Gasing Up on Sunshine

[Gale Hawkins]

Battery geeks will love this but should be of interest to anyone wanting to store solar energy. Over all cost wise LiFePO is the way to go.

For 12 years I maintained an old UPS requiring 48 volts of lead acid batteries supporting the server room which was a trip.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

An option when you operate a high tech factory but lose grid power several times daily. I like the idea of the steel shipping container. A lot of home solar control rooms are built out of wood with everything mounted to blendex or plywood which I see as a potential fire risk.

 

[ponytug]

I would have a look at old Nissan Leaf battery packs or parts thereof. Very reasonable costs, good battery chemistry, and lots of folks have made pretty solid UPS systems out of them. (You could even upgrade the battery in your Leaf and use the old one for your solar system!)

All the best, Peter

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I would have a look at old Nissan Leaf battery packs or parts thereof. Very reasonable costs, good battery chemistry, and lots of folks have made pretty solid UPS systems out of them. (You could even upgrade the battery in your Leaf and use the old one for your solar system!)

All the best, Peter

I bought a mint inside and out 2015 Leaf SV for a parts car to rebuild our 2016 Leaf SL that got the first 18 inchs sheared off when a guy ran a red light. The parts car was totaled out by the insurance carrier and we bought it at an auction in DC Maryland because of electrical problems that we could not resolve so we can we could not look at the battery health with software to see it's quality but it only had 27,000 miles and 2015 was a good battery year for 24 kWH battery.

Our 2016 SL has surround cameras that I need. Huge is that it has a 2020 40 kWH battery from Nissan instead of the 30 kWH battery that failed at 25K miles.

We picked the parts car up 21st of December 2020 and I got a bad sinus infection working with it outside the next week or two followed by 5 months of blood clots in the left then right leg. Easter weekend was spent in the hospital to remove 28 + fragments in my lugs as results of the blood clots so my 2021 start was slow. Both cars are at the body shop.

After my first Covid-19 vaccination hit me hard 12 hours after getting it I expect the bad sinus infection that put me in bed was masking covid-19. That has been a bad trip but I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope it's not an oncoming train.

Last week I got caught up on Bush hogging and currently I am working at rehabing the 36 volts of deep cycle batteries in the golf cart in case I use them in a solar system storage setup.

 

[Jchonline]

I live off grid. There are a lot of variables, but the first thing to figure out is your max solar power generation. Global Solar Atlas

For instance if you have a 4 KW solar array you would make 17kw of power a day in June (your best month).
If you go to altestore on YouTube they have a bunch of intro videos on how to start sizing a system. It sounds like you are just trying to charge your car. The basics are a PV array, a charge controller, an inverter (if you need to go DC to AC).

My advice if you are DIY is to do something really small. Get a couple of panels, a charge controller, an inverter, a few car batteries. Set the system up to power something small.

 

[ponytug]

@Gale Hawkins sorry to hear about your health issues. (And the car travails!) It sounds pretty classic for covid, so it is good to hear that you are recovering. My two cents is to take it easy during recovery.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Gale Hawkins]

@Gale Hawkins sorry to hear about your health issues. (And the car travails!) It sounds pretty classic for covid, so it is good to hear that you are recovering. My two cents is to take it easy during recovery.

All the best,

Peter

Thanks for your concern. Long Covid-19 is a game changer. I follow this UK doctor daily as I manage my way forward. Thankfully I earned my OD deg6 many years which is helpful in wading through the medical noise of these times.

 

[cqaigy2]

Yes, be watching Dr Campbell for a year now. Now i take vit D.

 

[ericm979]

Huge Supply of Water is Saved From Evaporation When Solar Panels Are Built Over Canals

Killed two birds with one stone.

Out here they put panels over parking lots. It's a convenient place to put panels, the panels shield the cars from the sun and the panels don't heat up as much as the pavement does.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Do engineers dream of solar panel efficiency?

Cutting the number of solar panels needed in half or doubling the electric output down the road is exciting.

In my case I am starting think a ground based set-up with a movable fire resistant building for housing the equipment is worth planning for from the start.