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Wed 9 Mar, 2022 10:56 am
A few different questions but first, my only first hand point of reference is seeing an experiment solar system set up with 3 100w (I think) panels, and about 10 lead acid 12v car batteries. However those batteries were both deep cell and sli that were connected, along with 2 6v being used together as one 12v. What are the potential problems with that set up? How long before the sli batteries would be worn out and completely dead from depleting and recharging constantly? Would that setup work efficiently if you had only deep cell batteries hooked up?
Also, can you convert 18v dc to ac? How would you figure out watts, amphours, kwh, all of that, to know what was compatible, if anything?
Would you be able to connect two or more lithium ion batteries together, to (trickle charge? Parallel connect?)use as one (like how the car batteries are connected. Is it just more capacity or what does that change instead of using just one battery? So, like a power tool battery, can you connect 2 6 cell batteries to use as one 12 cell Battery? What would a lithium ion battery like that be called technically /specifically?
What would be the simplest /cheapest solar system for very little use in, say, a cabin in the woods, not an every day residence, no central heat/cooling, no stove, just lights, chargers, small appliances?
Any body who can take the time to explain this, I would really appreciate it, and if it's such a dumb question you can't even understand how it's being asked, PLEASE explain why!!!
@AlyssaLynn,
Wow, that is a bunch of questions. Let me try to help a little.
Anything wrong with using lead acid batteries? No. Old diesel submarines used lead acid batteries to power the entire ship when the diesel engine was off. You could expect those batteries to last a few years with regular maintenance to prevent them from drying out. The setup really doesn't care about deep cell or standard batteries. Deep cell can hold more energy for down times if that is what you need. Those submarine batteries were four feet tall.
Can you convert to AC? Sure. You can get an inverter to plug into your car that does this, it's not that hard and you can likely buy something inexpensive that will do the trick. Take a look at
this link for a portable power center. That thing just has a car battery at its heart and it can supply AC power.
Would you be able to use Lithium batteries? Sure, but you probably don't want to. Lead acid batteries are cheap and readily available. Lithium batteries allow you to pull a lot of current, but you probably don't really need that kind of power draw and if you did, you set up parallel banks of batteries.
How about that cabin in the woods? The setup you saw with a few panels and a lead acid battery setup is probably perfect. You want a bigger version of that power station from the link. Maybe you just have several of those stations and you charge one, use one and hold the others in reserve.
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