 watt for each panel.

Thanks for any tips and suggestions!

 

[snoobler]

Refine your goals or else you risk wasting money or under-designing your system.

Decide exactly what you want to run, it's power consumption and the # of hours you want to run it during a 24 hour period. Buy a kill-a-watt meter if you want to get really accurate.

Once you have established those needs, you can specify your battery capacity and solar need.

See link #1 in my sig. Populate the Yellow. Look to the green.
Link #5 in my signature will provide you with your available solar hours for your location, panel orientation and tilt.

 

[Ampster]

LiPo for safety, cheap, easy to construct

I hope you mean LiFePO4 (LFP) not Lithium Poly (Lipo). Thise are two complerely different chemistries on opposite ends of the safety spectrum. They also are run at different voltages.

 

[snoobler]

Good catch. When he said "Safety," I just assumed he meant LFP.

 

[chuck1011212]

Oops yes you are correct, I meant LiFePO4. I guess I can't edit the original post to change this.

 

[chuck1011212]

I will take a close look at my power needs, but I think I would be fine with similar power capabilities as the Bluetti AC200.
I think if Will can run an A/C on it for a month in the desert, I should be able to do what I need with that same amount of capacity. That will cover my fridge, lights, and give plenty of headroom if I wanted to run something additional. I know it isn't the specific data you wanted, but I am just getting an idea of what is possible and what the cost would be anyways.
Of course, I don't need all the bells and whistles of that device. Just batteries, management, inverter, 12 volt output for small loads, and an enclosure.

 

[snoobler]

I will take a close look at my power needs, but I think I would be fine with similar power capabilities as the Bluetti AC200.
I think if Will can run an A/C on it for a month in the desert, I should be able to do what I need with that same amount of capacity. That will cover my fridge, lights, and give plenty of headroom if I wanted to run something additional. I know it isn't the specific data you wanted, but I am just getting an idea of what is possible and what the cost would be anyways.
Of course, I don't need all the bells and whistles of that device. Just batteries, management, inverter, 12 volt output for small loads, and an enclosure.

The first bolded portion is completely inaccurate/misleading. I suggest you watch those videos again and really pay attention.

The second bolded portion is to emphasize that you're NOT getting any idea of what is possible if you're using the prior statement as a guide and ignoring your actual needs.

An AC200 WON'T reliably run a larger residential fridge for 24 hours, and a fridge is WAY lower power consumption than Will's teeny window A/C.

This stuff doesn't work on hope. It works on knowing what you need to power, how long you want to power it, and what equipment it will take to make that happen.

Two choices:

1. Do it right
2. Be lazy, do it wrong and take a chance on getting lucky.

Your call.

Given that you're doing this to deal with emergencies, it seems very sensible to at least put in a minimum amount of effort to insure you get it right.

 

[chuck1011212]

Yes it is my call.
Will ran his A/C off of that unit for a month. I did say that I planned to gather a couple of 200 watt solar panels.
I am now asking a question, and a valid one. Can I build the equivalent basic capability of a bluetti AC200 better and for less money and how would I go about it?
Again, if he can run a window unit for a month off of his, then I can run a fridge and some small items off of the one I build assuming I have some sun charging the sucker. Emergency just means keeping the food from spoiling. I don't need a miracle and I won't die with or without this solution. If I get less sun, I don't open the fridge as much. If I have added capacity, then I can look at running more like a few minutes on the microwave, etc. It is that simple.

 

[chuck1011212]

You are right. I am posting in the Beginner section looking for examples of solar generator builds. I don't live in this world and I don't really know crap.
I was thinking I would get a couple tips (which I did) and some build examples (which I did not) to get me rolling, I didn't expect the attitude.

I don't know what your problem is, and I don't care. Hopefully someone else would like to chime in and give me some build ideas based on that bluetti system. If I build it myself, I can add capacity as needed where needed once I realize its limitations in my situation. You understand that right? I don't need you trying to help me save money or call me lazy. That is not productive. If I build something that sucks, I learn and move on. Isn't that how most of this goes? I have seen countless powerwalls and other stuff in constant states of change and growth.
Be nice, be patient, be helpful and don't expect everything to be how you think it should be in a Beginners Section. I know you would never call me lazy in person. If you won't do it there, don't do it here.

I am not going to get behind my fridge and plug in my kilowatt. It is just not going to happen. I am going to go with assumptions, overbuild some and go from there. I know that the bluetti will power my fridge if it is being sufficiently charged indefinately. If my fridge does go down due to lack of solar input power though, I will reevaluate and go from there. It is simple really.

Or I will just buy a 500 buck inverter generator and move on. I might do that anyways, but I was hoping for a quieter solution and I have been hankering to get into this world of batteries and solar anyways.

 

[Bob142]

Hi Chuck, welcome to the forum. Here are some steps I've proposed to other beginners. Hopefully they will be of some help. If you want to get a preview of end results, jump to #8 to see what others have done, then start at the top of the list when you're ready to work on your system.

1) Figure out what the goals for the system are. What items are you trying to power, for how long, and how many of them at a time?
2) Measure how much energy those items consume during a typical day. A Kill-a-Watt meter or equivalent is a great way to accomplish this.
3) Enter all of your information into a tool like this Energy Audit and System Sizing spreadsheet put together by a forum member (or another tool of your choice off the internet).
4) Take the time to watch the videos in the playlist below:

Beginner Video Playlist

New to Solar? Watch these videos! They will help you understand the basics :) If you are a complete beginner and want to understand the basics of electricity, watch this video: If the video above was too easy and you want to understand how to calculate and size various components in your...

diysolarforum.com

5) Consider buying Will's book as it provides an easy to understand introduction to off grid solar power systems.
6) Review the information in the FAQ sub-forum:

Frequently Asked Questions

Links to commonly asked questions with long explanations: Beginner Video Playlist How much power does my device consume? Energy Audit How much Solar Energy should I expect where I live? What does it mean to have solar panels in parallel and series? How to figure out how much Solar and inverter...

diysolarforum.com

7) Peruse the blueprints on Will's mobile solar site:

Mobile Solar Power: Made Easy! DIY Off-grid Solar Power!

Building a vehicle mounted solar power system? Let me help.

www.mobile-solarpower.com

8) Take a look at some of the systems others have built for a similar use case. There are a lot of great examples:

Show and Tell

Post your DIY solar power system! Pictures or it didn't happen :)

diysolarforum.com

9) Make a diagram of your proposed system. This will not only help you think things through, but will help all of us understand where you need more help.

If you're going to build something yourself, you want to make sure you get the fundamentals down so you don't accidentally put together a system that's unsafe. After that you want to make sure your system will do what you need so you avoid disappointment and costly upgrades down the line.

Good luck.

 

[chuck1011212]

Bob,
Thanks a ton!! I will absorb the data you have provided. You rock.