School me on Solar Generators

[1776]

Do the math

Pump Power: Could you power your home with flatulence?

There's a lot of gas power in a single fart, but how many would be needed to power your home? Heatable crunched the numbers.

heatable.co.uk

 

[SDG]

Unfortunately, for my well pump 4000 watts appears to be the minimum, and even that may be marginal.

published startup of 4000 watts will be somewhere between 11-19 amps @ 208v.

The voltage of the battery isn’t as important as the AH rating. The EG4 mentioned above will have a published Wattage output, all you need to do is then supply the EG4 with as many batteries as appropriate. If you follow Will’s advice ( the above YouTube link) and models it’s fairly doable for a novice. if you have the space.

Also I have seen the anker (whichever the tall one is with an extra battery ) work to power a well pump about the size of yours. It lasted a couple of hours.

 

[rep308]

Thermodynamics and math are hard.....

Have you evaluated hampster wheel generators?

 

[Yazz]

So I have learned a couple of things.
So you can get a system that will do all you want if you spend enough money.
I plan on moving soon so I need something I can bring with me.
You can spend less if you have time to build your own system.
By that I mean getting your own batteries, building your own control panel etc.
First you need to figure out what you need.
If you want to off grid or just have emergency backup when the grid goes down.
Figure out how many KW you need for one of the above.
Then you need to figure out how you are going to supply those KW.
I have two Jackery batteries right now. The 500 I use when I travel in my car to keep my fridge going.
The 2000 I use as a backup for my sump pumps. I live in a 1841 house on bottom land.
I am currently running a Bluetti AC300 with 3 B300K batteries to power my whole garage.
Two refrigerators one freezer, tv, boiler, and internet.
just started today at 10:00 am running on battery only.
I want to see how long they will last!
I picked up the materials to build a solar panel holder to hold 6 400 watt panels.
Just so you know a Bluetti B300k battery cost 1200.00 and will last up to 4000 recharge cycles.
I'll keep in touch

 

[Yazz]

Update.
So Bluetti recommends you fully charge the batteries and then run them down to less than 30%.
So the the batteries reached 29% at 1:00PM today. So 27 hours with 29% power left. So I am recharging the batteries with my Honda 2000 since 5:00 PM and they are up to 90% as I type.
The AC300 will take 2400w/hr input off of solar panels so I figure if I get 6 400 watt panels and a 4th battery I will be good to go. Now I will weld together some solar panel carriers on wheels.

 

[Yazz]

Check out Xtry51 's post on prep of the day. Page 58

 

[Yazz]

Update. I figured out I use an average of 640 kw per month. So I have to get another ac300 with four batteries each. I just ordered 12 390 watt solar panels.
So with four sets of three panels I should be good to go!

 

[Romokid]

Update. I figured out I use an average of 640 kw per month. So I have to get another ac300 with four batteries each. I just ordered 12 390 watt solar panels.
So with four sets of three panels I should be good to go!

Sorry if you mentioned it earlier and I meiised it but are you trying to run off grid or if grid goes down? I have been looking at off grid property but the biggest issue is the wife wants running water and a working bathroom inside. Most places we have seen in our price range have outhouses and or no running water.

 

[Yazz]

Sorry if you mentioned it earlier and I meiised it but are you trying to run off grid or if grid goes down? I have been looking at off grid property but the biggest issue is the wife wants running water and a working bathroom inside. Most places we have seen in our price range have outhouses and or no running water.

Well for now if the grid goes down but also cut my current electric cost. But I am designing it so if I move it goes with me. The solar panels will be on movable wheeled bases on the ground.
I have nothing I run now that require 240v. But with two units you can get 240v to run a water pump.

 

[Yazz]

So I just had my solar panels delivered today. Oh the irony!
I left work at noon to get home in time for the delivery from Fedex on a 18 wheeler. Low and behold my road was closed because someone hit a light poll 200 yards past my house.
But it worked out because the driver called me and came from the other side of my road which was closed but I drove the mile up the rode and told the police he was coming.
So I got them but by the time my friend and I unpacked and stacked them it was dark But I hooked up 5 of them and will let you know tomorrow.

 

[Romokid]

So I have been looking at the Bluetti solar batteries and just saw this was on sale, now trying to see if there are funds available Amazon link

 

[whalerman69]

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[Yazz]

Update.
So I have my panels and put 7 of them out in the backyard at first. The main house is running heat, internet, fridge and sump pump and is right now with five 390 watt panels covering the usage. Again I have no lights or anything else on it. So I want them to be portable so I just finished (almost) my first base. So I watched a video on you tube and got the basic design concept my panels are a lot bigger. I have to tell you the base moves easy but it snowed the night I finished it and pulled the thing out into my back yard with my truck.

 

[Yazz]

Three more bases to go!

 

[paul73]

Three more bases to go!

Is this all in MA? Most towns specifically prohibit such setups and require town inspection of solar installations.
But, cool project.

I do not plan to move from my paid off home, so, it is set on pretty recent panels - 460w REC460AA Pure RX. Best ones now are 480w panels, but 460 is close enough.
Solar edge inverter , 2 chains of panels. Solar edge allows to maximize output from each panel as it uses dedicated optimizers per each panel.

The closer to the ground a panel sits, less power it produces, unless you somehow manage to remove all shading. It better be on the roof

 

[Yazz]

Is this all in MA? Most towns specifically prohibit such setups and require town inspection of solar installations.
But, cool project.

I do not plan to move from my paid off home, so, it is set on pretty recent panels - 460w REC460AA Pure RX. Best ones now are 480w panels, but 460 is close enough.
Solar edge inverter , 2 chains of panels. Solar edge allows to maximize output from each panel as it uses dedicated optimizers per each panel.

The closer to the ground a panel sits, less power it produces, unless you somehow manage to remove all shading. It better be on the roof

It's going to Texas.

 

[paul73]

It's going to Texas.

i would make myself familiar with this then. Solar Rights & Regulations | www.gosolartexas.org
i did not read texas rules, but i just know that this sector is pretty heavily regulated pretty much everywhere, electrical/building code wise and restrictions wise.

plus zoning, if intended to be on the ground.

What Zoning Is Needed for a Solar Farm In Texas? - Sunshine Renewable Solutions

What Zoning Is Needed for a Solar Farm In Texas? | Each municipality has its own zoning policies. Learn more here.

sunshinerenewable.com

 

[Romokid]

i would make myself familiar with this then. Solar Rights & Regulations | www.gosolartexas.org
i did not read texas rules, but i just know that this sector is pretty heavily regulated pretty much everywhere, electrical/building code wise and restrictions wise.

plus zoning, if intended to be on the ground.

What Zoning Is Needed for a Solar Farm In Texas? - Sunshine Renewable Solutions

What Zoning Is Needed for a Solar Farm In Texas? | Each municipality has its own zoning policies. Learn more here.

sunshinerenewable.com

Just curious on that second link, it reads solar farm. What is the definition of solar farm? Would a residential system be considered a farm? When I hear solar farm I'm thinking of large solar fields more so than say 20+ panels on ones property.

 

[paul73]

What is the definition of solar farm?

read the link, it says it plainly - "Each municipality has its own zoning policies and laws regarding solar development".
you need to review your local regulations.

all i can say - this thing is indeed overregulated to the bottom of your eyeballs.


there were 2 full inspections there, from the eversource and from the town inspector and a 3rd one that was a formality.

 

[Freddy Q]

Wondering if any of you guys know the answer to this question that I've been searching for:

We have an Anker C1000 "solar generator" (lol its just a big backup battery), with 1800 watts and 1k w/hours. Thinking about buying the expansion battery, which is 50% off right now, which doubles the capacity of the base unit.

My question is, will that allow me to run bigger/more power hungry appliances? That would be 3600 total watts.. Or does it just allow you to power the same stuff the base unit would, for twice as long?

 

[Boarder700]

Wondering if any of you guys know the answer to this question that I've been searching for:

We have an Anker C1000 "solar generator" (lol its just a big backup battery), with 1800 watts and 1k w/hours. Thinking about buying the expansion battery, which is 50% off right now, which doubles the capacity of the base unit.

My question is, will that allow me to run bigger/more power hungry appliances? That would be 3600 total watts.. Or does it just allow you to power the same stuff the base unit would, for twice as long?

Same stuff twice as long. The power output is dictated by the inverter in your “generator”.

 

[Freddy Q]

Thank you very much.

 

[nullpointer]

read the link, it says it plainly - "Each municipality has its own zoning policies and laws regarding solar development".
you need to review your local regulations.

all i can say - this thing is indeed overregulated to the bottom of your eyeballs.

there were 2 full inspections there, from the eversource and from the town inspector and a 3rd one that was a formality.

I was the first one to build new construction off-grid in my town in central NH about 5 years ago. The town planner asked me: "what policy does Eversource have for off-grid builds?". My response was: "I never asked, and I'll never know or care!"

My occupancy permit required a regular NEC inspection by the building inspector, and the fire department inspected the PV rapid shutdown system. But I've been living happily off-grid with a family of 3 for 5 years. 24 @300 watt panels on the roof, 25kwh of lifepo4 batteries, and a 12kw inverter. Whole-house A/C in the summer, radiant propane heat (plus woodstove) in the winter.

The only thing I'd change is having a pivoting ground array instead of a roof mount. Clearing snow off the roof panels - even on a 12/12 pitch - can be brutal this time of year with the wrong weather sequence of snow/rain/freeze.

The only thing I really miss is stock tank heaters. It's hard keeping fresh water for the livestock when the creeks and pond are fully frozen. Winter sun in NH simply can't keep up with a 1kw load running 7x24.