Solar Power System Installed

[bastonjock]

2 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

Marvin... I will be looking into these things also...

Now that I am yachtless, I need to re-work many things, including offline power options. I will likely use local batteries for the backup power and just need to source the back-up inverter/transformer... It will be a while, so I am not in any rush.

Meanwhile, I suggest you look online for power inverters and transformers... My landlord here set some solar panels on part of his roof  and has a system to save the power in batteries and then recycle the energy back into his home...

The thing with batteries is their discharge cycle , the best ones are gell batteries but they are not cheap 

Power management is also important,  asana example, if your tv can be run on 12v then run it on 12v ,using an inverter to change the power to 200v loses power , when I've got over to the Philippines fulltime , I'll do the working out , solar panels mounted on your roof ,facing south ,you need a controller as the solar panels give you 18v , I've done this for my RV,  try to go down the 12v route with as many appliances as possible , during sunlight hours my fridge ran on 200v  , during battery hours it switched to 12v 

Its all about energy management,  using larger cables etc cuts down on loss ,chopping away the wattage is the route to go imho

[Gary D]

1 hour ago, bastonjock said:

The thing with batteries is their discharge cycle , the best ones are gell batteries but they are not cheap 

Power management is also important,  asana example, if your tv can be run on 12v then run it on 12v ,using an inverter to change the power to 200v loses power , when I've got over to the Philippines fulltime , I'll do the working out , solar panels mounted on your roof ,facing south ,you need a controller as the solar panels give you 18v , I've done this for my RV,  try to go down the 12v route with as many appliances as possible , during sunlight hours my fridge ran on 200v  , during battery hours it switched to 12v 

Its all about energy management,  using larger cables etc cuts down on loss ,chopping away the wattage is the route to go imho

My solar panels run two strings at about 600v

[Marvin Boggs]

Agreed, the charge controller should be sourced internationally.  This is the component that will need to be adaptable and configurable for future changes, and the part you really really don't want to fail.  I will probably opt for local and readily available batteries.  Lets face it, motorcycle batteries or truck batteries are two things that seem to be here in abundance, even if they aren't as efficient as something more exotic.  For the PV cells, I'm actually thinking of sourcing sheets of the stuff from China and building my own.  Seems simple enough from the research I've done.  

My system won't need to tie into the grid, as it won't be a backup system.  It will be THE system.  Hopefully that will allow us to make fewer compromises, and just add enough panels and batteries for our needs. 

[jimeve]

5 minutes ago, Marvin Boggs said:

My system won't need to tie into the grid, as it won't be a backup system.  It will be THE system.  Hopefully that will allow us to make fewer compromises, and just add enough panels and batteries for our needs. 

What size of system are you thinking of getting? You may need more batteries if going for a decent size say 5kv, the batteries are expensive and usually only last 2/3 years then may need to be replaced.

 

[Marvin Boggs]

Gosh no idea yet on size.  We are just starting to look at land.  Planning to build a semi in-ground structure, so I will need to do a whole lot of figuring about power needs and sun exposure.  What will really juice up the power demands will not be my house so much.... but my shop 

[Tommy T.]

13 hours ago, Marvin Boggs said:

Agreed, the charge controller should be sourced internationally.  This is the component that will need to be adaptable and configurable for future changes, and the part you really really don't want to fail.  I will probably opt for local and readily available batteries.  Lets face it, motorcycle batteries or truck batteries are two things that seem to be here in abundance, even if they aren't as efficient as something more exotic.  For the PV cells, I'm actually thinking of sourcing sheets of the stuff from China and building my own.  Seems simple enough from the research I've done.  

My system won't need to tie into the grid, as it won't be a backup system.  It will be THE system.  Hopefully that will allow us to make fewer compromises, and just add enough panels and batteries for our needs. 

Marvin... I remember a while back that someone on this forum said that gel batteries could be found here? Maybe I am mistaken and it was just a dream? Anyway, from my experience on the yacht for over 20 years, I found that gel batteries really made a big difference. They lasted a long time, were very abuser friendly too. Please tell us how you progress?

I intend to buy several gel batteries (I always got 4d size because they were big and heavy enough to handle big loads, but were also still small enough to be moved around by strong boys). I will also - as you mentioned - get the solar charge controller from offshore.

There is a great outfit online called Outback Marine, I believe? It is an Aussie outfit that markets quality products. Never bought from them, but just looked at their site. They don't give anything away... But they carried the latest and greatest of everything solar and 12 volt.

I will do, like aboard the yacht, and have an inverter to change 12 volts to 240 and try to get it wired up to switch automatically when there is a power failure. But that will only be for lights, refrigeration,  fans and water pump (if we need to have one) and not for aircon... By the way... if you do get an inverter, be sure to get one that has pure sine wave output or else it may damage any power tools or electronics you have or may not even work at all for some. I learned that lesson the hard way...

What I did years ago was to calculate the power load in amphours that would be required for maybe three days on the yacht. Here, I am sure just a few hours or overnight should suffice. Plus there is always the daytime feed, even if it is cloudy...

Edited October 13, 2019 by Tommy T.

[intrepid]

If you plan to be off grid completely you will need to consider the output of your array.  Remember the energy you need at night will have to be replaced during daylight.  So if one energy need is say 3000 kWh during the day and the same at night when running aircon, then your solar array will need to be able to charge the batteries and supply the house needs at the same time.  you may need a 5k-6k system.  I am grid tied with no battery back-up.  My system is 5.4 K,  thats 20 panels.   We usually us all we produce during the day and sometimes extra if rainy or heavy clouds.  If I add enough batteries so as not to purchase power, I would have to add an additional 18-20 panels to keep those batteries charged.

[JDDavao II]

We just watched this whole episode on tiny house living from Bright Now. You might be able to find the episode on file sharing networks (which, of course, I don't ever, ever do).

Part of it covers the solar power system they used. Flexible, ultralight solar cells, lithium-ion batteries. Very intriguing. So much depends upon availability of components here, though.

https://curiositystream.com/video/3128/tiny-house-living-off-the-grid

[Marvin Boggs]

6 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

... I remember a while back that someone on this forum said that gel batteries could be found here?

...There is a great outfit online called Outback Marine, I believe? It is an Aussie outfit that markets quality products.

I looked at getting a little gel battery for the truckster, so I know they are available, just pricey.  Still, I guess I'm thinking of a system based around whatever can be most easily found locally.  Whether that means lead acid, or cell phone batteries, or some kind of salt-water thing-a-ma-jig....I'd rather not have to order replacement stuff from Manila if you know what I mean.  

I'm curious on your yacht, if you ever experimented with micro wind turbines?

[jimeve]

1 hour ago, intrepid said:

If you plan to be off grid completely you will need to consider the output of your array.  Remember the energy you need at night will have to be replaced during daylight.  So if one energy need is say 3000 kWh during the day and the same at night when running aircon, then your solar array will need to be able to charge the batteries and supply the house needs at the same time.  you may need a 5k-6k system.  I am grid tied with no battery back-up.  My system is 5.4 K,  thats 20 panels.   We usually us all we produce during the day and sometimes extra if rainy or heavy clouds.  If I add enough batteries so as not to purchase power, I would have to add an additional 18-20 panels to keep those batteries charged.

Depending on your load you will need about 8 to 10 deep cycle solar batteries, very expensive and will need replacing every few years. In my opinion replacing those batteries every few years tells me it's not worth it.

Looked on at some of those batteries, 200AH 14,000 Pesos each, 2 year guarantee.