Solar power help!

I have some LiFePO4 batteries and I don't think I would recommend them for off grid.
If they are charged when the stack temperature is less than 20°F you can permanently damage capacity.
Then on top of that they suffer severe cold weather numbing.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if they get too hot using them will damage capacity and shorten their life.
So if you did go lithium you would have to keep them heated and cooled.
I'm sticking with lead acid.

 

LiFePO4 batteries have excellent thermal stability and I chose them because I wanted something safe I could keep indoors. They also have an amazing lifespan, the ones I bought are good for 3000 cycles and after that they still have 80% of their original capacity. You can also drag them down below 50% charge without fear of damaging them which gives you some flexibility if you do not have constant sun.

 

That's the other thing. I would never put them inside.

 

What about a cob hut above ground with 18inch walls, thinking of doing a root storage room this way, would that work for the batteries?

 

That should work.

 

Yes do get a kill-a-watt meter. It's pretty hard to screw one of them up.
I'm guessing you tube has how vids on how to use a multi functuon meter.

 

Ill let you guys know when I get more info. With the meter ill read all the stuff im using now and update here. Could be a week or so I hope Im moving soon!

 

the BAT phone lol so can i be Robin to your Batman?

 

I've fooled around with solar since a teenager. The problem as many folks have hinted at is that until you know your requirements plus a little energy to spare, you're liable to set yourself up for disappointment.

However, having said that, here is a set up that should be very useful...their video shows them using it as the power for a construction site. Given that it is mounted to a trailer, you could store your pilferable supplies in it, and lock it to a tree on site.

When my daughter got commissioned, I bought her one of these poly trailers (larger size, a Yuppie Wagon which also has potential, but isn't flat topped) to carry her meager possessions around...the things are darned near indestructible. I've always wanted to buy one of these trailers bare bones and build my own solar set ups and put my bug out gear in it. Seems to me to be a nearly perfect way to consolidate storage, esp if you have an indoor storage area to keep it out of the public eye.

SOLAR EQUIPMENT HOME PAGE

For my daughter's trailer, I coated the undercarriage, floor and all steel with liquid bedliner, installed some LED lights inside (and converted tail lights to LED's, but I think all are LED now), and installed some tie down rings inside to secure loads from shifting. Then when I got done, I thought "dang, this is nice enough to keep!" Nice gift, and it got her around while she was in flight school, for the first 3 yrs, and now makes a good personal effects trailer when she has military moves. (Guns, alcohol, high value stuff you don't send with commercial movers).

 

6 gauge wire from battery to inverter,eh? That's what I use from the panels to charge controllers and 0000 from the batteries to inverter.

Seems a bit light...

 

I think the trailer is the best way to set up solar .

 

Here's a question for some. I got my power bill today. $ 62. Just under 250 kilowatt hours. Is there a way to guesstimate what kind of setup I would need to support this ?? . 2nd question,,,,,does someone make 12 volt bulbs that have the standard size light socket threaded end , to use with standard house fixtures?

 

2.5 mega watt hours?
The you are using about 83 kwh per day.
To generate 83kwh per day you will need about 19kw of panels installed for a grid tied setup. For true off grid you would need more like 40kw of panels installed.
For grid tie, oh some where around $60,000. For true off grid you are talking more like double that and then some.

 

No, .25 MWh 250 kWh is .25 (1/4) of a MWh

Huge difference in what will be needed. Less than 10kWh/day.

 

Well , I sure as hell can't put 60 grand into a solar setup . Doing the math , if I paid a 100 bucks a month for power , it would take 50 years to pay of that 60 grand. I figure I might have 15 years left in me. I might just hook up a few more 12 volt lights and use them more to stick it to the man,, lol,,,
How much power does a power converter consume transferring 12 or 24 volts into 120 volts. Not sure if I'm thinking about this right or not ,

 

Okay, a normal summer time power bill is around usually 2,000kwh.
If you do actual 250kwh a month, during the summer which is very unusual then you actually could do off grid.