Mark from El Cerrito CA here.
I’m new to off-grid solar. Hoping for some helpful feedback on my planned set-up. My goal is to use solar panels to charge my plug-in hybrid car (26 mile electric range) and to provide emergency back-up power for my house during our frequent California power outages. I want to include a manual transfer switch to flip house over to generator power during an outage. My approximate budget is $5000 (after 22% federal tax credit).
Power needs:
Average home electrical consumption: 12KWh per day (we could lower by conserving)
We don’t have/need air conditioning and would definitely conserve during a power outage by not using microwave, electric kettles, heated bathroom floor, etc. Biggest current draws are gas furnace blower and refrigerator.
Full car charge: 120V x 3.25A x 8hrs = 3200Wh = 3.2KWh
Car charger is rated at 12 amps but I tested with a clamp meter and the actual draw is 3.25 amps while charging. Because we use the car for short trips around town, it rarely needs a full charge. We plug it in about 3-4 times a week. During a power outage, we would not need to charge it all, relying on the 500 mile hybrid range.
Proposed set-up
I’m new to off-grid solar. Hoping for some helpful feedback on my planned set-up. My goal is to use solar panels to charge my plug-in hybrid car (26 mile electric range) and to provide emergency back-up power for my house during our frequent California power outages. I want to include a manual transfer switch to flip house over to generator power during an outage. My approximate budget is $5000 (after 22% federal tax credit).
Power needs:
Average home electrical consumption: 12KWh per day (we could lower by conserving)
We don’t have/need air conditioning and would definitely conserve during a power outage by not using microwave, electric kettles, heated bathroom floor, etc. Biggest current draws are gas furnace blower and refrigerator.
Full car charge: 120V x 3.25A x 8hrs = 3200Wh = 3.2KWh
Car charger is rated at 12 amps but I tested with a clamp meter and the actual draw is 3.25 amps while charging. Because we use the car for short trips around town, it rarely needs a full charge. We plug it in about 3-4 times a week. During a power outage, we would not need to charge it all, relying on the 500 mile hybrid range.
Proposed set-up
- 100A MPPT Charge Controller and 5000W inverter with NEMA L14-30R 30A receptacle and 120V-240V step up transformer
- (2) SOK 12V 200AH LIFEPO4 LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE BATTERY PACK with BMS
- (6) RICH SOLAR 200 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panels (I tested one of these and was impressed with how well it worked in cloudy conditions)
- 50 Amp 10-Circuit Manual Transfer Switch by Reliance Controls
