3 ms·
Man, I need to learn from you! My wife and I are building an offgrid cabin right now and I was just trying to figure out some of the specifics! Very cool! I
by piloto_ciego 6mo ago
Man, I need to learn from you! My wife and I are building an offgrid cabin right now and I was just trying to figure out some of the specifics!
Very cool!
I think we’re actually going to use lead-acid marine batteries? But very similar plan. We’re going to need a LOT more solar though than you I think. The winter here in South Central Alaska is pretty bleak in terms of available power. Still, very cool to see someone else living the dream!
- CrzyLngPwd 6mo agoGo straight to 48V lithium, you won't regret it.
- piloto_ciego 6mo agoI have thought about this, but getting them shipped here is hard (not impossible just a pain) and I don’t think I can service a lithium battery? I can service a lead acid battery and they’re ubiquitous in the marine industry around here, but I’m also not an EE. Got any reason why I should go for the lithium over lead acid other than the size? Thanks!
- CrzyLngPwd 6mo agoYou can switch cells if you need, or switch the BMS if you need, heck, you can build a lithium battery from cells and wire your own BMS. With lithium, you hvae a deeper depth of discharge than lead acid, but you're better off reading about the pros and cons and making your own decision. My system started with 3 x 12v100ah lithium batteries in my van, with panels on the roof, and a dc-dc charger for backup, which worked amazingly well, but for faster charging with larger panel arrays, 48v is the way. With my 12v I could charge 1.2kw per hour maximum, but 48v means I can charge 4.8kw per hour, which means in winter, with at most 4 hours of good sun on my panels (due to trees), I can put in more than I consumed.