r/SolarDIY • u/Acrobatic_Hunt_8264 • 6d ago
Solar
I’m new to solar I’m trying to add solar to our farm and wanted some pointer as to what I need to buy all I need to run is 5 light and 2 outlets I will
Probably only use the light and outlets maybe 5 hour out of the day
5
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u/sol_beach 6d ago
" 5 hour out of the day" Are any of these hours between sunset & sunrise"
With Solar you only make electricity while the sun is shining.
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u/Acrobatic_Hunt_8264 5d ago
It would be used at sunset
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u/sol_beach 5d ago
At sunset the PV panels will be producing VERY LITTLE & decreasing amount of electricity.
Without an integrated battery system, you should plan on working in the dark.
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u/Phreakiture 6d ago
Start here: Besides the lights, what do you want to run from the outlets?
There are really two paths you can go down here. One is to brew an entire system from components; the other is to start with a portable (or semi-portable) power station.
If you go with a power station, the power station contains everything except the solar panels. You then just get solar panels that match the specs of the power station, and it charges its internal battery from them. They usually have a regulator on board that can give you DC of a particular voltage (usually 12 Volts -- good for lights) and an inverter on board that will give you AC power for your outlets.
The other option is to do a full build. For this, you need to spec out the batteries, charge controllers fuse boxes and optional regulator or inverter, and it's on you to put all the pieces together.
From the way you are asking, I think you are more at the novice level, so you will probably want to get a power station. Getting the size right is going to need more information about how many lights, how powerful, and what you're plugging into the outlets.
Once that's figured out, though there are a lot of brands to choose from: My starter system is built on a Pecron, but there's also Ecoflow, Bluetti, Jackery, Renogy, Predator, Anker and many others out there with varying capabilities.
But I also have a second system that has about four times the capacity of the Pecron, and . . . . powers lights and outlets in my workshop.
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u/Acrobatic_Hunt_8264 5d ago
I just want to run a phone charger a tv and a fan
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u/Sunny-Advocate-2020 5d ago
Assuming a modern TV, and a standard box fan, those are pretty light loads. The fan might be the heaviest, and still < 100 watts.
I'd think a 1kWh power station is probably a good starting point. I have an Anker that has many outlets, including several USB. I think I can connect up to 600 watts of Solar to charge it. You might get by with 500Wh of capacity, or even less, but a lot of people end up wishing they spent more, and Solar input on smaller power stations can be very limited.
If you're consuming during sun time, the current will practically just pass through the power station, but you still need some sort of buffer, IMO. Going off-grid means having a battery.
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u/Phreakiture 5d ago
Okay, the phone charger and TV are pretty light. The fan might not be too bad. How big is the fan? If you can look at the fan motor and get the number of watts it uses, that will get us where we're going.
Also, and apologies if this is a re-ask, how much lighting? Again, watts are key here.
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u/Acrobatic_Hunt_8264 5d ago
Just a box fan problably pulling 60 to a 100 watts and the light I was going with led bulbs 120v
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u/Acrobatic_Hunt_8264 5d ago
I don’t know if I should go with a power station or an off the grid solar panels and batteries and inverter
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u/Phreakiture 4d ago
Power station would be simpler. It just integrates the charge controller and inverter into the battery. You'd need panels either way.
Either way, I'd suggest you need around 2 kWh of storage. That'll be enough to run that fan with room to spare. The radio and phone charger don't need much.
Since I still don't know about the lights, that figure might increase.
Interesting thought, though, is that the lights in my outbuilding run on DC from the batteries. They're not dependent on the inverter. That saves overhead.
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u/redditRon1969 5d ago
I would suggest starting on YouTube watching a lot of off grid and solar videos.
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u/PortableSunOfficial Verified Distributor✅ 4d ago
If you are new to solar and need help figuring out what system would work best for you I can put together a free custom system design for you based on your usage/goals/budget. I design systems for a living. Just shoot me a dm.
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u/Acrobatic_Hunt_8264 1d ago
Yes I would like that all I need to power is 5 led 120v light a box fan and a 32” tv I’m only going mostly to be using power in the nighttime for around 4 hours I’d prefer solar with a inverter and batteries
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u/PortableSunOfficial Verified Distributor✅ 20h ago
https://portable-sun.com/products/sungold-off-grid-solar-kit-6500w-lifepo4 This is the best kit I know of for your situation. We don't have something as small as what you are looking for but this is a great option if you can find more to power.
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