Affordable battery and solar to use with a 2kwh power station?
Posted by PinkPetalsSnow@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 13 comments
Hi. We got a 2kwh lithium power station on sale this summer but so far I can only charge it in the wall or using a DC lighter in the car. We want some solar recharging system but can't figure what's the most affordable route - basically what we are thinking is the following set up: - non-lithium batteries to withstand Midwest winters and hot summers - few solar panels on the shed in the back of the yard that will charge the batteries in shed - when a battery is charged bring it inside and use it to power the bluetti 200 v2
We don't want solar panels on house roof, and we want to get away with minimum solar panels and batteries. How to optimize this? Brand name or any other details for solar and batteries are appreciated.
Home is very small, the max electricity we used per day this hot summer even with central air was 21kwh. 90% of days were under 12kwh... So we would be ok to target 12kwh max with the solar set up. Heck, even 8kwh would be great!!!! Ty!
SheistyPenguin@reddit
You can find folding solar panels on Amazon in the 500W or less range.
Most will come with multiple adapters to fit various power stations; pick one with an output that Bluetti supports.
PinkPetalsSnow@reddit (OP)
Thank you. I am aware of central air needing a lot of power, as well as say a space heater in winter going to 1500 w. In my mind I was thinking to add 2kwh batteries or power stations until I get to 10kwh-12kwh total but it seems like a silly idea as I won't know how to tie them together and swapping one battery/station for another (or charging one station with one battery after another) seems silly and a lot - just to be aware, to go outside plug one thing into solar, wait till it gets charged, then bring inside to use, then plug another device into solar etc. Feels like a full time job now that I think about it ... One thing is that our central air is 20+ yrs old and we will replace with 2 window units for the whole house - maybe 8k BTU or 10k BTU each. So that should decrease a bit the electricity usage, assuming we will just use one such unit.
I don't know how to think about it - I just heard that they have the 5000 Wh now (jackery or bluetti?) so maybe getting a more powerful unit would be good?
My plan was ultimately to be able to power the whole house. We avg 6kwh year long except summer when we avg about 12kwh a day... So not a lot... And it doesn't need to be a fully comfortable amount of electricity, as long as it would cover the basics/lowest usage it's ok. Just a back up to the grid.
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
For heat you want propane or kerosene. Have you considered getting a large propane tank, and a propane generator?
PinkPetalsSnow@reddit (OP)
Yes, we got propane heater and tanks. We also have space heaters as back up for night running...
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
Have you considered a propane generator that can hook up to your tanks?
Verisimilitude_20@reddit
Your idea works but swapping batteries in and out can become more hassle than it's worth. A small fixed setup with panels, charge controller and a battery bank in the shed will be simpler long term and lithium iron phosphate holds up well to Midwest seasons. If later you want something more hands off that's when people look at systems like the Ocean pro since it handles charging, storage and scaling in one place.
PinkPetalsSnow@reddit (OP)
Yes, a small fixed set up is all we want. I'll google charge controller etc to better understand what it entails. The swapping batteries would get very cumbersome very fast ... Thank you!
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
You can charge your Bluetti directly from solar. But if you are going to invest in more batteries, you don't want to depend on just using them to charge your Bluetti. Get a separate inverter. The bad thing about the all in one systems is that if any component fails the whole thing is useless, you are going to want some redundancy. What about just getting another larger power station and some panels?
PinkPetalsSnow@reddit (OP)
The problem is that Im thinking to put the solar panels on the roof of the shed and the shed is in the back of the yard. I don't want to run a 50 ft cable from there to the house and break it when I mow the lawn and forget to unplug... The shed is uninsulated so just thought to utilize it to put the permanent solar panels on it - maybe 2-3 on each side of it's roof.
I know I can charge the bluetti directly from solar, but I don't know where to put the solar panels - I guess I could get the ones that fold and move them around on the patio or the grass, but it's another thing to do.
Yes, I was thinking to get another power station too... Maybe use one charged one while the other one is getting charged from solar outside? What wattage solar panels would be enough - given Midwest location - in the winter there may not be much sun. 1000w? Then takes 2 hours of sun to charge a bluetti...???
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
Well at least another power station would be easy to move to where you have the panels mounted.
You could modify an extension cord, or just find a spool for the cable, and put the cable down only when you need it. I made connectors to use all three conductors of a two 12ga extension cords to be able to charge a battery in my home from panels outside.
PinkPetalsSnow@reddit (OP)
I just reread your last message - how is your solar panel set up outside? Is it a semi-permanent thing (a frame for panels) or do you use portable panels?
Paranormal_Lemon@reddit
They aren't set up outside, I'll take them out if I need them. It's only a few 100w panels.
PinkPetalsSnow@reddit (OP)
I would not be able to move the power station to the shed during winter die to lithium not taking well to freezing temp. But also I don't need to mow the lawn in winter so I guess I can use a cable to the house during that time...
I also haven't thought about neighbors and strangers walking on the sidewalk seeing me move the power station from house to shed and back ... 😳
Thanks for brainstorming with me... Apparently I barely peeled 1 layer of the onion for this problem.