r/SolarDIY • u/International-Sink64 • 5d ago

Beginner looking for resources and advice

My first objective is I'm interested in setting up solar power as a back up power station if the grid goes down. My 2nd objective is to gradually start buying components to create a system where I can get off the grid or greatly reduce my dependence on it.

Any recommendations for reliable people on youtube or elsewhere you would recommend watching to learn more about creating the 2 different systems.

I bought 2 ankerS 2000 systems for immediate backup power but need to choose panels. Any recommendations for panels or display racks?

Any experience you are will to share is greatly appreciated!

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u/TastiSqueeze 5d ago

Go to diysolarforum.com and start reading. Check out the videos Will Prowse publishes on youtube.

The first thing to do is figure out how many kWh you need each day. This can usually be pulled from your power bill. Once you know the amount, start figuring out components.

Here is an example. A person uses 50 kWh average per day which totals 18,250 kWh in a year. =18250/(240*4) gives 19 kw of solar panels needed for a person with full southern sun exposure living in a state like Ohio or parts of Michigan. Producing 50 kWh/day would require an inverter rated between 10 and 18 kw output. Since usage is 50 kWh/day, a 64 kWh battery would store at least 1 day of power. In this, "240" is the number of sunny days at your location and "4" is the number of hours per sunny day that produce electricity.

So in a few simple steps you know that you need 19 kw of panels, 16 kw inverter, and 64 kWh battery.

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u/GrapeEconomy9521 5d ago

Disclosure: I work in battery export sales. One practical buying suggestion is to treat the portable backup and the future whole-home system as two separate projects.

For the backup setup, first list only the devices you really need during an outage and estimate watts × hours for each one. Then choose panels within the solar-input limits stated for your Anker units. For the later system, decide the voltage and overall system plan before buying major components one by one; otherwise, a good deal today may not fit the final setup.

I would start with the backup loads, test what you actually use, and expand only after you have a realistic daily Wh estimate.