Anybody using solar power as part of their preps?

[Pokem807]

This little shot of winter weather got me thinking back to the '07 ice storm. Being without power for 7 days was a bit of a wake up call, and although I didn't start prepping for another few years, that's really what got me started. At first I went through the "oh crap, I have to do everything right now!" phase, then I burned myself out a little bit, and now I've progressed to working on what I can do, as I can do it.

I installed a wood stove a few years back, and have thoroughly enjoyed staying toasty warm without cringing every time I heard the heater kick on, as well as knowing that won't change if the power gets knocked out again. I have a generator but I'd like the option to have lights, charge batteries and visit okshooters.com if the genny craps out or I just don't need enough power output to justify running it.

I'm pretty ignert about electricity, so right now I'm thinking about buying one or two of the Harbor Freight 45W kits just to get my feet wet, and going from there. Do any of ya'll have a solar system up and running right now? I'd appreciate any tips, advice, pics and what not.

 

[pnuner]

If you are looking for something to play with like I was I would recommend one of these two.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFCNFRM/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
or
http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-Systems-12-Volt-Solar-Kits/c1_272/p2747/12-Volt-100-Watt-Solar-Panel-Kit-with-FREE-SHIPPING/product_info.html

Both of these are 100 watt panels instead of the 45 and are not much more the the HF panels. I went with the one from Amazon but kinda wish I had gone with the solarblvd.com one only because it comes with longer cables. Don't get me wrong I'm very happy with the one from Amazon just had to place my battery box a little closer to the panel. I have this setup in my cellar and once I get my batteries I can run 2 16ft LED light strips (VERY bright) plus a laptop computer with TV tuner and 300 watt power inverter. I have it hooked up to an old lawnmower battery right now and it works (just not very long if the sun isn't out).

 

[jrusling]

I have a system on my shop building that will generate about 500 watts under ideal conditions. The 4 140 watt panels feed 2 L-16 AGM batteries, which feeds a 2000 watt sign wave inverter. Here are a few pictures of my setup. http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/jrusling/slideshow/Building

Note: the inverter shown was a 1200 watt modified sign wave inverter that I have since replaced.

 

[Pokem807]

Thanks for the info and pics. If I were to go with one of the 100W systems, how hard is it to add on panels in the future?

 

[GeneW]

This is a good topic, thanks for posting.

I'm not in a financial situation at this time to put in a large solar system.

However, I would like to buy a couple hundred watts of solar power, controller, etc, and a couple of golf cart batteries and be able to charge up cell phones, power a computer, small tv, internet access, and ham radio equipment, in an emergency. I'd like to be able to sustain this over a good period of time.

Solar isn't cheap but it really does work. Just need some battery power to operate the small things.

 

[jrusling]

It depends on your charge controller. I wish I had gotten a bigger one as I cannot add any more panels without replacing it. The charge controller is one of the most important items to maintain long life of your batteries. There is a lot of good reading on solar systems. If you want to look at some different sizes, look at http://www.wholesalesolar.com. They are not the cheapest, but they are very good about answering the phone.

You also need to know just how big a system you really need. I sized mine to be able to keep a freezer running as long as there is sun light. I do wish now I had doubled the size of the battery bank.

 

[pnuner]

Like jrusling said, it depends on the charge controller. Adding panels is as easy as getting a connector and plugging them in. However the charge controller needs to be sized to the wattage/voltage coming in. The one that comes with the Renology kit is rated at 12/24 volt and 10 amp input. I don't know if it could handle adding another panel.

Like I said this is something I just started playing with and am really not using/depending on it for emergency power. I just had a 10x14 cellar built and wanted power down there and didn't want to rely on the grid being up during a thunder storm (it usually isn't). Like stated above you need to decide what you want to power and for how long. For me I just wanted to run some lights and a computer and or TV for probably not more than a couple of hours.

Also a BIG factor is your storage (batteries) that can be easily your biggest cost. I didn't need a lot of reserve capacity so for now I'm just going to use a couple of 12 volt marine batteries. Later I may switch to 2 6 volt golf cart batteries which actually has more amp hours than the marine batteries. The more storage you need the more expensive the battery.

By the time it's said and done with batteries, cable, solar panel, etc I will have almost $1,000 in my tiny system.

 

[jrusling]

Don't forget that lead acid batteries give off hydrogen gas when they are charged. They really should be in an air tight compartment that is vented to the outside. AGM and gel cells don't have the same problem, but are a lot more expensive. The higher the amps that you are charging with the more hydrogen gas.

 

[pnuner]

Great safety note. I am using lead acid batteries however my batteries outside in a weather resistant box. If you have to store them inside use AGM or gell cells.

 

[Pokem807]

You also need to know just how big a system you really need. I sized mine to be able to keep a freezer running as long as there is sun light. I do wish now I had doubled the size of the battery bank.

You mentioned that the charge controller limits how many panels a system can handle. Is there also a limiting factor for the size of a battery bank?

Also, I will probably run my system out of my garage. It's not climate controlled, and I was wondering it excessive heat/cold would adversely affect the system's efficiency.