Have you read the Home Power Magazine Archive? Homepower.com. There is so much good information there. Some will seem outdated, and it is, but back in the day, hardware was limited and super expensive. Panels were like gold and batteries were cheap and you could scrounge a lot of surplus sources. Now, panels are cheap, […]
Bigger and Much, Much Better Read More »
I am sold on Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. These are also known as LiFePO4 or just LFP batteries. The difference between them and Lithium Ion (Li) batteries is that they don’t have a tendency to burn like the Li batteries in your phone, laptop or Tesla. BUT, not all LFP batteries are equal. I buy
LiFePO4 Batteries Are Not All Equal Read More »
I learned some new things about solar last week. How it works in snow! Pensacola has been renamed Pensacolda, Flurryday, at least for a few days. I live north of there, where it is a little colder still. It isn’t terribly unusual to get a flurry in winter. Sometimes, even enough to stick and make
Solar and Snow in Flurryday Read More »
Batteries are heavy. Even lightweight batteries, if you have enough of them. One of the best battery upgrades I ever did was adding a pair of Exide tubular forklift batteries. The problem is, they weigh a little over a ton each. I couldn’t even pick them up with my small tractor so I had to
I was topping up the water in my giant lead-acid batteries and got to musing about temperature. Have you ever really thought about batteries and temperature? We had a warm summer. I’m wondering if winter will ever get here. (The batteries only took 6 gallons of distilled water.) I don’t think this last summer was
Batteries and Temperature Read More »
Sometimes on the Internet it is hard to tell if someone is serious or trolling you. There was one fellow who posted an image of how his sturdily-mounted panel had survived the recent hurricanes. It looked to be about 20 watts and in a sheltered edge of his roof. I suspect a troll. I have
A recent passage through Atlanta (there’s no good way around it) went slowly enough that I could see the cars as more than blurs. Honda crossovers seem to be predominant, but Tesla Model 3’s are probably second. I saw more 3’s in Atlanta than I have ever before seen. Relatively cheap, decent range and compact,
Last time I talked about the typical solar newbie post on Facebook. Asking for help, yet not providing any useful info on what his source is or what his load is. We looked at that and found out about his needs. Let’s take one item on the list. He’s going to have to spend some
I recently joined a Facebook DIY solar group. Some of the advanced groups can be very helpful with advanced tips. This was not one of them. In fact, this may have been the opposite of that, at least in many cases. It still keeps me up to date on popular equipment and trends, but, hoo
Every summer I make a point of visiting University of West Florida (UWF) Archaeology Field Schools. One of them is underwater, studying shipwrecks of the 1559 Luna fleet. This fleet brought settlers to establish Pensacola, America’s first European try for a permanent settlement. I was feeling pretty good about the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries
A Sea Story or Lithium 10–Journey Into Darkness Read More »
I have been thinking a lot about batteries, lately. No matter how big your battery pile is, it always seems you need more. And they ain’t cheap, as we say in the South. ***Safety Note: Batteries can make sparks if you short them. Lithium-family batteries can make really awesome sparks if you short them. Don’t.
Decision Time For New Lithium Battery Upgrade Read More »
I’ve been wondering, what effect, if any, would a solar storm have on my solar power system? In the 1800s, they had a doozy, which melted telegraph lines and caused all kinds of havoc in a world not yet much electrified. Well, we just had one. No big deal. Most people are concerned with whether
Solar Storms and Other Electromagnetic Hazards Read More »
I was out cruising on the Shadow ACE the other day and decided to detour through the solar farm district. I had suspected that Next Era would be building some more solar production on one road and, sure enough, they were. A few hundred more acres were having mounting posts pounded in and panels will
For about a month, now, yellow pine pollen has been raining down on us in NW Florida. Between the pollen and dirt road clay, my green Chevy pickemup was getting a little crusty. I had to take a pressure washer to it. Now I just need to wash it. My Turbobeast is pretty crusty, too,
Spring Time and Spring Cleaning Read More »
I got a text from my friend Courtney, a few days ago. A while back he bought a bunch of Mobile Solar Generator stations at bankruptcy auctions. If you look back to my TURBOBEAST post you can read about the adventure of moving those things back to his house in North Carolina. These contraptions are
What’s Your Angle? Read More »
Merry Christmas and/or whatever may be your holiday of choice. Festivus, anyone? So, with holidays winding down, as New Year’s not so new, what next? I am always thinking about what is next to write about. Some of it is easy and some not so much. Some of this stuff takes time and money to
Happy Holidays—All of Them Read More »
I was perusing Facebook the other day and an ad popped up from Sun Electronics. There was an item of interest to me, but I could not pursue it just then. Great deal and it was not in an email blast. It was not on the web site, either, so I figured I would find
Sun Electronics on Facebook Read More »
There is a lot of refinement and cleanup to do, but the solar water pump is up and running! Sort of. Half of the project is usually hooking everything up and half is cleaning up and making pretty. The solar water pump is pumping, but there is a lot yet to do. My final rib
Solar Pump 3, First Flood Read More »
I am often untimely in publishing these notes, but this time I have outdone myself. I do have an excuse, though. It involves a dog, a motorcycle and 3 broken ribs. The dog and the motorcycle were not injured, but I went splat. Man, I crack myself up, sometimes! (Get it?) The purpose of this
Wire We Here? (Solar Pump Pt.2) Read More »
Cousin Gunner, back in the old country, has an interesting power situation. Apparently, the Danes and the Germans are interconnected and when the wind blows a lot the Germans pay–PAY!– the Danes to use the excess wind power. Just thinking, if Kuzin Gunner had a battery backup system, he could set it to charge during
Alternative Power Storage Read More »
This popped up on Facebook and I had to borrow it. When combining batteries to get to the right voltage to store your solar power, this is how it is done. Do it wrong and you get a flash of light, flying beads of molten metal and possibly worse. Just make sure all the batteries
Series-Parallel in Pictures Read More »
This series of posts on a lead-acid to lithium battery upgrade(?) regards a fairly decent power system on a boat. The new batteries are Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) chemistry, the kind that does not burn. I built two batteries out of individual cells and they are performing well, though not always as expected. I have
Lithium 9: All Charged Up Read More »
My choice is probably not what you think. A few years back I really wanted an electric car. Now, when I say a few years back, I mean before you could buy one from a factory. I really had my heart set on a VoltsRabbit, a VW conversion. It would not have been practical, but
My Choices for Practical EVs Read More »
The plan to use the boat as an EV charger is back on track and working! The curious behavior of having two Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries in parallel had stymied my attempt to keep the Sun King’s solar power system busy while offloading some work from the main system. The main system needs to
Lithium Upgrade 8: Smooth Sailing Read More »
A lady friend went to Pensacola the other day to buy some premix fuel for the chainsaw. The recent storms had knocked over a big oak at the end of the driveway and her husband wanted HER to cut it up. He had specifically requested premix and she didn’t check the price until she got
While I am generally pleased and optimistic about my Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery upgrade on the solar launch, the nature of Battery Management Systems (BMS) has been a learning experience. Last time I mentioned the new, hopefully more capable inverter that I had installed. The idea was that I was going to use the
Lithium Upgrade 7: Lights Out Read More »
Last time I mentioned I was swapping out the inverter aboard Sun King and last night I climbed aboard to do just that. I was fussing about UPS bringing the package after supper, but that may have been a blessing. Sometimes the temperature drops below 80 at night. First things first, I had to do
What Do You Need In An Inverter? Read More »
I’m changing out the 5kw inverter in my boat, installing a 3.5kw unit. Do I need less power? No, I need an inverter that runs to spec and does not melt the rubber transformer mount when you run it over 10% for a period of time. Good electronics, but not enough transformer. Typical Chinese math
What matters most in solar is how many watts you have to run your loads. And how much it costs. PV modules, aka solar panels, come in all sizes and shapes and power outputs. Is bigger better? You can arrange modules all sorts of ways. The basic rules are if you are putting them in
Does Size Really Matter? Read More »
John’s latest email ad blast warns of storms, fire, floods and just about everything short of a Biblical plague of locusts. The point is to get you busy on putting together a backup power system. From there, solar is easy. Sure enough, first day of Hurricane Season, a storm forms in the Gulf. It is
John Kimball, Prophet? Read More »
On a boat cruising forum I follow, one of the members has a tagline of something like, “A house is but a boat so poorly built and so firmly run aground that it would be useless to try to refloat it.” This post is about solar boating and if you are not into boats, just
Lithium Battery Upgrade 6: Up the Creek Read More »
Are you on Sun Electronics’ mailing list? John does not send out many emails, but when he does it can be worth your while. The last one offered used PV modules at 12 cents a watt, which is awesome. However, if you had jumped on the previous email you could have gotten a stack of
You Snooze, You Lose–Savings From the Sunelec Email Bulletins Read More »
After much shifting of plans, The Sun King, newly equipped with a semi-massive Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery stack, cast off in search of adventure and battery performance info. For review, Sun King was the next progression in my quest for electric boating. Knightmare, my first effort, was successful, but limited in range. No solar.
Lithium Battery Upgrade V: Gone to the Island Read More »
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society, in Century, Florida, has its annual Sawmill Day coming up May 6. This is our annual open house and fundraising event to help keep the museum complex afloat. Membership dues of $5/year (if you can’t afford that we can finance it for $1/month) just don’t cover it all. What does this
Sawmill Day and Solar Power Read More »
I think where we were last time was I had the starboard battery assembled and was going to try for a run on the one lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery bank and one of the old lead acid banks in reserve. Then we had a run of inclement weather, the river flooded and the other
Lithium IV, Cottonmouths and Gila Monsters Read More »
Lunch for two today at Arby’s cost 35 bucks. Can you believe that??? For that you can get 350 watts of solar panels from Sun Electronics. Just switch to raman noodles. In a month’s equivalent you could have panels equal to the typical installation those pesky solar installers put up. That’s enough to cover a
You Can Do This, Too Read More »
It isn’t made pretty, yet, but the Sun King’s starboard battery bank is now a functioning Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) high capacity unit. Let’s look at the difference. Here is the old battery: three 8v golf car batteries in series for 175 amp hours (ah). Since we try to only use 50% of a lead
Lithium III….It Lives! Converting from Lead-Acid to LFP in an Electric Boat Read More »
When I went to bed last night I was anticipating spending a Sunday afternoon working on my new Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery system for Sun King, the solar-powered expedition launch. It didn’t work out that way. I woke up knowing something wasn’t right and it evolved to the realization that I was sick and
Lithium II…The Journey Continues Read More »
And a few things I do. Lithium batteries are everywhere and you probably have some. I know I do. Seems like, though, the more I learn about them, the more I know I need to learn. Isn’t that usually the case? I have an archaeology project like that, right now. We know they are lightweight
Everything I Don’t Know About Lithium Batteries Read More »
John Kimball, owner of Sun Electronics, proclaims to offer the best deals on solar panels. Have you considered the best of the best deals? Throughout my long life I have mostly bought used vehicles and for cash. I probably paid twice for the new Corolla my wife insisted on getting back around 1981. Interest rate
It is easy to get all excited about making electricity with solar panels, but electricity isn’t the only thing the sun can do. It makes heat. Using a solar water heater is a whole lot simpler and cheaper than making enough electricity to run an electric water heater. Online, you can find plans to build
Don’t Forget Solar Thermal Power Read More »
I laughed this morning as I read a news story about West Virginia and Maryland residents wondering about a “mystery dust” that was coating their cars and homes. We have it here in NW Florida, too, but it is no mystery. Really, it’s SPRINGTIME, y’all. I hear tell that up north it is still cold
A few years ago, John and I and another friend of mine looked into solar a/c . It wasn’t ready for primetime. I experimented with some schemes, but just went with brute force to run my old-timey Rheem the old fashion way. Here’s how the new-fangled contraptions John is selling work. BTW, check out his
How Does Solar A/C Work? Read More »
A few posts back I went out in the shed and dragged out some examples of ways you could put together a small solar power system for camping or to get you by after a storm. They are functionally equivalent to some of the systems you may see in the corner of the page when
A Good Way to Get Started Read More »
That’s nothing new. He gets excited about things, especially solar. At the top of some pages you’ll see a link to John Kimball’s Blog. Take it. I don’t know why, but you have to scroll down and wait a few seconds for the blog to appear. I like to check his blog. Sometimes, like me,
John’s Gone Bonkers! Read More »
In recent news, some solar farm projects have been rejected for environmental reasons! Bear with me a while. In 1815, William McVoy petitioned the Spanish governor for a grant of land at Chinmele. The grant was first denied because that area was listed as Indian lands. McVoy’s countered, “What Indians?” The Indians had seen the
Solar Farms Banned! Read More »
Last time I wrote of dealing with one of two recent issues that have come up in my system. Michael C. wrote to me regarding an alternative to the water heater dummy load to test or calibrate inverter power. He pointed out that the air handlers—the box in the hall closet– of heat pump and
Troubleshooting II Read More »
Sometimes things just don’t go right. Sometimes it is an easy fix. Sometimes it requires test equipment. Usually a simple multimeter will do, but not this time. My main inverter bank has developed a problem. Maybe it has been there as long as I have had it and it just hasn’t shown itself. It happens
My lifelong friend Courtney, based in North Carolina, is gradually retiring from his job and having fun developing a line of solar equipment. I think he is missing the point of retirement, but to each his own. For one project, he bought a pickup load of panels from a nearby dealer and was surprised by
Poly, Mono or Thin Film? Read More »
