Welding solar

[hartman96]

I am steting up a shop and would like it to be off grid. I am fairly new to the solar scene and do not know what i would need to run a small welder, or if it would even be possible.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Campbell-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds I would like to run something like this.

[bcroe]

PV Welder?

I am steting up a shop and would like it to be off grid. I am fairly new to the solar scene and do not know what i would need to run a small welder, or if it would even be possible. 115-Volt-70-Amp-Stick-Welder
I would like to run something like this.

A welder drawing huge power surges at very low duty cycle, is about the worst
possible match to a solar source, which supplies limited energy all day. To weld
anytime would require at least a large battery, and a solar system to keep it
charged; that includes a generator and a lot of babysitting. The cost of all that
might be a lot less, and non reoccurring, to just get power to the shop.

The cheapest & most straightforward way to weld would be either gas or a
gasoline engine powered electric welder. Maybe a modest solar system could
supply lights and even charge some battery operated power tools.

Welding directly from (large) batteries is possible, and some commercial units
might be available. If the bulk and cost of one of these was acceptable, you
could use PV panels to keep it charged. This would be far more efficient than
inverting battery DC to AC and then converting it to DC again in the welder.

In theory, you might wire a couple panels in series to get 7A at 70VDC. Then
paralleling up to a dozen more such sets would give you 80A at 70V, at noon if
the sun was perfect. So you could build up a very time limited welder, with PV
panels that were wasted at any other time.
good luck, Bruce Roe

[Sunking]

All I can say is good luck and save your money for a real portable diesel powered welder. You throw that money away on solar is a big black hole never to be seen again. Better off saving it for a portable welder.