Hey everyone! I'm just getting into solar power and I'm looking to set up a system for my shed. I want to be able to charge some ego batteries, run a few small LED lights (12v), and have a charging station for my robo lawn mower, which runs on 120v and 15a. My goal is to keep it as low budget as I can. Any suggestions or insights on what I should consider? Thanks!
4 Answers
Just a heads up, running a 120v at 15a means you're looking at 1.8 kilowatts of power, which isn't exactly cheap to maintain. Over a day, you'd need to generate about 43 kWh if that's your constant draw. You'd want a good number of solar panels (enough to produce around 3-4 times that on a sunny day) and a proper battery setup, likely costing around $10k. Unless you're okay with grid connection, but I assume that’s not ideal for a shed situation. Also, your robo mower might not be using that much power continuously. My electric mower manages fine at under 1.0 kWh.
Do you really need a consistent 120v 15a? For context, I have a setup with 2x100 watt panels, running 12v lights and a WiFi cam, and I spent about $400 in total. It works well for me! I added a Victron mppt 100/20 with a 12v 100ah lithium battery and a 1500 watt inverter, which helps. I might add some extra panels too! Just keep in mind that the biggest energy drain come from inverter standby power when idling. If you’re handy, consider a timer to manage the load better.
Renting a ditch witch to run power out there might actually be cheaper than going for a solar setup if you're looking at costs. I get that solar is a cool project, but utility prices are hard to beat, you know? Although once you get into solar, you might find yourself wanting to expand even more later on.
Very true! It starts with a shed, and the next thing you know, you’re plotting out ground mounts and asking your neighbor for some space for extra panels!
I set up my shed similar to what you're considering, with several 400 watt panels and an ecoflow max 2000. I can run my lights, chargers, and even a small compressor without issues—only drops to about 55% overnight! But yeah, my robo mower uses less power than you'd expect, around 70 watts for a couple of hours.
Which type of panels did you end up using? I’m looking to do something similar!
Totally agree! It sounds like your charger doesn’t use that much power continuously—just when charging. Plus, if you don’t keep the inverter on all the time, it can save you some juice.