Thanks for your patience folks! Getting this system built and transitioned over has been a time-consuming task requiring all our attention. Solar panels will be next...stay tuned! More links in the description. Thanks for watching!
There's something you, and everyone else that plans on purchasing and installing Simpliphi batteries need to know. If you are not a licensed professional, do NOT install SimpliPhi batteries! Straight from the warranty: This Limited Warranty applies only to SimpliPhi Power Product(s): a) purchased from SimpliPhi Power Inc. or an authorized SimpliPhi Power distributor, dealer or reseller and *b) installed by a licensed professional. In the event you rent or lease the SimpliPhi Power Product(s), no end-user purchase takes place; therefore, this Limited Warranty does not apply and you must contact your rental or leasing company to determine whether Warranty coverage is applicable.*
This was the BEST explanation of how to size a system that I have ever seen over the last 25 years! I really appreciate your time put into this whole series you're putting together. Finally some clarity on the subject! Thanks!
Hey folks! Just so you know, my wife and I have been following you since the end of 2017. We’re both 100% disabled veterans of the Vietnam Era. It’s so great that y’all are young and healthy enough to be able to go off grid! We weren’t able to do it but we still do everything we can. I really appreciate that you’re educating us and keeping us up with your successes AND failures because you learn more from the latter, in my experience. Keep up the great work and raising your daughters right! Y’all inspired me to decide to try and can our garden produce this year and your canning and prepper-pantry videos are well worth the watch! These on the solar are right up our next learning curve. We’ve got a cheap, tiny system that needs upgrades. Y’all rock! Oh, the hair looks good! Heat is my nemesis due to Multiple Sclerosis so, while nerdly inner wild child is a long haired bearded weirdo, my short hair has people thinking that I’m normal. Never fear! My freak flag is oozing slowly out my chin follicles! Peace y’all!
Almost did not recognize you......your hair design looks really good. Bet it's easier to keep and cooler, too. Hope your family likes it. Glad to see you online again.
Good on you for the Locks of Love donation. I donated three times over about 20 years before ditching the long hair for good. Now back to learning about amps, watts and volts.
Just started watching your channel for the canning info. Then I saw the first 2 of your solar series. I'm not a homesteader but do dabble in emergency prep canning and solar. Your channel has it all. Looking forward to finishing the solar series and continue watching the canning vids. Keep up the great work and thank you.
I'm halfway through building my 20kwh lithium ion DIY powerwall for a couple hundred bucks, however it's not something I would suggest unless your prepared to tediously solder over 7500 joints ! As I've built mine I've been using the packs and simply expanding the system which makes the project less daunting and more rewarding. Lifepo4 is better as it's safer and more cycles and for a build like yours you needed to get up and going quick, my build may take me up to a year or two before it's up to 20kwh. But I should see maybe 5+ years out of my packs, in 5 years battery prices should drop big time. Yours is a long term and well calculated move. Good idea comparing the 6v batteries too, looks cheap up front :)
Jestronix Handerson what are the parts you are putting together for this. I would be interested in seeing the process and components you are using. Thanks!
A truly great explanation of the technicals and how things work. I have never seen it done better. Can barely wait to see the solar panel phase. Thanks again for going to the trouble of making this so understandable.
Another great video! My brain normally shuts down when people start talking electricity. Amps, volts, wattage...all Swahili to me. That was a thorough yet simplified explanation of how it works that even *I* could comprehend. Of course, just like your other videos, I would expect nothing less. I dig the new do Jeremy. Bless you for donating your hair to Locks of Love. Look forward to more from GB. 👍🏼
Better video than most. Most people only think short term and don't take into account how discharge rates, depth of discharge and cell chemistry impact cycle life and cost per watt hour. Interesting to see "Equivalent to 80% Retained Capacity" for 10,000 cycles with 80% DOD in SimpliPhi's warranty sheet. Other LFP I looked at recently rated their 80% capacity, 80% DOD at about 4-5,000 cycles with the same discharge rate, and 12,000 cycles @ 80% DOD was 50% remaining capacity. Would have liked to see actual remaining capacity cycle life DOD curves to see if it's just SimpliPhi's marketing warranty speak or a typo but I couldn't find any.
Good discussion on Watts, Amps, Volts. Also Voltage drop on a length of cable is very important. I am a retired engineer and we used to have to maintain 2% loss from the point of regulation in our designs. I have a much larger need than yours as my usage is between 2000kWh - 3000kWh per month. We live in the Texas country and use well pump, 2 HVAC, Water Heater, Oven all on 240VAC. We use heat pumps and recently replaced a 12 SEER HVAC with a 18SEER. The RLA (rated load amps) went way down on this new one, but I have not historical usage data with the power company. So I just looked at usage over the past 3 years and averaged it. Many say to inventory all components for power usage, but I did past usage as a guide. All the best!
Great videos. I just have to say that living off grid myself and managing my power needs got a whole bunch easier after finding your youtube channel. I've watched hundreds of videos but the way you explain things really makes sense. So thank you for all I've learned so far. I've watched this video at least 20 times trying to ensure I understand the math involved, so that I can then apply it to my own needs but I'm stuck. My AGM bank needs replacing so I'm looking at building the Lifepo4 system that you've outlined here. I think my math is wrong. My goal is a 2kw system for my daily needs. This is what I have gleaned from your video: A 2kw system x 5 days of autonomy = 10kw add 20% = 12kw. 2kw divided by 12v system = 166.66 per day x 5 days of autonomy = 833 ah bank. ADD 20% DOD = 1000 ah. Min. capacity of the battery bank is 1000ah. 1000ah bank as a minimum to provide 2000 watts per day on a 12v system x .86 because the inverter has an efficiency loss to 86%. So, the final bank would need to then be 12v/1,140ah to give me what I'm looking for. Is that correct? My inverter is a 12v/2kw MagnaSine so I can't move up to a 24v to gain efficiency without replacing it which is not what I'd like to do. I'll be purchasing another of the same instead, so I can rack them up together to make a 12v/4kw inverter instead. Could you please confirm my math is correct or not? Keep up the great work! We so need your videos!!!
You are correct about watts being unit of power, however calorie and watt-hrs, kwh are units of work or energy. Watts are like the flow rate, e.g. 10 gallons per min, watt-hours (also kw-hrs) are like the total volume of water.
Excellent presentation Jeremy. I took a look at the SimpliPhi batteries and the price was quite a shocker. (Pun intended). I was trying to compare them apples to apples to the Trojan L16 batteries that I'm running and can't find the number of hours the SimpliPhi amp/hour rating is based on. The L16 is 370 A/H over a 20 hour discharge time period. If they calculate it over a 100 hour discharge it bumps it up to 411 A/H. My point is that the A/H rating is variable and can be manipulated to look more optimistic. I'm running two strings of eight batteries giving me 740 A/H (over a 20 hr discharge period) at 48 volts. I have my system designed for 20% depth of discharge for maximum battery life. I expect to get easily ten years of life from my bank. After three years in use the plates in my batteries still look like brand new. You obviously are designing a system with a much higher output than mine, and I see you did the math, but one of your SimpliPhi batteries is equal in price to 10 of my Trojan L16s. At 20% DOD I have 148 A/H available and I could probably double my DOD without sacrificing too much life, especially if I only do it occasionally. With the SimpliPhi batteries running at 80% DOD I'd need three batteries for only slightly better performance to my 16 L16s at 20% DOD. (Provided that the SimpliPhi A/H rating is based on a 20 Hr discharge). If the SimpliPhis do actually last 27 years it would be 17 years more than the 10 yrs I expect to get from my bank at about double the cost, so in the long run there is some potential savings, but the proof is in the pudding. I'll be very interested to see what kind of life you actually get from them. I put my entire system together with 2,250 watts of panels, Panel mounts (home made), Battery bank, wiring, FM80 charge controller, combiner box, and 6,000 watt 48v inverter for less than the cost of three of your SimpliPhi batteries. Where the true advantage to the SimpliPhi battery may lie is if you are able to combine new batteries with old batteries. I couldn't find anything in their literature to suggest that is the case, but if it is, you could assemble a bank piecemeal and evolve it as your budget allows as well as replace a bad battery and integrate a new one into an older bank, which you cannot do with flooded lead acid batteries. I'd be comfortable with the technology of the SimpliPhi batteries, but I'm somewhat skeptical of the claims for DOD and cycles and overall lifespan. There were similar claims for Iron Nickel batteries which turned out to be greatly exaggerated. What was supposed to be a bank that your grandchildren would inherit and the lowest cost per watt/ hour turns out to be simply not true. A ten year warranty is wonderful, provided that the manufacturer is still in business 10 years from now. There are vast numbers of actual cases of people with properly designed flooded lead acid bank getting well in excess of ten years of life. It has a proven track record of reliability. 27 years from now you might be able to say the same thing about your SimpliPhi batteries.
like the hair, you have explained the batteries very well, my husband and I are older and want to go with solar next year in our new home. it's older but up dated. we've got a lot to learn.lol
Wow! that's really cool! - I had no idea Lithium-Ion battery tech had advanced so far :) Eminently practical, WAY less faffing about and (relatively speaking) minimal maintenance - that's a no-brainer if ever I saw one :)..I'm gonna have to look to see if they do this in the UK now. Well done for doing these... well, tutorials I guess - they are very well but simply explained and to a complete stranger to all this off grid stuff, a welcome and understandable resource. Thank you for making the effort. it is very much appreciated
What can I say - I know now that it takes a lot of research to involve yourself with doing this and I now appreciate even more the knowledge required to be successful with this venture. Had to look up a couple of words to better understand what you were talking about and that in itself was quite a learning experience.
I haven't researched batteries for some time. About 12 years ago, I had a bad experience with flooded lead acid batteries hooked up in series. I had a pair in the house, and a pair in an old travel trailer. Fortunately, I had each battery in a battery box because acid leaked from the batteries. It was a potentially dangerous situation. I occasionally checked the water and charged them. I don't know much about lithium ion batteries, but they sound great. Your Locks of Love donation is excellent.
Excellent presentation. I have been off grid with PV and Battery bank for 17 years. I follow the lithium progress with great interest. I would make only one suggestion. You are calculating 3 days storage at 80% depth of discharge. That scenario will only happen perhaps 30 times per year. The cycle discharge on your system will normally be less than 30% and that means actually more than 10,000 cycles. So it would have been more economical to go to 100% depth of discharge on those 30 or less occasions per year. Simpliphi gives 5000 cycles at 100% DoD. Even after the theoretical 27 years you will have not come close to finishing your cycle life. So 4 Simpliphi 3.5 kWh batteries would have been adequate for your needs.
Probably yes. But i planned for the “average extreme”. Running the computer while kids watch Netflix and the water pump is feeding the shower on the 3rd dark and cloudy day after playing Call of Duty for 12 hours straight. 😂 Probably wouldn’t happen but you never know. I do miss xbox lol!
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Good point. And less run time for the generator to keep the battery bank charged that way too.
Jeremy, first, I love your channel. Please keep up the great work. I must correct you on one thing though. It's very important. At the 12:09 minute mark, you discuss Li-Ion batteries, and that they can be discharged completely. A common misconception, and nothing can be further from the truth. If you discharge any cell in the pack to less than the manufacturer's stated minimum, you will plate Lithium out of the electrolyte onto the electrode. This WILL cause the cell to violently vent, with fire and fury like this world has too often seen before. Typically, these packs are made from series and parallel combinations of 18650 cells. These have about 2.5 Ah capacity per cell. Their nominal voltage is 3.6V. When charging, you must never, ever, exceed the manufacturers voltage limit. This is typically 4.2 volts. You must never EVER discharge the cells below 2.7V per cell. When making your own packs using Li-Ion cells, the voltage of EACH cell in a series string must be monitored independently. They must never exceed 4.2v on charge, and 2.7v while being discharged. There are companies that make chips for the purpose of this, or you can use a microcontroller. Charging is done by applying a constant current to the battery, not exceeding the manufacturers maximum. When the applied voltage reaches 4.2v per cell, hold the charge voltage constant, and let the current from the charger decrease until about 100mA. Then STOP. Turn off the charger completely. You can kick it back on if the cell voltage drops below 3.0v, or once a week or so if the pack isn't being used. If you decide to build Li-Ion packs, and their chargers, there are several other parameters to consider, such as temperature. Li-Ions are dangerous and must be used carefully. By contrast Lead-Acids are very forgiving. Yeah, I'm an engineer for a company you know, and design batteries & chargers for them, among other things. Feel free to ping me if you have questions. Congrats on the new digs, and best of fortunes, Randy
Thanks for the elaborate explanations. This will sure come in handy when I need to design my own little solarpower array for my aquaponics system running lights and pumps.
I just wanted to let you know that when you was explaining electric analogy to all of your viewers you did an amazing job I'm a contractor and was very impressed I tell people to watch you all and to subscribe to your channel
Excellent explanation, I didn't know that the batteries are available in a 48 volt package, I learned something new today. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your journey into an off grid power solution. Thank you.
CrossWood those are the batteries i also decided on because they've been working for over a decade. They were originally for lights in remote locations for filming. I prefer them to those using electric car batteries. - Jacob
You're doing a great job of explaining your research and the how and why. Too bad there are some comments from folks that have an agenda based on ignorance/stupidity. There is a very important advantage of having your batteries in parallel, if one goes bad it does not take out your whole system. FWIW I am a U.S. Navy Submarine Veteran, EM1SS (E6) (Electricians Mate First Class Submarine Service Qualified, Nuclear) so I know more than the average Joe about lead acid batteries in particular and other types of batteries in general. You have made the best choice for what is available for today and it will serve you well for many years. Great new look for you and thanks for donating your hair to Locks of Love.
Good job of explaining ,I'm an electrician and I still get confused, never seen those simpliphi batteries before but I really like how they're set up, I'm running 18650 packs that I put together it only covers some of my needs eventually I'll ween off the grid entirety Oh and nice haircut , almost look respectable 👍😁
Great video. It's good to see people who care about others with your donation to locks of love. Also, I would recommend to viewers that if you're tied to the corporate grid with solar that you safely, or have a professional electrician install an auto switch turn on your battery bank, and or generator automatically when the power goes out. I say the auto switch for those who may travel and be away from the property more often as it will save your pipes from freezing, home from overheating, fridge and freezer food, etc. If you stay home all the time then you can do a manual switch. Just a side note lots of areas are having more frequent power outages due to planned obsolescence/failure of parts of the power grid. When you import parts from who knows what countries that are about max profits instead of quality that's what you get. Those overseeing this need to check longevity as these people in the video did. Enjoy!
You mention that cold temperatures hindering the charging of lead acid batteries, did you notice that the minimum charge temperature for the Simpliphi Lithium battery is 32F?
I say WOW! This was the best short explanationconcerning solar I heard so far, thanks a lot, this was very interesting. The batteries look quite slick and I hope they will last you a long time. Now I know, what you have been up to the last time. By the way although I do like long hair the haircut fits you really well.... Wish you the best for the next steps
excellent video... you just covered everything that I have learned about this subject, over the past 56 years... doesn't say much for me I guess, if you really learned it in 4 months.
Great info here, I’ve one question if I have a 96v 700ah battery bank could I use a couple of MPPT controllers to increase the output as there only seems to be CC rated up to 48v
LOL I'm getting mine removed, with the way the wind blows around it is to hard to work outside. They won't be going to Locks of Love I doubt they have much use for extra thin gray hair.
Just for clarification for viewers, & let me know if I'm wrong. At the end you say you need 4000 kWh/day. That's power for a small town. I believe you meant 4000 watt-hours (4-kWh/day). It might throw people completely off the cliff if they misunderstand that fact.
Honestly, you look better without all the hair. Clean and neat looking. I had to learn about all of this in the Army as a generator mechanic. I still don't understand it.
Sweet..I learned a bunch. Thank you so much...cant wait to see what else is next..we are wanting to convert asap and you have helped us get a better understanding of what to look for..Oh, I think yout haircut looks good and super cool way to use it as well..
Hello Guildbrook Farm. My wife and I really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work. On your quest to be completely off grid I noticed you have a gas stove. I ran across a video you might be interested in for a bio gas system it's called homebiogas 2.0. Basically it's a methane factory that uses organic and protein waste and converts it into fuel and fertilizer. It was developed for a clean fuel source in small villages in Africa I think away it looked impressive. Thanks again have a great day.
DC-DC boost converters can raise the voltage coming out of your panels so you have lower distribution losses. They be very high efficiency and possibly much more efficient than oversized cables.
One thing one can do to transfer power down a line with less voltage loss (power loss) is to increase the voltage. This can be done with a DC voltage booster. If one takes 10 volts out of the solar cell bank and boost it to 100 volts the power loss down the wire is reduced by 10. This way it is possible to run power much longer distances from the solar bank to the the battery bank. The voltage then can be reduced at the battery bank for the voltage the charge controler can use.
Very good tutorial! Learned a lot. Maybe you could start a consulting business. The haircut really suits you. Glad you passed the tail to a worthy cause. Had my barber cut mine a bit shorter than usual today, hope to stay cooler in the garden this summer.
Great video, you made me realize a few things I hadn't considered before. My very limited solar system only runs some assorted low voltage stuff (primarily lighting) in and around the barn, but I would love to expand and add an inverter, too. I just want to make a comment for very budget-driven installations where you can't afford lithium. I think sealed AGC batteries are quite a bit better than standard lead acid batteries. They are NOT as good as lithium, certainly.... but significantly better then any liquid acid battery. Mine are used "gently" for certain, but they've withstood almost a decade of New England winter temps (-10F to -15F). They are deep cycle, so they tolerate down to about a 30% charge. For the first 5 years of their life they were not connected to a charger - I would bring them inside and recharge only when they were obviously dying... definitely wearing them right down to almost nothing. . I think it cost about double a similar sized lead acid, but has way more than double the expected number of cycles. Definitely do research if you look into AGC and make sure it fits your personal needs - but it's definitely worth the upgrade from lead acid, in my opinion. And as an added benefit they can be installed in any orientation (sideways, upside down, etc) because they don't have liquid or a vent
Guildbrook: I am designing my 1st fully off-grid home in Baja, Mexico. I am a civil engineer so technically conversant, but EPower is an intimidating new area of learning. I've been studying so I'm getting there, but this short video brought all of the concepts together in a simple format, very well explained. You are an excellent teacher, thanks!
Those transparent 6 volt battery's are some of the best one made. They can be repurposed as a lead Alum battery. They then react like Lifepo4 with a very flat charge and discharge rate. They can be used for 12 volt lighting systems.
Awesome with the hair donation. I did that myself once. Thanks for this series I really appreciate it as I will be off grid myself in the not to distant future.
Jamie is beautiful no doubt, but Jeremy you my dear are very handsome.. like the new do.. and love the videos.. very very interesting.. please keep them coming as I am enjoying this journey of y'alls very much!!
😱 love the cut! We just sent my youngest sons hair to locks of love as well💙 great minds think alike😉 Seriously loving this series. Its tough cuz I've started a fire and have completely drained my bank...twice😒 its a journey. The hubs is on board but is never home so...thanks for the help 😂 y'all rock!!
How about the insulation for your lithium batteries? I have not installed mine yet but my understanding is that they will not charge at the freezing temperature. My battery room is insulated but still gets below freezing. I see your room also insulated. How do you manage the temps? Thank you in advance.
I run the generator inside the battery shed for about 10 minutes to heat it up and it stays warm for quite awhile. The temp sensor manages the charger output.
Thank you for your quick reply to my question. Unfortunately, my battery room is very tiny so I do not have a space for a generator. My neighbor uses a light bulb. I was thinking of using thick styrofoam around them. I wonder if I can use some sort of heating system....?
@@cliffweatherbee6914 Good idea on the heater blankets. I was suggested the same from someone else as well. Blankets that put out low wattage will probably work w/o hogging up the energy from the batteries. After all, I only need them during the daytime while the solars are charging the batteries. THANKS!!
Thank you for the information! Will you keep the old stuff for out buildings where usage and reliability aren’t essential and you can change out batteries and panels when they die? ( I’m thinking int the pantry for a heater or the container shop space.) Just a thought.
I believe that a Watt is a Joule or work/energy per second. So watts are not the same as work of energy but a WattHour would be a measure of work or energy.
You mention the falling cost of batteries, they don't really seem to have dropped in cost much in the last 5 years, especially when compared to solar panels....A 10 year warranty is impressive, almost as impressive as their price :)
Thank you for the info, i have been researching lithium ion battery banks and builds and no one ever explains why you should calculate the volts watts and amps needed. I guess they assume people who are building or researching just worry about Ah.
Here's an idea build your battery box well-insulated and I mean well-insulated next to your panels put your inverter in a separate box right next to it and run of that extension cord to the house running AC just a thought
At 14:50 you are accounting for the rate of discharge when calculating the AH requirements of your system and you are doing that again later at 16:00 when you calculate the effective AH your battery banks can provide. Am I missing something or you are actually accounting twice for the rate of discharge?
I’m currently using a 4kw solar array system. With a 48v battery system (16 Trojans total). I don’t like them because they don’t hold out, plus the maintenance. How many of those SimpiPhi batteries I would need to hold me out on 3 days of no sunshine?
Great video! Thank you so much for summarising and making it so simple! One question though: When doing the calculations, you have first taken into account the 80% depth of discharge rate to determine your batterie size coming to 300A/48V. (14.4kw/h) When you reverse calculate at 15:50 you take into account again, 80% discharge rate. Does that mean you oversized the batteries by 20% by accident or did I miss something? Thanks in advance for clarifying
I've been reading up on LiFePo4 batteries, and I've read that they shouldn't be charged below 32 degrees F. Did the ALT E store warn you about this? That's a huge investment, and I know that your power center is currently in an outdoor, open-front shed. I'd hate to see them damaged next winter.
May I suggest installing a wireless thermometer in the shed that you can monitor from the house? I' not sure how far away the shed is from the house though.... I wonder if you can get one with a set-able alarm. Your idea of using coals to keep your canned goods from freezing was an outstanding idea, so I'm sure that would work for your power shed too.
If the shed is insulated well, the heat from the inverter should keep everything above freezing, and I can monitor temps via ethernet connection to the charge controllers.
Fantastic video. I always appreciate the thought and detail you guys provide. Not many other homesteading/off grid channels do the same. Cheers!
Thanks for your patience folks! Getting this system built and transitioned over has been a time-consuming task requiring all our attention. Solar panels will be next...stay tuned! More links in the description. Thanks for watching!
Guildbrook Farm - Off Grid Living Look great with the new haircut.
There's something you, and everyone else that plans on purchasing and installing Simpliphi batteries need to know. If you are not a licensed professional, do NOT install SimpliPhi batteries! Straight from the warranty:
This Limited Warranty applies only to SimpliPhi Power Product(s):
a) purchased from SimpliPhi Power Inc. or an authorized SimpliPhi Power distributor, dealer or reseller and
*b) installed by a licensed professional. In the event you rent or lease the SimpliPhi Power Product(s), no end-user purchase takes place; therefore, this Limited Warranty does not apply and you must contact your rental or leasing company to determine whether Warranty coverage is applicable.*
This was the BEST explanation of how to size a system that I have ever seen over the last 25 years! I really appreciate your time put into this whole series you're putting together. Finally some clarity on the subject! Thanks!
Very concise and clear explanation, if I ever come across someone who needs to build their own system I would refer them to this video.
Hey folks! Just so you know, my wife and I have been following you since the end of 2017. We’re both 100% disabled veterans of the Vietnam Era. It’s so great that y’all are young and healthy enough to be able to go off grid! We weren’t able to do it but we still do everything we can. I really appreciate that you’re educating us and keeping us up with your successes AND failures because you learn more from the latter, in my experience. Keep up the great work and raising your daughters right! Y’all inspired me to decide to try and can our garden produce this year and your canning and prepper-pantry videos are well worth the watch! These on the solar are right up our next learning curve. We’ve got a cheap, tiny system that needs upgrades. Y’all rock! Oh, the hair looks good! Heat is my nemesis due to Multiple Sclerosis so, while nerdly inner wild child is a long haired bearded weirdo, my short hair has people thinking that I’m normal. Never fear! My freak flag is oozing slowly out my chin follicles! Peace y’all!
Wow the hair cut makes you look so much younger! Awesom giving your hair to locks of love! Great video.....
Almost did not recognize you......your hair design looks really good. Bet it's easier to keep and cooler, too. Hope your family likes it. Glad to see you online again.
Good on you for the Locks of Love donation. I donated three times over about 20 years before ditching the long hair for good.
Now back to learning about amps, watts and volts.
excellent. Very instructive. well done. way over my head, but I enjoyed it completely. You deserve a medal for that video presentation!
Just started watching your channel for the canning info. Then I saw the first 2 of your solar series. I'm not a homesteader but do dabble in emergency prep canning and solar. Your channel has it all. Looking forward to finishing the solar series and continue watching the canning vids. Keep up the great work and thank you.
Your hair looks so much better now and you look 10 years younger!
I'm halfway through building my 20kwh lithium ion DIY powerwall for a couple hundred bucks, however it's not something I would suggest unless your prepared to tediously solder over 7500 joints ! As I've built mine I've been using the packs and simply expanding the system which makes the project less daunting and more rewarding. Lifepo4 is better as it's safer and more cycles and for a build like yours you needed to get up and going quick, my build may take me up to a year or two before it's up to 20kwh. But I should see maybe 5+ years out of my packs, in 5 years battery prices should drop big time. Yours is a long term and well calculated move. Good idea comparing the 6v batteries too, looks cheap up front :)
Jestronix Handerson what are the parts you are putting together for this. I would be interested in seeing the process and components you are using. Thanks!
New Haircut looks Great! Great cause too. Thanks for the video, lots of great info
You are very good at explaining things in a way that the layman can at least follow. Something tells me that you did that for a living in the past.
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Good stuff!! Everyone who has looked at this video are now battery informed. The future is solar!
A truly great explanation of the technicals and how things work. I have never seen it done better. Can barely wait to see the solar panel phase. Thanks again for going to the trouble of making this so understandable.
Thanks! I was wondering if it would make any sense.
Another great video! My brain normally shuts down when people start talking electricity. Amps, volts, wattage...all Swahili to me. That was a thorough yet simplified explanation of how it works that even *I* could comprehend. Of course, just like your other videos, I would expect nothing less. I dig the new do Jeremy. Bless you for donating your hair to Locks of Love. Look forward to more from GB. 👍🏼
Better video than most. Most people only think short term and don't take into account how discharge rates, depth of discharge and cell chemistry impact cycle life and cost per watt hour. Interesting to see "Equivalent to 80% Retained Capacity" for 10,000 cycles with 80% DOD in SimpliPhi's warranty sheet. Other LFP I looked at recently rated their 80% capacity, 80% DOD at about 4-5,000 cycles with the same discharge rate, and 12,000 cycles @ 80% DOD was 50% remaining capacity. Would have liked to see actual remaining capacity cycle life DOD curves to see if it's just SimpliPhi's marketing warranty speak or a typo but I couldn't find any.
Good discussion on Watts, Amps, Volts. Also Voltage drop on a length of cable is very important. I am a retired engineer and we used to have to maintain 2% loss from the point of regulation in our designs. I have a much larger need than yours as my usage is between 2000kWh - 3000kWh per month. We live in the Texas country and use well pump, 2 HVAC, Water Heater, Oven all on 240VAC. We use heat pumps and recently replaced a 12 SEER HVAC with a 18SEER. The RLA (rated load amps) went way down on this new one, but I have not historical usage data with the power company. So I just looked at usage over the past 3 years and averaged it. Many say to inventory all components for power usage, but I did past usage as a guide. All the best!
Great videos. I just have to say that living off grid myself and managing my power needs got a whole bunch easier after finding your youtube channel. I've watched hundreds of videos but the way you explain things really makes sense. So thank you for all I've learned so far. I've watched this video at least 20 times trying to ensure I understand the math involved, so that I can then apply it to my own needs but I'm stuck. My AGM bank needs replacing so I'm looking at building the Lifepo4 system that you've outlined here. I think my math is wrong. My goal is a 2kw system for my daily needs. This is what I have gleaned from your video: A 2kw system x 5 days of autonomy = 10kw add 20% = 12kw. 2kw divided by 12v system = 166.66 per day x 5 days of autonomy = 833 ah bank. ADD 20% DOD = 1000 ah. Min. capacity of the battery bank is 1000ah. 1000ah bank as a minimum to provide 2000 watts per day on a 12v system x .86 because the inverter has an efficiency loss to 86%. So, the final bank would need to then be 12v/1,140ah to give me what I'm looking for. Is that correct? My inverter is a 12v/2kw MagnaSine so I can't move up to a 24v to gain efficiency without replacing it which is not what I'd like to do. I'll be purchasing another of the same instead, so I can rack them up together to make a 12v/4kw inverter instead. Could you please confirm my math is correct or not? Keep up the great work! We so need your videos!!!
You are correct about watts being unit of power, however calorie and watt-hrs, kwh are units of work or energy. Watts are like the flow rate, e.g. 10 gallons per min, watt-hours (also kw-hrs) are like the total volume of water.
Excellent presentation Jeremy. I took a look at the SimpliPhi batteries and the price was quite a shocker. (Pun intended). I was trying to compare them apples to apples to the Trojan L16 batteries that I'm running and can't find the number of hours the SimpliPhi amp/hour rating is based on. The L16 is 370 A/H over a 20 hour discharge time period. If they calculate it over a 100 hour discharge it bumps it up to 411 A/H. My point is that the A/H rating is variable and can be manipulated to look more optimistic. I'm running two strings of eight batteries giving me 740 A/H (over a 20 hr discharge period) at 48 volts. I have my system designed for 20% depth of discharge for maximum battery life. I expect to get easily ten years of life from my bank. After three years in use the plates in my batteries still look like brand new.
You obviously are designing a system with a much higher output than mine, and I see you did the math, but one of your SimpliPhi batteries is equal in price to 10 of my Trojan L16s. At 20% DOD I have 148 A/H available and I could probably double my DOD without sacrificing too much life, especially if I only do it occasionally. With the SimpliPhi batteries running at 80% DOD I'd need three batteries for only slightly better performance to my 16 L16s at 20% DOD. (Provided that the SimpliPhi A/H rating is based on a 20 Hr discharge). If the SimpliPhis do actually last 27 years it would be 17 years more than the 10 yrs I expect to get from my bank at about double the cost, so in the long run there is some potential savings, but the proof is in the pudding. I'll be very interested to see what kind of life you actually get from them. I put my entire system together with 2,250 watts of panels, Panel mounts (home made), Battery bank, wiring, FM80 charge controller, combiner box, and 6,000 watt 48v inverter for less than the cost of three of your SimpliPhi batteries.
Where the true advantage to the SimpliPhi battery may lie is if you are able to combine new batteries with old batteries. I couldn't find anything in their literature to suggest that is the case, but if it is, you could assemble a bank piecemeal and evolve it as your budget allows as well as replace a bad battery and integrate a new one into an older bank, which you cannot do with flooded lead acid batteries.
I'd be comfortable with the technology of the SimpliPhi batteries, but I'm somewhat skeptical of the claims for DOD and cycles and overall lifespan. There were similar claims for Iron Nickel batteries which turned out to be greatly exaggerated. What was supposed to be a bank that your grandchildren would inherit and the lowest cost per watt/ hour turns out to be simply not true. A ten year warranty is wonderful, provided that the manufacturer is still in business 10 years from now. There are vast numbers of actual cases of people with properly designed flooded lead acid bank getting well in excess of ten years of life. It has a proven track record of reliability. 27 years from now you might be able to say the same thing about your SimpliPhi batteries.
Great idea on re purposing the batteries from the old system.
like the hair, you have explained the batteries very well, my husband and I are older and want to go with solar next year in our new home. it's older but up dated. we've got a lot to learn.lol
Wow! that's really cool! - I had no idea Lithium-Ion battery tech had advanced so far :) Eminently practical, WAY less faffing about and (relatively speaking) minimal maintenance - that's a no-brainer if ever I saw one :)..I'm gonna have to look to see if they do this in the UK now.
Well done for doing these... well, tutorials I guess - they are very well but simply explained and to a complete stranger to all this off grid stuff, a welcome and understandable resource. Thank you for making the effort. it is very much appreciated
LOVE what you're doing and I have told several friends who are also following this series
Fantastic video..clear and concise explanation. Can't wait for the rest of the series!
What can I say - I know now that it takes a lot of research to involve yourself with doing this and I now appreciate even more the knowledge required to be successful with this venture. Had to look up a couple of words to better understand what you were talking about and that in itself was quite a learning experience.
Starting at about 7:47 and running to about 8:05 looks to have some kind of interference. That popped up in the last video as well.
Really liking the new hair, makes you look younger. Enjoyed the video, great information, thank you so much!!
GOSH! Thank you SO MUCH for beginning with the intro to volts/watts/amps! SUPER helpful. That's been the most confusing part of this whole process.
I haven't researched batteries for some time. About 12 years ago, I had a bad experience with flooded lead acid
batteries hooked up in series. I had a pair in the house, and a pair in an old travel trailer. Fortunately, I had each
battery in a battery box because acid leaked from the batteries. It was a potentially dangerous situation. I occasionally
checked the water and charged them. I don't know much about lithium ion batteries, but they sound great.
Your Locks of Love donation is excellent.
Your voice is super chill, and made trying to learn something in which I have NO BACKGROUND way less frustrating.
Excellent presentation. I have been off grid with PV and Battery bank for 17 years. I follow the lithium progress with great interest. I would make only one suggestion. You are calculating 3 days storage at 80% depth of discharge. That scenario will only happen perhaps 30 times per year. The cycle discharge on your system will normally be less than 30% and that means actually more than 10,000 cycles. So it would have been more economical to go to 100% depth of discharge on those 30 or less occasions per year. Simpliphi gives 5000 cycles at 100% DoD. Even after the theoretical 27 years you will have not come close to finishing your cycle life. So 4 Simpliphi 3.5 kWh batteries would have been adequate for your needs.
Probably yes. But i planned for the “average extreme”. Running the computer while kids watch Netflix and the water pump is feeding the shower on the 3rd dark and cloudy day after playing Call of Duty for 12 hours straight. 😂 Probably wouldn’t happen but you never know. I do miss xbox lol!
Good point. And less run time for the generator to keep the battery bank charged that way too.
Jeremy, first, I love your channel. Please keep up the great work. I must correct you on one thing though. It's very important. At the 12:09 minute mark, you discuss Li-Ion batteries, and that they can be discharged completely. A common misconception, and nothing can be further from the truth. If you discharge any cell in the pack to less than the manufacturer's stated minimum, you will plate Lithium out of the electrolyte onto the electrode. This WILL cause the cell to violently vent, with fire and fury like this world has too often seen before. Typically, these packs are made from series and parallel combinations of 18650 cells. These have about 2.5 Ah capacity per cell. Their nominal voltage is 3.6V. When charging, you must never, ever, exceed the manufacturers voltage limit. This is typically 4.2 volts. You must never EVER discharge the cells below 2.7V per cell. When making your own packs using Li-Ion cells, the voltage of EACH cell in a series string must be monitored independently. They must never exceed 4.2v on charge, and 2.7v while being discharged. There are companies that make chips for the purpose of this, or you can use a microcontroller. Charging is done by applying a constant current to the battery, not exceeding the manufacturers maximum. When the applied voltage reaches 4.2v per cell, hold the charge voltage constant, and let the current from the charger decrease until about 100mA. Then STOP. Turn off the charger completely. You can kick it back on if the cell voltage drops below 3.0v, or once a week or so if the pack isn't being used. If you decide to build Li-Ion packs, and their chargers, there are several other parameters to consider, such as temperature. Li-Ions are dangerous and must be used carefully. By contrast Lead-Acids are very forgiving. Yeah, I'm an engineer for a company you know, and design batteries & chargers for them, among other things. Feel free to ping me if you have questions. Congrats on the new digs, and best of fortunes, Randy
Thankyou.
I like your advice
Thanks for the elaborate explanations. This will sure come in handy when I need to design my own little solarpower array for my aquaponics system running lights and pumps.
I just wanted to let you know that when you was explaining electric analogy to all of your viewers you did an amazing job I'm a contractor and was very impressed I tell people to watch you all and to subscribe to your channel
Thanks Michael!
Thank you so much for explaining that so well and so thoroughly Jeremy! Look forward to the next video.
Awesome again. I am starting to understand what your talking about. Scared to try my own!
Love the hair cut, makes you look young. Glad to hear you donated to Locks of Love.
Not for nothing... you are combining ohm's law and watt's law V=IR vs P=VI. Not trolling. Love you guys. Love the content.
You’re so smart about so many things... Love your hair cut! Good luck to you and Jaime on the new solar!
This video begs for a whiteboard presentation!!!! Great useful info.!
Excellent explanation, I didn't know that the batteries are available in a 48 volt package, I learned something new today. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your journey into an off grid power solution. Thank you.
HOLY BUCKS batman, those are expensive. Hope they're all they claim to be! Looking forward to a 1 year progress report. Cheers! Chris.
CrossWood those are the batteries i also decided on because they've been working for over a decade. They were originally for lights in remote locations for filming. I prefer them to those using electric car batteries. - Jacob
You're doing a great job of explaining your research and the how and why. Too bad there are some comments from folks that have an agenda based on ignorance/stupidity.
There is a very important advantage of having your batteries in parallel, if one goes bad it does not take out your whole system.
FWIW I am a U.S. Navy Submarine Veteran, EM1SS (E6) (Electricians Mate First Class Submarine Service Qualified, Nuclear) so I know more than the average Joe about lead acid batteries in particular and other types of batteries in general. You have made the best choice for what is available for today and it will serve you well for many years.
Great new look for you and thanks for donating your hair to Locks of Love.
Thank you! 👍🏻
Good job of explaining ,I'm an electrician and I still get confused, never seen those simpliphi batteries before but I really like how they're set up, I'm running 18650 packs that I put together it only covers some of my needs eventually I'll ween off the grid entirety
Oh and nice haircut , almost look respectable 👍😁
Great video. It's good to see people who care about others with your donation to locks of love. Also, I would recommend to viewers that if you're tied to the corporate grid with solar that you safely, or have a professional electrician install an auto switch turn on your battery bank, and or generator automatically when the power goes out. I say the auto switch for those who may travel and be away from the property more often as it will save your pipes from freezing, home from overheating, fridge and freezer food, etc. If you stay home all the time then you can do a manual switch. Just a side note lots of areas are having more frequent power outages due to planned obsolescence/failure of parts of the power grid. When you import parts from who knows what countries that are about max profits instead of quality that's what you get. Those overseeing this need to check longevity as these people in the video did. Enjoy!
You mention that cold temperatures hindering the charging of lead acid batteries, did you notice that the minimum charge temperature for the Simpliphi Lithium battery is 32F?
A lot of work & calculating; however, with your presentation you have made it simple to understand. Thanks! Joe
Impressed with the math calculations. Great job
I say WOW! This was the best short explanationconcerning solar I heard so far, thanks a lot, this was very interesting. The batteries look quite slick and I hope they will last you a long time. Now I know, what you have been up to the last time.
By the way although I do like long hair the haircut fits you really well....
Wish you the best for the next steps
Best video on solar all of TH-cam. I'm enjoying this series.
excellent video... you just covered everything that I have learned about this subject, over the past 56 years... doesn't say much for me I guess, if you really learned it in 4 months.
Great info here, I’ve one question if I have a 96v 700ah battery bank could I use a couple of MPPT controllers to increase the output as there only seems to be CC rated up to 48v
Jeremy, what size wire will you run a little over 100 ft from your solar panels? and by the way great video!
4AWG fine stranded copper welding wire
Great video as always and wow, the hair really changes how you look in a big way! Looking sharp!
LOL I'm getting mine removed, with the way the wind blows around it is to hard to work outside. They won't be going to Locks of Love I doubt they have much use for extra thin gray hair.
Just for clarification for viewers, & let me know if I'm wrong. At the end you say you need 4000 kWh/day. That's power for a small town. I believe you meant 4000 watt-hours (4-kWh/day). It might throw people completely off the cliff if they misunderstand that fact.
Honestly, you look better without all the hair. Clean and neat looking. I had to learn about all of this in the Army as a generator mechanic. I still don't understand it.
Sweet..I learned a bunch. Thank you so much...cant wait to see what else is next..we are wanting to convert asap and you have helped us get a better understanding of what to look for..Oh, I think yout haircut looks good and super cool way to use it as well..
Hello Guildbrook Farm. My wife and I really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work. On your quest to be completely off grid I noticed you have a gas stove. I ran across a video you might be interested in for a bio gas system it's called homebiogas 2.0. Basically it's a methane factory that uses organic and protein waste and converts it into fuel and fertilizer. It was developed for a clean fuel source in small villages in Africa I think away it looked impressive. Thanks again have a great day.
DC-DC boost converters can raise the voltage coming out of your panels so you have lower distribution losses. They be very high efficiency and possibly much more efficient than oversized cables.
Chuck Stickelman Loses in boost will = or < than loses in over sized wires. Unless it’s 20% or more line Loss
Using a booster at the panels is just straight lose just wire you panels in the correct series, parallel configuration for the voltage you want
Hair cut looks great!
One thing one can do to transfer power down a line with less voltage loss (power loss) is to increase the voltage. This can be done with a DC voltage booster. If one takes 10 volts out of the solar cell bank and boost it to 100 volts the power loss down the wire is reduced by 10. This way it is possible to run power much longer distances from the solar bank to the the battery bank. The voltage then can be reduced at the battery bank for the voltage the charge controler can use.
Thumbs up for the new look!
Awesome that you donated hair, thanks for sharing video
Great information! Thanks for sharing this. You answered several of the questions I had.
Very good tutorial! Learned a lot. Maybe you could start a consulting business.
The haircut really suits you. Glad you passed the tail to a worthy cause. Had my barber cut mine a bit shorter than usual today, hope to stay cooler in the garden this summer.
Very interesting chat today. I look forward to watching and learning as you build your new system. Thanks.
Nice haircut and for a great cause. :) I've had two daughters donate to Locks of Love.
Great video, you made me realize a few things I hadn't considered before. My very limited solar system only runs some assorted low voltage stuff (primarily lighting) in and around the barn, but I would love to expand and add an inverter, too.
I just want to make a comment for very budget-driven installations where you can't afford lithium. I think sealed AGC batteries are quite a bit better than standard lead acid batteries. They are NOT as good as lithium, certainly.... but significantly better then any liquid acid battery.
Mine are used "gently" for certain, but they've withstood almost a decade of New England winter temps (-10F to -15F). They are deep cycle, so they tolerate down to about a 30% charge. For the first 5 years of their life they were not connected to a charger - I would bring them inside and recharge only when they were obviously dying... definitely wearing them right down to almost nothing. .
I think it cost about double a similar sized lead acid, but has way more than double the expected number of cycles. Definitely do research if you look into AGC and make sure it fits your personal needs - but it's definitely worth the upgrade from lead acid, in my opinion. And as an added benefit they can be installed in any orientation (sideways, upside down, etc) because they don't have liquid or a vent
Guildbrook: I am designing my 1st fully off-grid home in Baja, Mexico. I am a civil engineer so technically conversant, but EPower is an intimidating new area of learning. I've been studying so I'm getting there, but this short video brought all of the concepts together in a simple format, very well explained. You are an excellent teacher, thanks!
Those transparent 6 volt battery's are some of the best one made. They can be repurposed as a lead Alum battery. They then react like Lifepo4 with a very flat charge and discharge rate. They can be used for 12 volt lighting systems.
This presentation was awesome. I was fascinated by the analysis. I learned a great deal. Thank you for sharing this with all of us.
Awesome with the hair donation. I did that myself once. Thanks for this series I really appreciate it as I will be off grid myself in the not to distant future.
Nice! Hair looks great!
Jamie is beautiful no doubt, but Jeremy you my dear are very handsome.. like the new do.. and love the videos.. very very interesting.. please keep them coming as I am enjoying this journey of y'alls very much!!
Thank you for this easy to understand, educational video.
😱 love the cut! We just sent my youngest sons hair to locks of love as well💙 great minds think alike😉 Seriously loving this series. Its tough cuz I've started a fire and have completely drained my bank...twice😒 its a journey. The hubs is on board but is never home so...thanks for the help 😂 y'all rock!!
How about the insulation for your lithium batteries? I have not installed mine yet but my understanding is that they will not charge at the freezing temperature. My battery room is insulated but still gets below freezing. I see your room also insulated. How do you manage the temps? Thank you in advance.
I run the generator inside the battery shed for about 10 minutes to heat it up and it stays warm for quite awhile. The temp sensor manages the charger output.
Thank you for your quick reply to my question. Unfortunately, my battery room is very tiny so I do not have a space for a generator. My neighbor uses a light bulb. I was thinking of using thick styrofoam around them. I wonder if I can use some sort of heating system....?
@@CK-pz5kq they make heater blankets. Lithium batteries will still put out power below freezing.
@@cliffweatherbee6914 Good idea on the heater blankets. I was suggested the same from someone else as well. Blankets that put out low wattage will probably work w/o hogging up the energy from the batteries. After all, I only need them during the daytime while the solars are charging the batteries. THANKS!!
Thank you for the information! Will you keep the old stuff for out buildings where usage and reliability aren’t essential and you can change out batteries and panels when they die? ( I’m thinking int the pantry for a heater or the container shop space.) Just a thought.
Yes
I believe that a Watt is a Joule or work/energy per second. So watts are not the same as work of energy but a WattHour would be a measure of work or energy.
I'm using FLA batteries presently and I am looking into info lithuium. How are they working out for you so far? Thanks great video.
So far they are perfect. Zero complaints.
You mention the falling cost of batteries, they don't really seem to have dropped in cost much in the last 5 years, especially when compared to solar panels....A 10 year warranty is impressive, almost as impressive as their price :)
With Tesla's battery factory ramping up, hopefully we'll see some serious drops in price over the coming few years!
Thank you for the info, i have been researching lithium ion battery banks and builds and no one ever explains why you should calculate the volts watts and amps needed. I guess they assume people who are building or researching just worry about Ah.
Here's an idea build your battery box well-insulated and I mean well-insulated next to your panels put your inverter in a separate box right next to it and run of that extension cord to the house running AC just a thought
THanks so much for making this so easy to understand. Great series
At 14:50 you are accounting for the rate of discharge when calculating the AH requirements of your system and you are doing that again later at 16:00 when you calculate the effective AH your battery banks can provide. Am I missing something or you are actually accounting twice for the rate of discharge?
Great info. Those batteries look like they are top quality. Can't wait for the next vid. Looking good with the haircut!
I’m currently using a 4kw solar array system. With a 48v battery system (16 Trojans total). I don’t like them because they don’t hold out, plus the maintenance. How many of those SimpiPhi batteries I would need to hold me out on 3 days of no sunshine?
I’m using 6 for 3 days without sun
Guildbrook Farm - Off Grid Living thank you
! picked up 3*1kw of LIFePo4 or rather 12*250w battery cells, plus a 1.1kw Kodiak Solar Charger that controls it all!
Packed with info... raced to get my notepad. Good stuff.
Great video! Thank you so much for summarising and making it so simple! One question though:
When doing the calculations, you have first taken into account the 80% depth of discharge rate to determine your batterie size coming to 300A/48V. (14.4kw/h)
When you reverse calculate at 15:50 you take into account again, 80% discharge rate. Does that mean you oversized the batteries by 20% by accident or did I miss something? Thanks in advance for clarifying
Will the lithium bank be installed indoors in warm area during winter? How does Temperature effect the LI battery if used out doors?
They are less prone to temperature problems but still shouldn’t be charged at full rate close to or below freezing.
Guildbrook Farm - Off Grid Living thanks for the tip
how about water powered options? you have down hill water running 100% of the time, right?
Nice explanation. You helped fill in some gaps in my understanding of VxA=W.
I've been reading up on LiFePo4 batteries, and I've read that they shouldn't be charged below 32 degrees F. Did the ALT E store warn you about this? That's a huge investment, and I know that your power center is currently in an outdoor, open-front shed. I'd hate to see them damaged next winter.
The shed will be insulated before winter
May I suggest installing a wireless thermometer in the shed that you can monitor from the house? I' not sure how far away the shed is from the house though.... I wonder if you can get one with a set-able alarm. Your idea of using coals to keep your canned goods from freezing was an outstanding idea, so I'm sure that would work for your power shed too.
If the shed is insulated well, the heat from the inverter should keep everything above freezing, and I can monitor temps via ethernet connection to the charge controllers.
you should use thhn stranded wire on longer runs. stranded wire produce less heat less res and carries a load better on a longer run