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RE: R&D at Tesla, is projecting $100 per KWH battery packs by next year, which will be perfect for off grid homestead power!
Awesome news. I've been looking into options for a little while now...Seems like things might be progressing in the right direction.
I have been recovering good cells from exhausted laptop batteries for a couple of years. Each cell is about 10 watts at a sustainable rate of discharge, and I will stack six initially to make a 24 volt 60 watt battery. I will parallel eight of these in an assembly for a 480 watt battery. I have enough salvaged for 19 of these assemblies so far with a couple of more assemblies worth. still untested.
That said, I would LOVE to get my hands on some of these to add to my current battery bank! I want 24kw of battery storage for my off grid system to start with.
If I don't have enough battery storage by the time to move, I will buy some lead acid to fill in while I salvage more LiIon cells. Then I can slowly change them out, and move the lead acid into my greenhouse to use them up there. Life is NOT boring, keep on homesteading, LOL!
:)>Sounds like you've got it worked out pretty well. I'm nowhere near as advanced, or skilled, in this area. I have a solar array but no storage just yet. My wife't uncle and aunt live completely off-grid though and they have a huge battery bank, lead acid.
They live on the beach so harvest from the sea and grow a few things in pots but barter and trade seafood for other things. They supplement from the store of course, but overall manage to be reasonably self-sufficent depending on the season. We go up there (4.5 hours away) a few times a year and it's pretty cool to see the set up.
I am probably moving in a few years and will set up a storage system for power at that property for sure...So, I hope the tech gets cheaper and better! 😊
I have a small advantage, I am a EE, and studied alternate energy at school. I have always been fascinated by making my own power.
Adding a wind generator in parallel with your panels will give you a more robust system since the wind will pick up when the panels reduce.
The property we bought already is on grid, but I want to fire them, LOL! I plan to put in several RV parking spots on the south end of the property for sustained income, since we are very close to a Large lake.
I plan to dig a wallipini greenhouse with an earth battery for climate control. I will drill a well for water, with the proximity of the lake, I will hit at about 60 feet.
Best of luck on the homestead! Let me know if you have questions on the power system setup.
:)>I'm an EE too, would you believe! No, actually that's a lie damn it! 😂
My bro is an EE and graduates as a nautical engineer this weekend too so I have some expertise around I suppose, he lives 4,500km away though - That's the issue.
It sounds like you have some great plans and a great spot! I'm not jealous at all...OK, that's another lie, I am. Seriously though, I'd love to do something like that but without the technical expertise it means paying people and that means money. I'm a millionaire though...Yep, lying again...I'm not a millionaire and so only have so much available. I have got some skills though and we do what we can, when we can.
Who knows, maybe one day my brother will come back and together we'll get something happening on this front.
Find the dirt, and I will help walk you through it. I will be posting as I build, it is not too hard. Building the battery might be a little extreme, but the rest is just wiring up modules.
You will need panels, charge controllers, battery, and output inverters. I plan to use 24 volts to reduce the DC current required to run the inverters. But 12 volts is the most common voltage, and it works fine. I plan to run AC from my system, so voltage efficiency is more important to me.
Get it close, then invite the brother to come visit....
:)>We have talked about it, my brother and I and have some loose plans...I've been keen for a long time. Thanks for the offer of expertise...Much appreciated!
Happy to help! Good luck finding the perfdct spo t to buy....
What area are you looking in?
:)>I'm looking in the southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia and other areas...