My Favorite Solar Panel Cost Estimator - www.solarreviews.com/solar-estimator?aff=66965&cam=713

About 7 years ago I used a Harbor Freight $200 solar kit to help build a cabin out in the woods. I charged hand tools and kept a radio going. I used a little $30 inverter. Never had temporary power turned on.

I just wanna run my tv when there's a blackout too piss the neighbours off

Thank you for such a clear explanation of power consumption. I've just moved to Mexico and the power goes out quite often so I'm going to set up a small system on my sunny balcony. The 100w panel test was very useful for me to see what I might need.

I used 1/2 the latitude as a year round angle but flat has been sufficient: three 110 Watt panels, two 6VDC batteries for 12 VDC to run a small Norcold frig, 50 Watt amateur radio, and electrical requirements for a propane heater, a propane furnace, a propane instant hot water shower and propane 12 VDC lighting. I looked at the system as startup amps for the refrigerator and total watts. The controller is Trace 12 and my solar power system has a fuse on each circuit. I do not use an inverter. I used marine grade shielded wiring. I wanted an electrically quiet environment for my qrp amateur radio hobby. I like what you have done. I really like your presentation.

I just got a 100 w panel (brand is LMenger) that has a usb and usb-c connector. It's my first step into solar. I LOVE it: can charge my phone (much faster than wall outlet), iPod, portable speaker, and two-way radio! I have nothing else - no batt, controller, etc. But - full disclosure - I *do* live in Arizona! :)

Excellent post Scott, I currently have a Jackery 300 watt and 500 watt generators each powered by 100 watt solar panels that I use on my sailboat which is on a mooring. They run my 12 volt tv and fans in addition to charging drone batteries, and iPhone and iPads. In addition to running the boat engine to keep house batteries charged up (rarely) I have a gas Honda generator for same purpose. Eventually I’d like to build a bigger solar system that would have 2 solar panels on my Bimini that would charge my house batteries and allow me to keep the refrigerator cold without running boat engine or Honda. Thanks, greetings from Chesapeake Bay.

I’m glad I found you on uTube. I’m in the really early stages of info gathering, to set up a makeshift pontoon houseboat, all DIY, to head into the Voyager’s National Park for weeks, possibly months at a time, by being self sufficient off the grid. You really seem to have mastered the mystery of solar panels, that could really be instrumental in my plans. I hope to utilize your knowledge in the future, when I’m ready to attack this project. Again, i’m glad to have found your site…

Really enjoyed this. It cleared up some things I was confused about.

For coffee, you can get an insulated carafe for many coffee makers. Brew the coffee as normal and then turn off the coffee pot. The coffee will stay hot for a couple of hours, saves electricity, and will actually taste better if it hasn't been cooking on that heating element. You can also just dump it into a thermos. Should save you 90% of the electricity vs leaving it on for an hour. Great video, very practical information here.

I was looking at a Bluetti solar generator, only 260wH. It makes more sense from a flexibility perspective to plug the few solar panels on my list into an inverter and charge the device off of that than plugging the solar panels in directly.

A few years ago, I bought an Ecoflow River Pro and hooked it up to a 100W Renogy panel and hung on my shed door which I swing to face the sun as it moves across the sky. I store the unit itself inside the shed. I use it to charge all my battery-operated lawn tools but bring the power station inside the house during winter to use as a small power back up if needed. I'm extremely pleased how this works in the spring and summer. However, (not that I need it for my purposes) the power station won't charge in cold temps. It seems the unit has to be in a warm environment to work.

I have net metering and 2 powerwalls. The powerwalls are soley used as backup power. Nothing better than being the only house on my street w/ power during and outage

Great educational video. Love the math behind it...very helpful.

I always use the equation of 2 to 1. So if I have a 100AH battery preferably Lithium LiPo4 I need a minimum of 200 watts of solar to charge the battery. If you can afford more panels get them as long as your solar controller can handle that voltage or find out how many volts your solar power station will accept. Because solar panels don't produce what they say on them it doesn't hurt to go over by about 20-30% of what's rated on the panel. Make your coffee on a propane stove.

Great video, thanks for the great info. Looking at building a solar charge shed for all the lawn equipment. Oh, if you use a thermos type coffee pot then it only has to heat the water once. :)

It's useful to have a charger, digital signal processor, and a shunt with the solar panel run online with a small storage cell. SJ research achieved this over the last decade.

I have 4 100watt solar panel from Eco flow and I used them to charge my delta batters . I have two batteries packs . On a sunny day I get around 290 watts -303 watts . Not to bad .

Thank you SO much for putting this together. I really needed this education.

Both my Mr. Coffee and Ninka coffee makers use 1050 watts for 10 minutes while brewing 10 to 12 cup Potts, then they drop to 0 watts until the hot plate cools down and it kicks back on for 30 seconds at 100 watts. That time interval can be between 8 and 10 minutes depending upon the ambient temperature in the kitchen affecting the cool down of the pot.

Great information in helping me in my purchase and installation of my 2 new solar panels

Scott, I have been listening videos on KZfaq to learn about solar systems but yours are the most educational ones I have found for me. Thank you. How could I get in touch?

Depends on your goals. Saving $ with roof full of panels. That’s a long term project with minimal savings until 6-10 years. Gets complicated if you sell your house. Will not power your house if the grid goes down without expensive batteries. Living off grid when grid power is not available. Expensive, but sometimes necessary. Small system that will power your freezer/refrigerator, lights and fans in the event of a power outage for as long as you have sunshine. Saving a large freezer full of food may be worth the investment. Could make camping more enjoyable. Maybe all you need is to keep your phone charged when the grid is down.

Very informative ! Thanks for the links in the post.

Good video. Funny thing is we're talking about emergency power solutions and commenters are wondering how much coffee they can brew on a full charge on a system that costs 1000s. Two words...sun tea...and wait for the power to come back on. Granted a coffee pot is a high wattage item and can easily be used for testing. But it's basically luxury camping until the power issue is fixed. I'm playing with 2-100 watt panels, a 2500 watt inverter, MPPT controller, and a 12v 100AH LiFePo battery...but just for fun and running a furnace or frig, and maybe campgrounds on vaca. Keep the numbers coming.

I wish I could have you come out to my place. I would set up one or 2 panels in my yard. I would love to use it for my instant pot and phone chargers.

Excellent educative program,it's very useful to every home.

Very well explained educational video. U just earned a new subscriber.

Net metering - may end in your area. Once a power company obtains enough solar contracts with home owners to totally fill their demand; they no longer want to compensate for extra power they can't sell. This is already happening in the SW where they have a lot of solar; you can't any longer get net metering -so even if you can get it now - you may not be able to in the future depending on your local areas power needs.

Real Eye Opener....Thanks !

this is probably the best layout I've seen.

Very informative about producing and consumption of solar energy with the mitigation of a battery

Very helpful content! Thank you!

This was so instructional ❤❤❤ fantastic comments as well!

Thank you for posting this informative solar post, thumbs up and I subscribed, cheers !

The utility is not a battery. It's a sink for excess power. Non battery systems either don't provide any backup power, or only when the sun is shining. Most solar installation companies don't tell people this. I've had several people tell me they had no idea their grid tied system wouldn't work during any outage. They said that part wasn't explained.

Obviously your assessment is correct however one wouldn't be charging/using everything at once. I try to prioritize my use of solar e.g I use the washing machine during the day so that the batteries have some time to recharge assuming it's sunny. I also use a microwave 800 watts, to boil a cup of water as this will exclusively use the battery rather than part grid and part battery when using a kettle. Something to do with the load/ discharge on the battery even though it's rated at 3.2 Kw.

Thanks for the info!

It is about time that someone did a video on this.

I have an Ecoflow River, a Delta 2 and a Delta Pro. I have them primarily for backup power but for the purpose of testing I have used them for the following. The Delta 2 will power my Fridge for about 30 hours. I have used the River to power my TV, Cable Box and WIFI. It is plugged into the grid so it is constantly charging but will provide backup power for 2 or 3 days. I can use my Delta Pro to power my Keurig single cup coffee maker. My Ninja Air Fryer or my toaster oven. I can also run various 12 lights and charge my phones, laptop and tablet. I charge all of this with 200W. of solar (I live in South Texas). It takes a full afternoon of sun to charge but I also have a portable 400W panel that I can use if I need to charge faster. I recently purchased a 2nd Delta Pro and a Smart Home Panel which I will have tied to my electric service panel so that I can have more backup power. This system will use both Delta Pros.

I've a dream about building a tinu but ultra-modular camper on a car trailer, which has all the needed tools and gadgets to live offgrid, so I can travel the world without limiting myself of comfort. My idea was to cover the roof and an extension on it with solar panels. With this video I realised that it's very possible to achieve. In fact I'm now pretty sure that you can build a completely energy self suficient camper!

Four points I want to make. (Sorry I didn't read all 246+ other comments so I may be duplicating what others wrote.) 1. I see the list at 11:34 of Watt·hours and it's tempting to add it up. But one must consider *how often* you use each device/tool. For example, maybe you need to charge your iPhone 2X per day, but the laptop only once per week. Also, maybe you need 2 pots of coffee per day? Maybe you only drink coffee on cloudy days. (People likely use more lights on cloudy days.) 2. Having a charge controller+battery with 3600 Wh capacity seems handy. So usage could fluctuate wildly. As long as over a period of (say) ten days, your battery stays 'topped off' then you are fine. But if you find it is constantly hitting zero, then you need to add more solar panels. Perhaps if the household is "smart", i.e. "today is laundry day, so no coffee" etc. then you can survive with fewer panels or a smaller battery. 3. Seems like the panel can produce up to 100W. I'd be tempted to use a mirror or reflective metal (mylar?) to get more light on the panel(s), so they are maxed out. Also, that would allow it to be over that minimum 11V more often, possibly adding *hours* to the daily collection. 4. Why only 4.6h per day? That number is just "peak" or "optimal" sun values. In reality, I think you'd get more than that per day. Have you really found that number to average out correctly? (I live in Phoenix, AZ so our number is higher!)

I'm currently expanding my solar energy system to include: 4 - 36v, 260w Monocrystalline panels mfg by Canadian Solar I bought the used. The angle of the panels are 34 degrees which matches my latitude. These are wired parallel for a maximum of 1040 watts. Epever 40A 100v 12v -24v output charge controller I 200AH 24v lithium battery 3000 watt pure sign wave 24v/120v inverter. I power a small chest freezer, refrigerator, an evaporative cooler (only for a few hours at a time). I live in an area where the power company can shut off my power for up to 5 days in the event of high fire danger weather. This is a back up system for when they cut my power. I live in the Mojave desert where we get the most sunlight in the nation. I enjoyed your video.

awesome vid, thank you , from UK

Very well explained. Thank you for making this video.

Here in California...insurance companies will not cover your roof damages from solar panels screwed into roof. Apparently people are not getting on the roof and making sure those screwed areas are sealed

I home built a solar system that supplies 1/3 of my energy use. I built a 7S battery using 18650 cells (3.3KWhr). I bought 20 used solar panels from Santan Solar for $1300 shipped. $278 for an Epever Tracer 6415AN MPPT charge controller, $215 for a 400 watt pure sign wave inverter from e-trailer. Total cost around $2300 US. My system has been running reliably for 1 1/2 years, using only 4 of the solar panels purchased. Plans are to get 100% solar powered and get those other solar panels into service. It was a lot easier than I had imagined. There are many approaches to using solar.

I have 2500 grid tie power and am now working on 1500 watt starting with a 24 volt 300AH battery to help run my house.

Thanks for breaking things down. It helps a lot

To be straight forward and honest, for camping, outdoors recreation, sure grab yourself a solar generator unit, they are good in that capacity, for a few lights in your tent, a radio perhaps, charging your phone, powering your tv or laptop a cordless drill battery. However in a home or survival shelter or going off grid, i would encourage ppl to just get a full system. Such as a panel, a charge command a battery and a power inverter. This way you can isolate what is wrong if ever a problem. Because like anything, its going to require regular service. Such as the command unit may go out, you simply replace it not needing to open the box, most of those generators simply are not user servicable. For the price you pay because they have litium battery, is outrageous. 600 USD for the one here its a very small AH watt hour battery. For people who are on a budget, I will give you an example of my set up It was easy, i paid less than 350USD for a 100w with a 12v 100ah RV battery, with solar panel directed to the sun angled to be the most efficent. I found an app on godggle play which tells me exactly where the sun is year round, sun tracking. For hard wiring your RV, Off Grid shed/cabin, think RV set up. You can get a 100w Solar panel kit from Amazon, which comes with a panel, mounting, 25ft of cable and a charge controller for 89.00USD, I purchased a 750W Jupiter modified sine wav power inverter, which I mounted on a 2x2ft piece of plywood. I then bought a 12v deep cycle RV battery, not a car battery, the two are made differently, an RV battery is specically designed to be charged by a generator or charger or solar charge , it doesnt have the power kick a car battery does for starting a motor then recharge from a alternator. Its specifically designed to operate the lights, appliances, tvs in a RV camper. Most sold are sealed where as a car battery is not and car batteries off gas which can make you really sick, a sealed battery you can keep inside like under a counter. Deep cycle means it can go lower than 50% , mine have gone down to 75% depleated and its fine, it recharges back great, no battery damage. The price of an deep cycle rv battery is 129 then a core. I started with one battery and my solar setup. Its been over 5 years and its still going really good. litium batteries are extremely exspensive, they have many pros also, but again many people having to resort to alternative living situations probably dont have a 1000usd on hand to buy one single litium rv battery, yes one thousand doallrs or more per battery. Not letting people know the alternatives of powering a make shift shelter considering that most people look in to solar might be searching for ways to reduce costs or being off the grid. A more solid system with reliable batteries and cost efficient, if the battery is small in that solar generator it can olny operate for so long and has to be constantly recharging, yet a 100ah if keeping minimal lights and appliance going , a fan and a several lights, the battery can go three days, just like a camper. And the best suggestion ive ever seen about alternatives , learn to live needing less power, be frugal. Most of the stuff we use , we dont really need to live a good wholesome life. We have been so brain washed into giving our money to utility companies about things we really dont need. So to change your life and go solar , so also change your life so that you arent so dependant upon. Its nice ambience to live 1800s with soft lantern light , peaceful, relaxing, comforting. I have 1000 lumen LED lights outside , but not a lick of electric battery, all solar, solar yard lights, solar decrative lights. Learning how to go entirely solar is fu, but can be very inexspensive. Im not trying to say bad about this video , i just know that there hundreds uopon hundreds of people going homeless , they cant afford 2-3-4 thousand dollar gadgets, We need more youtubers making videos about how these unfortanate can get power for their shack or tents. As humans we should be sticking for our fellow citezens, not sticking up for the companies over charging for profit.

Nice educational video. Thank you. What's the formula for determining the WH for components/equipment that requires charging?

After discharging my Bluetti AC30 fully, I connected it to a HQST 100 watt solar panel that I put on the roof of my screened in room. I have an in-line meter that measures watt-hours installed between the panel and the solar generator. I connected these together at around 8 AM and by evening I had only charged 176 watt-hours into the 300WH unit. That is because the day was mostly cloudy and we had a thunderstorm in the afternoon. I have conducted these tests before. In March of 2021 when the days are shorter, but sunnier, one 100 watt solar panel would produce enough electricity to charge the solar generator before the sun went down. Two 100 watt panels in parallel would charge it in half that time. I also have an Ecoflow Delta 1300 solar generator which will handle 400 watts of solar. On a mostly sunny day 4 panels will charge it completely. My whole purpose for buying this stuff is preparation for a hurricane. I live in South Florida. The Ecoflow will run my refrigerator which uses 1100WH a day. Of course there is no way that I can keep that refrigerator running on solar. Knowing this I bought a 3500 peak watt inverter generator on Amazon. I figure that I can charge the solar generators a couple times a day with it plus microwave, run the coffeemaker, etc. on a gallon of gas per day. Solar will supplement the power created by the generator, not vice versa.

to be really independent off grid you would also need a water maker desalination system then you could stay at the ocean for a really long time...

Super helpful. Thanks. 🇨🇦

A battery is still useful on a net metering system, especially if you have a time of use pricing scheme. You charge the battery during the day and when the expensive peak hours start in the evening, the battery can pick up load as the solar generation tails off.

Great Video - thank you so much.

I’m trying to put solar panels on my 2022 Jeep Gladiator Diesel Engine with Eco Generator also thinking about putting extra batteries in the bed. Could use ideas and advice.

very goog tutorial, power in = green, power out = red

I like your Xtreme Garage shelving. Wish it was still available.

Wonderful video, thank you so much.🥰

Great video and exactly what I was looking for

What kit would I need to power a 1355w portable ac unit for about 8 hours?

I converted ceiling fans to 120v ac generators. ~5A each I have 2 solar panels charging up 2 100ah batteries I connected some small 12v motors to drive the generators at speed ~0.2A It runs the furnace pump, sump pump, fridge, and a designated light circuit around my house.

I think the biggest mistake I see even seasoned people make with "getting the max out of my panels" is when to charge JUST the battery bank, and when to charge/run other things. Most people I run into time their max usage during max solar production time. This is good if you are almost full in your batteries. The problem is most of the time they are at say 70 percent and trying to bring the bank up PLUS the loads. As most know, but seem to forget, once it gets closer to full it accepts less of charge. Okay say you are able to produce 100a of charge current. You battery is accepting 100a. Don't run anything else. Now later your battery bank starts to reach full and you are only putting 50a into it but your panels are still able to put out 100a. NOW is when to run other loads. Otherwise it's simply wasted. You got the max charge you could get into the batteries, they are STILL accepting the max they can, and you are directly using the leftovers to charge things like laptops, phones, run the TV, whatever. This figures into "how much can I do with one panel" a massive amount if you have the capacity to charge your batteries to 100 percent daily. Your panels may theoretically be able to produce 2000wh a day, but you have to use it or lose it.

Informative video. Thank you

Outstanding informational video. Thank you.

I would like to set up the lighting and maybe even heat and cooling in a 20 ×30 foot shop.

Under optimum conditions, I get 5.5 A of charging current for my hundred amp hour battery. That’s using a 10 amp mppt controller

Arizona pass a bill that even act retro active. If you use solar, you going to have to pay more via fee. AND if you are plug in, they demand they can get your power you produce BEFORE you fill up your batteries. If they "need it". Careful with your state

Its best to try and run things directly from the panel itself. Next is charging battery's to run things directly at night. What I would like to do is be able to directly charge say drill batteries, power a laptop etc with out a wasteful inverter. For a laptop I guess you would need a 24vdc system then a regulator to power a laptop, if its a 19vdc laptop.

I'm looking at adding some panels to my house. I'm looking at more information to see if it is a good idea. Just checking out videos at the moment

I'd love to put some panels in my back yard... but not sure how that'd work for metering or what practical use it would have since I don't have much to power out in the yard. I'd love them on my roof but not only is that much more expensive, it's more of a pain to maintain. My yard doesn't get enough shade anyways (it has no trees) so it'd be great to have shade and make some energy too. If I had a shed, that'd be a different story, but sadly, I also don't have a shed :D

The angle calculator gives the average angle for the daytime period. You set panel angle and then you can walk away. If you want the ideal angle at the time, the panels should be perpindicular (90 degrees) to the direction to the sun. Of course, if you do this, youneed to constantly adjust the angle of the sun changes.

can you help me can you explain why, if i use 1 panel, and 1 battery hooked up to my charge controller and inverter, everything works perfect. however, when i add more panels and more batteries, it won't work?

One thing that people forget, like in the coffee pot instance, is duty cycle. Nothing wrong with the video, this is just an addendum for people reading. The coffee pot may say 1050w on the input but once it's done brewing it will only kick the hotplate on ever so often. Say 15 seconds out of every minute. So it's really drawning 1/4 of the total wattage over time. It's like a using a circular saw. Maybe it says 1500w. You project will take you 1 hour. You won't draw 1500wh because you only use it for maybe 3 minutes added up during that hour. Duty cycle is THE MOST important thing to consider when calculating loads. Even say a laptop. It may sit idle at 10w. Watching a movie it may draw 30w.

I currently run my house on ~ 3.2 kw of solar panels , ( 8 x 410w ) & 7.2 kwh of LFP batteries via a 3.6kw hybrid inverter . Setup cost me about £3500 . Payback will be around 30 months i think , maybe less .

Thank you for this video, I try to prepare for Gulf summer storms and have watched countless videos on this topic, and really have not truly tested my power stations and solar panels. In all the videos I've seen, I have never...ever...once seen the angle of the panel mentioned. May I please suggest a more "hands on" and less geometry supplement to this video? Who knew this was a thing!? As were told just a mild to medium direct hit by a hurricane could possibly knock out our power grid out for up to a month, this would be greatly appreciated.

I wanna create a power trailer or a off grid camper trailer. Maybe hot water but i wanna be able to power a laptop, a tv and stereo. Not all at once musoc during the day games and tv at night. Maybe a stove

Hi there i love your knowledge on this subject. Please can you help me . I live in a flat ground floor back yard lit up with plenty of sun. I want to run my kids x box and a 28inch tv on a solar kit . Which kit is best for me please . Many thanks Mike from Uk

Its recommended to not put solar panels on roof but to do a specific awning for them 👍👍👍

Coffee? Use fire and perk it. I want to run a small refrigerator and light at night maybe a DVD player occasionally all 12v

Many Thanks!

great info, thank you

Whatever wattage the panel maker CLAIMS, divide by 2 and that is what you can reasonably expect. So you get 50 usable watts on a 100 watt panel. That accounts for cloudy days and operating temperature as well as sun angle. Anything above that is a bonus.

Great for working in new home construction I take home made food in my cooler take it out heat food up in a microwave plug in to this

Everyone always shows little devices to run,but in the Summer what everyone really needs is an air conditioner. What do you need for that ? Even just an RV a/c would be nice to know.

Good video. Subbed.

Can you make one video for the 400w solar panel pls, exsamble what we can use with that.. thanks

Does The storage device use solar only to charge the battery? What if the battery is full? Would that basically waste any juice the solar might pick up or does it then use solar to power the electronics instead? What about connecting two or tree cells in parallel?

Wow, that Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series sounds like a game-changer for outdoor enthusiasts like us! The massive capacity and fast recharging are definitely impressive. Plus, with its waterproof technology and uninterrupted power supply feature, it would be perfect for our camping trips. Thanks for sharing this recommendation!

Hey, I just got 8 used Solarex MSX60 solar panels for $25! They're pretty old but still functioning. I have a hillside with a shed and parking area that I'd like to power up. Can you direct me to a video on how to do that? All the wires are just cut so I guess that's where I'd start. Thanks

Nice information uncle

So I live in the suburbs. Where can I place my solar panel ? Is the wire from the solar panel to the inside unit a special extension that is easily available?. Thanks, and appreciate this informative video

A couple panels can power your devices it just depends on what you have. If you live in a cabin and have a mobile, tv and a small fridge you might be able to get away with it aslong as you have some sort of storage for the power. You need to make sure that all your devices draw as little power as possible and are power efficient in solar only setups. If you have grid but solar back into the grid you don’t have to worry too much

FYI, I have a SunGoldPower 3000w 12v inverter which powers an Apple router, a Spectrum wi-fi modem, an Alexa device, and a ghost draw from a little-used TV. It uses about 70w per hour. My 4 X 100ah LiFePo4 batteries use about 1/4 of the total battery power per day in cloudy, rainy weather, pulling in negligible power. (Location: Central Maine, March 2024. First week testing.) Basically, one battery per day of power being used, so, 4 days without solar to recharge. Haven't been able to test with sunshine yet. I hope this is helpful.

For this the plugs are not grounded you have to use a neutral to ground bonding plug if you use this to charge a Tesla

I have two 230 watt 15 amp panels . 60 amp charge controller. One 200 ah. Lithium ion battery. 600 watt pure sine wave inverter. 12 volt system. 10 years ago it cost me around $1, 900. 124 months later, still good to go. 12 volt fridge freezer, LED lights and the occasional charge of my phone and my wi-fi speaker is all I need. It's a small cabin on a lot in Southern Colorado with a beautiful view. so far it's a little under $19 a month "utility bill" for my initial cost.

Appreciate the video. But folks can we stop stressing charging phones & laptops. How about a light or wifi. How long would these last?

a Sense Energy Monitor is a great tool to understand how much power your home devices use.

I have a standby generator best investment I ever did, but I get what you’re saying because when these days I will run out of fuel, I’m sure if the grid goes down so I wouldn’t know what to do anyways cause I live by myself, and I am totally blind I have all kinds of camp stoves I have used them I can do it myself, which I’m very proud of to make my coffee and food