Solar Power

[Clyde]

I recently purchased the Yeti 1250 from Costco. This is an amazing solar powered generator! You can run a refrigerator with it. I ran our fish tank for 4 days on it with a single charge.

I hope to take it camping in september/october time frame and give a full report on it then. in the mean time here is a photo and the specs.

Goal Zero Yeti 1250 Solar Generator

USAGE

Charges the following: - Approx. Charge Time:
AC Wall Charger (80W) Included......................16-20 hours
Goal Zero Boulder 30 x 2, not included.............20-24 hours
Car Charger (30W), not included.......................40+ hours

INPUTS

2 x 8mm Charge Ports........................................16-20V, 10A max
Power Pole Charging Port..................................16-48V, 20A max
(240W max total input between both 8mm and power pole connection.)

OUTPUTS

3 x AC standard US outlets 110V AC 60Hz pure-sine wave, 1200W max total continuous, 1500W max short-duration
Female 12V port 11-14V, 10A max (120@), unregulated
2 x 6mm 12V ports 11-14V, 6A max each (72W), unregulated
12V Power Pole port 12-14V, 30A max (360W), unregulated
3 x USB ports 5V, 1.5A mx (7.5W) each, regulated

INTERNAL

Battery Type..........................Lead-acid (AGM)
Battery Capacity....................1250Wh (12V, 100Ah)
Battery voltage range............11-14.8V
Life Span...............................Hundreds of cycles
Fuse.......................................200A (4x50A fuses in parallel)
Inverter..................................1200W pure-sine wave inverter
Charge Controller..................20A MPPT

GENERAL

Shelf Life...............................Charge every 3-4 months
Chainable...............................Goal Zero Yeti 1250's and other 12V AGM batteries
Weight....................................103 lbs
Dimensions............................16 x 11.5 x 14.5 in (410 x 305 x 370 cm)
Warranty.................................12 mos (6 mos on battery)
Certifications..........................FCC, CE
Operating useage Temp..........20-105 F (6-40 C)
Optimal storage temp.............70 F (21 C)

 

[Loomis]

That's a nice set up, pure sine wave too. How many watt refridge is it rated for? How many watts on those panels?

 

[Clyde]

That's a nice set up, pure sine wave too. How many watt refridge is it rated for? How many watts on those panels?

each panel is 45 watt, and I can hook 4, possibly 8, of them up in a chain. I still need 2 more
When running a fridge on it, you loose no power at all unless the compressors are running.
I will have to look into what it is rated for, but i do know it will run my full size

 

[Loomis]

Your 2 45 watt panels should chage up that batter in one day. I have 4 15 watt panels so we are dealing with 90 watts. The surge power on my fridge is astronomical, and it's not a big one either. You might have to up that dc to ac converter to run a fridge off it, or you'll find the inverter shutting off on you. I don't think a 1200 watt inverter is enough. You may end up buying a 5000 watt inverter. However you can run a lot of things off what you have and the quality of the Goal Zero is tops.

 

[Warriorhealer22]

In a bug out situation, sure weight is an issue. What will your electricity requirements be at that point in time? It would prove useful in a vehicular bug out, or those that are willing to carry the weight. There are smaller products that are more portable to charge up small batteries and such.

 

[Loomis]

In a bug out situation, sure weight is an issue. What will your electricity requirements be at that point in time? It would prove useful in a vehicular bug out, or those that are willing to carry the weight. There are smaller products that are more portable to charge up small batteries and such.

90 Watt solar arrays are more for fixed locations.

 

[Loomis]

Solar update:
I expanded my set up to 100 watt and connected 2 12v batteries together to make a 12v system.
In my house I changed all the bulbs and some fixtures to more energy efficient ones. I've used solar power from my batteries to run plant light and my laptop and charge a few cell phones.
I received an energy consumption review from my power company. It says I used 9% LESS energy than last year. We have had a lot of rain this year too so my panels didn't get used for a whole month. Still, it's not a lot but it is something. I'll have to build or buy some kind of outside structure to house the batteries and inverter. I have no idea what though. I think it's time to start to bring the wire into the house, instead of an extension cord thru the kitchen window.
Also Wind will not work here. It's considered calm.

 

[Gazrok]

We tend to have wind when it storms, so when solar isn't around. Which is why I'd love to have both options at some point.
Ever check into leasing solar power? This is a pretty cool option as you don't pay the startup costs (but don't get the fat rebates either).

 

[jimLE]

well loomis...sounds like your doing all the good with what you've done..
gazrok..i agree with that.on acount there are days here where solar won't work from to much cloud cover...and when ever it's clouded up n looking like it's gonna rain.then it's windy as well...and if the creek here was close enough.i'd consider water power as well..

 

[Loomis]

We tend to have wind when it storms, so when solar isn't around. Which is why I'd love to have both options at some point.
Ever check into leasing solar power? This is a pretty cool option as you don't pay the startup costs (but don't get the fat rebates either).

First of all how many Watts or Kilowatts are we talking about leasing? Any more watts than you can easily store you would have to put in a pure sign grid tie inverter and sell it back to the power company, after they came out to your house and put in a meter, thereby hooking up to the grid. The power goes out, so does your system. Thats why I keep my system small, so I can use it. I also use amorphous panels, only 10% effective I know, but they do work on cloudy days and you can block up to 50% of the panel and watt output stays the same, no reduction or shut off. I would not consider leasing.

 

[Gazrok]

You lease the equipment, not per kilowatt. Good thing is, if the SHTF, you still HAVE the equipment, hehe....
We use too much power to go completely solar (other than in an emergency situation).

 

[Loomis]

You lease the equipment, not per kilowatt. Good thing is, if the SHTF, you still HAVE the equipment, hehe....
We use too much power to go completely solar (other than in an emergency situation).

Yes, but you still have to store it to use at night + the disconnect from the grid. With a large (leased) array that's a lot of batteries. I'll stick with my little backup system that I use every day & night.

 

[Brent S]

Need the money for tools. And someone to show me how, especially with welding.
I can use a cutting torch with no problems.

I've dome a lot of welding and can probably help with advice anytime.

 

[Brent S]

weilding pre-shtf i can make vertually anything i want, giving theres enough scrap metal to go around, post-shtf, not much untill true homesteading begins and people quit looting and killing everything in sight. an ARC weilder uses 220 electricity, its kinda like hooking up battery cables except in the positive side you have your rod, then use the electricity to melt the rod. but post-shtf 220 will be hard to come by untill we make alternative electricity. However there is the MIG weilder that runs off of the standered 110 electricity (the regular plugs in a house) and runs wire feed instead of the rod, which i would recomend to beginners (you can buy them at harbor freight for around $100) the MIG is used for smaller weilds, like sheet metal or thin metals that an ARC would burn right through.

I have a miller welder, it's 225 amp ac/dc, the best thing about it is it is also a 10kw generator. The unit is called a bobcat. If you check craigslist you can find used ones really cheap, cheaper than just a generator alone. It's nice to be able to fabricate things when I want, and is great to power the house when needed. I think I paid about three thousand for it new, but you can find used ones for about 800 to 1000.

 

[Brent S]

Your wisdom and knowledge is so valuable here. I think that must be the reason why it is so important for people to choose like minded people to partner with for the emergencies coming to us. It is the teamwork that will build what is needed to survive and then to rebuild too after any destruction.

No doubt, you can accomplish anything with a group that works together.

 

[hills have eyes]

i like my solar also got genee good to have multplals wen it gomes to power yup bad spelling here lol

 

[Gazrok]

Yes, but you still have to store it to use at night + the disconnect from the grid. With a large (leased) array that's a lot of batteries. I'll stick with my little backup system that I use every day & night.

The batteries, etc. are ALL part of the leased equipment. The leasing company gets money from getting the tax rebates (as the owner of the equipment) from Uncle Sam, and from your monthly leasing fee.

 

[hills have eyes]

no lease here 24 pannels at 280 watts each

 

[Gazrok]

no lease here 24 pannels at 280 watts each

Nice.

Leasing pros include: they install the latest and greatest, they maintain it all, come SHTF - still have it, and little to no upfront cost.

But, the cons are that you can't take advantage of the tax breaks, and depending on the lease fee, you may not be saving all that much in the final analysis.

For me, here in FL, since the power companies here are doing all they can to thwart it, it really isn't a very viable option to lease here, so if and when I add solar, it will be at my own expense and labor it seems.

 

[hills have eyes]

i understand leasing i wouldnt lease so i bought and installed my self if i got to leave i can take with me on my trailor and yes i got all the tax breaks and rebates .i did the laber wasnt that hard since i sell my extra power to pg&e getting threw the permits and p.u.c was the longest part

 

[Robert_Kyle]

The main battery is about 10 pounds or so. the solar panels are about 2 pounds each.
the company is called goal zero. I picked the whole thing up for about $400.00. By going through Costco I saved some $200.00.

Save

 

[Clyde]

Save

I am looking at less expensive, yet dependable routes. As much as I like Goal Zero, they are a bit pricey

 

[Kenprep1979]

14lbs about then hu? thats alot to carry when shtf, but a hell of a convenience. ie you can take an electric stove top and heat food, water etc. a hot bath will be nice in those days! Not to mention the various other things you can do with it.
but $400-$600 Thats a bit much for this mans pocket.
Hell with $400-$600 i can buy a nice gun!

too much for my pocket too but if you go google do it yourself you can build the same setup for pennies on the dollar which is what im going to do'

 

[Myrrph]

I am looking at less expensive, yet dependable routes. As much as I like Goal Zero, they are a bit pricey

gosh if its expensive for you guys, its much worse for us. a 400 USD retail for GZ Solar panels will set us back to 800 to 1000 SGD even though the exchange rate is only 1.3-1.4 even if you account shipping... seriously???

sigh~

 

[Clyde]

gosh if its expensive for you guys, its much worse for us. a 400 USD retail for GZ Solar panels will set us back to 800 to 1000 SGD even though the exchange rate is only 1.3-1.4 even if you account shipping... seriously???

sigh~

Almost all the world's currency has taken a serious hit while the cost of goods and services continues to quickly rise

 

[Myrrph]

i used to work in a distribution company. Actually the reason is because of hedging. The price is set that way in case the USD returns to its acceptable historical high.

To show how much a distribution company earns.

When a product comes in, and the SRP is 10 USD. The realistic high is say 1.4 but historical high is 2.

So the SRP now becomes 20 SGD. Now the distributor gets the product at distributor price, nominally the margin is 30% before sales to a reseller. Reseller has a margin of 20%. This means the product cost to the distributor is actually about 5 USD. Lets assume shipping costs to be marginal, because shipping is nominally a couple of hundred USD for a minimum order of 10k USD shipping from China/Hong Kong to Singapore.

So the actual SRP is 14SGD for a product that is being sold for 20 SGD.

The distributor would sell his product to the reseller at about 16 SGD for his resellers, maybe 14 SGD for more loyal resellers.

His cost is 5.5 USD (inc Shipping) so his cost becomes 7.7 SGD for each product. His margin now becomes (14-7.7)/14 = 45%

a whopping 15% more because of the hedging. Good business right?

 

[Texan-]

I know this is an old thread...

It takes at least 5 watts to be a battery minder on a small cars battery, it wont charge the battery but just prevent it from draining, it would take 10 to 15 watts for a large battery just to be a battery minder.

I always thought a 20 watt panel along with a battery charge (aa/aaa/c) that has a DC connector is a great place to start with solar, it would give you lots of batteries for lights/radios and if your laptop/phone has a DC charger you can charge it directly.

Generally speaking you would want a solar panel with twice the watts that the device says it needs to charge, such as if the phone charger says it needs 5w to charge you would want at least a 10 watt panel,

I once got a folding solar panel that put out the exact wattage my phone needed and it only worked when the sun was high with no clouds at all.

My current solar setup is 900 watts of solar panels with 600ah of deep cycle batteries, the older setup is 400 watts of panels with 400ah of battery.

 

[Texan-]

It is best to start small with a solar system, as soon as you get it hooked up you see and understand the issues of a larger system,

A great place to start is a 20 to 50 watt solar panel, basically get the cheapest you can find since it wont matter as much in a small system, I dont like the flexible panels much since you will eventually wear out the wires that connect all the solar cells on the panel,

I like morningstar charge controllers, I know several that have them and I own a few of them,
Get a cheap one that handles 20 amps, it is a small one but still handles up to about 400 watts of panels.
The cheaper ones will be PWM controllers, the MPPT controllers dont make much sense until you have several hundred watts of panels or more and the MPPT controllers cost a lot more and only give 5% to 10% extra power in real world situations.

Just a single ~100 amp hour deep cycle battery will work well, is best to stay away from batteries that mention their CCA rating since they dont handle deep discharges very well due to their thinner lead plates.
If you already have an extra car battery it will work pretty good in the short term especially since this would be your first/experimental system.

A system this small can be carried outside in the day and brought back inside at night or even mounted on a dolly or wheeled table.

 

[Joe SA]

It is best to start small with a solar system, as soon as you get it hooked up you see and understand the issues of a larger system,

A great place to start is a 20 to 50 watt solar panel, basically get the cheapest you can find since it wont matter as much in a small system, I dont like the flexible panels much since you will eventually wear out the wires that connect all the solar cells on the panel,

I like morningstar charge controllers, I know several that have them and I own a few of them,
Get a cheap one that handles 20 amps, it is a small one but still handles up to about 400 watts of panels.
The cheaper ones will be PWM controllers, the MPPT controllers dont make much sense until you have several hundred watts of panels or more and the MPPT controllers cost a lot more and only give 5% to 10% extra power in real world situations.

Just a single ~100 amp hour deep cycle battery will work well, is best to stay away from batteries that mention their CCA rating since they dont handle deep discharges very well due to their thinner lead plates.
If you already have an extra car battery it will work pretty good in the short term especially since this would be your first/experimental system.

A system this small can be carried outside in the day and brought back inside at night or even mounted on a dolly or wheeled table.

We have been "playing" around with the stuff for the past 5 - 6 years and have learned some expencive lessons. When you use those 12Volt 100AmpH batteries keep them single, do not connect them in parralel,they really do work great, but in parralel the voltage regulater only "sees" the lowest battery and keeps on charging the whole system overcharging the rest of the batteries, we have switched over to the 2Volt 1000Amph batteries(6 en serie), they purr like kittens, they have been running all the electricity at the BOL for the past 3 years and no problems, we have a spare bank of 6 butt haven't touched it yet, just keep it topped up.

 

[Texan-]

I know a few people that have fried batteries by having strings up to a dozen long, and as you said it damages the batteries at the ends by charging and discharging too much and the batteries in the middle never get used or even charged much, for my banks I use copper bus bars with cables that are all the same length so they all get charged and discharged at the same rate.