Simple PV Solar System

A PV Solar System is one of the most comforting and affordable things a Survivalist/Prepper can have. Just the thought of knowing you have electric power for lighting and communications for years while others are in total darkness is priceless!

A quick history note:

I have been using my PV Solar System for 7½ years non-stop 24/7 and the system works perfectly with almost no attention what so ever. About 1½ years ago I upgraded my panels from the Harbor Freight three, 15 watt panels to, two 100 watt panels, a 1000 watt inverter and two 12v RV/Marine batteries. The purpose was to be able to run a small refrigerator during a grid down situation along with lighting and communication needs.

However, a couple weeks ago we had a very close lightning strike and it caused my controller to fail and subsequently over charged my batteries and destroyed them also. So I have to basically start over except for the PV Panels.

Right now this is my current, low cost, 200 watt system:

It has one 12v deep cycle marine battery, a 30 amp charge controller, two 100 watt solar panels and a 1000 watt inverter. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot of watts but this system guarantees I will have endless amounts of needed electricity during a grid down event especially when there’s no gas available for the generator.

What do I power with this system?

It provides more than enough electricity to run my kitchen 23 watt flat panel TV, my garage radio, my chargers for “AA” batteries and recharging all my communication radios that have internal battery packs and charge the batteries for all the LED lights I have so at night I’m not living in the dark. If I had a couple more solar panels and full sun all day at my location I would easily be able to power a 5 cu ft refrigerator. How great would that be, cold beer and safe fresh food storage while others are in the dark.

Here’s what my inexpensive system looks like.

The heart of the system:

In the upper right corner is the charge controller, lower left corner the battery, lower center the inverter and upper center a state of charge chart.

On the roof are the two 100 watt PV Panels:

The dish has nothing to do with the system this was just the only place on the roof where because of trees it has a clear alignment to the satellite. The panels have to be there also because this is the only place where they can get 3-4 hours of sun a day. The rest of the day the roof and panels are shaded by trees. Here the panels are just entering the full sun cycle for the next 3 hours then they will be in tree shade the rest of the day.

The 12 volt RV/Marine Deep Cycle Battery:

Battery specs.

The controller:

It shows the state of charge, battery volts or the array voltage coming into the controller.

The Inverter:

1000 watt continuous with a 2000 watt surge capability. It easily handles a 5 cu ft refrigerator or freezer.

Bottom Line:

It doesn’t get much simpler than this. It’s hard to find a reason not to have a small system even if just 100 watts for emergencies. This system is also a very good educational tool for your family and your neighborhood kids.

Cost of this system:

$260 - 2-100 watt panels (Home Depot)(for a starter system just one panel is fine)

$81 – Battery (Walmart)

$39 - Charge Controller (Home Depot)

$45 – Inverter (Harbor Freight)

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$425 – Total Cost (or $295 with one PV panel)

And before someone tells me that I’ll never see a payback from this system!This system is not about payback or economy or free electricity, it’s about personal security and a supply of electrical convenience in terrible times. Can’t put a value on that!