Solar panels for milk crate build.

[Lunk30]

Hi all complete newbie here. In researching generator options on youtube I came across Wills milk crate build. This is something that always interested me figured it would be a great project to do with my son. I just bought all the components and was looking for advice/clarification on what to get for solar? I purchased all the components from the video build :20 amp mppt controller and 12V 50Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 Battery.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Archetype-IS]

Hi all complete newbie here. In researching generator options on youtube I came across Wills milk crate build. This is something that always interested me figured it would be a great project to do with my son. I just bought all the components and was looking for advice/clarification on what to get for solar? I purchased all the components from the video build :20 amp mppt controller and 12V 50Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 Battery.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Any 100 to 200 watts panels are plenty to charge the 50ah battery if you have 4 to 5 hours of daily sun. More watts charge faster.

 

[MisterSandals]

12V 50Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 Battery.

Have you planned on using this for anything in particular?
12.8V x 50Ah = 640Wh

You could possibly run a fridge for 5 hours with an inverter. Or charge an iPhone a couple dozen times.

I just bought all the components and was looking for advice/clarification on what to get for solar?

Ready, fire, aim?

How much power do you expect to use (and therefore need to harvest) each day?

 

[Lunk30]

Have you planned on using this for anything in particular?
12.8V x 50Ah = 640Wh

You could possibly run a fridge for 5 hours with an inverter. Or charge an iPhone a couple dozen times.

Ready, fire, aim?

How much power do you expect to use (and therefore need to harvest) each

 

[Lunk30]

Have you planned on using this for anything in particular?
12.8V x 50Ah = 640Wh

You could possibly run a fridge for 5 hours with an inverter. Or charge an iPhone a couple dozen times.

Ready, fire, aim?

How much power do you expect to use (and therefore need to harvest) each day?

This won't be used daily. My son and his friends wanted to have a little power in thier tree house maybe run a tv. Also thought this would be a good experiment to get my feet wet. Hope to learn and do something bigger in the future.

 

[chrisski]

Any panels will do with a MPPT controller after you figure your power needs.

To charge a 25 ah battery bank in a milk crate system, I am aiming for 300 watts supplied by the panels, and am using Lion Energy 100 watt portable panels I already have. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lion-Ene...anel-Foldable-Portable-with-Handles/422072307. This crate has a lithium batteries set up in 24 volts, so they can take a bit more amperage than a lead acid battery.

I will need 6 panels to get a reliable 300 watts of energy when I have this set up on a sunny day. Here’s a pic of one string of these panels:


These 100 watt panels can get quite pricey. If I were to go to craigslist, I could get 600 watts of panels off Craigslist for the price of a single Lion Energy Panel. The link I posted is the cheapest portable 100 watt panel I’ve found for something new.

It all comes down to power requirements. The 300 watts continuous I mention is quite a bit. A TV may not take that much power. Three panels alone because of height of the sun and angle of the panels will not provide the 300 watts I’m looking for.