Northern Michigan Solar Powered Cabin 

 Alternative Energy Living at the 45th parallel  

 

 

 

 

 Updated:07/20/2010                  ENTIRE SITE IS COPYRIGHT 2010, MC PHOTOGRAPHY                       BEST WHEN VIEWED ON A 16:9 SCREEN 

Learn about alternative energy, hybrid systems and watch pointless videos!
If you have any questions, contact us. I'm always happy to provide a convoluted answer to a simple question. At this site, you can learn from my real world experiences in solar energy production and how I produce power at our cabin in Northern Michigan. The cabin is located right on the 45th parallel near Gaylord, Michigan. Check out our photography site  which has some photos around the cabin in the nature and winter sections. 
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While this format of the site will stay here as it is, more of our updates and new articles will be in the new format. Visit the new format site here.
Reviving Deep Cycle Batteries
Latest diary entry 20 Jul 2010
 Diary update
Peukerts formula explained
T = C/(I/(C/R))n X (R/C)
Peukerts formula helps you design an alternative energy system by showing the real world capacity of your bank!

 

First of all, welcome to our site! We've been around for several years and conduct all kinds of half baked DIY projects on our show, This Old Shack. Be sure to check out all of our half witted articles and pages. If you have questions, just Email us and we will do our best to confuse you beyond all belief.

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Earthquake/vocano activity

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Recently updated / new pages
Wiring the cabin / DC systems explained
System wiring
New battery bank testing continues. Read about it here.
Even worse, watch a "This Old Shack" outtake
Read about the system  
Temperature compensated charging chart  

 

We're going to build our own solar panels! 
Read the diary entry here. 

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But why solar power?

There were several reasons for the switch:

  • Sprinkle of rain = power failure.

  • Giving a little back by not using so much.

  • Independent living.

Benefits:

  • Renewable power.
  • Learning about solar power.
  • Own stock in the solar panel company. :-)
  • I like batteries.
  • I can sit around smoking a cigar because I'm an energy mogul!

Drawbacks:

  • Maintenance.
  • Installation.
  • Bunch of black glass panels sitting around.

System wiring

See also this page for an in depth explanation of low voltage systems.
Updated 7-5-10
Wiring for off grid homes is a lot like wiring for a grid powered home. Obviously, you have to follow codes, etc. (unless you're really, really out in the sticks and there's no inspectors around but it's still a good idea to follow safety protocols!). 
Most times unless you are a real diehard off gridder, there will be TWO separate systems involved, a low voltage DC system (at least one set of wires is needed to charge a battery bank; the wiring from the solar panels (or wind/water turbine) and the normal 110 AC wiring. 
If you power anything using the battery bank, then another set of wires is needed. 
Careful planning is important. Draw everything out either on paper or using a computer program (Paint or even PowerPoint are handy for this) . Use orange wiring for your 12 volt DC wiring. If you are doing this for the first time, label virtually everything you hook up, connect or use. Trust me, shorting out a battery bank that has over 1,000 amps of power is not a good thing to do.
NOTES
  • As always, do your own research, use Goggle for your searches. This information should give you a good start.
  • Low voltage requires larger wire because of resistance.
  • We need a new charge controller because of the new panels.
  • We're building the new panels 
  • There are two options for battery bank wiring: series and parallel
The 12 volt side is treated differently than the  110 volt AC side. It sounds opposite of what you would think but lower voltage systems (especially DC) requires larger wire (lower gauge number) because of resistance. As an example, we have a 25 foot wire run from the solar panel distribution panel to the battery bank and the charge controller. For that we use 10 gauge wire (which conveniently is orange to indicate low voltage) for as little loss as possible. Measured at the output of the wire, we have .02 amps of loss to resistance - quite acceptable. The 10 gauge wire feeds into the Xantrex C12 charge controller (once we get the two new 60 watt of panels made - see the diary entry - we'll have many more amps than the C12 can handle so we'll need a new one).
The PV system (and wind turbines) need to be grounded using approved connectors (national code states that they have to be of a certain metal and have at least two threads of screw contact). Read the article link at the top of each page here at the site or use this link. So does the output side of the system. 
As a side note, we had a television antenna at the shack that I forgot to pull down when I left once. The lightning strike burned part of a wall, a curtain and blew out most of the AC side of the wiring. Grounding is important.
For getting the power from the battery bank around your home or cabin, there are options that you need to consider. First is appliances. 12 volt DC or 110 AC? The market for 12 volt lighting and appliances is absolutely exploding right now. There are 12 volt real fridges, freezers, AC units, ovens, toasters and coffee makers. Let's not forget about televisions. 12 volt electric blankets? No problem! The best place I've found for purchasing these is roadtrucker.com. Check them out.
If you decide to use 110 AC, then you need an inverter which come in two flavors, modified sine wave and pure sine wave. Modified sine wave works with most stuff but causes noise on radios and shouldn't be used for appliances. Pure sine wave inverters are more expensive. You can use normal household wiring from your inverter.
For getting the power from the inverter to the home wiring you can hard wire it (if the inverter has that option), use a transfer box or use what is called a suicide cord (that's an extension cord with two male plugs). NOTE: SUICIDE CORDS ARE DANGEROUS AND MAY BE ILLEGAL WHERE YOU ARE. IF YOU ARE CONNECTED TO THE GRID, NEVER, EVER USE A SUICIDE CORD. Plus if you grab the live end you get to find out why it's called suicide cord. So, hard wire it if you can.
Things to consider
Series connections increase voltage not amps
Parallel connections increase amps not voltage
In a system of this type you have two basic choices for your battery bank, series or parallel wiring.
ah=amphours (capacity - volume, if you want - of the battery)

Briefly, in a series circuit, you're taking batteries of a lower voltage and connecting the positive to negative throughout the bank to get the voltage that you want.
Example: 6volt/20ah + 6volt/20ah = 12volt/20ah
Your flashlight is an example of a series circuit. 
What you are doing is increasing the voltage. This can be good because your longer life batteries (robust design, long life) are usually a lower voltage. This is because large batteries (both 2, 6 and 12 volt) are made up of 2 volt cells. Obviously, if the battery case is the same size, a 6 volt battery is going to have much larger 2 volt cells than a 12 volt battery of the same size so it would follow that the capacity (volume) is higher.

In a parallel circuit, you're taking batteries of a higher voltage but lower capacity (volume) and connecting them positive to positive and negative to negative to get more capacity.
Example: 12volt/20ah + 12volt/20ah = 12volt/40ah
While not directly relating to this, your home wiring is an example of parallel wiring.
There are benefits and drawbacks to each system.
Some prefer series connections because you can use high capacity golf cart batteries to get a wicked large capacity bank. This is a definite advantage. However, if you lose a battery you lose voltage and have to find a golf cart battery and possibly be down for days unless you happen to have a supplier nearby.
In a parallel connection, you use higher voltage but less robust (usually) batteries to create a wicked large capacity. However, the batteries don't last as long. If you lose one of the batteries you lose capacity (volume) not voltage and go to Wal-Mart and buy another battery. 
Parallel connections of  can cause all kinds of problems in large battery banks. The batteries in the strings with the main connections (in my case the inverter connection) take all the current load while the middle of the string contribute voltage and a little bit of current to try to balance out the bank capacity.
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Plugs and ads

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We've teamed up with Amazon for our product listings after some really bad experiences with an online auction site.

Products

GoldenGadgets.com
Golden Gadgets, LED lighting and low energy products.
Window Solar Air Heater Panel - $209.00
Solar Heater & Dehumidifier - $1395
80-Watt High-Efficiency Solar Panel - $404
20A Solar Charge Controller - $40.95
1000-Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Remote Control-$239.20
AIMS 5000 Watt DC to AC Modified Sine Wave Inverter-$379.51
Tripp Lite 1800W Permanent Mount Inverter-$277.41
Tripp Lite PowerVerter RV Inverter/Charger RV2012OEM - 2 kW-$499.99
DC Power Meter Monitor with computer data logger software for volts, watts & amps-$199.00
Clamp on meter for measuring PV system amps- $79.99
HQRP 50 Watt Mono-crystalline Solar Panel 12 Volts in Anodized Aluminum Frame

How I test
There are several people on various newsgroups and discussion areas that waylay in uninformed or those just starting out in the off grid world of self power generation. This involves an almost religious belief in a phantom 6v golf cart true deep cycle battery that is superior in every way to any other battery in existence.

A simple examination of the specification sheet for a line of 6v and 12v off grid batteries will tell you quite clearly that there is no one single best solution for all circumstances. It is not accurate to say one is best.

Our system has been using the much maligned Harbor Freight 45 watt solar panel kits for 4 years. Over these years, we've moved them back and forth from the main home in Saline, Michigan to the shack in Gaylord. They've been dropped, exposed to heavy rain, snow, sleet, hail. One even has even had the glass on it shattered from a tree limb dropping on it.
Look, using testing equipment is all well and good but those spec sheets don't mean squat if you can't run YOUR stuff for as long as you want to. So what I do (so you don't have to) is get the equipment (batteries, inverters, solar panels) and put what I run on it. Usually about 30-50 watts at 12 volts - few amps of draw. You know, turning lights on and off, running a computer (a laptop) and whatnot. 
Throughout the test, a digital meter is run on the bank and a hydrometer is used once an hour to determine whether the meter is reading the correct voltage. During the sunlight hours on the panels, there is another digital meter installed at the primary junction box (where the panels feed into the 10 gauge cables that feed to the charge controller) that measures panel voltage and amps.
One of the things that I like the best about alternative energy is that you can make it as complicated or simple as you like. Some people, even though they use alternative energy simply don't have a good grasp on the entire substance that goes into the makeup of an engineered system that has been built from scratch.
Don't ask me why, but I've recently become interested in studying earthquake/volcano activity around the world; ash plumes and such. I've added a page with RSS feeds and links to satellite imagery. 
Sierra Nevada Airstreams battery temperature compensation chart Even worse, watch a Feedjit Live Blog Stats Battery bank setup My generator updated Email Me Temperature compensated charging chart Read about the system Solar Panel grounding from the dean of solar, John Wiles. Alternative Energy News Feeds Photographs Xantrex Charge Controller latest lightning video Read the diary entry here. DiaryDex Live weather from the shack Check it out! Building your own panels Are you moving your home (like we are) or your small business? Then the Small Company Moving Guide is for you! This Old Shack About the system THIS OLD SHACK Air Tabs energy blog Old Shack here Energy News Feeds battery desulfator schematic Earthquake/vocano activity A trip to the cabin! You need recipes Battery charge chart Sun activity widget added to earthquake activity page Generator buying tips Quite possibly the best preparedness site in the world. Appliances for cabins initial diary entry Privacy policy - please read! NREL redbook Death of a battery Battery wiring Cheap solar water heater Peukerts Wiring the cabin Photos of my system Gas mileage (Dodge Dakota) About the alternative energy system New battery bank testing continues. Read about it here. Live weather information from the shack! Peukerts formula explained Handy conversion formulas Generator article reprint Alternative energy news feeds (NEW) Installation