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Solar in Stages what do I purchase first? stage one house current first then add panels then batteries

jbborg

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I am on a limited budget. The first thing I want to do is run house power to shed (then through a device?) that runs 2 other switchable circuits.
Next stage add panels to supply those 2 circuits until sun goes down then they will be powered by house electricity. Finally, add batteries and run those 2 circuits off grid until for some reason the panels or battery cant provide current and they will be powered by house electricity. Not sure exactly what the switches and controllers I need to get started. This Borg could use some help. THANKS to any who respond.
 
Did you do power requirement auditing so you will know what you will need to run the loads.
 
Next stage add panels to supply those 2 circuits until sun goes down then they will be powered by house electricity. Finally, add batteries
What will you be running in the shed? That’s the first questions that need to be answered

Solar no batteries usually needs a not-so- “limited budget” -friendly inverter.

It may be less costly to at least have one battery/buffer to keep the whatever inverter/house switch strategy from having the flutters. Because without a large amount of panels the inverter could drop out periodically at random or even cyclical depending on loads and their variance.

I’m not typically a fan of combo units but to accomplish your plan in linear order a multi-capability device is probably what you need. There’s other ways… but nobody can really say anything useful because we don’t know how many gro-lights and what their watts are, etc.
 
How limited? and how much power do you need?
By limited I mean. I will do this in stages. 1. I will get quality components but I cant do it all at once. 2 Therefore I need a system that uses my main ac connected to ??? which connects to ???? until I can connect solar panel to charge controller (at this stage the Panels will supply current during the daylight then the main AC will take over. )Next I will add the batteries. I will be using 4 - 100 watt panels.
THANKS for answering I appreciate your patience with a newbee.
 
400w of panels is a pretty small array. I am not sure what your budget is, but I suggest an all in one for your setup.

LV2424 or similar charge controller
24v battery
Panels (I suggest 250w panels, don't mess around with 100w)

You can hook your AC in line to the controller and the AC out to critical loads with a small battery pack to start and basically it will be an emergency UPS powered by the grid. Once you have panels, you will charge from the panels when possible, but the grid the rest of the time. You can expand the LV2424 to 2000w of panels and at least 500ah of batteries (10kw). It's hard to recommend without knowing the power demand/use.
 
I am only wanting to power 3 lines. One is a constant 80 watts an hour. 1 is to power the shed with varying loads and 1 to power 2 computers intermittently and 3 routers and hubs all the time. Do you think a 400-watt solar array can handle that? I really dont want to go much past that.
THANKS fgor the reply
Bert
 
You really need to nail down the power you need per day as close as you can so you can get the correct batteries capacity and the correct panels and charger to be able to charge the batteries.
400W panels at 5 hours of charging will produce about 2KWhr/day (if everything is perfect), then when you factor in system loss and inverter efficiency you will have <2KWhr of usable power.
OP: "One is a constant 80 watts an hour" That will be 1920WHr/day already.
You will need more solar and good size batteries.
 
I am only wanting to power 3 lines. One is a constant 80 watts an hour. 1 is to power the shed with varying loads and 1 to power 2 computers intermittently and 3 routers and hubs all the time. Do you think a 400-watt solar array can handle that? I really dont want to go much past that.
THANKS fgor the reply
Bert
My guess is about 4-5kwh per day, but I assume if you lose grid, you are just going to run essentials (which will be nothing in the shed). This is what I have into my system which is good for about 7-8kwh when the sun is up and 6kwh of battery after that:

Source​
Device​
Cost​
QTY​
Total (incl Shipping)​
Santan Solar​
250w snail trail panel​
$49​
12​
$584​
Battery Clearing House​
LiFePO4 24v battery pack​
$425​
2​
$850​
Watts247​
Hybrid LV2424​
$669​
1​
$669​
Amazon​
TEMCo 100' Red and Black 12AWG wire​
$58​
1​
$58​
Amazon​
Crimpers & Connectors​
$25​
1​
$25​
Amazon​
Parallel wires and fuse​
$15​
1​
$15​
eBay​
Midnight Solar 15A breaker​
$21​
3​
$64​
eBay​
Midnight Solar MNPV6​
$90​
1​
$90​
Amazon​
Misc parts​
$73​
1​
$73​
Digi-key​
Misc parts​
$12​
1​
$12​
GexPro​
Racking​
$265​
1​
$265​
Amazon​
Misc parts​
$100​
1​
$100​
Total​
$2,804​

The batteries I have are no longer available, and similar are twice the price now, but there are other alternatives. I also have about $200 worth of stuff I probably didn't need mixed in there...
 
My guess is about 4-5kwh per day, but I assume if you lose grid, you are just going to run essentials (which will be nothing in the shed). This is what I have into my system which is good for about 7-8kwh when the sun is up and 6kwh of battery after that:

Source​
Device​
Cost​
QTY​
Total (incl Shipping)​
Santan Solar​
250w snail trail panel​
$49​
12​
$584​
Battery Clearing House​
LiFePO4 24v battery pack​
$425​
2​
$850​
Watts247​
Hybrid LV2424​
$669​
1​
$669​
Amazon​
TEMCo 100' Red and Black 12AWG wire​
$58​
1​
$58​
Amazon​
Crimpers & Connectors​
$25​
1​
$25​
Amazon​
Parallel wires and fuse​
$15​
1​
$15​
eBay​
Midnight Solar 15A breaker​
$21​
3​
$64​
eBay​
Midnight Solar MNPV6​
$90​
1​
$90​
Amazon​
Misc parts​
$73​
1​
$73​
Digi-key​
Misc parts​
$12​
1​
$12​
GexPro​
Racking​
$265​
1​
$265​
Amazon​
Misc parts​
$100​
1​
$100​
Total​
$2,804​

The batteries I have are no longer available, and similar are twice the price now, but there are other alternatives. I also have about $200 worth of stuff I probably didn't need mixed in there...
Thanks for the information. I really appreciate your time and detailed breakdown. Bert
 
What will you be running in the shed? That’s the first questions that need to be answered

Solar no batteries usually needs a not-so- “limited budget” -friendly inverter.

It may be less costly to at least have one battery/buffer to keep the whatever inverter/house switch strategy from having the flutters. Because without a large amount of panels the inverter could drop out periodically at random or even cyclical depending on loads and their variance.

I’m not typically a fan of combo units but to accomplish your plan in linear order a multi-capability device is probably what you need. There’s other ways… but nobody can really say anything useful because we don’t know how many gro-lights and what their watts are, etc.
Thanks for your reply and insights. Bert
 
What is your objective for the project?
* Learning experience – perfect small system.
* Backup power for grid down – perfect small system.
* Saving money – you will learn that grid electricity is cheap when you have to make it yourself.
* Saving the planet – research how batteries are made and your outlook may change.

Your mandatory first step is to buy a Kill A Watt and measure the actual power draw of what you want to run. Guessing is not an option.

For a truly limited budget, start small and make a hobby of finding 12V components. This eliminates the inverter which is expensive and require lots of panels and batteries. Attached is a pic of my starter system. The Belkin UPS is used for a regulated 12V to my cable modem, plus is a 3A charger. Mine was trash picked but can be sourced cheaply especially with a dead 7AH internal battery. Everything is powered by a sealed Harbor Freight 35AH battery that will last 1-3 days depending on load. I have LED strip lights and my external speakers wired direct to a battery, and USB ports to charge my mouse and phones. Even an old computer case fan that keeps me cool. Find a car charger for a laptop computer.

As your experience and funding grows then expand to power AC stuff.
 

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I am on a limited budget. The first thing I want to do is run house power to shed (then through a device?) that runs 2 other switchable circuits.
Next stage add panels to supply those 2 circuits until sun goes down then they will be powered by house electricity. Finally, add batteries and run those 2 circuits off grid until for some reason the panels or battery cant provide current and they will be powered by house electricity. Not sure exactly what the switches and controllers I need to get started. This Borg could use some help. THANKS to any who respond.
Just got done watching Wills easy set up. He is using a

48V 100AH LiFePower4 by EG4 and​

3kW Stackable 48V 150VDC 80A Off-Grid Inverter​

This seems like what I need but I am unsure what size and how many Panels I would need for a 3kW set up.
 
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