diy solar

diy solar

DIY LiFePO4 Cost Analysis - Almost February 2023 Edition

There is something priceless about a DIY build. A definite learning curve and plenty of patience. However worth every penny in my book.

Love the look of the prebuilt units as well. Now I know what makes them tick.
 
For comparison - RV build

16 280ah Li cells $2672 (Docan Houston stock Mar '22)
Overkil 16s 100a BMS $ 163
Job Site Box(dmgd) $ 115 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001SF83F0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Foam/thruhulls $ 90

6 230w panels $ 423 https://www.santansolar.com/product/used-sunpower-230-238w-solar-panel-lot-of-5/
Mounting Hrdwr $ 350 ( 3M 4950 with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B43VGFQZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Sigineer M3048NC $ 900
Breakers/fuses/wire $200+-

Just shy of $5k .. payback = 2-3 years Vs gasoline in generators.
 
Probably wouldn't hurt to check every 2-3 years, also to see if any squirrels decided to stash acorns in the enclosure...
 
Interesting and useful thread, thanks @upnorthandpersonal. If you do this enough years you’ll then be able to chart the price trend which will be worthwhile too. Speaking of, I’m still waiting to see evidence of the EV battery price trend predicted in the below newspaper (Daily Mail) website clipping I saved from sept 2021.

I realise the price we pay as solar storage consumers isn’t necessarily reflective of the volume pricing to EV manufacturers, but it should at least be related. Probably our pricing owes something to how many ”spoiled” cells get offloaded into the grey market as well as demand for vehicles, so not just based on the manufacturing cost alone.

In 2020 there was a price dip due to covid of course, but beyond that is there any real sign of the forecast 58% reduction in lithium battery price by 2030, or the price equivalence with ICE cars by 2026? I can’t see it so far myself, but maybe I’m wrong!

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Keep in mind I did do something different this time compared to last year. Last year, I went with Docan cells, this time these are Luyuan cells that come with an EVE test report. In other words, this year it's grade A, last year was grade B (I don't like those terms, but it should make things clear).

If I do the calculation with Docan cells, I come to a total of about $2500 - which is less than last year. However, that's also in part because of the change in fuses and other stuff I didn't add this year. I should try to be more consistent perhaps...

As or EV prices, we'll see. One thing that will get the price lower is the increased competition. We've got some great EVs coming up here in Europe (and keep an eye on the Asian markets as well).
 
As or EV prices, we'll see. One thing that will get the price lower is the increased competition. We've got some great EVs coming up here in Europe (and keep an eye on the Asian markets as well).
And of course Northvolt building a huge EV battery production plant up in Skellefteå, which should in years to come affect the prices for European produced BEVs, and possibly with spin-off benefits to us solar hobbyists.
 
This is a recalculation based on the situation today, of what I did last year.

Disclaimer: I mention vendors below and use them as an example and as reference. This should not be considered an endorsement of said vendors!

Let's start again with leveling the playing field. The EG4 is a 5kWh battery pack, and still pretty much the cheapest - I can find a price on Signature Solar for $1424 on sale right now. I know this is excluding shipping, but I'm assuming you're either picking it up or it's included.

The most common and popular cells available right now are arguably still the 304Ah EVE cells. So if we compare 3x the EG4 (15kWh) to 16x EVE 304 cells (15kWh) we're pretty much comparing apples to apples. At a cost of $4272 for the three EG4 systems we now have a price target to compare against.

For the cells, I'm using Luyuan as a reference this time. I asked for a quote for 16 cells, delivered to Finland. These go for $163 ('Grade A' with test report from EVE) per cell excluding shipping. As mentioned we need 16 and we include shipping, and this brings the cost to $2942. This includes the bus bars, etc.

I'm sticking to the JK BMS. The 200A with 2A balancing would set me back $208 with free shipping based on current prices at Hankzor.

Since class T fuses are still almost impossible to get, I'm going to go with BS88 fuses, 125LET Eaton Bussman. Conrad.com lists them at around $26. Just like last time, I'm adding a Schneider 250A 160V DC breaker at a cost of $110 at Signature Solar.

Adding this all together, we get to: $3286, so around $280 more expensive compared to last year. And of course, you have to add a housing of some kind.

You can once again decide for yourself if it's worth it for you or not.
I kind of hedged my bets.

My initial batteries are DIY 280ah. 10 of them.
I dismantled 2 of them and keep them for spares so now 8.

However I didn’t want to ever be in a situation where I was without power so I bought some SOK from Current Connected.
He is offering 10 year warranty so I have the best of both worlds I guess.

The DIY is definitely cheaper but more labor intensive.
 
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And of course Northvolt building a huge EV battery production plant up in Skellefteå, which should in years to come affect the prices for European produced BEVs, and possibly with spin-off benefits to us solar hobbyists.

Same with FREYR building one in the area here in Finland. They'll be focusing on LiFePO4 (in Finnish) cathode material; they aim for 60 000 tons per year. Another company that is in the planning stages in the same area is an anode material factory (in Finnish).
 
Same with FREYR building one in the area here in Finland. They'll be focusing on LiFePO4 (in Finnish) cathode material; they aim for 60 000 tons per year. Another company that is in the planning stages in the same area is an anode material factory (in Finnish).
while i certainly like all these factories and initiatives, it remains to be seen how of those products will actually become available to the consumer (diy) market.
from what i have been reading , car man. already claimed 100% of future products of those
 
Same with FREYR building one in the area here in Finland. They'll be focusing on LiFePO4 (in Finnish) cathode material; they aim for 60 000 tons per year. Another company that is in the planning stages in the same area is an anode material factory (in Finnish).
Interesting, I didn’t know Finland was also strong in this business, but I suppose the level of automation which goes into battery building these days means the higher labour costs in these Nordic countries are not prohibitive. Good to see our economies positioning themselves well for these growth industries.
 
Interesting, I didn’t know Finland was also strong in this business, but I suppose the level of automation which goes into battery building these days means the higher labour costs in these Nordic countries are not prohibitive. Good to see our economies positioning themselves well for these growth industries.

Also plenty of renewable energy so to speak to run these factories, skilled people, and sources of raw material:


The Vaasa region here is Energy Central in Finland so to speak, with lots of supporting and customer industries like ABB, Wärtsilä, Danfoss, etc. all located here.
 
while i certainly like all these factories and initiatives, it remains to be seen how of those products will actually become available to the consumer (diy) market.
from what i have been reading , car man. already claimed 100% of future products of those

If they get the cost of EV down, and tech such as V2L takes off, a car can become essentially an extension to a DIY effort. I'm waiting for a decent EV with V2L and an LFP battery to become available, since it will then just become an extension to my home battery while at the same time will allow me to help maximize the use of my energy production. Cheaper EVs will likely also mean that the second life storage for DIY will become more easily available at lower costs and more options.
 
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