☀️ Built and run at home
Renewable energy
I use renewable energy at home and built the setup to keep costs down. This is how I put together a practical DC solar and battery system from salvaged and cheap parts. My aquaponics setup runs off the same approach.
Where to start
- Panels Salvaged house panels for free, and flexible panels when you buy new.
- MPPT controllers Epever for the main bank, ATEM POWER for small standalone projects.
- Batteries LiFePO4, SLA, salvaged medical packs, 18650 cells, and China all-in-ones.
- 24V and keep DC Run 24V, skip the inverter, and stay below 50V so you can wire it yourself.
- Electronics basics Ohm's law, voltage drop, and sizing DC cable for length and current.
- Connectors Anderson plugs and MC4 solar connectors, with crimp walkthrough videos.
- Multimeter A good DMM, Fluke bargains from China, and a Jarramali video with Tim.
- Night power A small separate DC bank, PD USB sockets, and phone charging after dark.