Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Bob
Hi, not being physic here but I kind of see a set of batteries in your future, if you want the best bang for your buck then 6 volt traction batteries wired in series/parallel will provide good volt storage  . Six of these will provide for your needs for years to come. 
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Not being psycho either, I too see an array of batteries in your future. But it has reached the point where a self assembled bank of
lithium ion batteries is ultimately far cheaper than the so called "traction batteries", which I assume refers to deep cycle flooded lead acid batteries, also known as golf cart batteries.
The
lithium batteries may seem pricey, but when you consider the fact that they can be safely discharged far lower, they should be looked at as having roughly triple the nameplate capacity as compared to flooded lead acid batteries which do not tolerate being discharged below 80% without reducing life. Thus a 100ah lithium would provide the same capacity as a 300ah lead acid
battery. The number of discharge cycles is many times more than lead acid, so many that your long term cost is far less. It is important with all batteries to have proper charge and discharge control, and this is if anything more critical with lithium batteries due to their long projected life and higher initial cost, but the
equipment to manage these batteries is not expensive or difficult to use.
There are quite a few Utubes on how to assemble and manage your own
battery bank, and where to get the batteries economically, and the net up front cost can be close to equal.
With
solar power cost dropping like a rock, it makes sense to invest in
panels and a fairly substantial lithium battery bank. In addition to running
refrigeration and the usual stuff, it would be foolish not to use
electric power for at least some
cooking. There are a number of technologies that greatly reduce the amount of power needed.
In a perfect world...... I would design a
refrigeration system for a
boat such that it produced ice when there was
solar or
wind power. That ice would in effect be a battery, keeping the fridge cold without the need to constantly cycle the
compressor on a dumb thermostat. Not all thermostats are "dumb", but even the sophisticated PID thermostats that learn and anticipate take into account ONLY the temp in the system, not other conditions such as power being generated at that time. Refrigeration is the highest power draw most of us have unless we are
heating and
air conditioning or motoring with electricity, so it makes sense to use ice as a virtual battery. To my knowledge, this system does not yet exist. Another way to store surplus energy is to make fresh
water.... if you use a
watermaker. As the farmers say "make hay while the sun shines"
H.W.