Recommend me a power station

[bearbait]

On boats you don’t need very long cables either! If and when we go down the renewables route, I think a bunch of solar panels and a wind turbine on the garage roof will be the best option. We’re on a bit of high ground, so wind is more plentiful than the sun, to be honest!

If you are considering moveable or adjustable PV panels, this NOAA web page has links to download a spreadsheet that you can use to determine the sun's elevation angle (and sunrise / sunset, amongst many other things) for your Latitude and Longitude at various times of the year. This may help you orient or angle your panels as the seasons go by.

Solar Calculator - NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory

GML conducts research on greenhouse gas and carbon cycle feedbacks, changes in aerosols, and surface radiation, and recovery of stratospheric ozone.

gml.noaa.gov

 

[adriatikfan]

If you don't need mobile and small volume you can get a lot better value for money building a small solar power unit using solar panels, charge controller, leisure batteries and an inverter. It should come in at much less than half the price of the Anker 757.

I've put one in my shepherd's hut and gives me more flexibility. I can add more solar panels, more batteries, take 12v power for lighting, 5v for USB charging, and mains power for occasional 240v equipment. If I need to top up the battery (not needed so far) I can use my small 800w generator.

Edit: - just done a quick add up; a system that will provide the same kind of power as the Anker 757 (1200 Wh, max 1500W output) will cost less than £500 including a 100w solar panel.

Please excuse me for asking but if you get time, I'd really appreciate a breakdown of what your system is.

Best Wishes,
David

 

[Robson Valley]

I guess it's 15 years or more now. My little photovoltaic system has helped me many times.
12VDC solar panels connected through a charge controller to a bank of deep cycle storage batteries. 24/7, those supply the juice when you need it. The batteries supply 12VDC (more like 13.7VDC when full) to the pure sine wave inverter. That delivers mains voltage until the batteries sink to 10.5VDC and the inverter can no longer make mains from that low voltage. Fact. You are done.

For strictly power outages, hind sight tells me to change my priorities a little:

1. Several more pairs of 6VDC deep cycle batteries to deliver more power for longer. If the inverter is going to quit at 10.5VDC, I want to delay that for as long as I can.

2. Maybe a bigger pure sine wave inverter, like 2kW.

3. A big, smart battery charger connected to the mains. That runs, even at night, when the grid comes back on. Could be another failure tomorrow and the solar panels will have done diddly squat to help.

a) 2 more pairs of batteries was a good thing, I haven't run "dry" but I didn't try to run the fridge as normal. I have never tried to run my oil-fired central heating furnace so far. I had a wood pellet stove for years and the 3 motors in it ran just fine.

b) The smart battery charger was the best change. That can be left hooked up to the battery bank to come on automatically when the grid comes up again. Middle of the night, it turns itself on and off, even displays the estimated time to full charge!

 

[adriatikfan]

Many thanks to Andy for the PMs and helpful information and suggestions.

David

 

[Tony]

Great thread.
I dip into and out of wanting to sort out a small solar system, we have a roof mounted one but having a smaller one that we could take advantage of would be good.
Enjoyable reading...

 

[gra_farmer]

So since starting the thread, I have kind of gone in the direction of a two stage approach.

2 x 120w solar panels kit for charging two lead acid batteries, a single 150 watt (Chinese rubbish that is really 60 watt) flexible panel for throwing out a window or camping portable ish.

The lead acid batteries are from the tractor and an old car, combined 120ah.

For camping I bought a 36ah lipo4 battery, very light for the power, and mainly for charging phones, 12 volt to USB. That would last a long weekend, or week.

I bought the Anker power station 757, and only having it for a short time, I am quite impressed. I have powered mainly laptops and USB items, but that teamed with the 150w flexible solar panel, with an mc4 to xt60 adapter into the Anker power station has meant that during the day, I have not gone lower that 90% power over the last 4 days.

Now the intention, is for the 2 x 120w solar panels to go on the roof (and stay there until I sort the home out), charge the lead acid batteries, and a 1000w best tech pure sine wave inverter to charge the power station that gets moved around the house and for power outages.

Currently there is a potential to generate around 1Kw per day, combined, I have 256ah of power available, and 2 x pure sine wave inverters, one on the lead acid batteries (1000w), and one in the Anker power station (1500w). If we are including the camping setup I have a 12v, step down 5v and a 75w modified wave 240v inverter.

So that's the start....will include pictures as it gets completed.

 

[Decacraft]

Iv been relying on these for a touch over a year and my journey has progressed quite far. I'm by no means an expert but if you need any help I can try my best.

Started with a jackery 240, but its limited to 200w out and around 70w in via solar. So found it good for the electronics and other low draw items.

Moved up to a bluetti ac200max to power kitchen items (toaster/kettle/george forman/hot plate) as it allows upto 2200w draw (higher surge)

Just taken delivery of a ecoflow delta 2, so haven't used it so much.

A lipo4 battery is pretty essential, as you can efficiently use more of the capacity safely (upto 95% as opposed to agm 50%) and has a longer life cycle and warranty.

My panels are all renogy 100w panels, have 10 in total, and another 5 to go in, wired up differently for each battery bank.

Will be looking for 300-400w panels when the price comes down.

If I could do it all over I would just get a ecoflow/bluetti and the expansion batteries, but for my current use I have them scattered around outbuildings

No mains power available, and the cost to get it done by the electric board is in the few £ks, so have saved myself future bills also

 

[bearbait]

As a general comment, I've found that my fridge and my freezer, both tall uprights, use a significant portion of my electricity consumption. I don't use a lot of electricity (compared with what I've read about other households in the UK) but combined they seem to use around 1.75kWh a day (after deducting 10% from my calcs. for PV battery system overhead). And my freezer is a new low-consumption one. The usage does vary a little but this could be down to the ambient temperature, and the fact that they're both self-defrosting units and this may take additional / less power at times.

So if you want to be partly off-grid, or more resilient, having a PV or other renewable system that could support those, or any other always-on or critical device(s) you may have), could be a good start.

 

[Decacraft]

I have a 12v dual zone fridge freezer, and it cycles the power based on the ambient temperature and the inner temperature.

The warmer it is the more it works to cool the inside. Found during the summer it uses around 60w, but in the winter around 50-55w.

It cycles for a few minutes every 20 minutes or so, so it doesn't constantly draw or consume.

I have tries as best I can to stay on dc for lighting, charging and other domestic usb appliances, but only use the inverter and 230v for those appliances I would rather not live without.

If anyone is serious about lowering their home usage, or switching to solar, there's a few 12v options that don't draw near the 230v equivalents,

 

[ONE]

Any recs for a charge controller that will serve LiFePo4 batteries directly?

 

[Decacraft]

Any recs for a charge controller that will serve LiFePo4 batteries directly?

The renogy rover is a decent unit, but it all depends on the battery you want to charge and your solar setup as to what size to get.

 

[Pavaise]

I’m also thinking of a battery backup in case the lights go out this winter.
So far I’m thinking of a 120ah deep cycle AGM battery and a 1000w pure sine wave inverter. I already have a charger for the battery. Some kind of battery monitor would be handy but I don’t know what to look for or where.
Are there any forums anyone can recommend that I should visit to get more information?

 

[Decacraft]

I’m also thinking of a battery backup in case the lights go out this winter.
So far I’m thinking of a 120ah deep cycle AGM battery and a 1000w pure sine wave inverter. I already have a charger for the battery. Some kind of battery monitor would be handy but I don’t know what to look for or where.
Are there any forums anyone can recommend that I should visit to get more information?

A 120ah agm will only really give you 60a.
There not designed to be depleted to less than 50%, and that's a push for them. In my experience likely to get 40-50ah from them and lucky for a year of heavy use (200 cycles/2 year warranty).

Lipo4 will allow you to use upto 95% of the battery capacity and many more cycles (3k+)

Go for a 2000w inverter, not much of a difference in price but allows you to use more appliances at a push.

I know its not the cheapest, but a 100ah lipo4 will honestly serve you better, or if funds allow I would push for a 170ah lipo4 minimum.

My experience has been trying to run domestic appliances off grid, a fair bit of trial and error.

Solar panels are creeping up in cost on the domestic consumer market for panels upto 200w (online shops) but can get a reasonable price from a supplier for anything over 300w.

There's a well rated ecoworthy kit available, renogy (midrange-lower high end) have starter kits, as do victron (top end) .

If your buying it all in time for the winter, and if it works out to be over £1000 just go for the ecofolw delta 2 (£1100) as its more along what your spec was and its a complete all in one solution.

Jackery is good, but slow charge rates and lesser battery technology as compared to the rest now available.

 

[Pavaise]

I’m not expecting it to get a lot of use so I’m not interested in spending the kind of money for a Lipo4 battery. I also won’t be running much so a 1000W inverter is more than enough. Any suggestions where to get more info on choosing a battery and setting it up? Would a SMF or Gel battery provide a better DOD? This is the inverter I was thinking of.

British Trucking Products for UK Truck drivers Plus latest industry News

British trucking Products & latest trucking News articles keeping you informed about truck driving in Britain also British trucking product reviews

britishtrucking.co.uk

 

[Decacraft]

I’m not expecting it to get a lot of use so I’m not interested in spending the kind of money for a Lipo4 battery. I also won’t be running much so a 1000W inverter is more than enough. Any suggestions where to get more info on choosing a battery and setting it up? Would a SMF or Gel battery provide a better DOD? This is the inverter I was thinking of.

British Trucking Products for UK Truck drivers Plus latest industry News

British trucking Products & latest trucking News articles keeping you informed about truck driving in Britain also British trucking product reviews

britishtrucking.co.uk

With the battery and choosing which you need its all about calculating your load.

What you expect to power/run/charge, and for the duration.

The inverter won't deliver 100% efficiency (non do) and all will require a draw to power themselves, so needs to be factored in (85% efficiency max, 120ah agm =60ah usable, 85% = 51ah) a dc power supply doesn't loose as much (the car cigarette lighter port) but depending on what you want to run dc may not be suitable.

An example of what your hoping to achieve-

Do you want to charge an ipad/run a microwave/ fridge freezer and for how long?

A BMS (Battery management system) will also be needed to monitor the battery, and programed as per the battery to allow safe discharge and recharge.

You will also need to factor in cables, correct size and length, fuseboxes and some other bits depending on your setup.

What about recharging the battery? Will you be doing so on solar? (Charge controller will be needed). Generator? Mains (ac adaptor needed) when/if (worst case scenario) it comes back on?

Sounds a lot, sorry, but it gives a better understanding of what you want to do and what you will need.

Will they be stored in the home or in a shed? (Temperature in winter may need a battery box/insulation) if in an outbuilding that isn't particularly warm.

 

[Pavaise]

With the battery and choosing which you need its all about calculating your load.

What you expect to power/run/charge, and for the duration.

The inverter won't deliver 100% efficiency (non do) and all will require a draw to power themselves, so needs to be factored in (85% efficiency max, 120ah agm =60ah usable, 85% = 51ah) a dc power supply doesn't loose as much (the car cigarette lighter port) but depending on what you want to run dc may not be suitable.

An example of what your hoping to achieve-

Do you want to charge an ipad/run a microwave/ fridge freezer and for how long?

A BMS (Battery management system) will also be needed to monitor the battery, and programed as per the battery to allow safe discharge and recharge.

You will also need to factor in cables, correct size and length, fuseboxes and some other bits depending on your setup.

What about recharging the battery? Will you be doing so on solar? (Charge controller will be needed). Generator? Mains (ac adaptor needed) when/if (worst case scenario) it comes back on?

Sounds a lot, sorry, but it gives a better understanding of what you want to do and what you will need.

Will they be stored in the home or in a shed? (Temperature in winter may need a battery box/insulation) if in an outbuilding that isn't particularly warm.

It’s just for emergencies. Mainly lighting and some other low power items like device charging. I’m not intending to run any appliances except maybe the boiler and that’s only about 100w and only needs to run for about 15 mins to warm the house. The battery could probably be kept indoors if I can find some space. According to what I’ve seen online you can discharge AGM and Gel batteries by up to 75-80% on an occasional basis without harm so I still think 120AH is likely to cope with 3-4 hour blackouts. I just can’t seem to get a definitive answer to which is best, accept AGM are cheaper but take longer to charge.
A decent website that covers setting up DIY battery backup would help I’m sure but I’ve not found one yet.

 

[Decacraft]

If you use YouTube there's a channel that helps most, check out - diy solar power with will prowse- he covers diy build battery systems, and gives a very good understanding on what he covers, I find watching something helps me better than reading. He covers the different batteries and their limits/potentials.

Diysolarforum is also a very helpful place, and no doubt there's already someone on there trying to get the same as you and you may find some of your questions may of already been answered better than I can.

 

[Wayne]

Does anyone have a handy link to the rules of travelling with a power bank. Jackery style not a little top your phone job.

I know they’re pretty pointless for me on expeditions as you’re not allowed to fly with them.

I’m assuming the channel tunnel will have issues but the ferries should be ok.

 

[Decacraft]

Does anyone have a handy link to the rules of travelling with a power bank. Jackery style not a little top your phone job.

I know they’re pretty pointless for me on expeditions as you’re not allowed to fly with them.

I’m assuming the channel tunnel will have issues but the ferries should be ok.

Don't quote me but its only airlines with restrictions on batteries and travel, and its around 24000mah or 100wh? Not heared of ferries or trains having anything in place as long as its in your luggage/cargo?