Solar generators - DIY or manufactured?

[JTScribe]

Been tossing around the idea of putting something together with a few panels to run freezers in a pinch or when RV'ing.

Ran across this video and found it interesting - anyone have any experience with rolling their own? Is it more cost effective than buying off the shelf?

 

[Magyars]

I've got a set up uses 2 150 panel arrays, a charge controller and a lithium ion battery. Have a couple different inverters. Pretty easy to do.

 

[Scott58]

I've got half my house running on solar. Its very easy to do. Most of the stuff I use is from renogy. My first bank of batteries were deep cell wheelchair batteries. The last ones were just deep cell agm's from amazon. A decent charge controller can be set to whatever type of battery you want to use.

 

[Leadeye]

I've got half my house running on solar. Its very easy to do. Most of the stuff I use is from renogy. My first bank of batteries were deep cell wheelchair batteries. The last ones were just deep cell agm's from amazon. A decent charge controller can be set to whatever type of battery you want to use.

How long do those batteries last before getting difficult to recharge completely?

 

[Scott58]

How long do those batteries last before getting difficult to recharge completely?

The first bank were just regular lead acid deep cell and lasted 7 years. They were 75ah and cost $140 a piece. I have 8 of them. The new ones are AGM and cost $120 a piece (battery tech has gotten better and cheaper). By comparison a Tesla wall costs about $11k, so I got the same storage for about $1200. Everything I did paid for itself in just under 6 years. I have 2160 watts of solar panels. As the price of energy goes up it just gets better.

I did all this in phases. Started out with (1) 160 watt panel and a 250 watt grid tie inverter to get my feet wet and went from there. Another 400 watt grid tie, then 600 watt with a few batteries to what I have now.

I've had no other failures other then the batteries. I've got spare parts waiting to be used,but so far haven't had too. I'd do it all again without a second thought. Its been worth it.

 

[patience0830]

I've got a set up uses 2 150 panel arrays, a charge controller and a lithium ion battery. Have a couple different inverters. Pretty easy to do.

What do LI batteries cost?
I hear medical rejects work well but no idea where to get them

 

[indyblue]

What do LI batteries cost?
I hear medical rejects work well but no idea where to get them

Why the added hassle and expense of LiOn? They are relatively fragile (don't like a full state of charge long term), and highly flammable. Their main advantage over lead acid is weight. Deep cycle lead-acid batteries would be a better solution for stationary applications like this where weight and space is not a factor.

 

[patience0830]

Why the added hassle and expense of LiOn? They are relatively fragile (don't like a full state of charge long term), and highly flammable. Their main advantage over lead acid is weight. Deep cycle lead-acid batteries would be a better solution for stationary applications like this where weight and space is not a factor.

Do they not also put more power in a smaller space? Maybe less affected by temp in an outdoor location?

My knowledge here is minimal.

 

[Magyars]

What do LI batteries cost?
I hear medical rejects work well but no idea where to get them

I paid somewhere around 800

 

[Scott58]

Do they not also put more power in a smaller space? Maybe less affected by temp in an outdoor location?

My knowledge here is minimal.

I'm no expert either. I do know that about 5 years ago my cellphone caught fire in my front shirt pocket. That was exciting! Not willing to risk that on a larger platform. And I also know that deep cycle has years of a good track record. I'm fine with them

 

[dprimm]

DIY is silly simple for most of it. You can also buy premade components for not much more.

Check out Will Prowse Diysolarforum and his YouTube. Guys there have knowledge that makes INGO gun nuts sound like the ATF director.

 

[Somemedic]

Why the added hassle and expense of LiOn? They are relatively fragile (don't like a full state of charge long term), and highly flammable. Their main advantage over lead acid is weight. Deep cycle lead-acid batteries would be a better solution for stationary applications like this where weight and space is not a factor.

Expense.

But with improvements in the past year, Will Prowse telling you what batteries are good and what doesn't work (with some of those Chinese companies fixing those problems), BMS updates and even self heating batteries for colder climates, I think lead acid is on the way of the do-do. Lithium Batts last years longer with hundreds more duty cycles and less weight making most applications man portable. Even the expense of lithium Batts has come down considerably over the past 3yrs making it very attractive vs SLA Batts.

As far as "added" hassle? They bolt in like any other battery, you just have to pick what voltage you wanna have your system at and if the lithium batt supports 12/24/48 what system you're applying it to. Cost is similar for the Chinese vs SLA... its a no Brainer

 

[Gaffer]

Here is thread that my interest you on building a solar generator. Some pretty good info here.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/threads/solar-generator-for-freezer-question.519008/

 

[russc2542]

Something to note is that (almost) nobody is promoting putting Li-ion batteries in a solar setup. These installs are almost universally LIFePO4, Lithium Iron Phosphate. It doesn't have quite the power density or charge/discharge rates that li-ion is capable of but also has a lot less of the potential for excitement.