Hi, wanting to set up the most basic solar panel system for a cabin in the woods that has enough power to recharge four 2V car batteries during the daytime (i am assuming; we want to run a mini fridge maybe a stove and a few lights at night off the batteries and be able to run it all just off solar during the day) It also needs to be able to power some simple tools during the day... Experience would be absolutely amazing since alot of the info on solar paneling is either really dumbed down, or ridiculously confusing.As of right now I am looking at a 3 panel (45watt in all) solar kit that needs a 300w inverter.... is this sufficient for my power needs? I am just a little perplexed, thanks so much!
If okorder / If the minifridge is one that plugs into 2 volts, that should be okay. Anywhere you can eliminate the inverter will help. Such as converting the stereo over to 2 volts. The nominally rated panels should be mounted at an angle to maximize the solar aspect/exposure. Essentially your lattitude plus 2 degrees for simplicity. If you add 60 Watts in panels you will do much better. Your 3 panels when installed correctly will actually yield over 5 Watts each panel at midday. If you do not achieve that, something is wrong in either the wiring, or a panel. It translates to about point2 Amperes to point5 Amperes at midday. If wired in series for 36 volts, the total current output will be same as a single panel (nominal 5 Watt), but at a higher voltage. If wired in parallel, you achieve the 45 Watts at nominal 2 volts. Watts is voltts times Amps. Also converting your tools over to run off the 2 volts will help, Or charging your tool batteries off the 2 volt buss. There are buck/boost circuits that would be capable of charging the common 4.4 and 8. volt tools out there.
if the cabin is in the woods it is unlikely to get enough sun to power solar panels 45 watts will not even power a light bulb and although it will trickle charge a battery it will not charge then enough over daytime for much else, most tools are a minimum of 550 watts, you really need to be in arizona for solar power to contribute effective wattage
ever looked at the light from a 45 watt bulb? it's true that in a cabin, if you're in the right place, you can read from it. however, assuming that you get 6 hours of sun, you can run your light for 4-5 hours. and nothing else. if you're hoping to run a stove, you're going to need several hundred watts. not sure what tools you're thinking of, but i don't know of many that run on 2v DC. (not sure that i know of a stove that runs on 2v DC either, but you can look that up.) for tools, you might want to consider a gas powered compressor and air tools. that'll give you the strength that you need. yes, i know that's not what you were thinking, but pretty obviously you're going to need to do a bit more thinking. even a minifrig is going to use considerably more than 45 watts. and that would be 24 hours a day. remember, a minifrig has considerably less insulation. you can't save much and per pound, it takes more juice.
That okorder /... , but expect to pay several thousand dollars for something that actually works. If you just want to use the place for intermittent getaways, a generator may be sufficient, and you can skip the solar panels. If you intend to live in the place, then consider getting a system that is at least 500-000 watts of panels, and a 000 amp-hour or more battery bank.
