on grid 12v 2 of 3

ON GRID 12v part 2

A quick and easy way to install 12v power in your on-grid home would be a battery trickle charger in the garage.  I’d imagine that if you plugged it in once a week or so to top it off ( they naturally discharge on their own ) you’d possess a mostly full battery at all times.  This presents about a zero learning curve.  Yet, I’d advise against it for the simple fact that it isn’t going to save you a whole lot of money over solar, and it won’t last as long ( thirty years ) and it will cost money to operate.  All told, over the years, a $30 charger might end up costing you more than the $110 in a panel ( $90 for the 30 watt panel and around $20 for the battery charger controller-about which more below ).  And it is only good for the initial charge.  Not that the initial charge is anything to sneeze at.  If you have one 8 watt LED bulb burning in a floor lamp in the living room ( the rest of the house can use flashlights, lanterns and nightlights all three with rechargeable batteries in them, you can devote the 12v battery exclusively to the “regular” light next to the couch and recliner.  Take it from someone who tried different illumination off grid over the years, camping and emergency lights are NOT very comforting long term-you need a duplication of an on-grid unit where you spend most of your time ), and you run it eight hours in the longer winter night, you can go two weeks without power off of a 800 cold cranking amp marine battery.  If you don’t care if you damage the battery by discharging it too low, about a month ( remember the general rule of thumb-the amp rating is the number of watts you can use bringing the stored juice down to half, and just using half prolongs the battery life ).

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By installing a solar panel on the outside of a south facing second story window, or probably much better if you have one, the garage roof ( I’d try to install a frame bolted to the SIDE of the roof, not the actual spot rain can eventually seep in-a great idea from the article I read.  He didn’t have a roof, being in an apartment, but it definitely is a bonus you should consider ), you can keep more than one battery charged if you so desire, but more importantly you can re-charge during a grid down period.  Two weeks might not be nearly enough, and that is assuming you don’t use any more appliances such as a TV for news or your cell phone computers to keep the kids off your back.  A panel is certainly the better way to go.  Just make sure, whichever way you charge, that the battery is vented due to toxic gases being generated during charging ( you can bring the charged battery inside to use, just don’t charge it inside.  Use clamps on the end of your wires, such as the one on a pair of jumper cables.  That way on and off is simple, and you can carry the battery by its handle.  You MUST go with a Marine battery, not a car battery.  Car batts do NOT hold up to multiple discharges.  Wally sells the cheapest at $70, an auto parts store is double that but usually is a superior product.  Any other type is too much money for your frugal, on a budget, self ).

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Okay, if you go with a panel, you need a “battery charge controller”.  One sometimes comes with the panel you buy, but to me they look crappy.  I could be wrong, but I just buy a separate unit from Amazon which is about the size of a pack of playing cards.  It has two lights, charging and charged.  Yellow, it is charging and green it is full up.  A cloud passing by will give you a yellow light, but just look at the thing in full sunlight.  If you don’t have this device, your battery could either over charge or discharge at night.  Get that darn controller.  Anyone can figure it out, it is positive to positive and negative to negative ( just like your car wiring ) on one end from the panel and the same then continuing to the battery ( make sure the controller can take the watts your panel is delivering.  Some are smaller capacity than others ). 

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That is it.  You are now generating power.  You will also need an inverter, the electric device that turns 12v DC power into the AC power your home appliances use.  You could use an RV bulb plug, install a LED bulb and just use straight DC without the need for an inverter, but I think you, and more importantly the wife, will prefer the comfort of a regular light.  Yes, the battery “eats” around 10% of the generated power being charged, and an inverter does about the same amount, plus a panel is NEVER able to generate what it claims to ( a 15 watt never generates more than 12, and that is in full summer sun, for instance ).  So in winter, using an inverter, that eight hours of sun a day with a 30 watt panel “only” generates about 70 watts of useable power ( half the power of the sun in winter, even on clear days, for 15 watts.  Minus the true watts of generation, so 12.  Minus 10% charging and 10% inverter, for about 9 watts an hour.  Max winter hours of charging is about 8.  8x9 is 72.  That is a clear day.  Eight hours-4 pm dusk to lights out-of lamp use is 64 ).  However, this is daily recharging.  You still have that two weeks of drawing down the batt if needed.  But, importantly, the moral of this story is that in reality a 30 watt panel is only going to allow the use of one lamp and no other appliance.  Plan/buy panels accordingly.  About $90 for a 30 watt panel, $139 for a 100 watt-shipping included from Amazon.

More next article.

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