How to Build a DIY Solar Generator Setup - Complete Review - Beginner Friendly - 12V
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- DIY Solar Generator - 12V - 2000W - Complete Review of this Backup Solar Power System - Beginner Friendly - In this follow up video I wanted to share with you a 2000 Watt 12 volt DIY beginner solar electric generator setup I built and have been using for about 2 months. It is not only an emergency power supply for home, but I also use it every day to save a little money on my electric bill. A DIY solar generator and solar panel system like this one is good for starting out. I plan to move to a 24 volt system and maybe onto a 48 volt solar generator setup in the future. Please subscribe to see that 24 volt system I will build.
I also created a blog article with a little more detail homemade solar generator - www.proficientprepper.com/202...
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:27 - Battery Bank
03:53 - ANL Fuse
05:26 - Battery Switch
05:53 - Bus Bar
06:58 - Inverter
08:17 - Smart Shunt
09:37 - MPPT Solar Charge Controller
10:03 - PV Breaker & PV wire
11:37 - Charge Controller Breaker
12:14 - Solar Panels
13:03 - Outro
Other Videos:
Power Transfer Switch - • How to easily switch b...
DIY Solar Charge Controller for Beginners - • DIY Solar Generator Se...
DIY Mobile Solar Panel Array - • DIY Mobile Solar Panel...
Components: (Affiliate Links)
Power Queen 12V 100AH LiFePO4 Battery - ipowerqueen.com/products/12-8...
Windy Nation ANL Fuse holder and Fuses - amzn.to/4146Ebj
250 Amp ANL Fuse - amzn.to/3MmAl1E
Battery Switch - amzn.to/3MFtUrR
Bus Bars - amzn.to/3pNJDfr
Windy Nation Welding/Battery Cable - www.windynation.com/products/...
Giandel 2000 Watt Pure Sign Wave Inverter - amzn.to/3FSiqh8
Victron Energy SmartShunt - amzn.to/3ofTJFC
BougeRV MPPT Solar Charge Controller - amzn.to/3LSxTBB
PV Isolation Breaker - amzn.to/3MFpAZG
Charge Controller Breaker - amzn.to/434nVlM
BougeRV Adjustable Solar Panel Tilt Mount Bracket - amzn.to/40mRvlw
BougeRV 200 watt Solar Panels - amzn.to/40itNa4
Off the shelf solar generator:
Bluetti AC200 Max - amzn.to/42IV0UW
Power Queen 3% Off Coupon Code (profprep03) - ipowerqueen.com/?ref=Proficie...
DISCOUNT CODES - proficientprepper.com/discoun...
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission without you paying a penny more. This helps support my channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
#diy #solar #solargenerator #diysolargenerator #emergencypower #selfsufficientliving
I'm planning on building a 24V system soon. I don't see too many of those around. I'm curious if anyone has an thoughts on 24V systems versus this 12V one.
❤❤😘
Higher voltage more efficient, less gauge of cables too because the amps don't go up
I've put out a new video on the 24v system I built - ua-cam.com/video/y2Ezj6nQNZ0/v-deo.html
@@proficientprepper perfect!
I've been studying for a bit now and I must say that this Sir, is one of the best explanations of a 12v system and very clean. Bravo 👏
Great to hear!
Don’t shut the MPPT controller battery breaker off with the PV breaker on you got lucky when you did in this video. Have fun stay safe.
Nice video for a basic system. Suggest less arms flailing around in front of the camera blocking the items you’re talking about. I like the layout on the wall. Wondering why the batteries on external shelves vs wall mounted? Temporary setup, convenience of some kind????? Be nice to know that for others to emulate/avoid depending on their needs. Better to copy than reinvent such details. Watching previous videos about the solar panels, racking, mobility, etc. were very nice. Together you’ve built quite the library of information. 😊
I did not realize my arms were in the way during filming. I will get better as I gain more experience doing this. I already had that rack and it seemed to work for the batteries. So I went with the lazy route and just used that rack. Thanks for the comments.
Good to go. Simple, safe, and serviceable.
Excellent Video! very slow step X Step -us newbies really appreciate these types of videos!
Thank you very much!
Nice solar setup appreciate the video
Thank you. God bless.😊
Thank you for sharing! Thanks for explaining it and allsow for telling the size of wiring and fuses.
I will do a solar generator and allsow a 12v solar shed at my cabin.. so this helped me much! 👍⭐️🎉
Very nice presentation and explanation!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment.
Nice build. I love do it yourself builds. I built a few myself.
We have an old GMC camper van that has been in the family since new. We use it on 2-3 night trips to the coast and redwood campgrounds. I recently installed 400 watts of solar panels on the roof which are barely noticeable. It got a 300 amp hour 3840 watt hour Chins lithium battery, 2000 watt Renogy inverter, 40 amp Renogy charge controller and Renogy battery SOC meter. The whole setup fits between the front seats. I put an exterior weatherproof outlet on the right rear quarter panel outside fed by a 12 gage cord. When we camp, the fridge/freezer, and extension cords get plugged in there. We run a small microwave oven, small instapot, coffee maker, and toaster with it as well as Ma's CPAP machine. I have a 6 light chandelier hung over the picnic table with a slide dimmer on it. There's a 1950's floor lamp that we use by the outlet as well. They always gets laughs at the campgrounds. The van has a stained glass 120 volt tiffany lamp on the ceiling with a dimmer switch so Ma can find her pills at night.
The best part of having a battery/inverter solar powered sunshine compressor is that it serves nicely as a mobile 20 amp electrical outlet. I recently built a gate for a friend and the solar power ran the worm drive saw, a pancake air compressor with brad nailer, belt and disk sander, paint sprayer, right angle grinder.....and it ran my Harbor Freight wire feed welder to make the hinge plates. This was a very useful project. There is a 50 amp Anderson plug on it to add another battery, run an external 1200 watt inverter, or to input charge from a generator and battery charger.
It was hot at the redwoods in NorCal, so I put a 20 inch box fan on top of the inverter box to keep Ma cool until the sun went down. Even with all of the redwood tree shade and heavy usage, the charge never got below 72% on the entire trip. The toaster and microwave beat on the battery the most. ua-cam.com/video/cXQO80MghOU/v-deo.html
Nice diy van build. It even comes with an arm rest. Some day I plan to get some kind of RV or van. That will give me something else to work on.
@@proficientprepper It is a useful vehicle. Has everything in there already...food, water, everything to camp with, supplies, meds, clothing. A real bug out vehicle. Even has long and short cordless hole punchers for defense or food acquisition. We had it since new, bought in 1989. All running gear was recently rebuilt, new crate engine, new tires, ready to go!
Thanks for sharing 👍
You're welcome
very nice configuration
Thanks
Great video. For people just starting in the solar projects ,it is good to have good videos. There is a man Name John Daniels on youtube that has been doing solar and wind turbines for a while that has some awesome ideals. Worth while checking out. Keep up the great job.
Thank you. And thanks for the tip
I love the way you explain your system. My only question is why you only have a 20a breaker between the solar and the mppt ? but a 40a breaker between the mppt and battery ? Gave you a thumbs up.
Good question. Although, I don't have a real good answer why I chose a 20amp breaker coming into the mppt. My panel arrays are bringing in about 11amps each. So I chose a breaker a little larger than what my panels were supposed to produce for protection of the system. I see they do make a 16amp version of that breaker which I could have used instead. Now for the 40amp breaker between the mppt and battery, I chose that because the mppt controller is a 40amp controller producing 40amp rated current. So if something went wrong with the controller and it spiked above 40amp, the breaker should trip. I used a 32amp breaker for the Victron mppt. That mppt is a 30amp mppt controller. So 32amd should be good for that. Thanks for the comments!
nice set up.
mine is like that but a lot smaller. i have 2x 110ah flooded batteries, victron 800w inverter and a tracer controller.
breakers on everything like yours but i added an extractor fan as my solar in in my garden shed.
when the temp hits 25 degrees a 12v fan kicks in sucking the hot air out and it turns off when the air temp is 23 degrees.
i only have 2x 100w solar panels but in series and will be adding a 3rd soon.
the power runs from the garden shed to a socket in the house in the living room and i use the power to run laptops, charge usb devices, a fan and a lamp.
i have added a kwh meeter in the shed after the inverter and before the socket/outlet in the house so i can see what power i use from the house.
i do save a small amount running a few items from solar but the main thing is if we have a power cut we have a socket in the house that will last a good few hours :D
Interesting setup you have. Good idea with temperature controlled fan.
Hey friend a very nice video I may only suggest that you zoom the camera out just a hair or sometimes it's good to see the particular components you were talking about but at the same time it's difficult to just stare at one little section for a while just a thought. Love the fact that you don't yell or scream or dance or have weird crazy music playing in the background or over this very nice job just subscribed. I have been doing solar installs with friends and family for years and years and I'm still learning things everyday❤❤❤
Thanks for commenting and subscribing! I'm still very new to filming these videos and I'm trying to get better with each one. Thanks for the filming tips. Backup power and solar is addictive.
@@proficientprepper Yes my friend it is very addictive I start off with one battery in a little Chinese inverter. 🥰
Need anl fuse from pos bus bar to post on inverter
How did you calculate the breaker size for PV wire? I see people using all different sizes I’m using 10awg wich is rated for 30amps but read that mc4 connectors are rated for 20amps so maybe I should be using a 20amp breaker?
My panels are in series so it’s only like 7amps
For the PV input breaker, I used a 20 amp breaker mostly because that is what I had at the time. Shortly after I did this video, I did install a 15 amp fuse at the solar panel array. My solar panels are wired in series which means they can produce up to 12 amps. In retrospect, I should have probably went with a smaller amp breaker closer to the the 12 amps. If your panels are only 7 amps, then I would suggest getting above 7 but not too far above. I believe most MC4 connectors are rated up to 30 amps. There may be some at 20 amp ones, but I thought they were at least 30 amps.
How hot is your charge controller getting? Mine was running around 112 degrees inside and went out on me after two days of use. There was yellow oil and just the PV light was flashing. It would not power backup after disconnecting and reconnecting to the batteries. I've got a new one coming.
I believe mine is getting hotter than 112. Can't remember exactly. Seems like it was around 140. The mobile app says current is being limited because it is overheating when it gets really hot. Do you have the same Bougerv charge controller?
@@proficientprepper Yes, same controller. I was running 6, 100 watt panels in series.
Best reason to do a 24 - 48volt system is you don’t have to use huge wire. More volts, less amps for the same wattage. Wire gauge is dependent only on amps. Home systems should really be 48v. Benefits and no downsides other than you have to be more careful with it. That bouge can do 48v btw.
I will eventually move to a 48v system at some point in the future. Right now, I'm enjoying the 24v system I just built and did a video on. We have had multiple cloudy/rainy days recently. Difficult to keep everything charged.
go 48 volts use smaller wires
I may be doing that soon since my 24v inverter got zapped by lightning.
What length of wire between each battery? I can't decide on either 6 or 9 inch...
I replaced that 12V system with a 24V system. But I was able to dig around in my box of cables and I believe I found the ones I used. They are 8.5 inches from end to end of the lug tips. I did not think to measure the center of the lug holes while I had them out. I hope that helps.
Please upgrade the battery interconnect wires so that they are all the same guage. Those #6 pull the same current as the 1 ot.
Thanks for the information.
build a faraday cage for it
Are you volunteering? 😊
I/we Are not/don't want to be electricians. You said this would be simple And like everyone else you talk about amp hours, I understand the gauge of wire is necessary. What the f*** is Amp hour? Honestly how many batteries/inverters/solar panels Do I need to keep the lights on fridge running in a blackout?
If you built this exact system, it should keep a full size refrigerator running about 1 day without using any solar panel input. If you connected four 200 watt solar panels as I used in this system and you have good sun every day, you could most likely run a refrigerator and a couple of led lights indefinitely. Of course the amount of sun and size/efficiency of your refrigerator has a huge impact on that. I am now using a 24v system I recently built and I was running several things every day no problem in good sun. But over the past couple of weeks we have had a lot of rain and clouds and I had to switch back to grid power for most things. Even doing that I can't seem to get back to a full charge. I need more solar panels now. So clouds can really throw a wrench into your plans. If you did not want to go the DIY route, you can always buy the portable power stations like the Bluetti AC200MAX. It is roughly equivalent to this 12v DIY system I built, but will cost more. If your are interested, I tried to explain amp hours, watt hours, etc here on my blog - www.proficientprepper.com/2023/03/solar-diy-concepts-and-equipment-for.html
Study so that You know how to install this confidently
285 amps???????????????????????????? Can I see you Math?
The 285 amps was the amperage rating on the 1/0 battery wire from Windy Nation. That is listed on their website. Let me know if that is not what you are referring to.
love your set up. But 1/0 is not rated to 285 amps. check out the NEC ratings of wire. I got the 2000 watt renogy inverter, and they said the wires that came with it were good for the amperage, I upgraded to 2/0 .@@proficientprepper