So with the potential soaring prices of energy, i thought it would be a good time to get the hive mind ticking over the idea of building semi mobile solar power stations.
Ive been toying with this idea for a short while but it dawned on me that my previous math of the topic had been flawed. So ill start by listing some basic concepts before diving into possible build ideas
Firstly tho, this is specifically to semi mobile/ portable power systems. Ill make another thread for home systems depending how popular this discussion becomes
Where I had previously did the math based from the panel size ie 100w minus about 10% would produce 90w of power per day, but this is completely wrong. the panel rating should produce about 5 times the listed figures due to the fact that the figure is based on a per hour basis and that most areas around the world get about 5 hours of direct sunlight. To reiterate, a 100w panel running at 90% efficiency times 5 hours should produce around 450w per day. Not so shabby for just a small build
So there are already alot of great resources for the information and i have been leaning heavily on a gent on youtube called "Will Prowse" https://www.youtube.com/c/WillProwse . However as this gent is US based the tech reviewed and shown isnt fully applicable to UK or EU but the theory is all soild
So the basic Solar power setup would include;
-Solar panels.
-A solar charge controller.
-A battery.
-Inverter
-Wiring and connectors.
There is also the option of ready made portable solar generators like the jackery, beauden, eco flow, allpower and poweroak. these are a single unit containing a charge controller, inverter, battery and various connection. All you need is to choose the right size unit for your purpose and then match solar panels. For most of us the smaller affordable units wouldnt be much use for running a grow space unless it was a very low powered and or a small veg space. the large blueyeti units are close but probably still fall slightly short and for the money DIY will likely provide more bang for your buck
then there is the option of a kit system such as EcoWorthy offer https://uk.eco-worthy.com/collections/o ... solar-kits This option really appeals to me as it appears easily expandable but still fairly mobile if you wish
While i do now see alot of potential to both types of system, i do believe with the hive mind we have here we can likely brainstorm some pretty impressive systems with atleast a notable saving on the retail prices. Personally i was looking to start with a small powerstation type unit for running some home light and charging phones, laptops and rechargeable batteries with a system like this obviously this unit isnt going to be expandable but could be a starting point to start grasping the basics, but for the price its likely worth while putting in a little time into research as i feel this kind of unit will quickly become obsolete being such low powered
As this is planned as an open discussion thread, ill add more information as i find it and would hope to see some spit balling going on below. I understand there are going to be many different levels of budget and planned investment, however ill personally be looking for the lowest price point for a functional system for my own requirements. conservatively i hope to start running some home lighting and do some light charging of devices firstly, with the intent to have a couple different systems to fit requirements ie a larger system for running veg lights
look forward to everyone inputs
