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Solar Panel/Battery Bank for Home Backup Power
Posted on 7/30/25 at 10:37 am
Posted on 7/30/25 at 10:37 am
Anyone running solar panels and a battery bank at there house? I have been thinking about installing a setup that could power a 8000BTU window unit, a fridge and a few lights. Run the A/C mostly at night.
Any yes I understand a gas generator is easier, cheaper, and can run more( i own 2) but I like the idea that I can self support without fuel. And I also know the sun doesn't always shine.
Any real work experience would be great on what your setup looks like and how long can you run/ how fast does It charge.
Any yes I understand a gas generator is easier, cheaper, and can run more( i own 2) but I like the idea that I can self support without fuel. And I also know the sun doesn't always shine.
Any real work experience would be great on what your setup looks like and how long can you run/ how fast does It charge.
2
Posted on 7/30/25 at 10:43 am to Elusiveporpi
Posted on 7/30/25 at 12:45 pm to Elusiveporpi
quote:
Anyone running solar panels and a battery bank at there house?
Currently have a 45kW ground mount and 3 PW2s at the ranch. Have 32kW of Q.Tron AC modules and 2 FranklinWh batteries and 2 SPAN panels pending install and integration with my 26kW Generac at home.
I also monitor over 100k PV + BESS assets at work.
What would work for you is a tough one. You need to be able to model a system for your house and see if you have enough solar resource to recharge your batteries. Unfortunately, the only to really know that is to get someone to run an Aurora on your house and design a system and simulate it. You will need at least 2 batteries though if you want to run the AC. And they need to be big ones. Think a couple 13.5kWh Franklins or Powerwalls. Not some 5kW sunnyboy or Enphase.
This post was edited on 7/30/25 at 12:48 pm
Posted on 7/30/25 at 12:52 pm to billjamin
You've got a hell of a system. Sounds like you are trying to run the entire home.
How has it worked so far? How long have you ran off of your backup?
You are right about sizing. That's the key. from what I'm reading, always add more than you think on batteries as well as solar panels.
How has it worked so far? How long have you ran off of your backup?
You are right about sizing. That's the key. from what I'm reading, always add more than you think on batteries as well as solar panels.
Posted on 7/30/25 at 1:00 pm to Elusiveporpi
quote:
You've got a hell of a system. Sounds like you are trying to run the entire home.
For the ranch system we run two houses and the workshop off it. Taylor Electric never should have let me put something this big in because it's only occupied about 10% of the year. So they pay me a lot in net metering lol.
quote:
How has it worked so far? How long have you ran off of your backup?
Flawlessly. But it's all good equipment, tier 1 mods, combo micro inverters and string with good batteries. We're on a 5 mile single line run and get ice storms almost yearly that knock down power and we're pretty far down the fix list. It's been off grid for 6 weeks with no issues. I'm obviously not running the welding machines or anything when that happens but everything else runs as normal.
The home system is designed to be 110% offset, which is the most they'll let me do.
quote:
You are right about sizing. That's the key. from what I'm reading, always add more than you think on batteries as well as solar panels.
Exactly. You're typically limited by consumption offset from the utility or roof space.
Posted on 7/30/25 at 4:49 pm to billjamin
quote:
You will need at least 2 batteries though if you want to run the AC. And they need to be big ones. Think a couple 13.5kWh Franklins or Powerwalls. Not some 5kW sunnyboy or Enphase.
I want to update this. I missed the 8k window unit part. You would be fine with a single Powerwall or Franklin. But i still wouldn't consider anything less than a 10kWh battery.
Posted on 7/31/25 at 8:53 am to billjamin
How long would those batteries take to charge off a generator? Seems reasonable for people in urban areas with mild climates to have that along with a generator and tanked gas
Posted on 7/31/25 at 9:50 am to baldona
quote:
How long would those batteries take to charge off a generator?
Depends on a lot of factors, predominantly battery and generator size and how much of the generation will be consumed by the house while charging.
If you have a 10kW gen and a 10kWh battery and the house was using half the capacity bank on about 2.5hrs. Thats rough math with some efficiency losses thrown in.
quote:
Seems reasonable for people in urban areas with mild climates to have that along with a generator and tanked gas
The issue you'll find is that good batteries, especially the ones with enough output to run a significant portion of your house and A/C, are really expensive. The only way to get any real ROI on them is to work them everyday and recharge with PV. There are some edge cases on that in areas with heavy time of use tariffs where arbitrage can pencil out.
The other problem is that these batteries are VERY frequency sensitive. And getting an OEM like Tesla to open up the operational frequency range is hard. I went through that with them for a Puerto Rico portfolio where grid frequency instability was causing systems to turn off. That matters because most portable gen sets don't have good frequency stability. So the Costco/Home depot models won't work the way you want it to.
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