Electrical generation

[BucketLister]

What is the best solar generator for all needs overnight 110v ?

 

[roscoe]

for all needs overnight ?

 

[tpenfield]

Solar generator? At night?

I believe it’s dark out at night, so no solar then.

Maybe a gas ️ generator would be good.

 

[racerone]

Ok----I will bite.--Math may be a difficult subject.----Electrical knowledge may be elusive.-----But calculate what you use at night.----Add that to what you use during the day / sunlight hours.----Size you panels according to the number of sunlight hours you get.------Store that extra in a battery / inverter bank. -----Or just snuggle up at night to keep warm.-----Or explain where you live , how cold does it get , do you watch TV, do you do laundry at night , take a shower in the morning.-----The question in post #1 is meaningless without much more information.

 

[Scott Danforth]

What is the best solar generator for all needs overnight 110v ?

Define all needs.

Just trying to keep the all-around light lit for 12 hours?
Running lights, Audio, TV, a fridge, A/C, etc?

Figure out your electrical needs for that 12-hour period of time, then figure out how much battery storage you need for that 12-hour period of time. Then figure out how many solar panels you need to regenerate more than that in a 6-hour period of time

If you are relying solely on solar, you may be surprised as to how many panels you need to be generating power and storing that power

 

[racerone]

Read an article about going off grid 25 years ago.----Final line was it is doable but may not be affordable.----Different today.----But it all depends on your lifestyle.----Do you go fishing during the day or watch TV with a cold one.------Wash dishes by hand with hot water from the wood fire ?-----Live like the Amish with ice box ETC, ETC.------Not sure of the question in post # 1 but if serious then once again it means that some folks know very little about the grid.--- ---Volts , amperes and POWER are a mystery.

 

[Silvertip]

How high is up is the only response one can make to very vague questions. Responses to certain technical questions require submission of technical data on which one can provide a reasonable answer. Look at it this way. Someone asking how much it costs to drive across country involves many variables. What vehicle, route, estimated fuel economy, how fast your drive. All of these determine how much fuel will be used and that's just the driving part. How about meals, overnight lodging, mechanical issues. In your case you provided none of the pertinent details about the situation. Solar panels and not magical power plants with unlimited capability. Next, to convert 12 volts DC to 120 volts AC involves some math. One 120 volt, 75 watt incandescent bulb draws very roughly 7/10 (0.7) amps. Using 12 volts to feed an inverter to provide 120 volts AC would draw roughly 7.5 amps which is a conversion factor of 10. I know this to be true as I've measured it. If your storage battery (required for what you are doing) has a 100 minute reserve capacity with a 20 amp discharge rate you could theoretically run that 75 watt bulb for a little less than three hours before the battery would drop below its rated capacity. So by morning the light would be out and the battery likely degraded because it was sucked totally dry and possibly ruined. LED lights are obviously more efficient to operate but heating appliances and appliances with motors require pretty good side solar/battery plants. Think long and hard about electrical needs from a numbers standpoint and we can help.

 

[BucketLister]

Ok I get it. A portable gas generator is a better option. But what about safety and boating regulations regarding flammable materials on boat decks?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Ok I get it. A portable gas generator is a better option. But what about safety and boating regulations regarding flammable materials on boat decks?

you still have not answered. what are your electrical loads for your overnight needs. you may only need a 200 watt power pack, or 20kw of power

 

[BucketLister]

My needs are to run a CPAP machine and a television

 

[racerone]

A 2000 watt generator will do.-----But you might be surprised by how much gasoline it will use overnight.-----Many items plug into a 110 volt supply.-----Some items draw more amps ( power ) than others.

 

[Scott Danforth]

a bank of 4 batteries, a 2000 watt inverter and a few 120 watt solar panels may work

 

[racerone]

If you own a TESLA you could likely plug into it to run the TV and breathing machine.

 

[Silvertip]

I have a 1500 watt inverter generator that came from Walmart and delivered to my door for $299. Works great. I use it to charge big LiPo batteries where AC power is not available. It's light weight (about 45#) and quite quiet. Yes - using it on a boat can be an issue if ventilation is not used below deck. Exhaust fumes do sink to the lowest level even if the generator is not located there.

 

[BucketLister]

I have a 1500 watt inverter generator that came from Walmart and delivered to my door for $299. Works great. I use it to charge big LiPo batteries where AC power is not available. It's light weight (about 45#) and quite quiet. Yes - using it on a boat can be an issue if ventilation is not used below deck. Exhaust fumes do sink to the lowest level even if the generator is not located there.

What does the twra say about the generator?

 

[Silvertip]

What does the twra say about the generator?

The documentation like that for most generators says not to operate it in enclosed spaces without proper ventilation. I do not use it on a boat. Emergency use at home, power where I need it when AC power is not available. I did not and do not recommend it's use on a boat. My thought is that it's a good solution if you are beached at night or at a water-side camp. But definitely do not run it on the boat.

 

[BucketLister]

The documentation like that for most generators says not to operate it in enclosed spaces without proper ventilation. I do not use it on a boat. Emergency use at home, power where I need it when AC power is not available. I did not and do not recommend it's use on a boat. My thought is that it's a good solution if you are beached at night or at a water-side camp. But definitely do not run it on the boat.

Thanks for the update on the generator.i I will definitely be looking at solar generator kits.

 

[Silvertip]

It may be you don't need solar OR a generator. Check your CPAP documentation and see what the current consumption is. If the unit is powered from a 120/12 volt converter (the power supply brick as they are often referred as), your CPAP can be powered directly from a 12V deep cycle battery (biggest you can find). A small 12V to 120V INVERTER would work for the TV. During the day charge the battery from your car or boat engine.

 

[Silvertip]

I checked my cpap and it requires 24 volts DC and has a special DC plug. So unless you carry two deep cycle batteries connected in series the direct operation from battery power is out of the question and solar charging two big deep cycles also means more solar panel size/capacity is required. So it's back to the math issue. My 6 month old cpap power supply indicates 1.5 amps @ 120vac. 120vac to 24vdc conversion is roughly a factor of 5 so you can figure 5 amps minimum draw from the inverter. At that rate, a deep cycle with 100 minute reserve at 23amp rate would mean the battery would power the cpap for 400 minutes (roughly) before the battery falls out of spec but that would get you well over and nights sleep. How long you run the TV or other stuff though would cut the time dramatically. What the solar panel capacity is determines how long it takes to charge the battery. a 5 amp panel would take the same or longer time to charge the battery as it took to discharge it using the cpap and tv.