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  • Renogy Off Grid 12V Solar Starter Kit Question

    Hi there,

    Newbie here. I am having a 8x12 shed built and I am looking to power only lights for the shed. I was initially looking at the HF kit (since I am a newbie) but then after reading the forums I decided to go with a better kit. I saw a post mentioning Renogy and they have a labor day sale for $196.99 for their 100watt with a 30A charge controller. My question is would this be sufficient or are there other kits with a better buy? I am keeping the build under $400.

    Thank you.

  • #2
    Hi Chefridge, I have a 400 watt setup from them and I have been happy with it, and the customer service. If you are interested in lighting that may actually work with that kind of power, I use Startlights brand "Brilliant Light 3003 Dual Dome". Its only .26 amps @ 12v and puts out some good light. I currently have 14 of those lights installed (keep in mind its on a 400 watt system and just used on the weekends.

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for the quick reply. How big is your space and what kind of inverter and batteries did you opt for?

      Comment


      • cabindave
        cabindave commented
        Editing a comment
        I don't use an inverter. The whole structure is 18x48 ft. Thats why I have 14 lights. Its pretty bright in there. If you wanted similar lighting for your shed, 2 lights would be just a bright.

        I use a 2 Werker brand 140AH AGM batteries in series on a 24v system. WKA12125CFR. That would likely be too big for your setup, but one smaller agm deep cycle would probably support your lighting if you keep the load low. If you need any help with the basics or you come up with some options you like, run them past the board here to make sure you don't size anything wrong, or get the wrong type of battery. It could save you some money.
        Last edited by cabindave; 08-31-2016, 02:16 PM.

    • #4
      A 400 watt solar panel system can support up to a 12v 360Ah battery using a 30Amp MPPT type charge controller. If you go with a cheaper PWM CC then you are throwing away about 160watts of panels based on how that PWM works.

      But if it was my money I would get a couple of 6v 232Ah Interstate batteries and wire them in series to make a 12v 232Ah system. They are cheaper and will be a first good test set.

      Comment


      • SunEagle
        SunEagle commented
        Editing a comment
        Yep. I did just jump in and post before I read.

        Unfortunately a 100 watt panel will not run much or charge much of anything in an 8 x 12 shed. With only about 5 amps of charging the battery would only be around 50 to 60Ah which is a total 720 watt hours and maybe 180 of that can be used daily. That is not much even with low wattage lighting.

      • Chefridge
        Chefridge commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank you! will look at the interstate batteries. Is there a sticky on how much a 100watt solar panel can support at 12v? Or a calculator for that? I found the 100 watt kit at overstock for $159.82, will probably go with that one. Hopefully I am not being stubborn/stingy since if the off grid setup gets too expensive I might hire an electrician to run wires to my shed instead.

      • cabindave
        cabindave commented
        Editing a comment
        I do agree that it is not much power, but this is one of those rare cases where someone is within the realm of reason regarding what to expect from solar. The LEDs i suggested are 3.12 watts and put out about 300 lumens, so two of those would put out about what a regular (60 watt) light bulb puts out. For a 8x12 shed, it is doable. Lets just guess high and say both LEDs combined draw 1 amp @ 12, that is still many hours of lighting. I use two fixtures in 8x14 rooms and am fine with the light output personally.

        Granted this is all if there is good sun, the battery is not oversized, and there are no expectations to run tools, etc. I would say the original post is far more practical than most of the posts on this board!

    • #5
      If you ever plan on running more than lights, then I would go with the electrician running the wires. If you want to play around with solar and learn about it, then by all means do. Just read the manuals and use fuses, etc. Good luck!

      Comment


      • #6
        A 100 watt panel usually has a Vmp ~ 5.5amps. Which is the maximum you would get from a PWM type charger.

        A battery should be charged between C/8 and C/12 where C = Ah rating. So if you only get 5.5amp then the battery can be between 5.5 x 8 = 44Ah and 5.5 x 12 = 66Ah.

        I know you do not want to spend much on your system but a suggestion would be to purchase larger wattage panels (> 200watts) because the $/watt is less then the lower wattage panels.

        Also the 2 x 6v 232Ah FLA batteries are much cheaper then 4 x 12v 50Ah AGM batteries and give you a better battery system. I know because I was stupid and went with 90 watt panels and 50Ah batteries.

        Comment


        • #7
          Originally posted by cabindave View Post
          If you ever plan on running more than lights, then I would go with the electrician running the wires. If you want to play around with solar and learn about it, then by all means do. Just read the manuals and use fuses, etc. Good luck!
          I agree. If you ever have the choice then run grid power from the house to the shed instead of building an off grid solar/battery system. It will be much cheaper.

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          • #8
            Thanks for the encouragement. My objective is really just to light up the shed. I plan on having a socket on the outer part of the shed where I can plug in an extension cord if I need to power tools which I would rarely do since I would be using mostly handtools. Will be in the shed probably 2-3 hours max. Running the risk of draining the battery though if I do this on consecutive days. What would be a good size battery for this? Thank you again.

            Comment


            • #9
              Originally posted by Chefridge View Post
              Thanks for the encouragement. My objective is really just to light up the shed. I plan on having a socket on the outer part of the shed where I can plug in an extension cord if I need to power tools which I would rarely do since I would be using mostly handtools. Will be in the shed probably 2-3 hours max. Running the risk of draining the battery though if I do this on consecutive days. What would be a good size battery for this? Thank you again.
              Again sizing the battery will be based on how many watt hours you plan on taking from it. Then the solar panel will be sized based on how many watt hours you need to put back into that battery.

              More than likely you will end up with a battery that is too small and drained and that 100 watt panel will not be able to recharge it in a day or even a few. That is the learning process which can get expensive.

              Comment


              • #10
                There are a lot of variables here which are unknown, aside from the light for 3 hours in an 8x12 room. So, if you feel like a bit of a gamble here's my suggestion for just lighting and a quick trigger pull to drill a few holes, rip through a board with a saw once in a blue-moon.

                The Renogy 100w kit. Optima D51 yellow-top. Stanley 100w msw inverter. 100w LED bulb (Osram, Sylvania, etc) from the grocery store (1.6A draw in operation). Do NOT use an extension cord with MOV protection - msw inverters kill the mov's (Thanks again Mike!!)

                If you live in the UK, this will be tough. Arizona will be easier.

                Maybe invest in a Tecmate-Optimate 6 charger just to be sure you start on the right foot, and also be able to revive the battery if you go totally overboard.

                While it is great to get things engineered down to the last detail, at least this way if it doesn't work out, you can re-purpose the tools, like the Optima and the Tecmate charger for other duties.

                Comment


                • #11
                  Thank you for all your help. Unfortunately, cost is an issue and I will hire an electrician to run a wire underground instead from my house to the shed. It is the most cost effective for me. It was fun exploring the option as well as informative.

                  Comment


                  • #12
                    Originally posted by Chefridge View Post
                    Thank you for all your help. Unfortunately, cost is an issue and I will hire an electrician to run a wire underground instead from my house to the shed. It is the most cost effective for me. It was fun exploring the option as well as informative.
                    I never want to stop someone from learning more about the solar technology. I just try to help people understand the costs and maybe keep them from spending a few thousand on something that does not get them what they want.

                    Hey. I have a nice little almost portable solar/battery system for sale that has about 420 watts of pv, a 12v 200Ah battery system, 30Amp PWM CC & 600watt PSW inverter all for the nice round figure of $2500 plus shipping.

                    Just kidding.

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