Solar Panel at Harbor Freight

[insidethebunker]

Any insight into starting into Solar Panels? I keep looking at this panel at Harbor Freight but not sure if it's a useful item, ie, does it power anything worth while?

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

By the way I've got a coupon for $145 on the unit so I wouldn't get too hurt if I bought it....

 

[Ashkelon]

Looks really cool. Would be useful for a camper too. Please let us know how it works if get one.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Normally I stay away from buying my solar (I have a 500 watt array and batteries/inverter, generator, etc and run my house and shop off-grid) from places like Harbor Freight (there are cheaper sources). However, for that price ($250) which includes a mounting kit and some other accessories, that's actually a pretty decent price, putting it a little over $5 a watt. Solar gets cheaper per watt the larger the panels you buy and typically a 15 watt panel (this kit has three) will run you about $6+ a watt.

With that array you'll put about 3 amps into your battery, enough to power most laptops, a light or two, and chargers for small electronics.

My professional opinion says go for it, good deal.

 

[Bull]

Sounds like a good start at a good price. I would like to hear more about your setup shibumiseeker

 

[shibumiseeker]

What do you want to know? I've been off-grid for 20 years (never had utility power at the ranch). My house which burned down three years ago had a 1.2 kW solar array.

I've been rebuilding the array on the new cabin. Started off just running the generator to power the house and cabin (right next to each other) and charge batteries for when the generator was off. As I add more solar the amount I have to run the generator goes down. The shop and house each have a 1.5kW inverter, the house has a newer Xantrex 1512 and the shop has an older Trace 2012. House has about 6kWh of battery, shop has 4. House has 4 Trojan L16h batteries and the shop has cheaper off-brand t105s. I run a Honda EU2000i near daily for a few hours, burning about a gallon of gas a day. Days the sun is shining I burn less, and weather like recent I burn more. I have a couple of cheaper 5kW generators for the odd higher power draw (welding, air compressor, cement mixer etc) use. Each 100 watts of solar I add to the array drops my gasoline consumption about 4-5 gallons a month.

 

[Bull]

Thanks for the info, it sounds like a nice setup

 

[insidethebunker]

shibumiseeker, great info, thanks..... now I have solar envy... that just doesn't sound right, does it? LOL

Where do you buy panels and inverters... that would help me alot. Also do you use batteries?

 

[shibumiseeker]

shibumiseeker, great info, thanks..... now I have solar envy... that just doesn't sound right, does it? LOL

Where do you buy panels and inverters... that would help me alot. Also do you use batteries?

For that small of a setup you need at least a small battery. As I posted, I have two battery banks, one for each building.

Alt-E store Solar Panels, Photovoltaic Systems, Solar Panels for Your Home - DIY Solar Panels & Renewable Energy @ AltE Store and Arizona Wind and Sun Solar Electric Power Systems For On & Off Grid Go back and forth between the two since they usually consistantly have the best prices in general but sometimes shipping is more on one compared to the other.

Never order batteries online, you can get local sources without the freight charges (unless you are getting Surrettes or the like).

 

[jeremy]

tag

 

[insidethebunker]

For that small of a setup you need at least a small battery. As I posted, I have two battery banks, one for each building.

Alt-E store Solar Panels, Photovoltaic Systems, Solar Panels for Your Home - DIY Solar Panels & Renewable Energy @ AltE Store and Arizona Wind and Sun Solar Electric Power Systems For On & Off Grid Go back and forth between the two since they usually consistantly have the best prices in general but sometimes shipping is more on one compared to the other.

Never order batteries online, you can get local sources without the freight charges (unless you are getting Surrettes or the like).

Thanks, I think reading the Altestore website is going to help a lot...Solar Panels, Photovoltaic Systems, Solar Panels for Your Home - DIY Solar Panels & Renewable Energy @ AltE Store

 

[Ashkelon]

What do you want to know? I've been off-grid for 20 years (never had utility power at the ranch). My house which burned down three years ago had a 1.2 kW solar array.

I've been rebuilding the array on the new cabin. Started off just running the generator to power the house and cabin (right next to each other) and charge batteries for when the generator was off. As I add more solar the amount I have to run the generator goes down. The shop and house each have a 1.5kW inverter, the house has a newer Xantrex 1512 and the shop has an older Trace 2012. House has about 6kWh of battery, shop has 4. House has 4 Trojan L16h batteries and the shop has cheaper off-brand t105s. I run a Honda EU2000i near daily for a few hours, burning about a gallon of gas a day. Days the sun is shining I burn less, and weather like recent I burn more. I have a couple of cheaper 5kW generators for the odd higher power draw (welding, air compressor, cement mixer etc) use. Each 100 watts of solar I add to the array drops my gasoline consumption about 4-5 gallons a month.

You are truly the Nickolai Hell of Solar! Thanks for the thought provoking ideas

 

[csaws]

tag

SAA

 

[insidethebunker]

SAA

? SAA

 

[csaws]

Same as above

 

[hotfarmboy1]

SAA

same here, I've been wanting to do this, at least for a partial energy supply. I'm tired of huge electric bills in the winter. It would be real nice in an emergency, even if I could just run the basic stuff, well pump, heat, and freezer/fridge.

 

[Bigkeger]

It's been a while since I screwed around with solar panels. From my experience the rating that is on the box is maximum. Usually they dont note how much light is required to provide that out put.

All I remember is that even on some really bright days the small panels I had couldnt deliver rated MAX.

 

[shibumiseeker]

In the last few years the ratings of larger solar panels have standardized across the industry and the ratings have become a little more realistic. The biggest reason some folks don't get rated power now is because they don't get the amount of watts per square meter sunlight as the ratings use ( typical of say Arizona, not Indiana where I am). The last couple of sets I bought actually gave me close to rated power on times we have bright clear days. The ratings on smaller solar panels (under 30-40 watts) are still mostly marketing hype and there is no industry standard. Makers of larger panels rate their smaller panels according to industry standards, but any small chicom company or similar can make smaller panels.

 

[Hoosier8]

For some perspective, solar panels need to be mated with batteries. The Harbor Freight panel produces 1/3 amp. A hair dryer uses approx. 12.5 amps. That does not mean that an array of such could be useful, but the investment should be larger than just one panel to be useful, unless you are just recharging a battery for normal use.

 

[Sailor]

I am going to try my hand at making some panels. I just want to be able to power my Ham radios, some lights, and such.

Getting the cells off ebay, going to tab then seal in resin to keep out moisture.

Wish me luck.

 

[shftn6]

I'm currently building a small 500 amp hour inverter setup for backup during power outages. I plan on running an 1800W inverter/charger for low load conditions like a fan at night, reading lights, and maybe the laptop. When we hunker down, we don't need much in the evening - running our 5kW gen for that would be a waste. I plan to run the inverter for low load use during the day/evening, and run the gen about 4 hrs per day to recharge the batteries, chill down the freezers, etc. 2 yrs ago in June, when we had the big flood, it was really hot, and the power was out for days. We had to run the gen all night to maintain the fan and our sanity! Gas was $4+ a gallon then, and it took $20 per night just to stay comfortable. I figured there had to be a better way!