DIY Solar So Simple Even a Logger Can Do It

I barely have to adjust the angle on my SoCal High Desert panels from peak summer to peak winter.
My Southeast Oregon property is an absolute nightmare, because every month tree shading changes big time!
I have one bald area on the hilltop that is one heck of a wire run which is windy, so will have to massively secure them.
Remember...Big panels make HUGE wind sails!
Extra heavy bolts and piers to secure them!

How does that power station handle the 80 Volts from the panels?

Moving the panels appears easy. Moving the stumps might be more difficult.

Since the power station wants a lower voltage you are decreasing your power output from the panels by putting them in series. You have cut your current in half. You should wire all of the panels in parallel.

I had old garage doors that I stripped out the aluminum rails and edging. When I built my Leanto onto my shed I allowed 2' of treated 4x4 posts to be above the roof slope. I put 2x4 angled Braces on each 4x4 post. Then I attached Horizontally 3 runs of the Garage door aluminum rails. I mounted 4 120watt panels on these rails. They are wired just like yours. The wire they attach to go into the shed to a 1000 watt Grid tie inverter that needs 20Vdc to Operate. My major problem is 2 trees on my Property that give partial shade during the day. Less during the winter than summer. Maybe one of these days I will own a Power station. Out of my retried budget range under bidenomics. Maybe under Trumpnomics I can afford 1. ;) The wire I used was #12 Braided copper wire from the panels to inverter. About a 25ft run so loss is minimal. This run of wire also has 4 #12 braided in it. So i have a spare set to use when I can add more panels. Merry Christmas & Have a Blessed Happy New Year. 2025 is gonna be a year Of BIG Changes! Hallelujah!

Great video thanks for the information. I'm going to build a new pump house next summer and want to include a back up power system for when we have power outages here.

Mr Wilson finally saw the light.....and put it to good use.... I'm just here for the sawdust. I like the nice woodworking you did on those stumps to support the frame....

Why just 2 x 80 volts?
Why not put hem all in series and use 160 Volts.
I assume your controller is MPPT.

I've been thinking about it and you really made it simpler than what I thought, which was not that much more complicated but, still, I thank you for that.

Around here, solar panel prices have gone down dramatically. There's this "big box store" (different brand from whatever you may find in the US) which usually has low prices that used to sell some similar solar panels for about 175€ (a bit more if you think in $) and since a few months ago they are at 75€ each. I had to look twice as I thought I might had not seen the 1 in front of the rest of the number.

I'll take a look at those "all in one". Thanks!

Good good !
Just watch those plugs on the back of your panels ' they like to melt down . I eventually cut tbem all out and soldered everything permanently once I was sure how I wanted my setup to stay .

Mind doing a video about those storage shipping containers? Like cost, shipping, getting them onto the land, foundation, etc?

I will have to finish later . Got and 8 year old in my face . Every time I pick up my phone X mas 😂

Power goes out often here, northern BC. Over 50hrs one time this fall. Internet for communications as there's no mobility here, and freezer/fridge.. everyone has a generator but, solar is my next step.. having wood heat, and gravity fed water makes all the difference.. great videos, Merry Christmas ⛄

In the video you mentioned Series doubling the Voltage, and Parallel, doubling the Wattage. Parallel actually doubles the Amperage, the Wattage stays the same. Actually, Wattage will always stay the same in the solar math.

Nice flexible setup. You are well on your way with both the discrete gear and the power stations. Definitely stay with series solar configurations, particularly with large residential panels due to the amperages they can put out. In terms of scaling up over time, start thinking of going with higher voltage on the discrete battery gear, it will make the charge controllers far more effective and you can carry far more power with the same cable size.

If you want to experiment, try wiring the discrete batteries into a 24V configuration instead of 12V, reconfigure the charge controller for the 24V configuration, and then feed the 24VDC battery bus into the power station's solar input, assuming it can handle the voltagel... most mid and large power stations can. 24V LiFePO4 charges to 28.4V so if the power station can take 30VDC on its input, the batteries can be plugged right in with just a 20A or 25A inline fuse. That will "trickle charge" the power station from the battery bank, while the solar goes into the battery bank and serves as a relatively large energy buffer.

The advantage of going with a higher voltage battery bus is that you scan scale far more solar using the same charge controller(s). 45A @ 12.8V = 576W. But 45A @ 25.6V = 1152W. Many people go all the way to 48V (51.2V nominal), but if your intent is to also integrate power stations a 24V battery system is generally more compatible, easier to deal with, and trickle-charges the power station(s) much more quickly.

If you do come to like the higher battery bus voltages but are still using 12.8V batteries, you will need a whole battery balancer to keep the 12V segments balanced against each other when constructing a 24V, 36V, or 48V bank. Most people just get native 25.6V and 51.2V LiFePO4 batteries to avoid having to get the whole-battery balancer... but since you already have the 12V gear, no reason to waste them.

If you have the solar going into the discrete batteries, you can unplug the portable power stations and use them without interfering with your energy gathering from the solar panels since that will go into your battery bank.

-Matt

This is what we have started to lean towards for the sawmill shed. We would be powering the hoist for turning the logs, lights, and some miscellaneous stuff. Now all we need is a sponsor! (haha) What are you going to be using your power for?

Hello, can you test the capacity of that aferly and see if it's accurate? I would sure appreciate it. These prices are too good!

I use a free app called sunspath If you select AR it will show the hourly position overlaying the offending branches. Has allowed me to tweek production with specific branch trimming

I use anderson connections sb50 on some 12v battery terminals . Then the output can be swapped out or added to a low need situation. I pull 600 watthour plus into my EF delta pro to keep freezers running whole night

What about those damned bears? Aren't they going to come in and mess with everything and bite up all your wires?! Seems like it would be a lot better to put them up on a roof where they can't get at them...

PS - Not bad for a "D" student!

Simple is only for the can , simple is for the can not , ⚒️⚒️

Just make sure you am for the clouds…. 🥹

Them torches might just come In handy. Please don’t do a video,, you standing on a ladder shining on sad panel…with scarf made old boots and kamel, sokes, try explanation for that,, any way happy Xmas , love you Chanel 🇬🇧😳😳

Happy Holiday, Michael (that should keep Mum happy)

There is an app called "Sun Surveyor Lite" that is a great app for telling exactly where the sun is at any given point in time. It would be invaluable for choosing permanent angle placement of your panel array.
Cheers!

Smear peanut butter on em…..bear bate….

What a deal,too confusing for me ,you done good thanks

Was this a sponsored video? Did you get that power station for free?

I'm glad you made this video it reminds me of my transformation from a nobody to good home, $34k monthly and a good daughter full of love

Thanks for the simple explanation of your solar system. Especially thank you for showing the input from the solar panels when it’s foggy or cloudy.

You’ve really stepped up your solar game over this last year Mr. Wilson! Remembering your 100W panel with one old lead acid battery you had less than a year ago! Wow!

If your inverter power-thingy can accept 160V then you should put all panels in series for lower loss in the line. There is a lot of magic in the PV inverter searching for the optimal power conversion of your panels under the current conditions. This is why you don't want to mix panels from a different lot on the same string, all the panels need to behave nearly the same.

Your negative splice at the panels needs to be insulated because while it is "negative" it is not at ground potential. For fun put your voltmeter between that splice and one of the T posts.

Sock's, shoes and battery salesman. Not a saw in sight... This is going downhill.

You did great.

It’s only temporary unless it works- unknown Wise Man.

I have a Energizer Arc5 lithium power bank, it doesn't have a main shut off switch and I accidentally bumped a button activating it and it drained till it died and it won't recharge, it's now a $500 paper weight. I'll never buy one of these units ever again unless it has a main twist nob disconnect switch like the lead acid power banks have.

Having the old discrete component setup means you can still have that array charging something when you do take off with the integrated unit. Cool

Appreciate the content.

Ok i have to say it hahaha here goes, where I live the black is live and the white is neutral just saying :-) sorry had to do it. other than that. i think it shows just how simple solar can be and the wattage per SQ foot has certainly increased that is good, nicely done.

I would take some 2 inch panduit and bolt it to all the wooden supports and you can easily hide the wires and connections in it

Excellent explanation. I realized while watching YOUR video that I don't need separate batteries and can just run off the power station. That will save me HUNDREDS of dollars. Thank you

PLEASE run that power through a proper penetration point! That steel door on the container WILL eventually close tight enough to crush wire internally or even worse...short creating a fire

Make sure you use bear deterrent on the panels and wires, we have the best luck with bacon grease, honey, and sweet anise oil. Coat every thing down thoroughly 😂. Merry Christmas, and happy New Year!

I know what to do with tress blocking the sunlight.

Yaae I made it to the end. 😅 First time I ain't had an 8 year old in my face in two days. At 70 I didn't think I would be intertaning at this level. But that's what makes the holidays fun right?lol😂

Solar is the way to go - off grid setup.. I am wondering your view on synthetic rope for logging?

If you hook them in series you double the voltage but the power in watts do not change do not double if you hook the parallel then the voltage stays at around 36vdc but wattage adds together.

I need the pannels to charge my unit up. I have the ecoflow units. No one sends me toys to use... I do run solor lights in the shop and out side. they do good.

OMG is this guy funny! Love it!
So I know jack diddle about electric and power. I just want to know how long the two Aferiy power stations will run an average frig on a full charge? And how long it takes to recharge using your average portable solar panels? That's all. Nothing special. Just trying to prepare for the end of the world here.