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- May 13, 2021
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This has been an ongoing project for many years. As we have been off grid for 14 years and reliant on a generator and a small solar power system. Our small system at the house can handle ALL our needs on sunny days only. The battery bank is sadly undersized! So some of the time we run a generator. I also have to run one anytime I need to use tools in my shop so another expense that often keeps me from working on things I want to. A few months ago I decided to setup another even smaller system at the shop. I dug a 12 inch round post hole 42 inches deep filled it with concrete and shoved a 3 inch ID 1/4" wall iron pipe in. I had cut a section of pipe off which I then cut in two. The longer piece got split down the middle and the shorter piece pushed in one end about 3 inches leaving about 5 inches out and welded together. Then I fit the open end of the other end over the pipe and welded a piece of bed frame over the now wide split like this /\ which allowed me to slightly loosen the fit of the "collar" piece by spreading by force. In other words I squashed the point down pushing the edges of the pipe farther apart. I wanted it to rotate but with some drag. We also drilled the top short pipe sticking out of the collar horizontally to accept a 1/2" pivot bolt. Then we built a simple wooden frame and mounted it to the pole via the pivot bolt and put the panels on to it. I found an old school type locker a decade or more ago and it became the power house now sitting under the panels. We mounted the charge controller and inverter inside along with 12) 2 volt cells wired series parallel for 12 volts. Only gives us 304 amp hours at 12 volts but that's what I had on hand. In fact I had all the parts on hand except the concrete.
Only the solar panels were new even though I bought them several years ago (2018). Everything else was used previously. This system currently consists of the following parts.
4) 300 watt Renogy monocrystalline panels
1) 60 amp PowMr charge controller used while waiting for my new midnite solar controller for our main system
1) Samlex 1500 watt modified sinewave inverter ( found in a junk car)
12) Absolite AGM 152 amp hour volt cells odd amount left from last batch of used batteries I bought in 2018
Nice to have but not necessary features this setup has are the ability to tilt and turn with ease by hand to face the sun.
Only 2) of the 4) panels are currently hooked up as that's all the PowMr 60 amp controller can handle at 12 volts. Once I can buy some more batteries and a replacement fan for another 48 volt pure sinewave inverter I have we will hookup the other 2) panels.
Since this system will normally be used during the day and in sunny conditions hopefully the limited battery won't hurt to bad. It will be running power tools, battery chargers, small air compressor, drill press whatever we need around the shop that doesn't require the larger generator IE welder, plasma cutter, large air compressor.
I'll take some pics tomorrow it was well after dark when we finished tonight.
Only the solar panels were new even though I bought them several years ago (2018). Everything else was used previously. This system currently consists of the following parts.
4) 300 watt Renogy monocrystalline panels
1) 60 amp PowMr charge controller used while waiting for my new midnite solar controller for our main system
1) Samlex 1500 watt modified sinewave inverter ( found in a junk car)
12) Absolite AGM 152 amp hour volt cells odd amount left from last batch of used batteries I bought in 2018
Nice to have but not necessary features this setup has are the ability to tilt and turn with ease by hand to face the sun.
Only 2) of the 4) panels are currently hooked up as that's all the PowMr 60 amp controller can handle at 12 volts. Once I can buy some more batteries and a replacement fan for another 48 volt pure sinewave inverter I have we will hookup the other 2) panels.
Since this system will normally be used during the day and in sunny conditions hopefully the limited battery won't hurt to bad. It will be running power tools, battery chargers, small air compressor, drill press whatever we need around the shop that doesn't require the larger generator IE welder, plasma cutter, large air compressor.
I'll take some pics tomorrow it was well after dark when we finished tonight.