submitted by anarcurious [link] [comment] |
Be self sustainable with Solar:
Go Power! Solar Extreme Complete Solar and Inverter System with 480 Watts of Solar
submitted by anarcurious [link] [comment] |
submitted by PookyBearTrady [link] [comment] |
A documentary about people living mobile and off-grid. This is fascinating and inspiring! Highly recommended.
I'm looking to put together a small solar power kit to run my phone, a nook, and laptop. The largest portable solar array I found was a 27w model, but now I need to figure out a battery configuration that would charge those gadgets adequately and in a relatively small package. I don't need an inverter, I can charge my laptop from 12v DC and everything else from 5v DC. My phone and e-reader each pull 1A @ 5v, and my laptop power supply (car charger type) pulls 2.1A @ 19v. The battery is rated for 10 hours of life, I'm not sure what that would translate to in watt-hours (charging rate is 40w). What sort of system/products/parts should I look at for this application?
submitted by SolarRenter [link] [comment] |
Check out a project I'm finishing up: http://ift.tt/1MHqvF4 http://ift.tt/1gL6sqA http://ift.tt/1MHqvVk http://ift.tt/1MHqwJ9 http://ift.tt/1MHqvVm
I'm able to run a regular cheap home depot freezer as an ice box with 2 x 250w mono panels, super capacitors and modified inverter.
During the sunny times it acts like a freezer and during the clouds/rain it runs just enough to keep the ice block from melting.
I'm thinking of adding a battery charging circuit to it as it seems to have enough excess power during the sunny times to run a fan and charge my phone plus more.
I hope to sell this as a completed kit for those who don't want to build it and share everything else open source for those who do.
Lots more to think about as I finish up this project. Let me know what you think! Aloha.
Is there some general rule of thumb, as to how I could guess what kind of properties are going to allow me to build a strawbale house, etc? I've always wanted to do that anyway, and I can afford some nice land with a crappy shack to live in .. and build an art house. But how do I orient myself as to where I'm likely to find lax building codes that will allow that? In Canada, BC specifically.
After calculating out my needs, I found that I only really need power to run my laptop and a few small gadgets. I'm planning on getting a 27w folding solar panel and battery charge controller + an 84w SLA battery... But the dilemma is how to hook everything up. Panels > battery > controller > ...what? I have the correct 12v socket, I'm just at a loss for how to wire everything.
This is a rather extreme scenario, but it's something I'm actually considering.
How would one go about living off-grid in Nevada, with nothing but a mountain bike and a hammock+tarp? 90% of the things I use daily (with the exception of water, my oil lantern, and cooking equipment) fits in my backpack, and I already do laundry in a 5-gallon bucket to save on water. I believe I can fit a solar-power system into a briefcase (hinged panel, LiPoly battery bank, charge regulator, 12v socket, 5v buck converter for gadgets), and I'm thinking of other ways to wash clothes/shower in a more portable fashion.
What sort of equipment and skills would I be looking at? What major limitations can you see, aside from water?
Im considering moving off grid, but im not willing to sacrifice my love for gaming. The first, and probably largest problem for living off the grid would be electricity. I would need a large solar powered power storage type system. That being confusing enough i thought i would come to the offgrid subreddit.
Ps: getting a power efficient system that satisfies me isnt hard.
Our family lives off grid- we have small kids & are in a northern climate. Getting outside to exercise isn't always easy (usually dark by the time kids are in bed)
Been looking into treadmill and elliptical machines but nothing seems to jive with our current electrical system.
We already have a bike mount & most manual treadmills suck
Any recommendations?
I have watched this forum for quite some time and have yet to see an answer to my question so I am going to ask it and see what input I get.
First off, let me say that I will be driving a good deal of electronics/electrical equipment including a full sized fridge, electric range, 2 "swamp coolers" (in the summer and unsure of what heating i will use in the winter, 3 computers, and a big screen tv to name a few. I just recently purchased at a HELLA steal, 25 acres not far from palm springs california. I get plenty of sun and plenty of wind, and there is a well on property. There will be two homes on property, one for myself (I live alone) and a larger one for my "partners", 2 farm bred women (and their menagerie of 5 horses, 2 dogs and 5 cats)
My question is, is straight solar or a hybrid solar/wind power setup the way to go, and :
if solar, how many panels / batteries would you reccommend
if hybrid, same question
and finally, about what cost am i looking at investing for either of the above options?
I'd like some help/advice with designing a solar electric array to connect to a trailer.
The loads would be 12v lighting (possibly converted to led), propane hot water/heat/refrig, gas detector, and very light inverter loads (charging phones, running laptops, etc). Usage would be weekends (occasionally extended), but not every weekend so the system needs to be at least somewhat "set and forget" (quarterly maintenance is ok, but more than that wouldn't be realistic).
I'm thinking about getting a refurbished 12v forklift battery (425 a/h), but I'm unsure about selecting panels/solar controllers/charge controllers to go with it. We have generators available for overcast days/heavy usage.
I'm looking to build a cistern to store rainwater to be used for drinking and cleaning. Does anyone have experience with this? I've been running a system of 50 gal barrels but am looking to consolidate in hope of keeping the water liquid with minimal effort over our cold Vermont winter. I was planning to build a rectangle of cinderblocks with foam insulation and a pond liner similar to this: http://ift.tt/1OicMkY
Is there a better/cheaper way to do it? The water will be going through a filter so keeping it pristine isn't essential.
Thanks!
We are looking for some hard core off grid enthusiast to review some of our low voltage lighting products ( we have lighting from 6V to 85V )
it will be free of charge to you and 100% free , we only ask that you video yourself when installing the product , and give us a shout out if you like the product.
if you or someone you know has done basic instructional videos before and are interested Please PM me
submitted by Notchimusprime [link] [comment] |
submitted by tenbeersdeep [link] [comment] |
I am new to Reddit and also technologically challenged, so please bare with me. My husband and I are in our early 60's and own 30 acres of property in the mountains in northern CA, about 45 minutes past Burney Falls on Hwy 299. It is totally off grid (no water, no power, no septic). Several years ago when we purchased the property we thought about retiring there. As luck would have it, we are both in "not so great" physical shape, and the stock market crash has left us strapped for money to make necessary improvements! Would love to keep it but would also like to make some money to cover the cost of property taxes and insurance. Anyone have any ideas as to what we can do?
I'm fairly new so this answer might be obvious. Is it having a start up fund and slowing eating through that? There's just some things that you need to pay for (gas, furniture, replacement pipes and what-not for inventions to get water) so I'm curious.
submitted by bigattichouse [link] [1 comment] |