De Grid Me #5. Home Made Off Grid Solar System - My Latest Version - Upgraded.
G'day, Let me give you a rundown on the latest Solar System upgrade at our Bush Block.
It's still a work in progress but this is the most permanent it has been to date.
I finally got to install the Solar Panels on the new section of the house roof.
It's a 48 volt system with a total output of 2 Kilowatts.
I've deliberately left the gap in the middle because I can squeeze another 4 panels in there using the same rails and brackets to cut costs. (My wife calls me "Cheap Charlie" because I'm always looking for ways to save money).
The extra 4 panels will be in a 12 volt configuration to power a separate backup system (once installed they will cover those exposed cables)
The batteries are installed in a small shed attached to the back of the house (you can just see the base of it under the shade sail)
I installed the Shade Sail to try and keep the shed as cool as possible. It's a really hot climate here so it's tough on batteries.
I also have other small temporary solar systems all over the place powering various things. You can see the panel on the ground powering the water pressure pump.
This is the Battery Storage Shed.
It's fully lined with insulation and I installed 4 vents around the bottom as well. It's a bit hard to see but there's also a black vent in the roof designed to allow airflow from the vents below. It's all about keeping things cool.
You can see the solar cable coming from the roof and 2 of the main feeds going into the house. (the rest of the wires are just temporary at the moment).
The orange system on the right is the main 48 volt power supply from the 8 panels on the roof.
The 8 old grey 2nd hand batteries are in parallel / series configuration to get 48 volts.
They are approximately 130 amp hours each so at 48 volts can provide a total of about 12,400 kilowatt hours.
We don't use a lot of power when we are there so they do a good job at the moment for us.
Basically, after running lights, fans, TV etc overnight they are back up to full charge by about 10 o'clock in the morning.
This is the 12 volt back up system, again using 2nd hand batteries.
The 12 batteries are 110 amp hours each so are capable of producing about 15,000 kilowatts in total.
At the moment this is just running off 1 solar panel to keep the batteries in good condition until I can get the 4 new panels for the roof.
The plan is to use this system to run some of the appliances that are not used all the time and take the pressure off the main system. Things like the washing machine, vacuum cleaner, power tools, small pool pump etc.
The next job was to install a small Switch Board to run all the circuits for the house. Basically I divided the house into 2 separate lighting circuits, 2 separate power circuits and a completely separate circuit for the fridges. That way, if we ever have any issues we can prioritise where the power goes.
You can see the 15 amp caravan socket which is the main feed to the switchboard. The black lead coming from it is currently plugged into the orange 48 volt inverter which is now powering the house. To change to the 12 volt back up system it's just a matter of plugging it into the blue inverter.
If for some reason the batteries are low on power or we have an emergency then it's a simple job to plug an extension lead into the 5kva back up generator.
The switchboard is fitted with a Main Breaker and as you can see there are only a couple of active circuits in use at the moment but plenty of room to put the rest in. All the circuits are safety switch protected.
There you have it ..... our completely off grid power system (that's almost finished).
Before anybody asks - yes I do most of the work and wiring myself BUT I have an electrician friend who double checks everything and certifies it all.
I'm hoping to get a few more years out of the batteries and hopefully by then the price of the lithium ion batteries will be cheaper and we can install a Tesla Power Wall.
If you've read this far, I hope you found it interesting.
Any comments or ideas would be appreciated.
You can catch up on my previous "De Grid Me" articles through the links below:
De Grid Me #1. Introduction
De Grid Me #2. Building a Bush Dunny (outdoor toilet)
De Grid Me #3. Steemit “HomesteadingChallenge” #2 - How I made a complete Dick of myself!!!
De Grid Me #4. How to build a simple Outdoor / Bush Solar Shower.
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Very nice system. We are planning to get a solar system fairly soon. Where do you get the used batteries?
I run a small battery reconditioning business.
Over here in Australia I sometimes get good Deep Cycle AGM batteries from places that have policies of changing them out every 2 years regardless of their condition. Of course we have the hot climate here.
I would suggest you try anywhere that has standby / backup power supplies. Telecommunications Companies - Government Departments - Computer Companies - Mining Companies etc.
Sometimes the big scrap metal companies will sell good batteries if they can get a better price than just the scrap lead price.
Well that is a pretty good business to be in if you are building a solar system! Thanks for the advice on where I might find some.