portable solar pack

beboxe
beboxe Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭
in Solar Product Reviews & Opinions #1
I am looking for advice about a portable solar battery pack/generator? I saw at sears battery emergency packs that get charged by elec. or through the auto battery. You just plug in ac, dc, or ubs appliances to use. I want something like this but can also be charged via solar panels. Can anyone guide me in the right direction? I believe an 85 watt panel will work for me but just do not want to go through all the 'work' of connecting it together. I would be interested in different sizes smaller or larger as well to check out. I want something I can connect the wire from the panel to and that's it-but I want quality. Thanks for your help, Molly
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #2
    Re: portable solar pack

    Here is an older thread about LiFePO4 batteries...

    LiFePO4 batteries

    And here is an Australian website about these types of batteries (I have not read through it yet):

    http://www.evworks.com.au/

    And some batteries that have been recommended before:

    www.thunder-sky.com/

    Another thread:

    Portable Solar Power

    Anyway, some more reading...

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • beboxe
    beboxe Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭
    #3
    Re: portable solar pack

    Bill I did not state what I was looking for in my first mess. I went back and edited it. thanks for your help, Molly
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: portable solar pack

    I just got a PEAK 450 portable power pack. <Amazon> It's got a 14ah sealed battery (AGM likely) USB, 12v lighter socket, LED flood light, and jumper cables. I use it for my CPAP machine. I can charge it via the lighter socket, it's 15V wall wart charger, or via the jumper cables and a large battery charger. It's worked well for me, for a 3 week long trip this year.

    A solar panel could connect via a charge controller, to it for charging.

    The pack I got, has no charge regulator in it, so I rely on my smart charger, solar charge controller, or a household lamp timer on the wall wart, to not overcharge the battery.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #5
    Re: portable solar pack

    Hi Molly,

    It all depends on your needs and the size of the battery bank...

    Needs... As a rough approximation, people get an average of 4 hours of sun per day in a sunny climate around 9 months of the year... However, it can range from under 2 hours of sun (monsoon season, closer to the poles, etc.0 or over 6-7 hours (high desert, near equator, summer, etc.)...

    And for batteries, we normally recommend a solar array capable of around 5-13% of the battery bank AH rating...

    And to size the batteries, roughly 1-3 days of storage and 50% maximum discharge for long life...

    So--that leaves us several ways to go:
    1. Your loads (AH at what voltage; Watt*Hours per day, etc.).
    2. Have XXX watts of solar panels, how big of battery can this support
    3. Have YYY AH battery bank, how big of solar array do you need.
    Any of the above is pretty cook book to help you with the calculations--The best bang for your buck is to define your loads (how much power per day, where the solar array will be, and is this used 365 days per year, summer weekends, camping--needing light weight, etc.).

    Ideally:
    1. define loads (AH/WH, daily, summer)
    2. define battery bank (how many days without sun)
    3. define solar array (two calculations, minimum array size based on battery size; recommended array for number of hours of sun per day/where will be use/what seasons)
    4. pick hardware (lots of options here)
    5. buy hardware (now we spend your money).
    However you would like to proceed--just let us know.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • beboxe
    beboxe Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭
    #6
    Re: portable solar pack

    How would I go about converting a non solar backup to a solar backup? Also what size panel to fit a 450 or 850 etc. backup?
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: portable solar pack
    beboxe wrote: »
    How would I go about converting a non solar backup to a solar backup? Also what size panel to fit a 450 or 850 etc. backup?

    * be sure to get a pack with a battery charge indicator, or buy a reliable voltmeter

    * assuming they have AGM batteries, and can charge/discharge at high rates,
    and assuming a 15AH battery, I'd think that a solar panel of 50 watts (@ 15V would be 3 amps) would be able to recharge a pack in 3 or 4 fairly sunny hours.

    * you need to monitor the pack voltage, and disconnect the PV panel, when the pack reads full, charging for longer than that, will damage the battery.

    These are my opinions, your mileage may vary.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #8
    Re: portable solar pack

    I would still suggest a charge controller... There are very simple/inexpensive units like this one (6 amp, there is a 12 amp version too):

    wind-sun_2167_66485179Morningstar SunKeeper Panel Mount Controller 6 Amp
    Price: $49.00

    Overcharging batteries is a frequent cause of failure too.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • 2manytoyz
    2manytoyz Solar Expert Posts: 373 ✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: portable solar pack

    I keep a Xantrex Powerpack 600 HD. It's primarily intended to jump start vehicles, but has a 600W MSW inverter, light, radio, cigarette lighter outlet, and an internal 28AH sealed lead acid battery.

    Very handy device. I've used it to jump start a number of vehicles, and supply 120VAC power when working in remote locations.

    I'm using a small solar panel to keep it fully charged while it lives in the back of my truck. If I drained the battery more than I presently do, I'd use a larger solar panel to replenish the energy used. But for now, a 5W panel, and a Morningstar Sunguard 4.5A charge controller are getting the job done.

    148008ll_v.jpg

    dscn5655.jpg

    dscn5663.jpg

    Some details about this powerpack: http://www.2manytoyz.com/xpower.html

    I can also connect it to my 900W solar array, charge it via my truck's alternator while driving, or with an included wall wart. The 85W panel you mentioned would work nicely here in FL, where we average better than 5 peak hours/day. You'd need a larger charge controller as you'd exceed the 4.5A limit of the one I have.
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  • beboxe
    beboxe Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭
    #10
    Re: portable solar pack

    * With the Duracell 600 I read you can only use a 25w to a max of a 30w pannel and that it would take 5-7 hours of sun.
    * Do you know what type of battery is in it (your specs did not say it was an AGM) and can you use this system to charge an additional battery while using the other battery? (and if so how?)
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  • 2manytoyz
    2manytoyz Solar Expert Posts: 373 ✭✭✭
    #11
    Re: portable solar pack

    I've had my Powerpack for a few years. The original battery died a few months ago. I ended up putting in a different brand, with a slightly smaller capacity 24AH vs. 28AH. That said, I load test all the SLA batteries at work. Despite the different brands, and slightly different current ratings, they all perform equally. A big clue is the same chemistry, and same physical size. The replacement battery is the same dimensions as the original, but the terminals are sideways. Hmmm. Where did they cram an extra 4AH worth of capacity in the original?

    dscn6211-1.jpg


    Another thing to note. Duracell, and Xantrex, both sell the same product with slightly different badging. Both are shown on the Xantrex website. So I expect the same battery, etc.

    I don't have the specs on the original battery, but here's what the manufacturer said about the replacement battery (keeping in mind it's the same chemistry as the original...):

    There is no limit on the magnitude of the charge current
    during a CV charge. Because of the Genesis battery’s low
    internal resistance, it is able to accept any level of inrush
    current provided by a constant-voltage charger.

    Reference source: http://www.enersysreservepower.com/documents/US-GPL-AM-003_0906.pdf

    But as soon as the battery voltage starts to increase, the current starts to decrease. The charge controller will move to the next charging stage...
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