diy solar

diy solar

Sixtysix 280ah Cells from Deligreen

Hi,
I am strongly considering building a "shed" for my solar equiptment. What size is yours and what size do you want to expand to. What do you have in it ?
I am building a house and it will be 100% off grid, so I would like to put all solar, well and pool pumps in said shed.
Cheers
the 1st one is only 8x8x8 feet.... the next one should be at least 12' x12' (x8' feet tall) and super-insulated....i built mine with insulation on all sides of the cube and put a one-sided slope roof on it and covered it with white steel...it is mounted on top of concrete block piers so it has the floor insulated as well....
I have heavy LF inverters, LifePO4 batteries ((2P8S, & 4P8S, and 2P16S)) which take a lot of room on the counter, and built more counter for some other things, the inverters are mounted on shelves, the AC subpanel takes up more space, the charge controllers take up more space,
I have 96 LiPO4 cell assembled into 24-volt or 48-volt configurations,
I also have 8 pre-built LiFePO4 24-volt batteries which are on wheels and take a lot of space, only are 4 in the off-grid solar power shed at the moment....lack of space...
I have dedicated LiFePO4 charger and 2 Riden bench chargers but they are not used all the time so they could be relocated....but other tools like
the multi-meters, clamp meters etc. also take up space...
then other tools take up space also like hydraulic crimpers, lugs, wire, etc. presently moving more tools out of the shed...

make it bigger ( the outside insulated solar power shed/ building ) >>> you will be happier in the long run,,,
you will likely expand on your off-grid solar in the future....

the copper bus bars, class T fuses and Class T fuse holders, and wiring take up more wall space for each of the LiFePO4 batteries,

the entry door takes up space also,,, used a standard 36-inch door and a standard 36-inch storm door...

I keep the rechargeable tool batteries in here to be charged and keep from freezing....the other half does not like tools in the house....
believe me ....more space will make you happier....???
 
I'm going with 8' X 12'
TuffShed is putting wrap on the inside.
And I am getting it with no windows or vents.
I have to insulate it and put a hole for a window air conditioner.
I am working it out in my head how I want to configure my batteries. So many choices! :eek:
 
Perfect, thanks guys.
My plans are for 3/4 inverter AIO, 100kw of batteries, possible isolating transformer, the 2 pumps and control equipment.
My problem is the opposite of yours Micheal, HEAT in Florida.
I might use the same ICF as for the house and make it a simple 12x12 inside with a sloped roof.
It will probably need it's own small mini-split.

Edit to add Tufshed, $8k+ wow. Building with ICF is a serious option.
 
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I find that putting things at a convenient working height is very important for me (no spring chicken here),,, heavy batteries and LF inverters, etc ( counter height) ....the AC subpanel also needs to be at normal height for easy access...
some of the pre-built batteries on the wheels fit under the counter but still, I needed more space....
an 8 x 12 building would have helped... the 8x8 was too small but I already had a lot of the lumber and insulation etc...
yes, the component organization decision-making process is very important.....
the DIY build satisfaction will reward you for years to come...
cheers all.... ?
 
I am thinking about putting my batteries on the long wall. 2 on the right side of my inverter and 2 on the left.
2 shelves on each side about 48' long and 10 or 12" wide. One shelf about 3' off the floor and one 5'.
That way the batteries won't take up much space and the weight will be spread out. I can sit to work on the lower shelf and stand to work on the higher one.
My Solark weighs a lot and so do the batteries.

I went back and forth about using a shed for a long time. I am so glad I am finally doing it.
 
Thanks curiouscarbon. I learned everything here. And a lot of trial and error. o_O
I bought these cells about 3 years ago. Then I realized I didn't want them in my house.

Our grid has only gone down once in 3 years. And my 100AH AGM battery handled it.

Someday I plan to try running my whole house on batteries. It might take me 3 more years to get there.
 
commend you on designing and building an energy storage system with an already mostly reliable grid. with 16s banks x2 operating that's already nigh 30kWh! or like 1000W for a full day! :)
 
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