My mobile power station, i need some help

[nechaus]

Hi guys,

Iv been doing some research and i will be building a mobile power station,

here are some specs

500 watt of PV
9480 Watts of battery storage, wanting to use half of this
4x 395 ah 6V 395AH (CR395) Supreme batterys costing me $220 AUD each
please tell me if this is a bad or good choice, for below


Charge controller
Brand = Midnight
model = Clasic 150

http://www.midnitesolar.com/pdfs/comparisonChart.pdf

i need it to have internet connectivity so i can monitor it remotely and on site


All of this will be in the back of a VAN, so i can drive to my property's to do stuff around my yard,


The biggest application it will be using it a leaf blower/mulcher, on the packet they are 2000 watts and 2500 watts getting a watt meter to actually test is power consumption while chopping wood, so i was thinking of getting a 4000 watt puresinewave inverter that would also be monitored via IP, have not found one yet, any suggestions, just enough to cover the devices above mentioned and small items that will need charging,



I plan on using 50% of my battery capacity each day so my solar panels wont cover my power resulting in me needing to charge via mains, Am i able to connect a DC connection directly to the charge controller ? DC outlet at 24 volts 40 amps or what ever the charge controller is rated @ ? or will i need to buy a seperate charging device here?

Thank you very much!

[Bala]

The batteries are rated @395ah and I assume this is what you calculated on.
I understand this 395ah to be the 20hr discharge rate, if you look at the specs sheet it gives you a 5hr rate and a 2hr rate, I would think in your planned usage you would be using the 5hr or probably the 2hr rate, meaning you do not have the capacity you calculated. (Disclaimer: the above is my understanding, maybe wrong)

From a practical point if you are going to use 50% capacity each time you use it your batteries will not last a long time.'
If you have to recharge from mains that defeats the purpose of panels.
Obviously a 2kw inverter genset will do the job better, cheaper.

You dont say what else you want the system for but for the blower thingy it does not sound good

[nechaus]

Thank you for this,

So im thinking of getting 8 of these batteries, 20000 watts @ 20hr discharge.
so now 5 hours discharge would be about 13680 watts..

please note i will be using my mulcher for the maximum of 15 mins and same for blower.
other devices that will be used are around 500 watts,

some devices will be used some one depending on the day.

next questions.

Will this Midnight classic charge all 8 of my batteries?
i know i only have 500 watts pv mobility, but i have a gridtie system at home, there for it will be charged at home, Will i be able to put a dc connection 24 volts 20 amps ?
or would it be best to buy a separate charger, ? i like this charge controller because i can remotely connect via ip and see what my batteries will be doing.

[Bala]

first post you planned on 4 batteries, now you are talking 8, use my post to think about how you are working this system out, dont take my word for it.

My understanding is that you cant just run off your grid tie panels to charge batteries, you have to use a 240v battery charger.

I still am wondering what the purpose is, if its to run these yard tools then a genset will be cheaper and more efficient.
Whats the points in having a stand alone system if you have to take it home to charge it.
If you have another use in mind, ie to power a shed on the land or similar then this needs to be factored in, at the moment it just all seems a bit odd.

[Mike90250]

Hauling around a batch of batteries, fragile glass panels and the inverter & charger, in a van, for half an hour of of leaf blowing and mulching, seems like the hard way to do it.

My suggestions:
1) 3KW genset - I suggest the autothrottle inverter gensets. will cost same as panels. You have fuel for the van, a quart to run the genset for 30 minutes can't be much more.

2) get a 3KW 12V inverter, a 2nd battery in the van, and idle the van while you run the gear. This is against all my feelings, but is much more cost effective than your ideas.

[Sunking]

Hauling around a batch of batteries, fragile glass panels and the inverter & charger, in a van, for half an hour of of leaf blowing and mulching, seems like the hard way to do it.

Especially if you are doing to make a living. Your competitor will smoke you in pricing as he does not have to pay 20 times more for energy as you will.

[nechaus]

mike and sunking im going to pm you guys !!

[nechaus]

wont allow me to pm mike

[nechaus]

money is not the problem here, i want to do this for the environment.

if the panels will break, i simply will just not use panels on the van, maybe a small charge station at home.


that inverter is what i will get!

[Mike90250]

wont allow me to pm mike

I had to disable PMs because I was getting so many private questions that were best answered publicly ( or I charge for personal consults, and nobody wants that).

[russ]

'Doing something for the environment' means not being wasteful.

Using the wrong power source for the wrong thing and requiring all sorts of extra equipment is not doing something (positive) for the environment.

This is a mistake much of the green community makes. It is also a point the green wahsh community uses to their gain.

It would look neat to customers to say, 'Look! We are a green company' but it would not be true.

Russ

[Sunking]

money is not the problem here, i want to do this for the environment.

With all respect this is where your logic does not compute. Using off-grid battery systems is not good for the environment. The reasons are many but off-grid battery systems are terribly inefficient, you cannot possible utilize all the potential energy of a given system, and constant battery replacement. In other words you will never be able to off-set the emissions and power required to make all the components and hardware required, vs just buying it from a nasty ole coal plant utility. It is like ethanol, it takes more energy to make it than it generates, or less than 1 unity gain.

[nechaus]

you guys are have to be joking...


ill do some points


Ethanol is a joke and i never mentioned that, if i was going to use a combustible engine, i would use hydrogen or ECONOL, fungi is an amazing thing.
@ the end of the day if i go and buy all my equipment, and it all uses gasoline or what ever,
- its going to be noisy
- its going to have more parts plastic metals ect
- its going to make crappy fumes
- its going to piss me off

Electric
- quieter sometimes not by much but it is more quiet
-sustainable via solar/ wind,
- batteries can be 99% recycled in a clean way and i have found a company that does it.
-Electric equipment is cheaper
- no fumes, say for e.g. a lawn mower, an electric one will emit 3500 times less hydrocarbons than a petrol one...



There is nothing wrong with my logic, I am a healthy bodybuilding nutritionist that hates using """" combustible engines """ i don't care if i pay a bit more money for a cleaner outcome, Both types of motors combustible and electric have manufacturing process that will dirty our environment, but the on going pollution will not be created by electric, You just have to manage how you use your equipment and change your habits to make it run smoothly.


I like to buy things that will last a long time not a short time, combustible engines are a perfect example of wear and tear, metal grinding on metal using oil to lubricate...



All i wanted the answer for was how much battery capacity i will need for my setup, in my mind it is cleaner as an on going thing, as i can recycle everything in a clean way.

But never mind i have asked an EE and he has designed exactly what i need, now off to buy my SETUP, thanks for useless, opinionated, posts,

next time i wont bother asking here ill just read this forum and ask a professional when i need something done.

[Mike90250]

...
Both types of motors combustible and electric have manufacturing process that will dirty our environment, but the on going pollution will not be created by electric,
...
I like to buy things that will last a long time not a short time, combustible engines are a perfect example of wear and tear, metal grinding on metal using oil to lubricate...
......
But never mind i have asked an EE and he has designed exactly what i need, now off to buy my SETUP, thanks for useless, opinionated, posts,

next time i wont bother asking here ill just read this forum and ask a professional when i need something done.

Electric has it's own share of pollution. The Grid is polluting somebody's backyard, just not yours at the moment. Eventually, the oil will become too expensive, and ways will change. Properly designed IC engines CAN and do last a long time, if maintained well.

[russ]

But never mind i have asked an EE and he has designed exactly what i need, now off to buy my SETUP, thanks for useless, opinionated, posts,

Speaking of useless opinionated posts!

Your type of green is what is wrong with the green movement - feel good green - all warm and fuzzy and at the end of the day nothing is accomplished.

Russ