Newbie just starting

[OffGridForGood]

Pork belly futures? Options?

I made a ton on bellies

I grow em in the west pasture two at a time, they are always named 'Pork Chop and Bacon', and in about 7 months in the "Future" they will be moving into one of the three freezers.
Home made and smoked thick cut (Canadian Style) bacon yum yum! now that is My kind of investing in pork belly futures. okay I gona go fry up some of last year's futures... you guys are making me hungry

 

[JRH]

I grow em in the west pasture two at a time, they are always named 'Pork Chop and Bacon', and in about 7 months in the "Future" they will be moving into one of the three freezers.
Home made and smoked thick cut (Canadian Style) bacon yum yum! now that is My kind of investing in pork belly futures. okay I gona go fry up some of last year's futures... you guys are making me hungry

Wright’s , 3 lb thick cut , applewood smoked , premium cut stuff.…marvelous …!!!

 

[gatorhead]

Poor little fella… his first comments/ question trying find out some info and he gets trounced by the members .
As Wally Cleaver said “giving him the business” …part of the initiation I guess….

Hey OP guy….ya gotta grow a skin to play here .. they will nip ya to death like a pack of Chihuahuas if they find you bought a pre-made battery of certain brands…. …..

Glad to see you’re trying …..

Have patience and they will help…lotta good knowledge here..

Good luck man….J.

Ha! Ha! No, I did get the info I needed for now!

 

[gatorhead]

When you said continuous, did you mean like all the time? You know like those wind generators? They produce all of the time. Well when the wind is blowing enough...

What you are asking would be impossible for me to procure. I would be very content to having 1000 watts continuous, like all the time. Especially at night. But my financial situation would never be at a point that was even possible. Batteries get expensive. They get even more expensive when you want grid power without the grid attached.

Not that consuming 5k watts an hour is that much from the grid. Just a lot to expect to be continuous, as in all the time, when not connected to the grid at all. Some days the sun just does not want to cooperate. Then you fall back on the batteries. A few days of bad weather and there goes your independent source of power. It then becomes Darkness Falls. And you sits and waits for the sun to come back.

One drawback for requiring that much power all of the time, is well when there is no sun. The next day you have sun has to make up for the missing days and what is still currently being used. So just about doubling what is needed to replacing for every day you go without sunlight.

Think about compounded interest that is being withdrawn from your bank account instead of added. Eventually you run out of money if it is not replaced regularly. Or when there is little or no sunlight. What happens when you have a very rainy spring? What about winter time when the days are too short to make up for lost time? A nice snowy Christmas could leave you in the dark.

Drawing 5k watts during prime time is not too difficult. It is the after hours that becomes a problem. In ideal conditions, it works out hypothetically on paper. Just dont factor in hours when the sun is not directly overhead. or at night.

That far up north, there might only about 4 good hours of sunlight per day to produce what you are asking for. That is a perfect day that has to repeat every day all year long. OK I am going to say what you are wanting is not very realistic at all.

Ok, this is info I need to start, Thanks. So, I think it would be good to scale down for now, how about a 24V 3k system intermittently used. I can charge my batteries as long as propane is available, solar charging would be the last resort.

 

[gatorhead]

OMG... you just HAD to be constructive...

Ok, thanks a million! I needed a reality check to start, so I'm very happy with all the responses! Especially yours! Ok so solar cells on the ground, it would be nice to be able move them to follow the sun. So, how about I stick with a 24V 3KW intermittently used to run lights at night, keep a refer just cold enough to keep food cold. Run a pellet stove in winter (PA of 624 Watts). Intermittently run a deep well pump for fresh water. I need to build at least a 3KW unit to qualify for deducting 40% of the cost on my income tax. Thanks again for your Info.

 

[gatorhead]

You'll be better off with 48V. Do your 12V batteries support 4 in series for 48V?

100 Ah 48V server rack batteries are particularly economical, some a bit less than your Dakotas. By the time you've got the kWh Sunshine recommends, they will have cost less.

EG4 PowerPro 280 Ah 48V is another attractive option. But first see what inverter + battery pair are available from a single brand.

You can get an AIO to keep things simple (some are dirt cheap, some cost more but have reputation or pedigree)
Or you can use separate components.
Look for something that is expandable, e.g. parallel second unit.

Thanks for the info., I decided to downgrade more to reality for now, how about a 24v 3kw system to start? I still need to figure the exact minimum wattage/current flow needed for the bare minimum, survival mode, like no Regional Power Grid, no access to propane or gas. Thanks again for your info!

 

[Hedges]

3000W / 24V = 125A. A bit more current for inefficiency, etc. but reasonable at that voltage. I'd size the cables and fuse for 200A.

There are 24V AIO, or a bit more for 48V AIO, if you want a simple build. Or components, can upgrade individually.

There are some very economical 48V LiFePO4 batteries - we've seen about $350 for 48V 50Ah. However, that wouldn't support 62.5A (typically 1C max continuous) so may need more battery capacity depending on loads (regardless of which voltage.)

Cheapest 48v 50ah battery I've found so far. $409.99 free shipping

I second that, the Eco-Worthy and DC House batteries at our cabin have also been working great.

diysolarforum.com

Take look at the suggested systems from link at top of web page. They have affiliate links which support Will, owner of the forum.

It is good to post your contemplated purchases and let forum members critique it before buying. That will steer you to better quality fuses/breakers, proper sizing, etc.

 

[gatorhead]

5kW * 10h = 50kWh of battery

You currently have 5.12kWh of battery.

Buy 8 more batteries.

Buy 12,000W ($12K including mounting/misc) of solar panels to generate 50kWh/day in very good conditions.

Buy 500A of PV charging (Could be as much as $3K).

Buy 6000W of inverters ($2-3K)

Thanks a million! Now how about I start with a 24v 3kw system, so I can deduct 40% of my costs on next year's income tax?

 

[gatorhead]

3000W / 24V = 125A. A bit more current for inefficiency, etc. but reasonable at that voltage. I'd size the cables and fuse for 200A.

There are 24V AIO, or a bit more for 48V AIO, if you want a simple build. Or components, can upgrade individually.

There are some very economical 48V LiFePO4 batteries - we've seen about $350 for 48V 50Ah. However, that wouldn't support 62.5A (typically 1C max continuous) so may need more battery capacity depending on loads (regardless of which voltage.)

Cheapest 48v 50ah battery I've found so far. $409.99 free shipping

I second that, the Eco-Worthy and DC House batteries at our cabin have also been working great.

diysolarforum.com

Take look at the suggested systems from link at top of web page. They have affiliate links which support Will, owner of the forum.

It is good to post your contemplated purchases and let forum members critique it before buying. That will steer you to better quality fuses/breakers, proper sizing, etc.

Ok, great info! Thank You

 

[gatorhead]

Or he could find a DIY solar website someplace and maybe just maybe learn something so the 'professional' can't rip him off.

Thanks! and Thanks for your service! I'm a retired AT as well.

 

[Brett V]

I used a 24 volt system with a 1500 watt inverter just to power the fridge, a freezer, TV, and a few lights if needed overnight so I could shut off the generator and go to bed.

Then the warden got me in to prepping so I upgraded to a modest 48 volt battery and put in a Growatt 6k split phase AIO because I could run the well pump off batteries. Still relied on the generator to supply primary power as well as battery charging if the grid was down.

All was good but unused functionality bugs me and that Growatt had a built in solar charge controller. So let’s get a few solar panels…what could it hurt? I was surprised at how much power I could “make” for free when the sun was shining and that’s when the bug bit.

Now a few years later, I have upgraded to 12k Growatt, almost 50 KWh of batteries, and 3500 watts of solar panels with another 3500 watts stacked on the patio waiting for me to install them.

It’s just us two old people here and with some modest conservation, we should be able to live without the grid indefinitely if anything bad happens. I heat with a pellet stove and mini split heat pump which also provides AC in the summer. Hot water is done with an electric heat pump water heater. Every light in the house is LED and we don’t have any power hungry things like a pool or hot tub.

My point is two fold. First, conservation is cheaper than energy production. See what you can do there. Second, you WILL want more power as time goes on. If you’re going to do it, start with a 48 volt system because it’s easier and cheaper in the long run since you appear interested in whole house autonomy.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Thanks a million! Now how about I start with a 24v 3kw system, so I can deduct 40% of my costs on next year's income tax?

Your well pump may be quite brutal on start-up and require a hefty surge.

Best thing to do is step back and take into account everything you REALLY need to run. Determine your available solar and conduct an energy audit using the resources in line #1 in my signature.

If you plan to expand the system in the future, the best thing to do is design your final system and figure out how to do it in stages.

 

[Brett V]

Thanks a million! Now how about I start with a 24v 3kw system, so I can deduct 40% of my costs on next year's income tax?

It’s 30% and it’s only a tax credit. You need to have a high enough tax liability to take advantage of it.

Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics

This guide provides an overview of the federal investment tax credit for those interested in residential solar photovoltaics, or PV.

www.energy.gov

 

[JRH]

I used a 24 volt system with a 1500 watt inverter just to power the fridge, a freezer, TV, and a few lights if needed overnight so I could shut off the generator and go to bed.

Then the warden got me in to prepping so I upgraded to a modest 48 volt battery and put in a Growatt 6k split phase AIO because I could run the well pump off batteries. Still relied on the generator to supply primary power as well as battery charging if the grid was down.

All was good but unused functionality bugs me and that Growatt had a built in solar charge controller. So let’s get a few solar panels…what could it hurt? I was surprised at how much power I could “make” for free when the sun was shining and that’s when the bug bit.

Now a few years later, I have upgraded to 12k Growatt, almost 50 KWh of batteries, and 3500 watts of solar panels with another 3500 watts stacked on the patio waiting for me to install them.

It’s just us two old people here and with some modest conservation, we should be able to live without the grid indefinitely if anything bad happens. I heat with a pellet stove and mini split heat pump which also provides AC in the summer. Hot water is done with an electric heat pump water heater. Every light in the house is LED and we don’t have any power hungry things like a pool or hot tub.

My point is two fold. First, conservation is cheaper than energy production. See what you can do there. Second, you WILL want more power as time goes on. If you’re going to do it, start with a 48 volt system because it’s easier and cheaper in the long run since you appear interested in whole house autonomy.

Good path your on…. Congrats…

 

[JRH]

Best thing to do is step back and take into account everything you REALLY need to run

Yes……NEEDS ,being the most important word…

Once you find that , ….everything else is a WANT.

“Needs”are pretty basic, few and easy to discover if you ever have had extended ZERO power..
They become glaringly obvious…

“Wants,”……well that’s a whole different can of worms…it’s bottomless…

Need firsts ……..then add Wants as money and skill allows….

J

 

[OffGridForGood]

Thanks for the info., I decided to downgrade more to reality for now, how about a 24v 3kw system to start? I still need to figure the exact minimum wattage/current flow needed for the bare minimum, survival mode, like no Regional Power Grid, no access to propane or gas. Thanks again for your info!

I suggest you look at what your future system would be, then from that standpoint, back up to a single inverter and smallish battery pack/PV for now, but know the additional pieces you will add and know they will all work together to fufill your future goals.
I strongly suggest going 48 volt right out of the gate.
I also suggest you look for an inverter capable of parallel operation, that will be available well into the future.

 

[Cabin Rising]

Ok, this is info I need to start, Thanks. So, I think it would be good to scale down for now, how about a 24V 3k system intermittently used. I can charge my batteries as long as propane is available, solar charging would be the last resort.

How about starting at the beginning. What exactly are you trying to power? Check for the approximate amount of sunlight for your area and then figure out how much battery you need to sustain your needs for rest of the day.

If you can manage 4 to six hours of sunlight, then your battery bank has to be relied on for the other 18+ hours. Do you need 3kw during the night all the time every night? If so you are still up chits creek.

I have a very small modest solar array built from used, surplus and scrapped parts. That even includes the batteries. It can supply a reliable 400-600 watts for most of the day when sun is out. This also keeps the battery bank fully charged. But after hours, I have to cut back to almost nothing so not to drain down the batteries overnight.

That does not mean I cant run anything. Just nothing that draws a lot of watts for any length of time. But for less than $1000 it has allowed me not to have to pay the poco anything for the last 4 years. So total cost is less than $250 a year for power at my cabin.

This cost is less than just the service charge for the local poco. I have already paid the poco to finally get tied to the grid. But at the same time, I am doubling my solar array. I will not only have constant power all the time, but supplementing it to keep cost reasonable. When power is down, I will still be in good shape.

Now all of this has nothing to do with your situation. If you need a constant supply of power in the 3kw range, then it would help to include some serious details about what you are doing. The cost to create electricity by solar and battery is substantially more expensive than grid power.

The initial upfront cost and constant maintenance does not come cheap. Not if expecting to maintain that much power to have available all the time. You can not live off grid the same as you do relying on the grid. Not if it includes most of todays modern conveniences in an all electric house. Now back to you.