DIY Off-Grid Solar Power • Hacker News Board

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#221

Post by comeonseriously » Mon, Dec 27, 2021, 3:58 PM UTC

sandworm101 wrote: post #132

Marketing. I would take everything on this website with a grain of salt. Take it from someone who has actually built an off-grid system, one that is relied upon for 24/7/365 living rather than mere vacation cottage. For example: OP re lead-acid battery options: "Heavy, cheap, easy to use and they work! Typically will last about 3-5 years. Slower charge rates than lithium, much heavier, and they cost way more in the l…

> Look at nearly every 12v car or boat battery. You don't see those being replaced every 3-5 years.

Yes, yes you do. All the time.

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#222

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Dec 27, 2021, 7:32 PM UTC

nataz wrote: post #216

jacquesm wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He has a point, but there is a thing you can do to offset some of this: read all of the comments. Plenty of times there will be someone in the comments pointing out what's wrong in the videos. The problem with Lithium Ion installations of any size is that the batteries are inherently dangerous and mistakes can easily set you back more than you saved on the whole thing. Unlike say your car where as long as you stay aw…

His whole thing is no sponsorships... He had a couple of sponsored videos in the past around building all in one systems, but it's not something he does anymore.

No post body was provided.

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#223

Post by willprowseiv » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 1:13 AM UTC

Syonyk wrote: post #185

ctime wrote: post #2

Will Prose seems like a really great person. If you’re interested in what you see on this site, check out his YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/WillProwse

> Will Prose seems like a really great person. My opinion of him after his attempts to interact in this thread (turn "show dead" on - a bunch of his more arrogant/abrasive posts have been killed, and it looks like he's posting as Solar2 as well) is now far, far lower than it was.

Why?? I must admit, I don't use this website, but a close friend does. I am blown away by the ignorance in understanding lithium ion batteries here, and seeing people here try to crtiicize everything I do pisses me off. How would you feel? I cover safety more than any other channel and constantly work to bring the best diy solar videos online, and this is how people respond? I love criticizism, but this is just silly. People here are fighting for lead acid and saying they are superior? And I don't think they are joking either. Also getting a lot of people mentioning to use recycled cobalt based chemistries that can set your house on fire? This site is dangerous. On my forum we have actual electrical engineers who will destroy you with evidence and list relevant literature. On this site, it is emotions based and no one knows what they are talking about. It's wild. I am mad.

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#224

Post by willprowseiv » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 1:17 AM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #194

Syonyk wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Will Prose seems like a really great person. My opinion of him after his attempts to interact in this thread (turn "show dead" on - a bunch of his more arrogant/abrasive posts have been killed, and it looks like he's posting as Solar2 as well) is now far, far lower than it was.

Ditto. I had him pegged as well meaning but sometimes a bit less knowledgeable than he wanted to come across but that didn't stand the test of interaction.

Where would you get the idea that I am not "well meaning"?!? The majority of my videos are exposing scams and rips offs. I constantly bash companies that do a bad job and back up everything I say with evidence. There are extremely ignorant comments here from people who have no clue what they are talking about. I work with batteries every single day and talk to head engineers that are leading the space, and everything I say can be backed up with recent battery studies. There are numerous comments here suggesting to use cobalt based chemistries that can burn your house down and everyone is fine with that? It's ridiculous. I am mad, and this type of ignorance is why I make my videos. I love criticism, but the comments in this thread are plain ridiculous. I am not familiar with this site and that is my fault, but geez, saying I'm not well meaning?? Why?

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#225

Post by willprowseiv » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 1:18 AM UTC

Cannabat wrote: post #37

The website's author hosts an excellent forum [0] focused on DIY solar power, for anybody who wants to get a bit deeper in to this and has questions or needs help sourcing parts (like LiFePO4 cells and BMSes) from China. I recently built a LiFePO4 battery and upgraded our caravan (trailer) electrical system following these guides and with help from the forum. Couldn't have done it without those resources. [0]: https:…

And there is zero corporate interest and I pay for it out of pocket. It is free for everyone! We have head engineers of solar equipment companies interacting with people in third world countries. it's really great!

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#226

Post by willprowseiv » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 1:20 AM UTC

adabaed wrote: post #59

This is a spanish guy who built his own off-grid setup with solar panels and 18650 batteries. As a complete ignorant in electric stuff to me this is amazing. If you know some spanish you can find here a good channel IMO! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LgbTsIO3A

Those cells are very dangerous to use. stick to LiFePO4 or LTO. Cobalt based chemistries can experience and awful thermal runaway when over charged. This can occur if you have a shorted fet in your BMS. Which can happen from inrush current or high voltage.

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#227

Post by willprowseiv » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 1:21 AM UTC

zoba wrote: post #8

I recently set up my own off grid solar system in a tiny cabin that I designed and had built. I used the Solar Controller+Inverter Combos recommended on this site (Growatt) but ultimately switched to ones by Renogy. The Growatt one I purchased has a wifi adapter and app - wifi requirement was a deal breaker when remote. The renogy one has a Bluetooth adapter and app, plus feels better designed (though actually I thin…

You need to manually set the low voltage disconnect so that your batteries bms does not go into safety mode. then you won't have the first problem you stated.

What you need is more insulation. I've tested that battery and the internal heaters work great, but you should put it somewhere where the heat that is created stays in the battery.

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#228

Post by jacquesm » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 2:15 AM UTC

mattst88 wrote: post #215

jacquesm wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, in locations like that you will have to use some other solution for those periods. Maybe wind power. Battery storage will not last long enough unless you have an absolutely massive setup that would not be cost effective the rest of the year. I had 48KWh worth of storage, 2500 W worth of wind and another 5000 W worth of solar. This was in Northern Ontario. Until we added the windmill we fairly regularly needed th…

Could you say something about the analysis you did to decide that wind was going to be useful for you? I'm interested but I don't really don't have a good sense for how cost effective a wind turbine is or how to evaluate a site.

The Canadian meteorology department puts out pretty useful stats, and I dropped in on a couple of people in the neighborhood that had windmills up to see what kind of windspeeds they were seeing and how long on average their machines stood still.

This was a major factor in designing the machine the way I did, variable pitch is a lot more work but a machine like that will start up far earlier than a fixed pitch machine. It also had its effect on that stator, which I made with the laminates at a slant over 1/3rd magnet width, which reduced cogging to nearly nothing. This is a huge factor in starting up a direct drive machine.

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#229

Post by chrissnell » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 3:09 AM UTC

throwawaysea wrote: post #61

chrissnell wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've driven something like 60,000 off-road miles since I bought my first truck in 2005. For overlanding, all you really need is a one big, high quality battery. The Odyssey PC2150 series are great batteries. Not cheap, but fantastic. It's very difficult to kill one. Also, you'd be surprised how little energy you actually use out there. A quality fridge-freezer like an Engel or ARB can be run for days before it will d…

Out of curiosity how far off grid do you go in your truck. That is, how far by distance and time are you away from the grid and stores? I know little about this stuff but am interested and would appreciate any helpful resources or videos you know of for a newbie. I’m interested from an overlanding / camping perspective but also a bug out vehicle perspective.

There's only so far you can get off-grid in the USA. The most remote is probably the Owyhee Desert, which is centered around the intersection of Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho. Out there, you can easily go 80-100 miles off pavement, sometimes further.

Another similarly remote place is the Arizona Strip, the portion of the state that lies north of the Grand Canyon. You access it from Utah and it's 95 miles from the outskirts of Hurricane, UT to SB Point, above the canyon.

Generally, we stay out for about a week and half and come in to town every 2-3 days, mostly for gas. We run Engel fridge/freezers, which give you essentially unlimited cold drinks and the only real limitation is space for fresh food.

Re: DIY Off-Grid Solar Power

#230

Post by willprowseiv » Tue, Dec 28, 2021, 4:46 AM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #202

Solar2 wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No of course not, I just see people on this site stating to use recycled NMC cells that are capable of burning down their house with one wrong move, then saying my videos are dangerous. I cover safety all the time, more so than any other channel I know. I do not understand why people are saying these things. I work very hard to make my videos, and people here on this site who do not understand batteries are trying to…

Instead of being 'seriously upset' you could ask yourself if posting this kind of stuff: https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/diy-beginner-friendly-sola... Is going to bolster your reputation as safety conscious or harm it, besides your general attitude in this thread. You are quite clearly advising people to copy this design, you make money of them doing so. Even a one-off should be better designed, let alone something…

That's a functional system that is 100% safe. There is no battery inside either, and I am using surface mount components that are recommended to be used on wood. It's a great little box. What's your problem with it?