I like your setup. I've been using solar power for remote off grid workshop for about ten years for lighting, running power tools and charging my golf cart. All self contained and using a 3000 watt inverter. But, being able to use a portable solar generator is a nice idea also.
Nice. Yeah I was going to setup mine similar to yours since it is sometimes easier and cheaper to scale your system, and if components go bad (i.e. inverter, battery, or charge controller), you only have to change out the bad component/s and not the entire power station (such as my case). They both have their pros and cons for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent! I'm considering taking my workshop off the grid; it's pretty straightforward and doesn't interfere with the rest of the household. ONE NOTE: I've discovered the hard way that using a four-in-one screwdriver to punch out hole discs in electrical boxes can ruin the screwdriver, push the tip up into the shaft until it's irretrievable.
I'll be adding solar at some point. Ideally, adding solar panels to the roof would be the norm in this situation, but I'm a little skeptical about adding more holes to my roof by adding a solar racking system since it would be my first time doing so, so I'm looking into ground mounts or adhesive mounts (similar to the ones used for RVs) to hopefully reduce the concern. Short term, I'll probably just use the folding panels and set them out in the yard to keep the power stations topped off.
@@GreenTechTownI'm in process of going solar for my shed. Like you, I was hesitant to put holes in my metal roof so I bought some rare earth magnets (very strong), attached them to my solar panel brackets, mounted the panel to the brackets & problem solved, no holes.
@@GreenTechTown I've just recently put this together so I don't have a lot of run time on it. I sourced the magnets (Neodymium Rare Earth countersunk channel magnets N52) from ebay & man they are strong... put it this way, I remove the panel from the brackets then pry the brackets off the roof. I'm afraid I might crack my panel before the magnets pull loose. I had considered using 3M VHB tape that all the RVers use but it seemed a little too permanent. Since this is my first foray into solar I'm starting out small. I have one 100w panel input to a Bluetti EB3A & then using the 12vdc output to run lights... kinda learning as I go. Hope this is helpful or at least inspires an adaptation that's useful.
The problem is that you have to turn on the portable power station before you have lights and then you are using power to run the lights I've watched another video were he said why loses power converting anything that can be run on 12 volts or less he ran his lights on 12 volts using 12 volt LED bulbs with Edison bases unfortunately I can't find his video again so I'm trying to find where buy the bulbs as none of the sellers on Amazon have equivalent to what bulbs of incandescent or equivalent LED but it might be something to consider for your shed
This video was definitely entertaining and also educational. I've got a couple of sheds that I've setup off grid and it's really satisfying every time I walk in and flip the light switch or grab a freshly charged battery for a power tool. I go the solar and battery route with mine so they are self sufficient. Even the shed in my backyard. I go with AGM batteries for cost and ability to handle the cold here in Colorado. Thanks again for sharing all your projects.
