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[Austin92]

Hey guys, figured I’d introduce myself. Names Austin, live in Indiana and have experienced enough power outages in my 31 years on this earth that I found my way here.

I’m very experienced with 12v dc, not afraid of 24 or 48. Have much less knowledge on ac systems. I’ve replaced an outdoor security light fixture, few receptacles, added a second switch to just power 2 lights in my garage so I don’t have to turn on all 20 when I’m just running out to grab something I forgot in my car. Huge gear head, daily driver is a 2019 mustang gt that makes 680hp to the tires. I keep a very nice gooloo gp4000 jump pack, 12v heated blanket, and a 750w modified sine wave inverter in the trunk. That was my only means of electricity during outages for years, better than nothing but a 5 day outage this year opened my eyes.

I asked for a pure sine wave inverter for Christmas, I got a 2000w Jupiter from harbor freight which really ignited my desire to get into this, be better prepared, and maybe lower my power bill a few dollars. I don’t plan to tie into the house or live completely off grid anytime soon. I’d like to set up a couple smaller inverters/battery banks near heavily used outlets with a few solar panels just outside the house near those banks. My property is heavily wooded with lots of shade but I don’t expect a 3$ power bill with a 1000$ investment either. Just want to make some difference if possible while keeping the lithium batteries cycling and not sitting at max voltage unused for months maybe years.

I’d say my biggest question right now is, is there a way to use vehicles as a backup to charge the lifepo4 batteries? My other vehicle is an old ford f350 with the 6.9 diesel that can run off oils and transmission fluid, thinking long term here. My mustang has a very high output alternator, lots of guys switch to antigravity lithium batteries for weight savings in those cars with no modifications. Simple as hooking up jumper cables or is some sort of controller needed?

Thanks guys, look forward to getting to know everyone

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Just want to make some difference if possible

Difference?

I’d say my biggest question right now is, is there a way to use vehicles as a backup to charge the lifepo4 batteries?

Yes, if they are 12V it is easy

is some sort of controller needed?

if they are 24- or 48V

old ford f350 with the 6.9 diesel that can run off oils and transmission fluid, thinking long term here

you can do that in an emergency but that gals/hr might not make a lot of sense.

For smallish dollars and big impact an mpp 6048 and 4kW of panels with a ‘rack battery will actually pay you back eventually.
Perhaps a few hundred watts might pay you back, but there’s really no easy/cheap way of switching power for harvest other than a Moes and by the time you’re doing anything significant with compromise equipment you could spend close to the same and have the 6048.
With solar at this stage of development it often is less costly over time to spend more up front than save a few bucks and only shave your electric bill by 20-cents a day.

 

[Austin92]

Difference?

Yes, if they are 12V it is easy

if they are 24- or 48V

you can do that in an emergency but that gals/hr might not make a lot of sense.

For smallish dollars and big impact an mpp 6048 and 4kW of panels with a ‘rack battery will actually pay you back eventually.
Perhaps a few hundred watts might pay you back, but there’s really no easy/cheap way of switching power for harvest other than a Moes and by the time you’re doing anything significant with compromise equipment you could spend close to the same and have the 6048.
With solar at this stage of development it often is less costly over time to spend more up front than save a few bucks and only shave your electric bill by 20-cents a day.

Thanks for shedding light on that 6048, I hadn’t ran across that yet. Unfortunately a larger purchase like that isn’t in the cards right now. With out a loan I usually don’t spend more than 300$ on one item. Hoping to just make myself a little more prepared for outages one thing at a time and if they add up to save me 20 cents a day, great.

Not being able to afford to cover my roof in solar panels up front was my reason for asking about the vehicle back up. If there is a few days with out power I could swing an extra tank of gas to keep the refrigerator and 2 aquariums running if my 3 or what ever I have solar panels at the time can’t keep up. I like to be versatile when I prepare for things.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[littleharbor2]

3, or whatever solar panels aren't going to do you any good without SUN. Is there anywhere near your home that will get shadow free sun during, at least, the mid 6 hours of the day?

 

[Austin92]

3, or whatever solar panels aren't going to do you any good without SUN. Is there anywhere near your home that will get shadow free sun during, at least, the mid 6 hours of the day?

Well at first I’m only going to have one and will continue adding as I can. If what I’ve been able to afford at the time produces anything but isn’t 100% perfect I am ok with that. One day I might rent equipment or hire someone to do tree trimming and put 30 panels on the house or garage but for now I am going to piece together one component at a time. I am not looking to go off grid or sell power back to the energy company.

Here is a satellite image of my property. Bottom is south. Garage is detached and not climate controlled. House roof slopes east and west, garage is north and south. I am thinking about mounting my first couple panels hanging off the edge of the porch where the red line is and eventually more on the south slope of the garage.

 

[littleharbor2]

Well at first I’m only going to have one and will continue adding as I can. If what I’ve been able to afford at the time produces anything but isn’t 100% perfect I am ok with that. One day I might rent equipment or hire someone to do tree trimming and put 30 panels on the house or garage but for now I am going to piece together one component at a time. I am not looking to go off grid or sell power back to the energy company.

Here is a satellite image of my property. Bottom is south. Garage is detached and not climate controlled. House roof slopes east and west, garage is north and south. I am thinking about mounting my first couple panels hanging off the edge of the porch where the red line is and eventually more on the south slope of the garage. View attachment 185458

Well, at least you have some open space. Ultimately you might consider a ground mount near the north end of the clearing or between the garage and that other building to the north-east

 

[Austin92]

Well, at least you have some open space. Ultimately you might consider a ground mount near the north end of the clearing or between the garage and that other building to the north-east

That is exactly what I figured would be ideal but that area starts a VERY steep hill down towards the other flat area of the property where the barn is. Standing by the barn you can not see the gravel in the driveway due to the sharp elevation change. Drew a line to show the drop off. I have to use that little bit of extra flat space past the gravel to turn around which is why I was hoping the next best area was the garage roof or off the side of the porch.

I will try to start watching shadows and timing direct sunlight in different areas. How much of a difference in output is there if a panel is simply lit up vs having a direct shot of the sun?

 

[littleharbor2]

How much of a difference in output is there if a panel is simply lit up vs having a direct shot of the sun?

Huge difference. You'll get voltage but very little current. You really need to do whatever it takes to get direct sun, at least for the mid part of the day, otherwise your efforts and money will be wasted.
Sorry for sounding negative but this is the reality with solar. These short winter days are especially difficult for solar production in forested areas due to the long shadows. You will probably do well in the late spring to early fall days,

 

[Austin92]

Huge difference. You'll get voltage but very little current. You really need to do whatever it takes to get direct sun, at least for the mid part of the day, otherwise your efforts and money will be wasted.
Sorry for sounding negative but this is the reality with solar. These short winter days are especially difficult for solar production in forested areas due to the long shadows. You will probably do well in the late spring to early fall days,

I am aware my situation is not ideal. You don’t sound negative, you’re being realistic which I appreciate. Honestly if I could keep my batteries topped off while running a single light for free I’m happy. My biggest thing with getting into this is surviving a power outage and being able to do very basic things in small increments if the turds ever came into contact with the fans.

Do you know why or maybe have a video link that explains why a panel in direct sunlight produces more current than one that is simply in a lit area?

 

[12VoltInstalls]

How much of a difference in output is there if a panel is simply lit up vs having a direct shot of the sun?

Sometimes better but generally 5% or 10% at best

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Do you know why or maybe have a video link that explains why a panel in direct sunlight produces more current than one that is simply in a lit area?

I don’t but it’s the same reason the full moon will show voltage on your panels but not provide any charge. Less light, no electron “flow” in the silicon crystals.

 

[littleharbor2]

Do you know why or maybe have a video link that explains why a panel in direct sunlight produces more current than one that is simply in a lit area?

No but, all you need to do is get a single panel and a DMM (meter) and set it for current and, while tilting the panel toward and away from the sun, you will see a big difference in current. On the voltage setting you will see full voltage in poor light and not much more in full sun.