I appreciate your video, I would like to clarify that wiring in series does not "double" your voltage, it adds the voltage. In a system with two batteries, it would indeed be doubled, ie 9v + 9v = 18v = 9*2, if you had a system of three batteries wired in series (or more), the system would not double each time you added a battery, as in 9v*2*2 = 36, it would be added as in 9v+9v+9v = 27v. You understand what you are trying to say as reflected in your math, but some viewers may walk away from this video applying what their meaning of the word double implies. Therefore, this clarification is for those people rather than the content creator. Thank you for the content you provide.
2:40 You are actually using electricity directly from the solar panels and if some difference is needed is taken from the battery. Lead Acid are actually expensive compared to Lithium when used for energy storage . I also live offgrid and use about 2kWh/Day in average maybe a bit more in the summer just because there is more produced. I have 3x 240W solar panels as main solar panels and a small 300W wind turbine to help in winter and cloudy days so I only need a 100Ah 24V LiFePO4 battery that can be discharged down to 20% for a few thousand cycles so I can use as much as 2kWh from the battery from the total capacity of about 2.5kWh I usually use way less just because I use most of the energy during the day directly from the sun. If you have say 800W from the solar panels going to battery and you connect a 1000W load your battery will discharge at a rate of 200W the rest of 800W will come directly from the solar panels and in that way much cheaper. At 1$/Watt for solar panels and say just 25years life the kWh will cost just under 3cent/kWh depending on how much sun you have where you live. Battery on the other hand even the cheapest that is Lithium will cost around 20cent/kWh. I need to make a video soon explaining and demonstrating this. There is one problem and that is that you can not find a charge controller for Lithium so I designed my own and I will have soon on Kickstarter.
***** Is how they advertising but is nothing more than a modified Lead Acid charger there is no BMS it can not measure individual cells. Any programable Lead Acid charger can do the same as that genasun charge controller. It will not work with LiFePO4 batteries without additional BMS and even then not sure it will make sense. When the BMS will see a cell with over-voltage condition during charging will cut the power to the genasun charger not sure if it will like that. I have seen that genasun charger a few years ago and was extremely exited that I do not need to design my own but I was quickly disappointed.
As an electrician this is very well explained for the layman or builder who wants to set up a solar system. 1.oo per day =365.oo off your electric bill, over 10 years that = 3650.oo savings. Add a small wind generator and you have generation at night and on cloudy days with wind. This will complete the system nicely. If you live in a place where electricity is expensive, you will save even more, and quite possibly even double. The biggest thing for me is, my food is safe in the fridge when the power goes out for a hurricane, tropical storm, tornado, auto crashes into a pole, etc. A generator can be a pain to deal with, raw fuel, etc. and is noisy for those pesky neighbors. Keep up the good work Rekindling The Reformation !!
Wrong information there. I do agree with break even 25 years quite possible. People who know what they are doing here in the tropics are getting 10 years from their batteries, which is very good. Solar panels should still give good drive for 50 years, providing they do not get damaged. But Solar will not give you cheap electricity, only seriously good for off grid use, or as a back up to cover power failures, if that is important to you. @michael ryan
Solar Panels can easily do well over 50 years anywhere in the world, providing they do not get too damaged. I had one go through an oil flame fire, even some silicon bits missing and it still performed to better than 90% Another had its glass front shattered into a 1,000 tiny segments, and still performing close to specification. The biggest risk to short life for Solar Panels is damage. . So mount them properly and not under a tree that could fall on them. " is now sold its sold to idiots who cant do math or science who think it is somehow cheaper " Ah Yes. If Solar was cheaper than Grid, then the Grid people would be doing large scale Solar, cheaper than you could. But Solar is good for those too far from the Grid, just use gas, coal or wood for heating and cooking. @michael ryan
I think I've come back to this video at least 10 or 20 times in the past just to check and double check what I've done or was doing. great video one of the best and best in its class.
OFF GRID BUILD seriously Thank YOU. It's been adding value for over 3 years now. Like I said, I keep coming back to it for reference and refreshing regeneration when I want to calm back into a scientific calm approach after getting excited about another solar project. And even when I don't, it oddly, synchronistically pops up on my menu out of the blue. Maybe it's a weird glitch but it seems random and perfectly timed. And thanks for the nice response.
This is a good video with alot of valuable information, but I just wanted to append this chart about depth of discharge I found elsewhere, for anyone like me who may be interested. Basically, If you bring your batteries down to 30% daily, you will get about 3 years out of them. If you can size your battery bank larger, so that you are only using 10%, its more like 10 years. * 50% = 200 cycles * 40% = 500 cycles * 30% = 1000 cycles * 20% = 2000 cycles * 10% = 4000 cycles For anyone who is interested!
+Maxwell Myers I think that may be the case for standard car batteries, but for Deep Cycle its different, as noted by this image ( www.solar-electric.com/media/wysiwyg/cyclelife2.gif ) or this one ( bdbatteries.com/images/lifelinelifecycles.jpg ) which is used as a reference in Wikipedia article ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_cycle_battery#cite_note-2 ) on deep cycle batteries.
or, use the larger battery bank from day 1, which has two major benefits, (1) the battery bank lasts longer as you aren't discharging as much, (10-20% rather than 40-60% as an example), and (2) you have extra capacity available if it is required... eg if its raining overcast for a week or longer... and you arent getting enough sun to charge things back up.. :)
Why would you use power from the battery bank during the day. A/C Coupling works and is much cheaper all the DC inverter is providing is the reference hertz for the grid-tie inverter.
Thank you so much I've been trying figure out how exactly solar power panels work with the battery and you broke it down so well. Now all I need is a break down on how to exactly setup the wires from battery to battery with any ground wires if needed.
Exactly. Before installing solar panels, you need to watch this video first to fully understand the things you need to consider when using solar system.Thanks Offgridbuild.
I struggle every single second of the day trying to figure out what an ohm is let alone watt a what is (lol) :)) So, it is really refreshing to grasp a small amount of watt you just said!
I generally advise look at all the information available and your requirements. Then plan for at least 2 or 3 times as many Batteries as you think you will need. Make or allow sufficient space for more later. But then only install Half that many initially. You can always add more Batteries if you find it necessary, but starting small, reduces your outlay. And will also stretch out the Battery replacements over the years, rather than having to change them all at the same time. We normally work on the N+1 basis, that is always one extra string than required, makes testing and maintenance easier.
you're right about the loss. I have been meaning to revisit this video for a while now and edit a few details. I will get to it real soon. Thanks for the concern!
this is the first video that has explained in my view the best possible way to harness solar rays, bank them in batteries and use them in an appropriate manner to make your system go a long way and be the most efficient! thanks for this excellent video.
I pent £2000 on a off grid system in England. Work very well for 8 months of the year, Just trying to get this insta breeze crap turbine to work to help out in the winter. 2kilowatt panels facing east south and west to get sun all day. 1 kilowatt immersion heater. 6 88amp hour batterys. 3.5 kilowatt inverter.
L16 batteries are great. Got four Trojan's and am going with four more. I have 3.7KW in solar panels...so, doing well. One point I learned with solar is this: you need to take into account electricity use/charging during the sunlight hours. Doing both at the same time lengthens your charging cycles. This is why I advocate having more solar panels than you think you need and right sizing your battery bank to match your homes Kw/H needs. Just my 2 cents. Good video.
+DrgnFlys I've just read your comment now and minutes ago I was commenting above on a different post and I mentioned NiFe explicitly, cause they are largely unknown yet. Nice coincidence. The only problem with them is the price, but hopefully that will change in the near future and even today, though pricey, they really are the number one choice to be considered to power a house. Now if only solar panels lasted as long as them.. After 20 years most manufacturers report 15-20% drop in efficiency of the panels. It's pretty nasty, when your precious 5 kW solar array now delivers 4 kW. 10 more years and you dropped to something like 3 kW.
Cool...yep, so true. There are some interesting choices out there (AGM, lithium, NiFe, Tesla, traditional flooded, etc-etc). I guess it depends on how big one's wallet is for some of the better batteries. Thanks for these links!
Regarding batteries, there is one more viable option, for small budget setups. If one has at least some electrical skills, one could assemble a Li-Ion or LifePO4 bank. I was recently looking at this option and assuming a basic 12V bank, the cost would be roughly as follows: Headway 3.2V 15Ah cell is £20.50. Assuming 400W panels deliver 1 to 2 kWh a day, you'd want 60 to 120+Ah at 14.4V to store this. 4x4 cells is £328. A LiFePO4 capable charge controllers start at £55 on ebay, about £124 for a 420W model (handles 420W solar panel input up to 50V), up to 25A charge. BMS for these is £40 from headway, you could probably find cheaper. This bank should outlive a comparable lead-acid bank by far, although the price for usable amp-hour output is almost double too. Considerable weight savings obviously and little to no maintenance for a decade.
+TheRadiastral --- and... - Li batteries recharge much better than lead acid based ones - DOD on Li is 80% while lead acid is 50% - Li does much better on high loads! - Li of course need not be replaced as much - Li weight a ton LESS!!!! as in 1/2 the lead acid based(AGM, GelCELL, FLA,...) - Li 2000 to 4000 cycles, lead acid 400 to 1500 ...Li cost up front while lead acid cost is staggered over the years as they are replaced, but in the end I think they are basically equivalent! I don't know about this double price!?! as they last much longer!!! Tell me if I am wrong on that last point.
DormantIdeas NIQ That's essentially correct, although you might be underestimating lead-acid a bit. Really good ones last thousands of cycles (@ DoD 50%) as well, with very good amp output and will last a decade or two, but they are expensive too. Also, weight is a secondary concern in a house, luckily. But I'm amazed that Lithium batteries are so rarely used in cars and bikes, they would shed good bit of weight off, while giving much better amp-hour output.
I've been racking my brain trying to determine what battery bank to solar array ratio I would need... For whatever reason this video finally knocked some sense into me. Extremely helpful, thank you!
Best concise design explanation I have seen, I work around 600 industrial batteries and this is the easiest to understand I have heard including my formal battery training.
Very clear explanation, nice job! I will be using this information to help design and build my system for off grid living. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
As a semi-intelligent person, I can wrap my head around most concepts. But, even though I've re-wired houses and worked on welders that I've used over the decades (even took some DC electric and Electrical math classes for RE) I still have trouble with electrical formulas. Even the "water through a hose" example eludes me. I guess I'm a hands-on guy, and trying to label invisible, unhandleable things makes my head swim. You really helped me get a perspective on this subject that has eluded me up till now. Thanks very much. Just getting ready to undertake building an earth covered home and a solar/wind/genset system for it, and need all the help I can get in the how-to/knowledge department. Thank God for youtube and the people who post their experience there!
It doesn't "double" as you said multiple times, it adds. For instance 2v to 4v to 6v to 8v if you had four 2v batteries connected in series. Same with amphour capacity, it adds when connecting strings in parallel
informative video, it also reminds us that battery storage performance and its exhorbitant costs have a long way to go..its the biggest set back to storing sun energy for later use.. battery technology haven't changed much in 200 years!!
if only we could dig a deep hole in the ground and install our own lead and zinc thick plates in series connections of high quality copper wires and make our own deep cycle batteries to the superb order of thousands of amp hours!!
I am learning about solar/wind. I just bought two Xantrex 3000W/ 24Volt pure true sine wave inverters. I have not yet bought batterys, solar panels, wind turbines or charge controllers. I have watched more youtube videos about this subject that I can count. This video is the BEST ONE YET! THANK YOU! I hope you have more videos like this one. I just clicked the subscribe button and, now I'm going look for other videos that I hope you have here on youtube.
Just wanted to say thank you for making this video. It's surprising how hard it is to find this kind of information in an easily consumed form. It was nice to come home from work and be able to learn something I'm interested in with out feeling like i'm doing homework. There seems to be quite a few videos where people tell you how they did it but they rarely give the information covering the framework of how they decided on what they would do. And in many cases as eluded to in this video it seems they don't actually understand what they are doing themselves until it is built and they have used it for a while. But then i find that they rarely put any information up after they understand it. The sizing panels to producing approx 30% of total stored power, and usage/battery life guidelines were particularly helpful for me. Thank you
Great work Dan; Finallly someone I can understand... What a way to break it down... I plan on build my own off the grid solar powered system for my work shop and eventually do a grid tie with my home. Now I just need a boost on what I need to buy and where to get it. Again, well done and thanks.
I've watched several dozen solar videos. This video by far has given me a lot of great information about how amp hours on batteries relate to how much practical energy you can get out of them. I will have to reference this video in the future when I build my system. I am hoping to build a 1 KW system in my yard, but now I will be better prepared at buying better batteries now after seeing this. Thanks for making this video.
Honestly, just my computer uses about 3 KWh per day. With my graphics cards setup and my CPU, while I'm playing it draws about 800W every hour, Kudos to you though. I would LOVE to switch to solar, but it's like with cars - until they have a 500 mile range and can recharge in 5 minutes, I will reluctantly choose utility over environmental protection.
QuantumBraced The point is this is free energy, i understand being skeptical but it will pay for itself eventually. You could backfeed the power to whoever your power company is and literally be making money from them. Not to mention you get several incentives from the government for doing this as well. I was skeptical as well but not anymore. I just wish i would have done it sooner.
+QuantumBraced Right.. so the computer uses 3kWh. Obviously, you like extreme gaming. Well, let's add other appliances you have. How many kWh have you got working on everyday basis IN TOTAL? 5? 7? Let's say it's 8 kWh/day, which is 6 times what I'm using, just for the record. So.. just size up your batteries to support 8kWh/day (any decent 48V battery bank can do this, ask any off-grid house owner) and size your panels, so they can charge them full within a typical day. The investment will pay for itself after about 5-9 years, depending on your initial cost, which may vary greatly (discounts vs rip-offs). After that, it's free electricity, no bills. Of course, if someone invests in a medium-large domestic installation, like the one in this example, one would want to get batteries, that do not deteriorate in 5-9 years, so Iron-nickel batteries would be preferred, so you wouldn't have to replace ANYTHING in the system for like 25 years, which is entirely doable. So you see, your lack of "believe" in solar, comes probably simply from not knowing what's out there, what's actually doable and how much it costs. Or is it?
+TheRadiastral : It's "...lack of belief... not lack of believe". Just saying. In any event many thanks for the info. I just wish someone would post the real and full costs involved switching to solar. Forgive the grammar corrections - am a nerd when it comes to that :)
very good video,I am just now getting my batteries hooked up, 16 /6 volt crown batteries. I am just setting a system up for grid charged backup right now, I will get panels later. I don't know if my experience is common but I have had a major problem with suppliers and getting components in a timely manner and in one piece, like the inverter, a magnum inverter. The magnum has a thin aluminum frame that breaks very easily, mine did in shipping. the box was fine, it weighs so much it snapped the mounting ears off of the frame. After a nightmarish period of time I got a schneider 2460, shell frame and a very nice piece of equipment, I hope it works as well as it is built. From my experience I would recommend you have plenty of lead time on setting your system up, just don't wait to the last minute and think your system will arrive in one piece or in working order. Great, great video, thank you.
Of all the videos available on this topic, yours has been the most understandable. I learned more from your video than any of the others I have viewed. I still have much to learn, but I have a renewed sense of confidence after having viewed your video. Thank You.
finally an explanation that's simple and straightforward....I'm in saudi arabia where the sun shines 365 days of the year...im going off the grid inshaallah.
Well done, you cannot go on about this too much, as well as the value of a good backup charger for those weeks of mist and drizzle. I go on about this balance to some considerable length in my book. It is not possible to take out more than you generate, whilst allowing for losses in the system, and keeping your batteries in good condition by preventing over discharge. Thanks for making sure the point gets over.
So many professionals and so many opinion's and I am one confused idiot. If you guys could agree on something and explain it in simple terms, that would help. Instead of picking apart things and gripping. Use that energy to explain and show us what you got in mind. Then the next person can add to it or show another approach or something. The more we help each other the better we all will be.
You're 100%, once you get to that float stage energy is just not being utilized and u can flex your charge capability if you have good sun and efficiency on the panels. Another important factor as is true with most electrical devices KEEP THEM COOL! No direct sunlight, preferably cool dry air to prevent corrosion and this will also make your devices last longer.
I run most of my lights off dc and my water pumps are DC. That's it. Honestly, I rather put my money in my solar system and inverter and run more A/C. DC appliances and bulbs are expensive and relatively hard to come by.
Thank you! Cause ice been in a rabbit hole for a while now on this. Your video just summed up what I would need, cause if you're powering a home with that little of batteries and those panels, then for my shed with a mini fridge, TV and a window ac unit I should be fine with let's say 3 200w panels and 4 12v batteries
so you're suggesting to draw ac straight from a microinverter running from the solar modules and wind turbine? if so, how could you guarantee steady power?
Great video. I have a garden shed that I have being run on solar. I have about half the solar capacity, and about 1/3rd the battery capacity, however I'm not there everyday, and I don't live there. Small refridgerator, and my wireless stay running all the time, and even on a mostly cloudy day, my batteries seem to get back to 90%+. I'm going to be doing a video on this soon.
Omg I understand what your saying dude , I have watched 43 videos on the same thing but you actually hit it in the nail , thank you!! I'm favoriting this and adding this to my tiny home build playlist when I make it
If you use less energy then your solar system is using, and you more than top off your batteries, is't the excess power lost? I mean you use 3,5 kilowatts daily, and you produce 5 kilowatts, and your batteries top off when you replace that 3.5. Isn't 1,5 watts lost daily. couldn't you just add another set of batteries, and slowly top off them when your original set become full?
He said that he has sized his solar system to make up for the 5000watts that he uses (30% of that 16.8kWh); during the peak hours, which he said was about 5 hours. He calculated that he produces 3.2kWh during those peak times of sun(Peak solar radiation occurs at solar noon). During the non peak hours, before and after, he produces the rest he needs to top off the rest. Peak sun is different from total sunny day which is seasonal too; however, with that being said, you need to produce more than what you typically use. Additionally, he never discussed cloudy days; you always calculate the amount of sunny days too (Days of autonomy).
awesome video. really explains how simple it is. some of this off grid science can be really intimidating if you have no exposure to it growing up. but the more i learn the more i realize none of it is really rocket science, its just learning step by step. thanks a lot for all your videos!!
You also might want to account for rainy days. If it rains for 3 days straight. You'd be without power from that system for about 2 days. So if heavily depending on your solar system...triple or quadruple that.
Your video is the best explanation on this subject hands down ! If you were a ebay seller I would say A+ GREAT COMMUNICATION AS DESCRIBED ,DON'T HESITATE .
Wick3DPimP thing is, its not a matter of "just stay on the grid" he mentioned building an earthship house, which means hes in the middle of nowhere, and the design of the house reduces the need for temperature control. and lots of natural light use. there are also a lot of low power alternatives to a lot of things. its really not as big an adjustment as you think. you also priced it at $15, but forgot the "delivery" charge they bill you for each month. Earthship houses are actually cheaper in both construction and maintenance. also you are forgetting the whole rv and boating thing.
Include a Generator in the power mix, and you can build with less Batteries and less Solar Panels, and at the same time, have the ability to supply high power when necessary, say for power tools etc. You can also run a generator once or twice a day to power large Fridges and Freezers, which may be to large for a reasonable cost Solar System.
I'm using a Nedap Powerrouter. That invertor makes it possible to use direct power from the solar panels without using the batteries. Even without batteries, on a sunny day I can let my home running on direct sunlight.
One of the best videos I have watched on the internet. Wish you would have showed us your panels, your charge controller working etc...etc...but then again, I have not watched your other videos yet....tks Don't listen to the nay sayer's...many could make a video an inform yet keep it to them selves.....thanks for sharing.
I had 12 optima blue top agm batteries and they didn't do crap lol but I switched to 8 6 volt deep cycle golf carts and there expensive but soooo much more \power at 12 volt thow screw 24
umm Jennifer 6 volt batteries are all true deep cycle for solar or for golf cart 2 of those 6 volt demolishes my 300 doller optima blu top 12 v just saying and theres more then just 4 theres 8 6 volt
My knowledge of electricity poor. Your video has cleared many of my doubts. I have two 6 V(VOC), 0.6 Amp, 3.3 Watt solar panel which at series shouldl give 12 V, 0.6Amp current. I will put one step up boost converter to ensure 12 V supply. I have purchased one 12V (UPS), 7 Amp. solar chargeable battery. I wish to buy one 12 V, 10 Amp. solar charge controller. I understand it will take 7/.6=12 hours to charge the battery and 10Amp. charge controller will not make any harm to my battery as the solar charger only give 0.6 Amp. current. Am I correct?
Nice video with important information ...and you have a good camera presence. Many people seem to make their biggest mistake in not figuring out what they need. Spent our first solar video (series: Star Lite Wars) talking about the needs assessment, before getting into the build. We used new fork lift batteries - they have an incredible power to cost ratio. Ours are 2500 lbs providing over 40 kW - and great longevity; people might want to consider them.
Most mix up kilowatts and kilowatthours, same with ampere and aperehours, but you did a very good job explain that :) . To others i may clearify: Power is measured in watts. Energy is measured in Watthours. Ex. a bulb rated Power of 60W lit 10 hours consume 600Wh of energy =0.6kWh. Resistance*Amperes=Volts Volts*Amperes=Watts Watts*hours =Wh. 1000=kilo 0.001=milli
hey man, a little correction here, it's 33.6 kw not 16.8. here's the math 12v x 350a = 4200w. 4200w x 8 = 33.6 kw and that's not even taken in to factor of the efficiency of the inverter
Did you know? there are government programs that will pay up to 20% of the total cost of solar panels for your house as long as you have it installed by a professional.
dalriada842 I'd rather be paying for your photovoltaic system than your your INABILITY TO PROVIDE YOUR OWN HEALTH INSURANCE /endrant. Don't worry, the government is in control.
Chris Gage I don't think people should be forced to pay for other people's health insurance either. I live in the UK, where everyone is forced to pay for the obese National Health Service! The government only thinks it's in control of things. It's like saying you're in control when having a car crash!
KFLY67 They have that here BUT the power company offers way less (like 1%) on your bill. I just disconnected mine from the GTI and now I'm hording power for myself, it was not worth selling back when I can use it locally in my home, Now my power bill is greatly reduced (under $30 a month lol) and I have backup power to spare in case of a power failure..
Good observation. The hippies of the sixties who spoke about the benefits of spiritual awakening and being at one with nature, are now taking about going solar power and wind turbines in the present version.
Some questions/ideas: Is your house designed to use off-grid appliances? If so consider this (I do some electrical engineering): What is the efficiency of my DC-AC-converter? Top notch gear runs at up to 98% efficiency. Transformers are using some energy, too! Lamps and some other appliances do not need exactly 120V (or 230V here in Germany). Some even have a transformer down to 24V or 12V included. You could run them directly on the correct voltage (please add a fuse, those batteries can be very dangerous if you short them). If you have some experience in working with electronics check what your fridge needs maybe you can modify it to run on 24V, too. If you want to light something you might want to use LEDs instead. You are using lead acid batteries. Have you considered using absorbed glass-mat lead batteries? They are maintenance free regarding checking the acid level. Important: To ensure a long life of the batteries you should not only size your batteries according to your appliances but also size it according to your power source. To treat your batteries with care you should not exceed loading currents of more than 1/10 C. That means you should put in more than 75A. This is (75A x 24V) 1800W. So this is not a bottleneck but you should keep that in your mind. Batteries may also heat up a little when being used. Especially if you drain quite some power over a period of time. Make sure they are kept in a place where heat can escape. After all: Good video! :) Disclaimer: Try out these ideas only if you know what you are doing! :) PS: Ohm's law is referring to the current running through a resistor at a certain voltage, not to Energy.
I think the Large Hadron Collider also pulls power from the solar system when it creates those damn rips in space-time. Thanks for the information, tis very helpful when calculating cost as well.
Very nice explanation of power usage, and replenishing battery capacity. Most people talk about the amperage usage, but for me the wattage was easier for me to relate to. Thanks.!
Thanks for this info. Worked at a place when the Power company's power is off although the roof is fully covered with panels. There is no battery added to this system. Now I understands why.
I appreciate your video, I would like to clarify that wiring in series does not "double" your voltage, it adds the voltage.
In a system with two batteries, it would indeed be doubled, ie 9v + 9v = 18v = 9*2, if you had a system of three batteries wired in series (or more), the system would not double each time you added a battery, as in 9v*2*2 = 36, it would be added as in 9v+9v+9v = 27v.
You understand what you are trying to say as reflected in your math, but some viewers may walk away from this video applying what their meaning of the word double implies. Therefore, this clarification is for those people rather than the content creator.
Thank you for the content you provide.
Thank you for this explanation.
2:40 You are actually using electricity directly from the solar panels and if some difference is needed is taken from the battery.
Lead Acid are actually expensive compared to Lithium when used for energy storage .
I also live offgrid and use about 2kWh/Day in average maybe a bit more in the summer just because there is more produced.
I have 3x 240W solar panels as main solar panels and a small 300W wind turbine to help in winter and cloudy days so I only need a 100Ah 24V LiFePO4 battery that can be discharged down to 20% for a few thousand cycles so I can use as much as 2kWh from the battery from the total capacity of about 2.5kWh
I usually use way less just because I use most of the energy during the day directly from the sun.
If you have say 800W from the solar panels going to battery and you connect a 1000W load your battery will discharge at a rate of 200W the rest of 800W will come directly from the solar panels and in that way much cheaper.
At 1$/Watt for solar panels and say just 25years life the kWh will cost just under 3cent/kWh depending on how much sun you have where you live.
Battery on the other hand even the cheapest that is Lithium will cost around 20cent/kWh.
I need to make a video soon explaining and demonstrating this.
There is one problem and that is that you can not find a charge controller for Lithium so I designed my own and I will have soon on Kickstarter.
Actually Genasun makes a charge controller for LiFePO4 genasun.com/
*****
Is how they advertising but is nothing more than a modified Lead Acid charger there is no BMS it can not measure individual cells.
Any programable Lead Acid charger can do the same as that genasun charge controller.
It will not work with LiFePO4 batteries without additional BMS and even then not sure it will make sense. When the BMS will see a cell with over-voltage condition during charging will cut the power to the genasun charger not sure if it will like that.
I have seen that genasun charger a few years ago and was extremely exited that I do not need to design my own but I was quickly disappointed.
As an electrician this is very well explained for the layman or builder who wants to set up a solar system. 1.oo per day =365.oo off your electric bill, over 10 years that = 3650.oo savings. Add a small wind generator and you have generation at night and on cloudy days with wind. This will complete the system nicely. If you live in a place where electricity is expensive, you will save even more, and quite possibly even double. The biggest thing for me is, my food is safe in the fridge when the power goes out for a hurricane, tropical storm, tornado, auto crashes into a pole, etc. A generator can be a pain to deal with, raw fuel, etc. and is noisy for those pesky neighbors.
Keep up the good work Rekindling The Reformation !!
cheers
thanks for the feedback
Ha.! Dietrich, The wind here dies as the sun sets. :-(
Wrong information there. I do agree with break even 25 years quite possible. People who know what they are doing here in the tropics are getting 10 years from their batteries, which is very good. Solar panels should still give good drive for 50 years, providing they do not get damaged. But Solar will not give you cheap electricity, only seriously good for off grid use, or as a back up to cover power failures, if that is important to you. @michael ryan
Solar Panels can easily do well over 50 years anywhere in the world, providing they do not get too damaged. I had one go through an oil flame fire, even some silicon bits missing and it still performed to better than 90% Another had its glass front shattered into a 1,000 tiny segments, and still performing close to specification. The biggest risk to short life for Solar Panels is damage. . So mount them properly and not under a tree that could fall on them. " is now sold its sold to idiots who cant do math or science who think it is somehow cheaper " Ah Yes. If Solar was cheaper than Grid, then the Grid people would be doing large scale Solar, cheaper than you could. But Solar is good for those too far from the Grid, just use gas, coal or wood for heating and cooking. @michael ryan
Man I like the way that you explain this, I get a good understanding of how this all works.
This video clears up an awful lot of uncertainty. Thank you.
Great share on this
There is a professional wind and solar green energy guide on *www.SolarDiy.org* with additional tips like this.
The first and only time I have ever had this explained in depth. Thank you for making this video.
I think I've come back to this video at least 10 or 20 times in the past just to check and double check what I've done or was doing. great video one of the best and best in its class.
+Mr. Wow, glad it added value to you. Tha ks for the feedback
OFF GRID BUILD seriously Thank YOU. It's been adding value for over 3 years now. Like I said, I keep coming back to it for reference and refreshing regeneration when I want to calm back into a scientific calm approach after getting excited about another solar project. And even when I don't, it oddly, synchronistically pops up on my menu out of the blue. Maybe it's a weird glitch but it seems random and perfectly timed. And thanks for the nice response.
+Mr. Hope we can make some more videos like thst in the future on other topics
That would be amazing.
This is a good video with alot of valuable information, but I just wanted to append this chart about depth of discharge I found elsewhere, for anyone like me who may be interested.
Basically, If you bring your batteries down to 30% daily, you will get about 3 years out of them. If you can size your battery bank larger, so that you are only using 10%, its more like 10 years.
* 50% = 200 cycles
* 40% = 500 cycles
* 30% = 1000 cycles
* 20% = 2000 cycles
* 10% = 4000 cycles
For anyone who is interested!
+Maxwell Myers I think that may be the case for standard car batteries, but for Deep Cycle its different, as noted by this image ( www.solar-electric.com/media/wysiwyg/cyclelife2.gif ) or this one ( bdbatteries.com/images/lifelinelifecycles.jpg ) which is used as a reference in Wikipedia article ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_cycle_battery#cite_note-2 ) on deep cycle batteries.
won't i need 3 times the battery for that to happen. might as well change to new batteries every 3 years.
or, use the larger battery bank from day 1, which has two major benefits, (1) the battery bank lasts longer as you aren't discharging as much, (10-20% rather than 40-60% as an example), and (2) you have extra capacity available if it is required... eg if its raining overcast for a week or longer... and you arent getting enough sun to charge things back up.. :)
Why would you use power from the battery bank during the day. A/C Coupling works and is much cheaper all the DC inverter is providing is the reference hertz for the grid-tie inverter.
Thank you so much I've been trying figure out how exactly solar power panels work with the battery and you broke it down so well. Now all I need is a break down on how to exactly setup the wires from battery to battery with any ground wires if needed.
Exactly. Before installing solar panels, you need to watch this video first to fully understand the things you need to consider when using solar system.Thanks Offgridbuild.
I struggle every single second of the day trying to figure out what an ohm is let alone watt a what is (lol) :)) So, it is really refreshing to grasp a small amount of watt you just said!
What is Lol?
I generally advise look at all the information available and your requirements. Then plan for at least 2 or 3 times as many Batteries as you think you will need. Make or allow sufficient space for more later. But then only install Half that many initially. You can always add more Batteries if you find it necessary, but starting small, reduces your outlay. And will also stretch out the Battery replacements over the years, rather than having to change them all at the same time. We normally work on the N+1 basis, that is always one extra string than required, makes testing and maintenance easier.
you're right about the loss. I have been meaning to revisit this video for a while now and edit a few details. I will get to it real soon. Thanks for the concern!
this is the first video that has explained in my view the best possible way to harness solar rays, bank them in batteries and use them in an appropriate manner to make your system go a long way and be the most efficient! thanks for this excellent video.
+Ricardo Garcia Chavarria thanks for the kind words!
dude you just debunked the need for 40k system with about a 10min video. Thanks for taking the time to share this knowledge!
He does not live in a typical house !
I pent £2000 on a off grid system in England. Work very well for 8 months of the year, Just trying to get this insta breeze crap turbine to work to help out in the winter. 2kilowatt panels facing east south and west to get sun all day. 1 kilowatt immersion heater. 6 88amp hour batterys. 3.5 kilowatt inverter.
L16 batteries are great. Got four Trojan's and am going with four more. I have 3.7KW in solar panels...so, doing well. One point I learned with solar is this: you need to take into account electricity use/charging during the sunlight hours. Doing both at the same time lengthens your charging cycles. This is why I advocate having more solar panels than you think you need and right sizing your battery bank to match your homes Kw/H needs. Just my 2 cents. Good video.
+DrgnFlys I've just read your comment now and minutes ago I was commenting above on a different post and I mentioned NiFe explicitly, cause they are largely unknown yet. Nice coincidence. The only problem with them is the price, but hopefully that will change in the near future and even today, though pricey, they really are the number one choice to be considered to power a house. Now if only solar panels lasted as long as them.. After 20 years most manufacturers report 15-20% drop in efficiency of the panels. It's pretty nasty, when your precious 5 kW solar array now delivers 4 kW. 10 more years and you dropped to something like 3 kW.
Cool...yep, so true. There are some interesting choices out there (AGM, lithium, NiFe, Tesla, traditional flooded, etc-etc). I guess it depends on how big one's wallet is for some of the better batteries. Thanks for these links!
Regarding batteries, there is one more viable option, for small budget setups. If one has at least some electrical skills, one could assemble a Li-Ion or LifePO4 bank. I was recently looking at this option and assuming a basic 12V bank, the cost would be roughly as follows:
Headway 3.2V 15Ah cell is £20.50.
Assuming 400W panels deliver 1 to 2 kWh a day, you'd want 60 to 120+Ah at 14.4V to store this. 4x4 cells is £328.
A LiFePO4 capable charge controllers start at £55 on ebay, about £124 for a 420W model (handles 420W solar panel input up to 50V), up to 25A charge.
BMS for these is £40 from headway, you could probably find cheaper.
This bank should outlive a comparable lead-acid bank by far, although the price for usable amp-hour output is almost double too. Considerable weight savings obviously and little to no maintenance for a decade.
+TheRadiastral --- and...
- Li batteries recharge much better than lead acid based ones
- DOD on Li is 80% while lead acid is 50%
- Li does much better on high loads!
- Li of course need not be replaced as much
- Li weight a ton LESS!!!! as in 1/2 the lead acid based(AGM, GelCELL, FLA,...)
- Li 2000 to 4000 cycles, lead acid 400 to 1500
...Li cost up front while lead acid cost is staggered over the years as they are replaced, but in the end I think they are basically equivalent!
I don't know about this double price!?! as they last much longer!!!
Tell me if I am wrong on that last point.
DormantIdeas NIQ That's essentially correct, although you might be underestimating lead-acid a bit. Really good ones last thousands of cycles (@ DoD 50%) as well, with very good amp output and will last a decade or two, but they are expensive too. Also, weight is a secondary concern in a house, luckily. But I'm amazed that Lithium batteries are so rarely used in cars and bikes, they would shed good bit of weight off, while giving much better amp-hour output.
I've been racking my brain trying to determine what battery bank to solar array ratio I would need... For whatever reason this video finally knocked some sense into me. Extremely helpful, thank you!
Man, that's the kind of plain speak I can get behind. Subscribed, and thanks!
+Weston Ferguson woohoo thanks weston!
Best concise design explanation I have seen, I work around 600 industrial batteries and this is the easiest to understand I have heard including my formal battery training.
Very clear explanation, nice job! I will be using this information to help design and build my system for off grid living. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
As a semi-intelligent person, I can wrap my head around most concepts. But, even though I've re-wired houses and worked on welders that I've used over the decades (even took some DC electric and Electrical math classes for RE) I still have trouble with electrical formulas. Even the "water through a hose" example eludes me. I guess I'm a hands-on guy, and trying to label invisible, unhandleable things makes my head swim. You really helped me get a perspective on this subject that has eluded me up till now. Thanks very much. Just getting ready to undertake building an earth covered home and a solar/wind/genset system for it, and need all the help I can get in the how-to/knowledge department. Thank God for youtube and the people who post their experience there!
It doesn't "double" as you said multiple times, it adds. For instance 2v to 4v to 6v to 8v if you had four 2v batteries connected in series. Same with amphour capacity, it adds when connecting strings in parallel
Just bought a solar kit. and your video explained the system exceptionally well. Thank you.
informative video, it also reminds us that battery storage performance and its exhorbitant costs have a long way to go..its the biggest set back to storing sun energy for later use.. battery technology haven't changed much in 200 years!!
if only we could dig a deep hole in the ground and install our own lead and zinc thick plates in series connections of high quality copper wires and make our own deep cycle batteries to the superb order of thousands of amp hours!!
I am learning about solar/wind. I just bought two Xantrex 3000W/ 24Volt pure true sine wave inverters. I have not yet bought batterys, solar panels, wind turbines or charge controllers. I have watched more youtube videos about this subject that I can count. This video is the BEST ONE YET! THANK YOU! I hope you have more videos like this one. I just clicked the subscribe button and, now I'm going look for other videos that I hope you have here on youtube.
FINALLY some numbers presented in a logical manner.
appreciate it
Just wanted to say thank you for making this video. It's surprising how hard it is to find this kind of information in an easily consumed form. It was nice to come home from work and be able to learn something I'm interested in with out feeling like i'm doing homework. There seems to be quite a few videos where people tell you how they did it but they rarely give the information covering the framework of how they decided on what they would do. And in many cases as eluded to in this video it seems they don't actually understand what they are doing themselves until it is built and they have used it for a while. But then i find that they rarely put any information up after they understand it. The sizing panels to producing approx 30% of total stored power, and usage/battery life guidelines were particularly helpful for me. Thank you
Thank you for explaining in detail. It's hard to find information that is this informative on understanding solar. God bless and Peace!!!
Great work Dan; Finallly someone I can understand... What a way to break it down... I plan on build my own off the grid solar powered system for my work shop and eventually do a grid tie with my home. Now I just need a boost on what I need to buy and where to get it. Again, well done and thanks.
I've watched several dozen solar videos. This video by far has given me a lot of great information about how amp hours on batteries relate to how much practical energy you can get out of them. I will have to reference this video in the future when I build my system. I am hoping to build a 1 KW system in my yard, but now I will be better prepared at buying better batteries now after seeing this. Thanks for making this video.
Great job of giving a basic solid explanation of sizing your batteries for the loads you want to power. Very helpful!
Honestly, just my computer uses about 3 KWh per day. With my graphics cards setup and my CPU, while I'm playing it draws about 800W every hour, Kudos to you though. I would LOVE to switch to solar, but it's like with cars - until they have a 500 mile range and can recharge in 5 minutes, I will reluctantly choose utility over environmental protection.
QuantumBraced The point is this is free energy, i understand being skeptical but it will pay for itself eventually. You could backfeed the power to whoever your power company is and literally be making money from them. Not to mention you get several incentives from the government for doing this as well. I was skeptical as well but not anymore. I just wish i would have done it sooner.
+QuantumBraced Right.. so the computer uses 3kWh. Obviously, you like extreme gaming. Well, let's add other appliances you have. How many kWh have you got working on everyday basis IN TOTAL? 5? 7? Let's say it's 8 kWh/day, which is 6 times what I'm using, just for the record. So.. just size up your batteries to support 8kWh/day (any decent 48V battery bank can do this, ask any off-grid house owner) and size your panels, so they can charge them full within a typical day. The investment will pay for itself after about 5-9 years, depending on your initial cost, which may vary greatly (discounts vs rip-offs). After that, it's free electricity, no bills. Of course, if someone invests in a medium-large domestic installation, like the one in this example, one would want to get batteries, that do not deteriorate in 5-9 years, so Iron-nickel batteries would be preferred, so you wouldn't have to replace ANYTHING in the system for like 25 years, which is entirely doable. So you see, your lack of "believe" in solar, comes probably simply from not knowing what's out there, what's actually doable and how much it costs. Or is it?
+TheRadiastral
: It's "...lack of belief... not lack of believe". Just saying. In any event many thanks for the info. I just wish someone would post the real and full costs involved switching to solar. Forgive the grammar corrections - am a nerd when it comes to that :)
+Didi M No offence taken, will surely remember the correct spelling now, especially since it's such a basic mistake.
+QuantumBraced My 08 Prius has 500 mile range, and it takes about 5 minutes to refill.
You got the formula right...just misspoke on the Law.
Ohm's Law is V=I*R
Watt's Law is W=I*V
Thanks for the video...good information.
Thanks for taking the time to explain this stuff to us new to solar!
One of the best videos on this subject, but I will watch this several times
Dan you the MAN
Nicely done! As a beginner, I appreciate learning the basics and understanding the average usage. Thank you.
very good video,I am just now getting my batteries hooked up, 16 /6 volt crown batteries.
I am just setting a system up for grid charged backup right now, I will get panels later.
I don't know if my experience is common but I have had a major problem with suppliers and getting components in a timely manner and in one piece, like the inverter, a magnum inverter.
The magnum has a thin aluminum frame that breaks very easily, mine did in shipping.
the box was fine, it weighs so much it snapped the mounting ears off of the frame.
After a nightmarish period of time I got a schneider 2460, shell frame and a very nice piece of equipment, I hope it works as well as it is built.
From my experience I would recommend you have plenty of lead time on setting your system up, just don't wait to the last minute and think your system will arrive in one piece or in working order.
Great, great video, thank you.
Brother - you are a smart man - I appreciate all of the detail and learned a lot from it. Thanks.
Of all the videos available on this topic, yours has been the most understandable. I learned more from your video than any of the others I have viewed. I still have much to learn, but I have a renewed sense of confidence after having viewed your video. Thank You.
+Ken Heltzel music to our ears!
Thanks man, I finally understand. Been looking for this info for forever!
finally an explanation that's simple and straightforward....I'm in saudi arabia where the sun shines 365 days of the year...im going off the grid inshaallah.
As salamu alaykum. And good luck.
+OFF GRID BUILD wa alaykum salam....wow are u muslim?
+OFF GRID BUILD and if so where are u located...I might want to visit your location to learn more.
not muslim, just friendly
here is the location, in Taos, New Mexico: www.airbnb.com/rooms/1762491
Great man. Very well explained for beginners like me. Thanks again
Well done, you cannot go on about this too much, as well as the value of a good backup charger for those weeks of mist and drizzle. I go on about this balance to some considerable length in my book. It is not possible to take out more than you generate, whilst allowing for losses in the system, and keeping your batteries in good condition by preventing over discharge. Thanks for making sure the point gets over.
Thanks man! Exactly what I needed!
Wow! I have been trying to learn how big a system I need all month and this video made me understand exactly how big I need in 10 mins. Thank you!
Did it work for you
Those are standard vent caps that are designed to be on the battery when equalizing
Finally ! Someone who explained how solar systems work . I would like a video explaining devices that change the the voltage to 120/240 VAC.
Nice Job.
So many professionals and so many opinion's and I am one confused idiot. If you guys could agree on something and explain it in simple terms, that would help. Instead of picking apart things and gripping. Use that energy to explain and show us what you got in mind. Then the next person can add to it or show another approach or something. The more we help each other the better we all will be.
check out Missouri Wind and Solar they have great vids for some one starting out.
Great video! SO hard to find videos that are so concise , and don't flood the viewer with everything they did for their own personal use
Great rule of thumb to go by.
This is brilliant! You are the first person who ever explained this in a way that I could finally understand. Thank you so much!
I use electricity directly from my panels. After battery charging, current is shunted through a DC relay to my Water heater.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, sounds great! make vid please
and then let me know
You're 100%, once you get to that float stage energy is just not being utilized and u can flex your charge capability if you have good sun and efficiency on the panels. Another important factor as is true with most electrical devices KEEP THEM COOL! No direct sunlight, preferably cool dry air to prevent corrosion and this will also make your devices last longer.
Very educational Dan! Thanks for making the vid. How much was your complete setup?
Best explanation on the requirements for setting up a solar power system.
I run most of my lights off dc and my water pumps are DC. That's it. Honestly, I rather put my money in my solar system and inverter and run more A/C. DC appliances and bulbs are expensive and relatively hard to come by.
Looking forward to Ensemble by Enphase ...
Really appreciate the way you have explained the depth of discharge of the battery bank. Excellent work thank you
how much would a system like this cost?
Your explanation has peaked my interest in investing in a supplemental energy supply system. Many thanks.
I thoughts this was for the solar system like the planets...i was like, "o now i can size my model perfectly"...but sadly that wasnt the case
Thank you! Cause ice been in a rabbit hole for a while now on this. Your video just summed up what I would need, cause if you're powering a home with that little of batteries and those panels, then for my shed with a mini fridge, TV and a window ac unit I should be fine with let's say 3 200w panels and 4 12v batteries
so you're suggesting to draw ac straight from a microinverter running from the solar modules and wind turbine? if so, how could you guarantee steady power?
Great video.
I have a garden shed that I have being run on solar. I have about half the solar capacity, and about 1/3rd the battery capacity, however I'm not there everyday, and I don't live there. Small refridgerator, and my wireless stay running all the time, and even on a mostly cloudy day, my batteries seem to get back to 90%+.
I'm going to be doing a video on this soon.
This is very very helpful
Omg I understand what your saying dude , I have watched 43 videos on the same thing but you actually hit it in the nail , thank you!! I'm favoriting this and adding this to my tiny home build playlist when I make it
If you use less energy then your solar system is using, and you more than top off your batteries, is't the excess power lost? I mean you use 3,5 kilowatts daily, and you produce 5 kilowatts, and your batteries top off when you replace that 3.5. Isn't 1,5 watts lost daily. couldn't you just add another set of batteries, and slowly top off them when your original set become full?
He said that he has sized his solar system to make up for the 5000watts that he uses (30% of that 16.8kWh); during the peak hours, which he said was about 5 hours. He calculated that he produces 3.2kWh during those peak times of sun(Peak solar radiation occurs at solar noon). During the non peak hours, before and after, he produces the rest he needs to top off the rest. Peak sun is different from total sunny day which is seasonal too; however, with that being said, you need to produce more than what you typically use. Additionally, he never discussed cloudy days; you always calculate the amount of sunny days too (Days of autonomy).
awesome video. really explains how simple it is. some of this off grid science can be really intimidating if you have no exposure to it growing up. but the more i learn the more i realize none of it is really rocket science, its just learning step by step. thanks a lot for all your videos!!
Figure how many watts you need, then double it. Should work just fine.
You also might want to account for rainy days. If it rains for 3 days straight. You'd be without power from that system for about 2 days. So if heavily depending on your solar system...triple or quadruple that.
Or maybe in combination with wind power you may eliminate the possibility of running out draining the system.
This was the MOST HELPFUL video I’ve found on understanding the solar battery setup. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I got to say... I'm a bit disappointed, because this video didnt talk about the astrophysics involved in solar systems. ;)
poor titling!
Evan Able
Your video is the best explanation on this subject hands down ! If you were a ebay seller I would say A+ GREAT COMMUNICATION AS DESCRIBED ,DON'T HESITATE .
+timothy thomas cheers mate
good video, thanks
Nicely done... just sticking my toe in the water to learn about this for shed/tents up north in Arizona
Wick3DPimP thing is, its not a matter of "just stay on the grid" he mentioned building an earthship house, which means hes in the middle of nowhere, and the design of the house reduces the need for temperature control. and lots of natural light use. there are also a lot of low power alternatives to a lot of things. its really not as big an adjustment as you think.
you also priced it at $15, but forgot the "delivery" charge they bill you for each month.
Earthship houses are actually cheaper in both construction and maintenance.
also you are forgetting the whole rv and boating thing.
Include a Generator in the power mix, and you can build with less Batteries and less Solar Panels, and at the same time, have the ability to supply high power when necessary, say for power tools etc. You can also run a generator once or twice a day to power large Fridges and Freezers, which may be to large for a reasonable cost Solar System.
I'm using a Nedap Powerrouter. That invertor makes it possible to use direct power from the solar panels without using the batteries. Even without batteries, on a sunny day I can let my home running on direct sunlight.
Good job.
thanks
indeed you made it very simple to understand. Thank you very much man!
One of the best videos I have watched on the internet. Wish you would have showed us your panels, your charge controller working etc...etc...but then again, I have not watched your other videos yet....tks Don't listen to the nay sayer's...many could make a video an inform yet keep it to them selves.....thanks for sharing.
Why not just 2 12V batteries instead of 4 6 volt batteries?
I had 12 optima blue top agm batteries and they didn't do crap lol but I switched to 8 6 volt deep cycle golf carts and there expensive but soooo much more \power at 12 volt thow screw 24
umm Jennifer 6 volt batteries are all true deep cycle for solar or for golf cart 2 of those 6 volt demolishes my 300 doller optima blu top 12 v just saying and theres more then just 4 theres 8 6 volt
and the hold a lot more juice
Virtualgod2009 so why don't they just make a 12 volt version, with the larger plates, etc?
What no they dont weight that much what in the hell did you buy ahaha
Just saw your post, thank you for the lesson on battery and solar operation. Wrote stuff down and now I get it. Great post!
I felt like I was at Harvard or Princeton listening to you.
Ain't that right ?
I felt tge same that dude has a knack.
All my confusions are over. Great video to know everything about solar battery charging by solar panel through battery controller.
glad to help, debasish
My knowledge of electricity poor. Your video has cleared many of my doubts.
I have two 6 V(VOC), 0.6 Amp, 3.3 Watt solar panel which at series shouldl give 12 V, 0.6Amp current.
I will put one step up boost converter to ensure 12 V supply.
I have purchased one 12V (UPS), 7 Amp. solar chargeable battery.
I wish to buy one 12 V, 10 Amp. solar charge controller.
I understand it will take 7/.6=12 hours to charge the battery and 10Amp. charge controller will not make any harm to my battery as the solar charger only give 0.6 Amp. current.
Am I correct?
Great video . Now could you just say everything you said in English 😐
he should say, recommended: basic understanding of electricity and circuit building. right? :D
Nice video with important information ...and you have a good camera presence.
Many people seem to make their biggest mistake in not figuring out what they need.
Spent our first solar video (series: Star Lite Wars) talking about the needs assessment, before
getting into the build.
We used new fork lift batteries - they have an incredible power to cost ratio.
Ours are 2500 lbs providing over 40 kW - and great longevity; people might want to consider them.
+RelentlessHomesteading wow! Interesting. Keep up the good work bud
1 Corinthians 13:13
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Most mix up kilowatts and kilowatthours, same with ampere and aperehours, but you did a very good job explain that :) . To others i may clearify: Power is measured in watts. Energy is measured in Watthours. Ex. a bulb rated Power of 60W lit 10 hours consume 600Wh of energy =0.6kWh. Resistance*Amperes=Volts Volts*Amperes=Watts Watts*hours =Wh. 1000=kilo 0.001=milli
hey man, a little correction here, it's 33.6 kw not 16.8. here's the math 12v x 350a = 4200w. 4200w x 8 = 33.6 kw and that's not even taken in to factor of the efficiency of the inverter
they are 6v batteries, not 12v.
+Jay Hocking my bad
LMFAO !!!
Great and simple for us common folks. Thanks . Very helpful
Did you know? there are government programs that will pay up to 20% of the total cost of solar panels for your house as long as you have it installed by a professional.
It's paid for by stealing from your fellow citizens!
dalriada842 I'd rather be paying for your photovoltaic system than your your INABILITY TO PROVIDE YOUR OWN HEALTH INSURANCE /endrant.
Don't worry, the government is in control.
Chris Gage I don't think people should be forced to pay for other people's health insurance either. I live in the UK, where everyone is forced to pay for the obese National Health Service!
The government only thinks it's in control of things. It's like saying you're in control when having a car crash!
Agreed
KFLY67 They have that here BUT the power company offers way less (like 1%) on your bill. I just disconnected mine from the GTI and now I'm hording power for myself, it was not worth selling back when I can use it locally in my home, Now my power bill is greatly reduced (under $30 a month lol) and I have backup power to spare in case of a power failure..
I loved this video. A nice summary of battery usage with solar panels.
You lost me at solar system.
If this is a solar system, WHERE is Uranus?
I'm not going to engage in a flame war, when I was just trying to be funny. So, tell your Mom and friends you got one over on me. It's all yours..
pnolans done o
hahah... is this Rob Schneider? :D
Thanks for the video. You really simplified how to size a battery system. I really appreciate it.
I bet he smokes pot
Good observation. The hippies of the sixties who spoke about the benefits of spiritual awakening and being at one with nature, are now taking about going solar power and wind turbines in the present version.
who doesn't??
great video many thanks for the information, I am thinking about putting solar into my allotment shed, and adding it to my videos, so this will help
Excellent video. He points out all the important stuff that a person REALLY needs to know. Bravo my friend!
Some questions/ideas:
Is your house designed to use off-grid appliances?
If so consider this (I do some electrical engineering):
What is the efficiency of my DC-AC-converter? Top notch gear runs at up to 98% efficiency.
Transformers are using some energy, too! Lamps and some other appliances do not need exactly 120V (or 230V here in Germany). Some even have a transformer down to 24V or 12V included. You could run them directly on the correct voltage (please add a fuse, those batteries can be very dangerous if you short them).
If you have some experience in working with electronics check what your fridge needs maybe you can modify it to run on 24V, too.
If you want to light something you might want to use LEDs instead.
You are using lead acid batteries. Have you considered using absorbed glass-mat lead batteries? They are maintenance free regarding checking the acid level.
Important:
To ensure a long life of the batteries you should not only size your batteries according to your appliances but also size it according to your power source. To treat your batteries with care you should not exceed loading currents of more than 1/10 C. That means you should put in more than 75A. This is (75A x 24V) 1800W.
So this is not a bottleneck but you should keep that in your mind.
Batteries may also heat up a little when being used. Especially if you drain quite some power over a period of time. Make sure they are kept in a place where heat can escape.
After all: Good video! :)
Disclaimer: Try out these ideas only if you know what you are doing! :)
PS: Ohm's law is referring to the current running through a resistor at a certain voltage, not to Energy.
Thanks for the video. Now i can setup my system like a boss. No noob moves thanks to you.
I think the Large Hadron Collider also pulls power from the solar system when it creates those damn rips in space-time. Thanks for the information, tis very helpful when calculating cost as well.
Very nice explanation of power usage, and replenishing battery capacity. Most people talk about the amperage usage, but for me the wattage was easier for me to relate to. Thanks.!
Thanks for this info. Worked at a place when the Power company's power is off although the roof is fully covered with panels. There is no battery added to this system. Now I understands why.