New Here, 800w+ Solar Power Needed...

[jojonono]

Hello

Am trying to build a setup providing me nearly 1000w, i understand its not possible to have 1000w 24 Hours a day, so i might settle for just 10-12 Hours a day during daytime as i understand a 10 kWa battery would be quite expensive,

i am in an Apartment (condominium) so i dont have access for a roof, but i got quite huge windows and sun is pretty much hitting my windows throughout the day from sunrise till sunset,

the only option i found was the EcoFlow Delta Max as it allows up to 800w Input, but i found the price unjustifiable because it its a 2 kWa battery only which will get me just 2 Hours i believe sucking 1000w after sunset.

So here are my two questions:-

- Any cheaper Power Station options with 800w+ solar input ?, User Friendly system for a complete beginner (i dont want to get into the typical Solar System setup involving inverters etc.. as am not an electrician + its tough to come by in an condominium, also i wouldnt mind a cheap Chinese option just cant find any...

- Any options out there for 800w Solar Power excluding a battery which most of the price goes into and it might not be needed for my application !...

thanks,

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Hello

Am trying to build a setup providing me nearly 1000w, i understand its not possible to have 1000w 24 Hours a day, so i might settle for just 10-12 Hours a day during daytime as i understand a 10 kWa battery would be quite expensive,

Assume you mean 10kWh. Assuming you get great sun, you'll need at least 2000W of solar panels located outside facing South perfectly tilted for your latitude with full sun exposure from sunrise to sunset.

i am in an Apartment (condominium) so i dont have access for a roof, but i got quite huge windows and sun is pretty much hitting my windows throughout the day from sunrise till sunset,

PV through windows is horrible. You'll be lucky to get 50% of a panel's rating.

the only option i found was the EcoFlow Delta Max as it allows up to 800w Input, but i found the price unjustifiable because it its a 2 kWa battery only which will get me just 2 Hours i believe sucking 1000w after sunset.

So here are my two questions:-

- Any cheaper Power Station options with 800w+ solar input ?, User Friendly system for a complete beginner (i dont want to get into the typical Solar System setup involving inverters etc.. as am not an electrician + its tough to come by in an condominium, also i wouldnt mind a cheap Chinese option just cant find any...

- Any options out there for 800w Solar Power excluding a battery which most of the price goes into and it might not be needed for my application !...

thanks,

Here's a 4kW PV + 10kWh battery solar generator:




Start with this and add two batteries to get the above.

I hope this give you an idea of the scale of what you're trying to accomplish... just to get 10kWh of daily solar power with a solar generator.

Recommend you buy a small panel, put it up in your window under the best conditions you expect and test the Voc and Isc ratings of the panel with a multimeter (voltmeter and ammeter functions). Compare that with how it compares with outside performance and then see if you can figure out how to get 4000W of solar inside your condo.

 

[Al D]

Short answer: no.

It sounds like you're trying to go off grid. If this is for money's sake, 10kWh from the grid will cost around $1.30 for the day based on $0.13/kWh. So, even if you replaced your windows with solar panels, would the cost of doing so really accomplish your goals?

I would start with measuring your windows and seeing how much square footage you actually have. Then look up some solar panels and calculate the square footage of those. Assume you can get 4 hours of direct full sun (which is doubtful from operating inside, but here's where we'll start). Take your desired power generation, 10kWh let's say, and divide by those 4 hours. You need to find panels that can provide a combined total of, in this case, 2.5kW. Some of the high wattage panels can produce around 400W each. They aren't small. You would need at least 6 of them. Do you have enough window space?

It is almost certainly economically better to reduce your power consumption and stay on grid rather than to go solar. I would encourage green energy, but it doesn't look like you're in a position to do so with solar.

 

[jojonono]

Assume you mean 10kWh. Assuming you get great sun, you'll need at least 2000W of solar panels located outside facing South perfectly tilted for your latitude with full sun exposure from sunrise to sunset.



PV through windows is horrible. You'll be lucky to get 50% of a panel's rating.



Here's a 4kW PV + 10kWh battery solar generator:

View attachment 112812


Start with this and add two batteries to get the above.

I hope this give you an idea of the scale of what you're trying to accomplish... just to get 10kWh of daily solar power with a solar generator.

Recommend you buy a small panel, put it up in your window under the best conditions you expect and test the Voc and Isc ratings of the panel with a multimeter (voltmeter and ammeter functions). Compare that with how it compares with outside performance and then see if you can figure out how to get 4000W of solar inside your condo.

thanks a lot, I was looking for a power station i dont have the knowledge or experience building something like that provided,

the Eco Flow Delta Max seemed jsut right, but its costly, i am basically looking for a cheaper power station that i can attach to it 2000w of solar panels based on your recommendation, thanks.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Eco Flow Delta Max seemed jsut right, but its costly

Ridiculously so.

i dont have the knowledge or experience building something like that provided,
looking for a cheaper power station that i can attach to it 2000w of solar panels

So study up and save yourself $5000 and more in wasted cash

 

[Rednecktek]

Pecron 3kw unit?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

thanks a lot, I was looking for a power station i dont have the knowledge or experience building something like that provided,

That is a power station. It's just a vastly more capable one, and the price tag ($16K) reflects it, but it's the only thing that will possibly get you what you want... assuming you can accommodate 4kW of panels in your windows.

I'm sure the Bluetti AC300 with a bunch of attached batteries can get there too, but it will probably cost a similarly absurd amount.

the Eco Flow Delta Max seemed jsut right, but its costly, i am basically looking for a cheaper power station that i can attach to it 2000w of solar panels based on your recommendation, thanks.

It's not even remotely close to what you need - like 20% the size of what you need. You can't get there. Period.

10kWh is 33% of the average U.S. household power consumption. You're proposing to do this with a power station with solar panels inside.

This just isn't possible. This isn't negativity. It's just facts.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

tough to come by in an condominium

Is it possible to sell and move somewhere to suite your altruistic goals?

 

[jojonono]

Is it possible to sell and move somewhere to suite your altruistic goals?

While most you guys live in houses/villas its not an easy thing to do in so many countries since the entire globe consists of several continents and countries other than the USA only u know ! i am trying to find a solution that suits my goals, if it doesn't work i will at least have learned something new !

 

[jojonono]

Pecron 3kw unit?

thanks thats exactly what i was looking for...

 

[jojonono]

Ridiculously so.

So study up and save yourself $5000 and more in wasted cash

if you read my thread carefully i clearly said:
(i dont want to get into the typical Solar System setup involving inverters etc.. as am not an electrician + its tough to come by in an condominium)
not sure if you have the minimum knowledge of the rules involved living in a rental, you can drill a whole in the wall to mount your tv, let alone having a traditional solar grid mounted and setup that idea itself is silly, also am fairly confident the battery in a power station would cost as much as a battery for a solar setup, thanks.

 

[Rednecktek]

also am fairly confident the battery in a power station would cost as much as a battery for a solar setup, thanks.

Umm... nope. The advantage to pre-built solar generators (Jackery, Bluetti, Pecron, Etc) is that it's an all-in-one-ready-to-roll power solution. The downside is that you pay a price premium for the convenience of not having to do it all yourself. A good example is things like the EG4 where you get 5Kwh of power for $1500, where even a cheap Pecron gets you 3Kwh for $2000 AND has all the other parts already built in like the inverter and outlets and such. As another example, $2100 buys you a 3Kwh Bluetti battery or if you build your own 10Kwh worth of cells. In a do-it-yourself system the battery is the largest individual expense, but still cheaper than a pre-built when it comes to total cost per watt.

Yes, building your own system is usually about the same price out of pocket as getting a pre-built when you add in all the components and wires and such, but your component build is going to have 3 times the capability for that same money. There is however a significant scaling factor and where the pre-builts really shine is in the smaller systems. Like the Pecron unit I mentioned earlier I can't figure out any way to built a comparable system (same specs and features) for the same money, but if I were to try to build a system that was large enough to power a household out of pre-builts it would get to be $tupid expensive fast and that's where the do-it-yourself really comes into play.

Having said that, you've got completely different issues that can't be solved by adding in more panels or designing a custom system, you've got physics issues involved like no space to put things and poor location for large solar setups (behind windows in a condo) which are the real problem.

From the sound of it, with your lack of electrical comfort (which is totally fine, I don't want to fix an airplane next time I deploy overseas) a pre-built is a good option. The issue you've got to figure out how to mitigate would be how to recharge the pre-built as solar through a window is pretty pointless and your HOA probably isn't going to be too keen on covering the roof in panels.

So, let's wander over to that problem and brainstorm some ideas assuming that you just roll with a pre-built. Some of the simplest options are your patio/porch/balcony. Can you stick something outside and run a wire in through the window? Some people have been known to build hangers or racks that just mount to their back railing to get panels outside, some people have a small landing or roof area over their garage/lower floor that they can stick some panels on. Do you have anything like that you can work with? How big a panel can you get in an open window where the glass isn't in the way blocking the UV? What about a rack that hangs outside on the windowsill to get the panels outside with no holes in the walls?

Another option requires more meddling with the system but that would be to get as much expansion battery as you can for your pre-built and plug your daytime (peak hours) consumers off the pre-built and then recharge it from the wall during night (off-peak) hours. It's more effort but very little wiring involved. If you felt especially industrious you could eventually make friends with an electrician to install a transfer switch that would let you move all the daytime running loads back and forth with a single switch.

Just throwing some noodles out there, see if anything sticks.

 

[Al D]

While most you guys live in houses/villas its not an easy thing to do in so many countries since the entire globe consists of several continents and countries other than the USA only u know ! i am trying to find a solution that suits my goals, if it doesn't work i will at least have learned something new !

I think the guy was simply asking if moving was an option. There are over 300M Americans living in the USA at the moment. I'm quite sure the functioning part of this society is fairly well aware of the continents and subsequent countries that make up our world.

You are looking for a solution but I don't think you know the actual problem. You will need a battery if you want to use your solar energy after dark. And the low cost all-in-one units don't typically have big batteries. However, your real problem is generating the power to begin with. That comes from solar panels. To be able to use 10kWh of electricity per day, you will need solar panels that, when combined, produce at least 10kWh over the total time the sun shines on them. Also, the angle that the sun hits your panels greatly affects the power production of said panels, so pressing them against the window isn't going to be optimal.

Your replies to these people who are trying to help suggests you are focused on an all-in-one unit, but these units probably don't come with the requisite solar panels.

The questions you must answer are:
How many panels do you have room for?
What is your actual financial budget?
What is your energy budget (10kWh?)
How many hours of usable sun do you get?

We're all here to try to help. Sometimes it's just not realistic to go solar.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

your component build is going to have 3 times the capability for that same money

you read my thread carefully i clearly said:
(i dont want to get into the typical Solar System setup involving inverters etc.. as am not an electrician + its tough to come by in an condominium)

I did read carefully. I first-personed how I would or might achieve your goals and couldn’t get past production- the solar panel needs to do what you stated…

the entire globe consists of several continents and countries other than the USA only u know ! i am trying to find a solution that suits my goals,

…so moving to another location seemed like one of the reasonable subsets of a solution that would work. Because I don’t believe it would work in your current description.
Even in your context other people within a few miles of you live in different places than you do currently so I was merely suggesting becoming one of those other people. Anthropologically people have relocated due to geographic disadvantages for tens of thousands of years so it didn’t occur to me that was an unusual option.

Is it possible to sell and move somewhere to suite your altruistic goals?

^^^that was the question; “is it possible…”
If not no biggie. No unkindness meant.

Rethinking as I was writing it occurs to me that you are expressing a desire for either A) a financial solution to your context- which seems unlikely because the upfront expense component doesn’t appear to concern you- or B) you have found that your context doesn’t suite your moral convictions so you are wish to mitigate that cognitive/emotional turmoil.
Problem A is simple as you can empirically arrive at a solution or dismiss the options entirely with nothing more than a balance sheet consequence. Problem B I think is why I posited considering a move to an alternate address that would accommodate your intentions.

 

[Charleswgibbs]

if you read my thread carefully i clearly said:
(i dont want to get into the typical Solar System setup involving inverters etc.. as am not an electrician + its tough to come by in an condominium)
not sure if you have the minimum knowledge of the rules involved living in a rental, you can drill a whole in the wall to mount your tv, let alone having a traditional solar grid mounted and setup that idea itself is silly, also am fairly confident the battery in a power station would cost as much as a battery for a solar setup, thanks.

It's far more silly to think you are going to setup 2000w of solar panels inside your condo and get any significant production from it, and do it all with no effort on your part and little money.

People tried to help you understand your expectations were unreasonable and instead of readjusting your plans you just took your frustration out on them.