Solar 101

[Jack N Jill]

Hi guys

im new here, im pretty sure you guys already knowwhat got me landed here
SOLAR which i know nothing about

i have a small pond and wanted to to power it off grid
i have been reading about solar watching it on youtube
Seems liked its simple enough
you get a solar panel connected to a solar controller charger then connected to battery and an inverter is connected to the battery

so i just ordered my self a renogy 100 watts 12v monocystalline kit
so it comes with wandere solar controller
i also ordered the inverter

now my plan with this solar
is to run my water pump 24-7
I need to get my self a battery to run that pump 24-7

can someone help me what type of battery i need to run this pump


thanx

[SunEagle]

Hi guys

im new here, im pretty sure you guys already knowwhat got me landed here
SOLAR which i know nothing about

i have a small pond and wanted to to power it off grid
i have been reading about solar watching it on youtube
Seems liked its simple enough
you get a solar panel connected to a solar controller charger then connected to battery and an inverter is connected to the battery

so i just ordered my self a renogy 100 watts 12v monocystalline kit
so it comes with wandere solar controller
i also ordered the inverter

now my plan with this solar
is to run my water pump 24-7
I need to get my self a battery to run that pump 24-7

can someone help me what type of battery i need to run this pump


thanx

Hello Jack N Jill and welcome to Solar Panel Talk

I can tell you that a single 100watt panel will maybe produce 5amps of charging which matches up with a 50 to 60Ah battery. A 60Ah battery can safely provide 180watt hours daily without discharging it below 75% SOC. Going farther will shorten the battery life.

Now the problem is, will that small battery run your pump 24-7? More than likely no. That pump would need to draw less than 8 watts (which calculates to 24h x 8w = 192watt hours).

So depending on what is the watt rating of that pump along with maybe 15% losses you will need to size your battery and panel wattage to run the load for 24 hours a day for 4 days because sunlight is not always a guarantee every day.

[Jack N Jill]

Thank you sir for your reply

my pump is 0.45amps

sounds complicated lol

[SunEagle]

Thank you sir for your reply

my pump is 0.45amps

sounds complicated lol

I understand the pump is 0.45 amps but at what voltage? You need the Amps & Voltage to calculate the wattage.

[Jack N Jill]

Amps 0.45

Voltage120

this the info i found

or woud it be posible to directly plugged the inverter to solar and connect the pump?

thanx

[SunEagle]

Amps 0.45

Voltage120

this the info i found

or woud it be posible to directly plugged the inverter to solar and connect the pump?

thanx

120V sounds about right. The system would require panels, charge controller, batteries and inverter.

Unfortunately if the pump is 120v & 0.45amps then it will draw 54 watts ( 120v x 0.45a = 54w).

And if it draws 54 watts then it will use about 1300 watt hours in a 24hour period (54w x 24h = 1296wh).

For a battery to provide that safely each day it would need to be about 435Ah (1296wh / 12v x 4 = 432Ah) and you would need about 43amps of charging or over 500 watts of panels with a 45amp MPPT charge controller.

I know this may be a little confusing but your solar/battery system would probably cost you over $5000. Maybe it would be cheaper to run a 120v line from you house out to the pond.

[Jack N Jill]

Awww darn i wasted 200 bucks for that renogy panel😓

thank you i will just do that
So not to waste money on my solar panel
can i use it to lights that turns on at night for my pond

[SunEagle]

Awww darn i wasted 200 bucks for that renogy panel😓

thank you i will just do that
So not to waste money on my solar panel
can i use it to lights that turns on at night for my pond

A solar / battery system is not always cost effective but when the load is small and the number of watt hours needed minimal then it could be a fun experiment.

Low wattage lighting is probably the best load for a solar / battery system.

[Jack N Jill]

I wish i kknew about that before i bought my panel

[Jack N Jill]

Or ill get a solar generator and use the pabel to recharged it

[SunEagle]

Or ill get a solar generator and use the pabel to recharged it

Just be careful of spending a lot of money on those "solar generators". I have seen them up to $1000 and they do not provide the watt hours they claim they can. I built a small system using a 65Ah battery, 80 watt panel, 15amp CC & 250watt inverter. By the time I included a "cart" I had spent about $550 and it can maybe provide 200 watt hours a day.

It can be built for less money since the 80watt panel was the folding type and the battery was an expensive Blue Top Optima type.

Here are a few pictures of my portable system.

[Jack N Jill]

Ok thanx for all the help

im thinking of getting one of those portable solar chargers for cp tablet
but theres so many to choose from
can someone recommend which one should i get

i need something to recharged my cp while camping at the beach or incase theres no electricity

thank you

[Guest]

Hi all !
Sorry to jump in the between. I am unable to create a new post ! would be great if some one can advice.
I currently have a 10 watt panel which gives around 0.70- 0.80 amp for approx 4-5 hours since its winter here now in gulf.
I have a 12v 7ah battery which is connected to a charge controller. My load is just a 12v 5 watt bulb.
The panel is able to charge the battery to 14.4v in 6-7 hours. But at night the battery can only last for 2 hours or 3 hours max. Please tell me what size battery and panel do I need to power the bulb 24x7. The bulb draws around 0.30 amp i suppose.
Also with my existing setup what would be the recommended watt or amp led i need to buy so that its stay on all day.

Thanks a lot !

[SunEagle]

Ok thanx for all the help

im thinking of getting one of those portable solar chargers for cp tablet
but theres so many to choose from
can someone recommend which one should i get

i need something to recharged my cp while camping at the beach or incase theres no electricity

thank you

I really can't think of one that I can recommend. IMO they are all expensive and provide minimal charging but someone else may have better experience with one.

[SunEagle]

Hi all !
Sorry to jump in the between. I am unable to create a new post ! would be great if some one can advice.
I currently have a 10 watt panel which gives around 0.70- 0.80 amp for approx 4-5 hours since its winter here now in gulf.
I have a 12v 7ah battery which is connected to a charge controller. My load is just a 12v 5 watt bulb.
The panel is able to charge the battery to 14.4v in 6-7 hours. But at night the battery can only last for 2 hours or 3 hours max. Please tell me what size battery and panel do I need to power the bulb 24x7. The bulb draws around 0.30 amp i suppose.
Also with my existing setup what would be the recommended watt or amp led i need to buy so that its stay on all day.

Thanks a lot !

Unfortunately you will not be able to make your own post until you get vetted by our Admin Solar Pete.

To answer your question. Your 7Ah battery is not be getting back up to 100% SOC since it has been discharged to 0% SOC. With a 5w bulb running 24 hours you are consuming 120watt hours a day. That 7Ah can provide about 84wh if you use 100% of it's charge.

A battery that can safely provide that amount daily will need to be about 40Ah (120wh / 12v x 4days = 40Ah). That will require about 4 amps of charging or a panel wattage close to 80w.

So in short your 10W panel and 7Ah battery is too small for your 5 watt bulb to run 24 hours.