this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2025
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I've gone full DIY for my setup. My primary one is a hybrid on/off grid setup, with the on-grid part being that the inverter has a mains utility input for powering any devices plugged into it should there not be any panel activity and the batteries are drained. But, it doesn't feed back into the grid (important to not charge the grid wires if there's technicians working on it, but if power dies, I'm likely going to kill the main breaker regardless so I can use my inverter generator if I wanted, since that can also be used to charge the batteries and power stuff).

My inverter powers a few things with a total capacity of 30A that I have split between two 15A circuits, one in the house, and the other in the garage.

My panels are ground based, purchased secondhand for a steal, about $0.05/watt. About 3kw worth, probably going to add some more to safely max the input of the inverter. Battery backup is LiFePO4 batteries, about 15kwh worth. I'm aiming to get it up to 30kwh before summer really hits.

As of now, I can run a chest freezer for about 20 days without any sun, or the majority of my "high priority" stuff (NVR, local networking gear, etc) for about a week. Pretty happy with it. The most expensive single piece was the hybrid inverter. Even the PV combined box wasn't that bad of a deal, and made it easy to hook things up. I have a secondary setup that has about 1kw of panels, 3600Wh of battery capacity, and a 2kw inverter. That one is entirely off grid.

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[–] iii@mander.xyz 3 points 1 month ago

I have a 120W panel and a 500W 550Wh li-ion battery inverter combo at my offgrid place. The setup is now 6 years old.

Main uses are charging my electric chainsaw, charging electronics, lighting, small water cooker and an electric blanket.

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I've built two solar systems so far. One was enough to power my cell phones for a week. The second was to be able to charge my power tool batteries and a CPAP with AC plugs. My next step will be to build one that can power my refrigerator. But there is a huge price difference between steps two and three and a large Gulf between practicality and investment. So that one is waiting. I need a new roof first.

[–] Opinionhaver@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I've been thinking of simply getting an used panel on the roof of my toolshed and using that to charge an Ecoflow powerbank. I really only need power for charging devices and powering a diesel heater. I could go with a charge controllel and 12v batteries route too but I feel like a powerbank would likely become more handy on the long run as it can be taken with me and used for other purposes as well

[–] arrow74@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago

I'm also planning to use an ecoflow. Unfortunately I don't want to do a roof mount so when I need to charge it I'm hand moving panels into the yard.

I have the 1kwh one, reportedly it can run a fridge for at least 8 hours. With 2 300 watt solar panels during the day it can run the fridge and charge up enough to power phones too. It is capable of charging and discharging at the same time