Small solar project

[Denly]

1st thing 1st I don't know much about w/v/amp. With that out of the way, I am looking into a few items on sale and wonder if they will work as a kit for some outdoor lighting and cams. Also, something to learn on.

120W solar kit $199CAD
Includes:

• 1 x 120 W solar panel with fold-out stand
• 1 x 8.5 A charge controller
• 1 x 300 W modified sine wave inverter
• Solar panel mounting stand

Detail product link

12V 7amp battery $30cad

Detail product link

My thinking is 1(or 2?) of those solar panel on top of the shed facing west, connect to 1 or 2 of those batteries - I also have couple old car batteries in working condition kicking around - in parallel. Run some wires - not sure what gauge - to all the outdoor lights with a timer from the inverter's outlet.

As for the outdoor cams it use AA battery - whick die fairy quick - but can also power by micro USB. Cams located fairly far away from the shed which I have no idea how to.

Sound logical or am I over my head?

 

[IronWing]

See if you can find the manual for the charge controller. Controllers need to be matched to the battery chemistry. Also, check the battery terminals to make sure compatible with wiring harness.

 

[Denly]

See if you can find the manual for the charge controller. Controllers need to be matched to the battery chemistry. Also, check the battery terminals to make sure compatible with wiring harness.

found the following image






Can't find the manual of this exact controller, below is from another Colman 8.5amp controller



guess it only support 1x 120w panel.

OPERATION
The Green “Charged” light indicates a full-charged battery. When the battery reaches 14.2 V, the Solar Charge Controller will cut out voltage thereby ensuring no overcharging. The yellow “Charging” light indicates a battery that is being charged. When the battery reaches 13 V, the Battery Charge Controller will cut-in and begin charging.
NOTES
• The Solar Charge Controller should be placed within 5 feet of the battery in a dry well ventilated area.
• This Solar Charge Controller can support up to 127 watts of solar power. It is not advisable to use with greater wattage.
• All connections should be in parallel to ensure a 12 Volt system.
• It is normal for both lights to flicker on and off during normal operation. The Battery Charge Controller should be placed within 5’ of the battery in a dry, well-ventilated area. This Battery Charge Controller can support up to 127 W and up to 8.5 A of array current. All connections should be parallel to ensure 12 V system (positive to positive and negative to negative)

 

[herm0016]

for something like this, i think its better to let the charge controller manage the battery and the load, a kit like this has that feature and works with different battery chemistries, it also already has 2 USB outs for power.

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-12V-100W-Monocrystalline-Wanderer/dp/B07Q64ZKWK?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

There is no need to use an inverter, just get 12 v lights and 12v to usb sockets. the inverter introduces a lot of loss of power and other issues like floating grounds.
you can use the car batteries, no problem. often local battery or auto shops will sell you their used batteries also, often on RVs, they will get replaced every couple years no matter if they are bad or not. I have run these "used" batteries for stuff like this for years after they got trashed by someone else, and you get them very very cheap.

That 30 dollar battery will not run much for very long and it wont take long to charge. you really need a deep cycle with about the same Amp Hour (AH) capacity as the solar panel. so 100 AH capacity battery or more for a 100 watt panel. the higher capacity protected the controller and will last a lot longer than the tiny one.

connect the fuse box + and - to the controller load terminals with something like 10 gauge wire, and then you can connect each load with the appropriate fuse to the box very easily and the charge controller and battery are protected by the fuses.
fuse box I have used for my camper projects:

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Blade-Block/dp/B001P6FTHC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=blue%2Bsea%2Bfuse%2Bbox&qid=1643237210&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExRFlKU1NVRFZEMEszJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzI2MzEyMkNJRjQ2VFQ2QUFZWCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzQ5MzU2MkcyWDRESUE3UElBTyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

you can use something like this for usb power if you need more:
https://www.amazon.com/Tecreddy-2-Pack-Converter-Adapter-Step-Down/dp/B09B2Y71F7/ref=sr_1_3?crid=C9LL7P8QB894&keywords=12v+to+usb&qid=1643237422&sprefix=12v+to+usb,aps,299&sr=8-3

that 7 AH battery will run 5 amps of power for around an hour before it is totally drained of energy, but you don't get the whole thing, so more like 30 min at 5 amps. it would only run something on that inverter for maybe a few min.

you have a 12 volt battery and you are pumping 120 out of the inverter. you need 10 x the current on the 12volt side as you get on the 120 volt side.
power (watts) = voltage x amps
v*A=V*a
12 volts * 10 amps = 120 volts * 1 amp
then you have losses in the conversion of around 20%. so you will really need to supply 12 amps to get 1 out. roughly.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I got one of those trickle chargers someone linked here. 10 watt, but if you're only using an LED light and a low voltage camera, you may be able to run them off a few batteries.

ECO-WORTHY 10W 12V Off Grid Small...$35 for the solar panel and controller. I own 2 of these... they're legit:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PFG56ZS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I'm really curious how much juice the cameras use since those blink cameras run forever. With the right camera, this may be plenty. People on sailboats typically have a few 100 watt cells to power lights, but they also use them to charge laptops and cellphones.

 

[Denly]

for something like this, i think its better to let the charge controller manage the battery and the load, a kit like this has that feature and works with different battery chemistries, it also already has 2 USB outs for power.

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-12V-100W-Monocrystalline-Wanderer/dp/B07Q64ZKWK?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

There is no need to use an inverter, just get 12 v lights and 12v to usb sockets. the inverter introduces a lot of loss of power and other issues like floating grounds.
you can use the car batteries, no problem. often local battery or auto shops will sell you their used batteries also, often on RVs, they will get replaced every couple years no matter if they are bad or not. I have run these "used" batteries for stuff like this for years after they got trashed by someone else, and you get them very very cheap.

That 30 dollar battery will not run much for very long and it wont take long to charge. you really need a deep cycle with about the same Amp Hour (AH) capacity as the solar panel. so 100 AH capacity battery or more for a 100 watt panel. the higher capacity protected the controller and will last a lot longer than the tiny one.

connect the fuse box + and - to the controller load terminals with something like 10 gauge wire, and then you can connect each load with the appropriate fuse to the box very easily and the charge controller and battery are protected by the fuses.
fuse box I have used for my camper projects:

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Blade-Block/dp/B001P6FTHC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=blue%2Bsea%2Bfuse%2Bbox&qid=1643237210&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExRFlKU1NVRFZEMEszJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzI2MzEyMkNJRjQ2VFQ2QUFZWCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzQ5MzU2MkcyWDRESUE3UElBTyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

you can use something like this for usb power if you need more:
https://www.amazon.com/Tecreddy-2-Pack-Converter-Adapter-Step-Down/dp/B09B2Y71F7/ref=sr_1_3?crid=C9LL7P8QB894&keywords=12v+to+usb&qid=1643237422&sprefix=12v+to+usb,aps,299&sr=8-3

that 7 AH battery will run 5 amps of power for around an hour before it is totally drained of energy, but you don't get the whole thing, so more like 30 min at 5 amps. it would only run something on that inverter for maybe a few min.

you have a 12 volt battery and you are pumping 120 out of the inverter. you need 10 x the current on the 12volt side as you get on the 120 volt side.
power (watts) = voltage x amps
v*A=V*a
12 volts * 10 amps = 120 volts * 1 amp
then you have losses in the conversion of around 20%. so you will really need to supply 12 amps to get 1 out. roughly.

Thx, that's a lot to take. A couple quick questions.

for a 120w panel, how many trash car battery or that 7ah battery can it drive(charge) in an ideal condition?

By power (watts) = voltage x amps, 1 of those 7ah battery will power 60w worth of LED for 1hr consider all the loss from wire to inverter? So I need 5x of those to power 2.5hr to keep the batteries @ 50%?

How much better will trash car battery do?

 

[Denly]

I got one of those trickle chargers someone linked here. 10 watt, but if you're only using an LED light and a low voltage camera, you may be able to run them off a few batteries.

ECO-WORTHY 10W 12V Off Grid Small...$35 for the solar panel and controller. I own 2 of these... they're legit:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PFG56ZS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I'm really curious how much juice the cameras use since those blink cameras run forever. With the right camera, this may be plenty. People on sailboats typically have a few 100 watt cells to power lights, but they also use them to charge laptops and cellphones.

What's the applications of such a small panel and what kind of battery(s) you have hook up to it?

 

[BoomerD]

I doubt an actual car battery will last long in that situation. MUCH better to get deep cycle or even golf cart batteries.

 

[herm0016]

golf cart or RV batteries, yes, they are usually around 100 amp hours.

one or 2 per panel.

 

[drnickriviera]

For my 250w panels. I average 1kwh per day. Lot's of variables depending on where you live, time of year etc. You'll probably be fine with your low discharge, but lead acid battery capacity drop off as discharge rates go up. You could only see 50% of rated capacity at high rates.

If you are in the US, you can use this https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/index.php to get an estimate on solar production.

 

[skyking]

IF you can forgo the inverter and use DC lighting it will be more efficient. Same goes for the micro USB for the camera.

 

[herm0016]

did you figure out what you are going to build?

 

[Red Squirrel]

For that price that's actually decent. That charge controller is only PWM, they are not great but for a small setup it's ok. I have that same controller as part of a portable system I built for camping. Very similar parts actually. 350w inverter, 2 7.2ah batteries in parallel and a folding 60w solar panel. I also have an arduino to do some basic logic like monitoring battery voltage so it can be left unattended and if the voltage gets too low it will shut off the inverter and it also has a LCD display. I kinda went overkill with that, I can even hookup a laptop to it to adjust voltage thresholds etc. you do want to have some way of knowing what the voltage is though or at least a way to shut it off automatically if it gets too low.

I would also avoid putting different batteries in parallel and try to stick with deep cycle and not starting batteries.

I recently ordered a 2,000w inverter and a 20a MPPT controller though, as I want to be able to run bigger loads on my system. I will probably end up either rebuilding the existing one or building a new one from scratch as I will probably want a bigger battery for the 2000w inverter anyway.