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

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

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.

"the grid is working as your battery" LOL... nuff said bro.

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’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…

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! :)

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.

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

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.

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 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. :)

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 .

Scott, I have been listening videos on UKposts 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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Very informative ! Thanks for the links in the post.

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

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.

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

Very well explained. Thank you for making this video.

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.

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

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!)

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

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

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.

Thanks for the info!

Great video and exactly what I was looking for

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 helpful content! Thank you!

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.

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 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 .

Real Eye Opener....Thanks !

When the panels are installed on a standard shingle roof those shingles are altered by walking on them. The aggregate (stone) is removed which is the protection of the shingle itself shortening the lifespan of the shingles. Not to mention and install defect that can cause a leak in your roof. Will the solar panel installers dispute the install warranty and claim it was the shingle installers that caused a roof leak, or even blame it on the shingle manufactures. I see a potential mess of problems that could happen with the cost of repair being put on the homeowner canceling out any posible savings from having solar panels When the roof needs to be replaced who and how are the panels going to be replaced and reinstalled, drilling more holes in a roof, creating more potential leak locations

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 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.

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

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.

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

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

How much solar power do you need to run a 43”tv for about 8-12 hrs a day, what you you recommend.

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?

In my summer cabin I did a system where I have 6x280W panels, 5kVA inverter/MPPT. 14x12V 100 Ah batteries (16.8 kWh). In the winter I also run a generator to top up the batteries Not a bad system. Heating, even with that capacity can be a bit tricky when it is say -20 c.... Cost me little under 1000€ for the whole system

Outstanding informational video. Thank you.

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.

I just tried the link and it said it be about a 17.1kw system on my roof is that a decent size ? im trying to get alot to sell back to the grid...

How much power does a 3 gallon dehumidifier need to collect water from air? Is 1 panel enough to store enough energy in the Power BOX? I need to collect constant water to hand build up off grid land while living in tent and car.

Does this device allow for time of day charging, so that it can be recharged when electricity is cheaper?

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

Good timing. I've been thinking about getting a two person inflatable hot tub. would one panel be enough? This would be the only use for it.

My first thought is: Can you use a mirror to supercharge the panel? It's not difficult to find mirrors for free.

I remember about 2 decades ago, we started to became hyper aware of the energy consumption of everything in the house, overtime as we replaced things, we started to lower the energy use whiles not changing our lifestyle, in fact, we use a lot more tech gadgets and computers now then we did back then, and yet with all that, we manage to halve our entire house power consumption, whiles not changing our lifestyle, and in fact, enhancing it with more tech stuff. It goes to show that if you become a lot more aware of what you buy, you can lower your energy use a lot without downgrading your lifestyle and reducing it in half is a massive saving on the bill then it would be if we didn't do any of that. Today it's easier for consumers, because by law in many countries, there are energy labels on products, that's putting pressure on companies to do better, especially in the EU, that's lowering the energy use of a lot of products, without losing anything.

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

It's probably cheaper to use the grid if your grid electrical cost is on the low side. The battery in the ecoflow is relatively expensive (compared to grid cost) and even though you're using solar to power the battery, the battery is ultimately charging the device. Also the amount of money you're saving using a small set of panels is tiny. At least this is what I'm finding looking into solar.

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.

Wonderful video, thank you so much.🥰

Great Video - thank you so much.

Super helpful. Thanks. 🇨🇦

Could you leave the eco flow inside, run the solar outside permanently mounted and power a small office that way (all math considered)?

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...

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?

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

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.

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.

I’m seeing the eco flow 3600kwh at about $2500. Why not just go with a generator at that point?

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

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

I agree with everything you said, but folks who have 1-1 net metering don't need the EcoFlow. People new to solar may not understand that point. I would have spent more time on the net metering option and used a watt meter rather than the EcoFlow for measurements, as net metering is the more practical option for most people. The cost of the EcoFlow would dissuade most people.

Ok question how long is 3.7 kilwat hrs compaired to min. inthe day,???

Great video you have a new SUB I am thinking of putting a Solar Panel on my shed roof to run Solar lights around my garden what would be the best setup.👍😁

Good video. Subbed.

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

Great. How much? and is it worth it to be able to charge 3 x Iphones?

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

great info, thank you

Hi! I'm Actually Wanting To Set-up My Tacoma Into An As They Say Now "Van Life" & Traveling/ Living In It. I Want To Turn Solar Into 110 V Custom Outlets For A Portable Fridge, Lighting Etc Living Space. Any Advice On Inverters Etc? I'm A General Contractor & Do All Phases But Master Carpenter Mostly, I Know Nothing About Solar Stuff. Thanks!

Could you please look into home wind turbines. When you get more wind than sun on average, the wind turbine sounds like a better choice, with solar as a supplement.

Would this set up be enough to run my mini split unit through the day? If not could anyone please advise me on what to look for. Thanks,

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.

Thanks for breaking things down. It helps a lot

What kind of power station are you using? Can I get the name brand?

Many Thanks!

Informative video. Thank you

How about if you have a mish mash of panels,4x20 watt with USB controller 2x100 watt with normal solar wires, and others, how would you get a bunch of different ones into one storage

I'm not understanding how you are getting 74 watts of power out of what appears to be a 100w 12v Renogy solar panel powering a 48v battery, even with an MPPT charge controller. Is the charge controller able to boost the voltage up high enough to charge the 48v battery? If so, wouldn't that severely reduce the wattage you can get from a 12v panel? If you can explain this all I'd love to understand.

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

I have 2 170 watts and in winter they can't even power my Hue lights in the garden (Netherlands), so I charge for a few days and switch. In summer it will probably be fine, maybe I get some extra and I am searching to dynamically use that (battery is in shed, so not for phone charging etc).

One of the companies I priced for Solar panels was $65,000 for my home, It would take me 36 years to pay for that at the cost of what I pay for my light bill now.

I wonder what kind of a system I would need for a tiny fridge or freezer. Constantly running, bet that's a ton of juice.

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