A solar powered generator?

   / A solar powered generator? #62  
sixdogs said:
Does anyone know anything about solar powered generators? Do these work? I don't know how to even begin to ask questions but the concept is intriguing in that I could run one right in the house. No gas or oil. Heck, I could put a big one in the garage and run the whole house. That's after they work the bugs out and assuming they actually work. I've searched and not sure what to make of things. Some are out there and in the 2K ( mostly) to 5K range.

?
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"Solar powered generators" are a joke. Sure, they're fun if you want a charged battery backup for trivial applications, and they're easy to build. Buy a panel, a charge controller, and a deep cycle battery, and poof, you've got the storage side down. Add 12v appliances or an inverter and you can play.

The "solar powered generator" products which are now so popular in catalogs, well, it's the "generator" that's a joke. Yes, it's great, and generally nerdishly neat to capture the sun and accumulate some electrons. But "generator". Hah. If you discharge a decent size battery, your "generator" won't even be able to recharge the battery fast enough to avoid long term damage to the battery. (Maybe a deep cycle battery will tolerate it, maybe not, I'm not an expert, though I have done the whole experiment in building one of these myself).

If you need real storm outage electricity, get a real generator. They make some nice ones that are small, quiet, and not horrible. Or loud and cheap and cost effective, 4500w generators < $500.

In my experiment, I just had a 35 watt panel, and it was all a grand experiment for what I could do with the dim sun in New England. How much daily use of my computer could I use with the daily accumulation of electricity, etc. It did save one Christmas eve for the family where we lost power, and so my setup powered entertainment in the living room for the whole evening, but then it required an actual charger to return power to the deeply drained battery.

My 2cents. Have fun.
 
   / A solar powered generator? #64  
grsthegreat said:
how about the walmart tesla powerwall fires?


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A few incidents in 2018, at Walmart, dooms the PV industry?

Other sources say the problem was poorly mated quick-twist connectors used on every PV panel. Lots of suspicion of sabotage because while the roof was supposedly a restricted area it wasn't all that restricted and the failures were at the easiest access points where managers spotted fires before they spread.

You'd think if things were as bad as claimed one couldn't afford insurance? You know, like a 16 year old on a Suzuki Hayabusa? But my insurance company is much more concerned about dead bolts on the doors than PV panels.
 
   / A solar powered generator? #65  
Grumpycat said:
A few incidents in 2018, at Walmart, dooms the PV industry?

Other sources say the problem was poorly mated quick-twist connectors used on every PV panel. Lots of suspicion of sabotage because while the roof was supposedly a restricted area it wasn't all that restricted and the failures were at the easiest access points where managers spotted fires before they spread.

You'd think if things were as bad as claimed one couldn't afford insurance? You know, like a 16 year old on a Suzuki Hayabusa? But my insurance company is much more concerned about dead bolts on the doors than PV panels.
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It wasn't a few incidents at Walmart. It was 7 different roof fires at 7 different stores in several different states, on both sides of the country.
 
   / A solar powered generator? #66  
And a complete unwillingness on the part of SolarCity (aka "I coulda been a contender!") to make things right. In companies that I have been lucky enough to be associated with, we would have moved heaven and earth to make things right. Walmart has another 10,000 plus stores that could have taken solar panels. How bad would it have been? Patch the roof, rewire seven locations and Walmart would know that you are reliable and have their back.

I have no idea what went through SolarCity's thinking on this, but whatever it was, I am sure that it helped sink the company.

All the best,

Peter
 
   / A solar powered generator? #67  
Root Cause said:
I've been looking at Generac. Supposedly, they are to offer and combo at any time where you use solar power as primary and a smaller generator will charge the panels if there isn't enough sunlight to do it as preferred. Ad says it can fully charge within an hour but no other details that I have seen yet.
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Yes, it sounds like you are describing a model that is one of the standard Generacs. I have one that has that same capability. It is basically a generator just like any other generator, but with a "smart" controller designed to work with a standard solar panel + battery system. The controller measures the state of the charge of the batteries that the solar panels are charging.... and if the charging rate from the sun isn't sufficient to offset the draw from the house then the Generac starts up automatically to charge the batteries.

The Generac can charge the batteries in half an hour more than the sun can all day.

You can also run that same model Generac generator in a "stand alone" mode without the addition of solar panels and batteries. That's what I do with mine.

rScotty
 
   / A solar powered generator? #68  
Snobdds said:
I have a blue eddie AC 200 for my cabin. They are fantastic. I can run the entire cabin for days if there is no sun. I only have one solar panel @350 watts that keeps it charged up to 80% then it floats it. I set the generator to charge up to 80% and shut off at 20%. Never seen it get to 20%, but that is the range they say will keep the battery operating the longest. Everything is so easy and self contained.

I was skeptable, but my neighbor has one and convinced me to get one. Best thing ever. I haven't turned on my generator much lately, just to run power tools.

They are the way to go...
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I have a similar setup in my off-grid barn. I use a 1800w storage battery with inverter, connected to 400w of solar panels. My electric needs are quite low . . . mini fridge, LED lights, occasional air compressor use, chop saw, small tools, etc. I wired the barn using "male inlets", similar to RV plugs, then use short extension cords from my battery (mine is an EcoFlow product, not Bluetti) to connect to the male inlets. It's basically like hardwiring extension cords in your structure and then connecting to your portable power source. Truly works perfectly for my purposes. This technology won't power a house, but for basic power needs, it's a great system.
 
   / A solar powered generator? #69  
Bullwinkle123 said:
"Solar powered generators" are a joke. Sure, they're fun if you want a charged battery backup for trivial applications, and they're easy to build. Buy a panel, a charge controller, and a deep cycle battery, and poof, you've got the storage side down. Add 12v appliances or an inverter and you can play.

The "solar powered generator" products which are now so popular in catalogs, well, it's the "generator" that's a joke. Yes, it's great, and generally nerdishly neat to capture the sun and accumulate some electrons. But "generator". Hah. If you discharge a decent size battery, your "generator" won't even be able to recharge the battery fast enough to avoid long term damage to the battery. (Maybe a deep cycle battery will tolerate it, maybe not, I'm not an expert, though I have done the whole experiment in building one of these myself).

If you need real storm outage electricity, get a real generator. They make some nice ones that are small, quiet, and not horrible. Or loud and cheap and cost effective, 4500w generators < $500.

In my experiment, I just had a 35 watt panel, and it was all a grand experiment for what I could do with the dim sun in New England. How much daily use of my computer could I use with the daily accumulation of electricity, etc. It did save one Christmas eve for the family where we lost power, and so my setup powered entertainment in the living room for the whole evening, but then it required an actual charger to return power to the deeply drained battery.

My 2cents. Have fun.
Click to expand...
I have been thinking about a small solar panel generator just for a TSHTF condition where generator fuel is not available for some reason. Heat could come from firewood, and I always have a year's supply ahead, but small electrical appliances like radios, phones, and router would need small quantities of juice. At the moment, the only solar panels I have are a small battery charger that's on my tractor out in the barn, and a solar calculator from the '80s.

I have pretty much stuck with 19th century tech, not the modern stuff. Nothing is quite as comfortable as wood heat, and gravity feed water is a great convenience. I keep a good supply of alkaline batteries on hand, but a few rechargeables would be nice. I just don't know how much to store for convenience against the eventual collapse of civilization. :eek:
 
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