this is why I add up what i use in 24 hours and times that by 4 that'll give me 4 bad days of sun before I'm out of power. Now keep in mind if I have a bad day I'll cut back on my use's of the PC lights and AC out of 4 days that would give me 1 more day to ride before I am out of power but by setting it up into two power supply units I can charge one while using the other and it'll charge some but not all the way and that will pick me up another day or day and a half so I can go just about a week in bad weather. Now my friend told me I was nut's for paying for two sets of batteries but all I have to do is change a few wires and I'm set. After we spent 17 days with out power after Hurricane Michael and only about 3 good days of sun and with my solar of 900 watts for each system I was able to charge up to 86% to 94% I still had some power and he was with out and had to run his Generator and had to drive 50 miles for gas. He used about 25 gal's of fuel to get by until they fixed the power lines I think my extra 1200 bucks for the extra set of batteries was a better deal. I have looked at the Bluetti AC 500 because I have two of the first AC200 they made I now use them for my pc incase the power goes out my PC doesn't shut off when the power goes out. Now I can take my Batteries and put them in my Trailer and go for ever because I don't have a lot in the trailer and I spend a lot of time in the woods and fishing hunting. I spent all summer in the woods and had a bad day here and there but never ran out of power. I have less in my set up than you have in your Bluetti AC 500. Plus if something breaks I have replacement parts you have to send yours back to bluetti. Pro's and con's I still love my Bluetti's but can't charge them when they are in use and they don't have all the power I need. My next thing will be to go with a 24 volt set up. Just something to think about to help save you some money.
I've seen others on TH-cam with similar setups, but they also incorporate car batteries and an inverter that will hold the charge and continue to charge their power stations so you never have to shut anything down. Wouldn't a setup like that work better, no? Thanks for sharing! 😊
Might want to add more solar panels for cloudy days. I would recommend adding some Amorphous panels, they do pretty good in low light. But I would read up to make sure you can combine different solar panel types.
Why do you have to shut it off? Can't you set it up with the UPS set to PV priority with a 10-20% minimum battery voltage and then run an extension cord to an outlet running from the grid and let it switch to passthrough grid power automatically and then when enough solar becomes active it'll automatically switch back to PV power?
Being in southern New England, this time of year (late December), I get more power from solar on cloudy days vs sunny days. This is due to a line of large, old trees blocking the sun while it’s so low in the sky. I have found some cloudy days are much better than some other ones. Thin, non precipitating ones are best. I really need to cut a few of these tree’s down, it won’t be easy though.
Jason, Have you ever tried charging an automotive lead acid battery from a solar generator? I see Jackery sells an adapter consisting of a 12 volt male cigarette plug to two alligator clamps. It got me thinking that maybe I could recharge my travel trailer AMG battery through the solar port with my Bluetti solar generator. This could be very handy on overcast days when my solar panel can’t adequately charge my AGM battery. Your thoughts?
The output from a power station isn't technically a battery charger so I don't recommend connecting it right up to another battery source. If you could find a 10 amp DC to DC charger you could hook that up to your power station DC output and charge the AGM batteries.
Why do you use Solar Panels in USA ? How much is the KW/h Price there ? Is it not cheaper than 0,10$ ? Here in Germany we pay 0,35€ per KW/h and solar is more interesting than in other Countrys where Electricity is much cheaper.
Who cares about breaking even when safety and a peace of mind is far more important? 😂 Not everything is about MONEY. Do you ever break even after raising children and spending six-figures on them, lol. Way too many people depend on the darn power grids. Worldwide blackouts are not too far in the distant future. Furthermore, if someone pays nearly $500/month on an electricity bill, I'd say this setup is well worth it. I got my power stations for a huge deal!!
I always try to use solar power to charge. We don't get many power outages in our area so if the power went out with the battery at a low percentage I'd charge it up with my gas genny.
Made the mistake of buying a solar generator for when my power goes out during bad weather. Thing is we don't have sun for 3 to 4 days afterwards. My panels were bringing in 14watts. What a mistake thinking my power problems were solved. Gas generator would have been better and cheaper. This is what the mfr don't tell you. Ran my fridge for 12 hours at least. Power was out for 3days.
I'd recommend a gas generator to charge when solar isn't around. I prioritize solar but the sun isn't always shining. One huge benefit to having a power station WITH a gas generator is that you can charge up your batteries fast, and then you don't have to run your generator the whole time. The battery runs your loads while your genny is off. A balance of both worlds works best in my opinion (batteries and multiple power sources).
@@Jasonoid Thanks! I actually had a transfer switch like that put in for my generator, but from the outside behind the switch... I want to modify it to allow it to be plugged into the front to also be able to use with a solar battery unit like yours.
My power station only allows 48 volts and 15 amps solar. Could I over panel and use a charge controller between panels and power station to keep voltage in range?
You can overpanel the power station by having more than 15 amps available in your solar array, however you cannot go over the maxiumum voltage. I would recommend using a solar charge controller in line with the solar panels.
You are getting 20% production. Im at nearly a week of 6.5% production. Id be content with that 20% for a bad day :) EDIT: 5.7% averaged out by hours and summed watt hours.
You need to have a plan B to charge your batteries. What happens if it’s cloudy or rainy the a few day or for the week and the grid is down. You can just wait for the sun to come out, you need another way to charge your system. Like a small portable gas generator and a charger. If the grid was down, you really are going to wait to the sun🤦♂️
@@Jasonoid that’s good. You always need a plan B. Have you figured out how long it take to fully charge your system with the generator? I have a 25.700kw system and from 20% battery. It take me about 6 hours to fully charge my system.
@@Jasonoid I highly recommend you making your own whole house backup system. It will save you a lot of money. It cost my around $7000 for my system. That’s a 12kw inverter/charger, 500ah Lifepo4 battery bank and more. It took me about 2 years to make. But it was worth it. I want to make another 500ah worth of batteries, but they are hard to get now.
@@Jasonoid Make sure that if you ever need to use the generator to charge your system, that you’re putting in more amps then what you’re house is pulling out. Good luck & Stay Safe.
I still need an adapter cable to connect the B300 to the AC500. It's not compatible with the stock cable. Not sure when they will be available.... Lame right!?
I actually only have two B300s batteries hooked up, the third battery in the stack is a B300 and I'm still waiting on the connector cable (it needs a special adapter to connect to the AC500). With the two batteries I can usually get through the night with my transfer switch enabled with about 40% remaining. Actual capacity would be close to 4800wh to 5000wh after losses.
@@simonmiller3981 There are several contributors to the loss, but the AC inverter is the biggest culprit. It's about 45watts an hour just to run the inverter. If you're running 24/7 it would be worthwhile to use DC as often as you can, though it's not always possible.
it's a good day to skip showers, no vacuuming, no TV, switch some food to a 12 volt chest fridge.
Because I come from such humble beginnings, overcast solar is alright with me!
You're right, some power is better than no power haha. Full sun is that much AMAZING though!
Nice.
this is why I add up what i use in 24 hours and times that by 4 that'll give me 4 bad days of sun before I'm out of power. Now keep in mind if I have a bad day I'll cut back on my use's of the PC lights and AC out of 4 days that would give me 1 more day to ride before I am out of power but by setting it up into two power supply units I can charge one while using the other and it'll charge some but not all the way and that will pick me up another day or day and a half so I can go just about a week in bad weather. Now my friend told me I was nut's for paying for two sets of batteries but all I have to do is change a few wires and I'm set. After we spent 17 days with out power after Hurricane Michael and only about 3 good days of sun and with my solar of 900 watts for each system I was able to charge up to 86% to 94% I still had some power and he was with out and had to run his Generator and had to drive 50 miles for gas. He used about 25 gal's of fuel to get by until they fixed the power lines I think my extra 1200 bucks for the extra set of batteries was a better deal. I have looked at the Bluetti AC 500 because I have two of the first AC200 they made I now use them for my pc incase the power goes out my PC doesn't shut off when the power goes out. Now I can take my Batteries and put them in my Trailer and go for ever because I don't have a lot in the trailer and I spend a lot of time in the woods and fishing hunting. I spent all summer in the woods and had a bad day here and there but never ran out of power. I have less in my set up than you have in your Bluetti AC 500. Plus if something breaks I have replacement parts you have to send yours back to bluetti. Pro's and con's I still love my Bluetti's but can't charge them when they are in use and they don't have all the power I need. My next thing will be to go with a 24 volt set up. Just something to think about to help save you some money.
Vancouver island weather this time of the year, that’s a good draw!
I like my Bluettis, but they don’t make the Sunshine!
Keep your smiles on!
The Alone TV series introduced me to Vancouver Island haha. Very cool place!
I've seen others on TH-cam with similar setups, but they also incorporate car batteries and an inverter that will hold the charge and continue to charge their power stations so you never have to shut anything down. Wouldn't a setup like that work better, no? Thanks for sharing! 😊
Good solar setup, looks like more panels are needed to get that beast charging all day.
Might want to add more solar panels for cloudy days. I would recommend adding some Amorphous panels, they do pretty good in low light. But I would read up to make sure you can combine different solar panel types.
I did this setup with ac300 because of you, thank you. I'm running 2 mini splits ,fridge internet few lights.
Thank you Jason
Thanks Jason
Same at my house; cloudy and rain at 47 degrees.
Why do you have to shut it off? Can't you set it up with the UPS set to PV priority with a 10-20% minimum battery voltage and then run an extension cord to an outlet running from the grid and let it switch to passthrough grid power automatically and then when enough solar becomes active it'll automatically switch back to PV power?
Nice setup and info Dr J'
Being in southern New England, this time of year (late December), I get more power from solar on cloudy days vs sunny days. This is due to a line of large, old trees blocking the sun while it’s so low in the sky. I have found some cloudy days are much better than some other ones. Thin, non precipitating ones are best. I really need to cut a few of these tree’s down, it won’t be easy though.
I wonder what would happen if you put a low energy uv light on the panels
Thanks, was wondering about that
Need more solar panels or build a DYI system! 🖖
VICTRON MPPT charge controller 100/30 or 150/60 Maximum Power Point Tracking will get more power under those weather conditions.
Interesting.
Jason, Have you ever tried charging an automotive lead acid battery from a solar generator? I see Jackery sells an adapter consisting of a 12 volt male cigarette plug to two alligator clamps. It got me thinking that maybe I could recharge my travel trailer AMG battery through the solar port with my Bluetti solar generator. This could be very handy on overcast days when my solar panel can’t adequately charge my AGM battery. Your thoughts?
The output from a power station isn't technically a battery charger so I don't recommend connecting it right up to another battery source. If you could find a 10 amp DC to DC charger you could hook that up to your power station DC output and charge the AGM batteries.
@@Jasonoid
I have charged my car battery 🔋 directly from solar panels many times. One day I jump started the car directly from the solar panels.
@@ajarivas72 just unplug the solar panel before it overcharges the car battery and you're good. The charge controller basically prevents overcharging.
@@Jasonoid Subbed. Just because you responded to some one. And with intelligence. Thank you for good service sir
11-5-2022, Same weather in SF Bay area with 1800W of panels with about the same result.
Maybe we will break these dry years of drought! In sacrifice for less solar of course.
Why do you use Solar Panels in USA ? How much is the KW/h Price there ?
Is it not cheaper than 0,10$ ?
Here in Germany we pay 0,35€ per KW/h and solar is more interesting than in other Countrys where Electricity is much cheaper.
In the usa
Lowest 9.73 cents per kwh Louisiana
Highest 32.76 cents per kwh Hawaii
Nice battery❤
more panels to keep you during g cloudy days
Unless u live in an area that the grid goes out often . You don’t need this, it will take you years to break even .
Who cares about breaking even when safety and a peace of mind is far more important? 😂 Not everything is about MONEY. Do you ever break even after raising children and spending six-figures on them, lol. Way too many people depend on the darn power grids. Worldwide blackouts are not too far in the distant future. Furthermore, if someone pays nearly $500/month on an electricity bill, I'd say this setup is well worth it. I got my power stations for a huge deal!!
I wonder what an unfocused parabolic mirror would do for a solar panel, or to it 🤔
Do you AC charge it so it’s available for backup, if you don’t get solar after a few days? Or just go with another station you have?
I always try to use solar power to charge. We don't get many power outages in our area so if the power went out with the battery at a low percentage I'd charge it up with my gas genny.
Can't you charge it from mains power
Awsome
Made the mistake of buying a solar generator for when my power goes out during bad weather. Thing is we don't have sun for 3 to 4 days afterwards. My panels were bringing in 14watts. What a mistake thinking my power problems were solved. Gas generator would have been better and cheaper. This is what the mfr don't tell you. Ran my fridge for 12 hours at least. Power was out for 3days.
I'd recommend a gas generator to charge when solar isn't around. I prioritize solar but the sun isn't always shining. One huge benefit to having a power station WITH a gas generator is that you can charge up your batteries fast, and then you don't have to run your generator the whole time. The battery runs your loads while your genny is off. A balance of both worlds works best in my opinion (batteries and multiple power sources).
How much is that set up with all those batterys u have ?
How heavy are those batteries in total?
What's the cost?
Amps!
Quick question... Are you connecting to your transfer switch through an RV type connection, or something else?
It's an adapter cable that came with the transfer switch, this is the one I purchased:
amzn.to/3vyzGSt
@@Jasonoid Thanks! I actually had a transfer switch like that put in for my generator, but from the outside behind the switch... I want to modify it to allow it to be plugged into the front to also be able to use with a solar battery unit like yours.
How much is this pack worth
My power station only allows 48 volts and 15 amps solar. Could I over panel and use a charge controller between panels and power station to keep voltage in range?
You can overpanel the power station by having more than 15 amps available in your solar array, however you cannot go over the maxiumum voltage. I would recommend using a solar charge controller in line with the solar panels.
Can the unit be connected to a traditional generator so that the batteries can be charged regardless of the amount of sun?
Yes, but it will need to be an inverter style generator putting out a pure sine wave.
You are getting 20% production. Im at nearly a week of 6.5% production. Id be content with that 20% for a bad day :)
EDIT: 5.7% averaged out by hours and summed watt hours.
Good info.
Total cost?
goal zero yeti pro 4000 and extra 4TANK PRO 4000 lithium phosphate battery 18,8 KWH 👍😎 please show on TH-cam videos test it out
Their head quarters is right down the street from me 🤔
@@Jasonoid great idea 👍😎
How much was that cart?
You need to have a plan B to charge your batteries. What happens if it’s cloudy or rainy the a few day or for the week and the grid is down. You can just wait for the sun to come out, you need another way to charge your system. Like a small portable gas generator and a charger. If the grid was down, you really are going to wait to the sun🤦♂️
I have grid power that's CHEAP! ($0.11kwh) If the power is out and the sun isn't shining I have a dual fuel generator to charge up my batteries.
@@Jasonoid that’s good. You always need a plan B. Have you figured out how long it take to fully charge your system with the generator? I have a 25.700kw system and from 20% battery. It take me about 6 hours to fully charge my system.
@@iiinsaiii my system is fairly small, it only would take 2 hours or so. Maybe one day I'll have that much battery power sitting around!
@@Jasonoid I highly recommend you making your own whole house backup system. It will save you a lot of money. It cost my around $7000 for my system. That’s a 12kw inverter/charger, 500ah Lifepo4 battery bank and more. It took me about 2 years to make. But it was worth it. I want to make another 500ah worth of batteries, but they are hard to get now.
@@Jasonoid Make sure that if you ever need to use the generator to charge your system, that you’re putting in more amps then what you’re house is pulling out. Good luck & Stay Safe.
How tall is that system
Between 4 and 5 feet
Is one of your batteries off? O_o
I still need an adapter cable to connect the B300 to the AC500. It's not compatible with the stock cable. Not sure when they will be available.... Lame right!?
1750 watt of solar is not enough. You should have 4-8k.
Hi Jason, Hope you are well. Do you know how much workable capacity you get using 3 batteries (3 B300S)?
I actually only have two B300s batteries hooked up, the third battery in the stack is a B300 and I'm still waiting on the connector cable (it needs a special adapter to connect to the AC500). With the two batteries I can usually get through the night with my transfer switch enabled with about 40% remaining. Actual capacity would be close to 4800wh to 5000wh after losses.
Thks for your reply. So for 2 B300S (6.144kWh) about 1.1kWh is lost. Is that just with the AC inverter running?
@@simonmiller3981 There are several contributors to the loss, but the AC inverter is the biggest culprit. It's about 45watts an hour just to run the inverter. If you're running 24/7 it would be worthwhile to use DC as often as you can, though it's not always possible.
Not cloudy enough, you can still find the sun :)
Only draw back to solar......ewy days
I've had on ton of those ewy days this winter! Record snow season for us
до блекаутів готовий
well thats gay
😂👍