Solar Generator for home use

[azgrogg]

In order to power my necessities when the power goes out, I am looking to put together a unit I can store in the garage with a battery charger and pull out when needed. It's not going to be a system that is used daily. I will take it on the road to supply portable power as needed for camping or parties, etc. I have a couple questions hoping to get so.e input.

1) Batteries. Lifepo vs FLA. I am torn. I will not use it daily so I have an issue with the cost. I do want to be able to store with a charger so the batteries are maintained. However, the weight is a killer. A 300 lb generator is not that portable.

2) 12v or 24v. Not sure. I will need some 12v charging receptacles so kinda hard to go to 24v just to add a converter to go back to 12v. Is it worth it? What about battery chargers?

3) panels? Since this will be portable, I need panels that I can take out of my garage and set up easily in the backyard. The Renolgy suitcase panels are interesting. The other portable kind you find seen cheap. I want about 400-800 watts. 200 wat panels seem manageable.

4) Finally, wind power. Yea, I know this is all about solar but wind turbines pic my interest. Generating power at night during low power usage and supplementing during the day when there is high usage interests me. Again, I would have to make the portable and set them up when needed. My question is regarding voltage. If you have the right controller, does the fluctuation in voltage/amps become an issue?

Thanks for your input in advance.

 

[Deleted member 783]

Well, based on the DoD of LiFePo, I think that is the way to go. I have 2x200ah VRLA batteries in parallel, and just those 2 batteries are 264 pounds. One 200ah LiFePO provides effectively the same amount of watt hours, and weighs roughly 70 pounds. That's about 200 pounds lighter. It'd be like toting me with my winter beer belly around on top of your setup.

12 or 24? 24 is more efficient, but is that a huge concern for a portable, seldom used setup? Probably not (just my opinion)

A wind turbine would just require the correct charge controller. And, if I can get existential for a minute, wind IS solar power. Wind is generated by the differences in thermal warming hitting the earth, which of course comes from the sun. I'm not sure what kind of tripod/tower you would need to make it portable and functional, but I dig the idea and hope you post up some pics when you get it figured out!

 

[morth]

I'm thinking along similar lines. My main use will be just for critical loads during power outages or remote use away from mains power. I had a look at doing something bigger for regular home use, but concluded it just wasn't worth it, plus our HOA will not allow panels on the roof where they could be seen from the street, so a large system is not in the cards for now.

1). Batteries. For a portable system, weight is a big factor. For a given amount of AH capacity, LiFePO4 weigh less than half of what lead based battery will. LiFePO4 is also nicer to have in your living space than a flooded battery during power outages. SLA would be fine. I ended up getting a couple used Valence U27-12XP LiFePO4 batteries off eBay. Both have over 100AH capacity left. They weigh about 40 pounds each.

2) Voltage. For an emergency/backup based system, I'm willing to trade efficiency for flexibility. I went 12 volt. I can get 12 volt parts anywhere. I can use a car battery if I have to. If I have multiple batteries, I can increase run time by hooking them up in parallel. 24 volts means always having to have battery pairs (if using 12 volt cells). 12 volt chargers are also easier to come by. If you plan on running high power stuff (air conditioner, heaters, etc) on a regular basis, 24 volt starts making more sense. I can easily run a 1800 watt microwave for the minute or 2 needed to heat stuff up and run my fridge for about 16 hours on 1 battery.

3) Solar. I have a 200 watt Renogy solar suit case and like it. Dead simple to use. Unfold, hook up battery cables, done. I could probably make something similar for less but this was something that worked out of the box for me to play around with while I gain experience and sort out what I really need. I can easily put the panels, inverter and a couple batteries in the car and bug out if I have to. I will end up getting more panels at some point as the 200 watt system can't recharge a completely run down 100AH battery in a single day. 400 watts would work on good solar charging days.

4) WInd. Sorry no help there.

 

[Deleted member 783]

I'm thinking along similar lines. My main use will be just for critical loads during power outages or remote use away from mains power. I had a look at doing something bigger for regular home use, but concluded it just wasn't worth it, plus our HOA will not allow panels on the roof where they could be seen from the street, so a large system is not in the cards for now.

1). Batteries. For a portable system, weight is a big factor. For a given amount of AH capacity, LiFePO4 weigh less than half of what lead based battery will. LiFePO4 is also nicer to have in your living space than a flooded battery during power outages. SLA would be fine. I ended up getting a couple used Valence U27-12XP LiFePO4 batteries off eBay. Both have over 100AH capacity left. They weigh about 40 pounds each.

2) Voltage. For an emergency/backup based system, I'm willing to trade efficiency for flexibility. I went 12 volt. I can get 12 volt parts anywhere. I can use a car battery if I have to. If I have multiple batteries, I can increase run time by hooking them up in parallel. 24 volts means always having to have battery pairs (if using 12 volt cells). 12 volt chargers are also easier to come by. If you plan on running high power stuff (air conditioner, heaters, etc) on a regular basis, 24 volt starts making more sense. I can easily run a 1800 watt microwave for the minute or 2 needed to heat stuff up and run my fridge for about 16 hours on 1 battery.

3) Solar. I have a 200 watt Renogy solar suit case and like it. Dead simple to use. Unfold, hook up battery cables, done. I could probably make something similar for less but this was something that worked out of the box for me to play around with while I gain experience and sort out what I really need. I can easily put the panels, inverter and a couple batteries in the car and bug out if I have to. I will end up getting more panels at some point as the 200 watt system can't recharge a completely run down 100AH battery in a single day. 400 watts would work on good solar charging days.

4) WInd. Sorry no help there.

Availability of 12 volt parts on the road is an excellent point. You can even get inverters at walmart in a pinch.

 

[morth]

Availability of 12 volt parts on the road is an excellent point. You can even get inverters at walmart in a pinch.

Or your neighbors car ;-)

 

[strat-o]

This weekend I am going to start building my solar generator. Where I live, the power goes out frequently but it usually comes back on within 2-4 hours. As such, I have my sights set on a very small system of 480 Wh. Even though it's pretty small and light, I plan to buy a child's wagon or toy and use that as an inexpensive platform allowing it to be easily moved from the garage to wherever I need it. I bought an All-in-one MPP Solar 12v unit so the "build" will be pretty much connecting cables and configuring. Later, I plan to get a couple PV panels so I can charge it off grid if needed. I'm looking forward to it because I have not done anything at all with PV yet.

 

[offgriddle]

Well, based on the DoD of LiFePo, I think that is the way to go. I have 2x200ah VRLA batteries in parallel, and just those 2 batteries are 264 pounds. One 200ah LiFePO provides effectively the same amount of watt hours, and weighs roughly 70 pounds. That's about 200 pounds lighter. It'd be like toting me with my winter beer belly around on top of your setup.

12 or 24? 24 is more efficient, but is that a huge concern for a portable, seldom used setup? Probably not (just my opinion)

A wind turbine would just require the correct charge controller. And, if I can get existential for a minute, wind IS solar power. Wind is generated by the differences in thermal warming hitting the earth, which of course comes from the sun. I'm not sure what kind of tripod/tower you would need to make it portable and functional, but I dig the idea and hope you post up some pics when you get it figured out!

Wind IS solar power, I like that. I always say that trees are natural solar batteries!

 

[azgrogg]

beans or wind. Take your pick.

I can tell you the conventional approach is a small generator run on LP. It doesn't clog the carbs and starts every time.

I like the idea of wind. But honestly what about a GoalZero Yeti or Bluettie? You only need it for a few hours, and it has a handle and you take it anywhere. You can charge it off the house and when the power goes out, you simply take it where you need power.

You can always add solar later. But solar requires a large surface area, so that's going to cramp on your storage. And it's slow (unless you have so much, so many panels that then storage becomes an issue).

Buy that Bluettie that Will takes a shine to and be done with it. You can experiment all you want, get a used 100 watt panel and plug it into the charging port. You'll see charging rate, voltage, and learn that a single shore outlet puts out vastly more energy than a 100 watt solar panel.

I am planning on using this....

This weekend I am going to start building my solar generator. Where I live, the power goes out frequently but it usually comes back on within 2-4 hours. As such, I have my sights set on a very small system of 480 Wh. Even though it's pretty small and light, I plan to buy a child's wagon or toy and use that as an inexpensive platform allowing it to be easily moved from the garage to wherever I need it. I bought an All-in-one MPP Solar 12v unit so the "build" will be pretty much connecting cables and configuring. Later, I plan to get a couple PV panels so I can charge it off grid if needed. I'm looking forward to it because I have not done anything at all with PV yet.

I am planning on using this...

RIDGID 22 in. Pro Gear Cart Tool Box in Black 221734 - The Home Depot

This Ridgid 22 in. Pro Gear Cart is made with durable, high-impact resin for long-lasting performance. It's equipped with heavy-duty metal latches, and features an integrated water seal to protect against

www.homedepot.com

Or using this...

Amazon.com

Great thing about the second us that there are standard 19" panels that you can modify into what you need. A bit pricey but hey when did cost ever Trump cool.