Solar Power, DIY and Technology from a different perspective! Learn about using Solar Power and technology in new and creative ways. Lots of detailed DIY Videos and How To guides. Share information and ideas, and see new and interesting things here on the Solar Power Edge channel. This channel is also about high-tech survival, making use of technology in simple yet effective ways. It's about preparedness - learning new things to prepare for the challenges ahead. Topics covered include DIY solar power, solar electric cooking, electronics, grid tie inverters, lithium ion batteries / energy storage, LiFePo4, PV To Load (PV2L), supercapacitors, repair, Ryobi tools, metal buildings, workbench / workshop videos, solar panels, off grid solar, hands-on demonstrations, technology, bench tests, reviews, inventions, prototypes, and more. Feel free to check out our collection of thoughtful and interesting presentations. Note: channel formerly known as DDSolar Channel.
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Will you elaborate the diod connections. Please
As someone degreed in Electrical Engineering Technology I say WELL DONE!
@independenttntn3276 Thank you so much!!! :) :D
Great video, thank you
@Kanuka-Forest Welcome!!! :)
This is mppt or pwm?
@Skyblue0712 It is technically a DC-DC boost converter with static MPPT - meaning we have to set the vMP (volts max power) of the solar panel, and the converter will try to hold that. It's not traditional MPPT with auto-sweep. But it works OK when properly configured. Hope that helps!
Great video thanks! Wondering if the DC brushless fans are waterproof. I want to install right at my gable vent in my shed and wind could blow rain into it. Also unsure which thermostat would be best just for cooling in the summer?
@jeffholeman Welcome, glad you liked this :) most of them are not, a very few claim to be "weatherproof" but I gather they're not "soakproof". Maybe one option is build a downward facing duct to prevent windblown rain from making it in. It might be simpler to just run the fan all day off solar, as the heat will never stop coming in. That's basically what I do, never did use a thermostat. Less stuff to worry about :)
amazone 12/ 24 volt dc compressor car fridge/freezer. 12 pack size.. with buffer lithium pac/ for 24 hour operation victron mppt, running all month. awesome, 39 degree IPA in 120 degree suv..? priceless.. also run 120 ac induction hot plate through 2k inverter. want the toaster! off grid in the city!
@solarforfuture Nice, sounds like a lot of fun :D
great!
:) 👍
nice just connected the same car radiator fan. for attic heat purge.. . next ? new element in 40 gal water heater.. keep me informed.. subbed
@solarforfuture Excellent! and thanks for subbing :)
Not cheap but Danfoss have had 12-24vdc compressors for years now, search on their DB35F models, runs directly off batteries.
@Brian-1948 I have some lower quality knock off versions of that compressor :D fun fact none of them actually accept DC, they require a variable inverter controller which takes 12/24v DC and inverts it to 3 phase AC! But the label states 12/24vdc. This little compressor is the same way, it runs on AC but is labeled DC. Yet the 3 wires on the top give it away as an AC compressor :) however I am working on a powerful true DC compressor setup requiring no controller, but it's expensive and progress is slow.
Novice here. Isn't there a concern with damaging devices by over charging without having the solar power flowing through charge controller?
@gwb8445 Hi, since there is no battery hooked up, there is nothing to overcharge, and no need for a charge controller. Many appliances and devices can run fine on direct solar power. For example, the miniature oven shown gets hot at 15v - but it still works fine at 17v. Sensitive and expensive electronics, probably should not plug those into a solar panel - it can be risky. Hope that helps! -Dave
@@solarpoweredge Thanks! Guess the batteries in power tools, etc. can't overcharge. That's what I'm understanding.
@gwb8445 Welcome - the 18v battery charger shown works the same as the Ryobi standard. It controls the voltage properly. The other battery I showed with a plug in the side, does not have any battery cells inside - it's just a convenient way to put direct solar power straight into the tool. I use this method sometimes to run certain 18v tools without any battery.
PV to DC very interesting.
@darcymunro8930 :) 👍
Nice review. thanks a lot.. Still happy with it?
@barakhalla5338 Welcome! :) yes, I still like it and now have 2. However, I don't run these inverters very hard. 300-500 watts usually. Some amazon reviews mention the inverter burning out quick. I hope that doesn't happen. So far both are performing well under low to midrange loads. It runs a small AC just fine. Computer, air filters, etc. are easy for it. How long will these inverters last? Guess we'll see. Hope that helps!
@@solarpoweredge very helpful, thanks! Hopefully it'll last for many years (:
@barakhalla5338 Welcome :) me too
bro should sell multimeters :)
@ridersyd Hahaha :)
We have a vacation double wide mobile home near the beach in central California. The water table is close to the surface and the ground is always wet under the trailer. This causes the place to get a moldy smell. Last year I put a 12 volt surplus solar panel on the roof that runs a Buick radiator fan. There is a switch and a 15 amp fuse, no other controls. On sunny days the fan draws outside air from the foundation vents and dries out the soil underneath by blowing it out through the fan unit. It starts when the sun hits the solar panel and quits in the late afternoon. After years of having to air the place out when we get there, it has much less mold smell with this fan system in place. Free ventilation. kzread.info/dash/bejne/i66Gyberetaoqag.html
@kimmer6 This is excellent... nice job!! 👍
@@solarpoweredge Thanks! Here's another 12 volt cooler toy, free power, uses very little water. kzread.info/dash/bejne/jKRluqVsZtfeoto.html
@kimmer6 Now that is really cool. Love it. Been tinkering with a small 12v pump and mister nozzles. There's too many projects!
Keep it simple has always been my SOP. I lived in my RV for 7 years and learned how to live with 12 volts. I purchased appliances at truck stops and are all 12 volts! Even my coffee maker is 12 volt!
@InvisibleCitizen Nice :) there is a certain freedom and independence 12v offers. No fuel, renewable, and it gets the job done. Those 12v coffee makers are very tempting, I'll probably end up with one soon enough
Those green - turquoise batteries in the desk
@gregboyd4321 Hi, I don't use a BMS on the hand built prismatic batteries. However there is a JST cable on their in case I want to look at the cell voltages. Been doing it this way for around 10 years. (About 20kw cells in my house, never showed those).
What type of battery BMS is used with those green tortoise batteries?
@gregboyd4321 Hi, I don't use a BMS on the hand built prismatic batteries. However there is a JST cable on their in case I want to look at the cell voltages. Been doing it this way for around 10 years. (About 20kw cells in my house, never showed those).
So they balance themselves?
@gregboyd4321 I've never had cell balance problems on storage batteries using individual cells. They are all hand built packs from years ago. Still working fine. This kind of info (how to avoid using a BMS) is generally not on YT, perhaps I will do a video in the future.
I have been living off-grid for many years. I wish I had discovered your channel at the beginning. Would have saved a lot of time and money. Thanks for a great channel.
@gabrielfunvake7693 Welcome, I am glad you found me :) hope you enjoy the content - Dave
Can you show us how you connected the diodes to each other, and did you mount themcall on something? I couldn't see this on your video. Thanks
@alhumble8175 Hello, the first video shows hooking them up: kzread.info/dash/bejne/aHhkw7emm7i3g7Q.html A diode string is simply diodes connected in series. There is no need to mount them on anything as long as the fan moves enough air. If diodes get too hot, they would burn out. Sometimes heat sinking is required, it depends on the type of application and how much wattage is dissipated - Hope that helps . -DD
My many applications like yours have much faster return-on-investment because of fewer parts. Direct solar space heating tops the list. Now if we could get Tesla on-board charging cars with a direct solar charging plug I could range further into the wild. "The best part is no part."
@sagecoach I love it! Wrote a blog article awhile back called "PV2EV - why isn't this everywhere". There is zero reason why electric cars couldn't be made to accept a direct solar input since years ago. I hope an electric car company will add this feature soon....
@@solarpoweredge It is too expensive a car to play with. I do notice the portable home charging cord and adapters ease into the charge to find the ideal safe power level available. And that is intriguing if interfaced with a solar panel inverter. Perhaps Tesla could provide something like the available Tesla kit plugs.
@sagecoach Definitely, I'd hate to short something out. I need a cheap electric car to develop with. Someday perhaps
Wow! Kinda scary for the uninformed...like me.
@masterwrench4252 Direct solar is DIY friendly :) can start with fan motors to cool a shed and USB converters for example. Very safe. I hope it will become more refined over time.
In india people started to use it.
@mirzafaisalbaig Excellent
Never thought of direct solar. Were so brain washed on charger , battery inverters
@4WingView It's good to know about alternatives. I believe we need alternatives in case batteries, chargers and inverters become scarce or too expensive. Direct solar can provide those needs. And in many places, people cannot afford a full system. But perhaps they can afford a couple of 100w solar panels and a few appliances. Less stuff to go wrong and cheaper startup cost. Can always add a battery later when possible.
@@solarpoweredgetotally agree! Your channel is fantastic and I'm very thankful for your hard work.
@4WingView Thank you :) glad you're here, grateful for your support 👍
Nice! The problem with peltiers is they do not like temperature differential at all. They are quite efficient, maybe even comparable to low efficiency AC units if the differrential can be kept under 10-20 deg C. But the problem with that is absolutely huge radiators and fans are required. And all heat sinks must have very high amount of fins. And there can be no heat leakage anywhere, the hot side needs to be insulated. Also, the cold side need better heat sink to keep it high enough temperature to not condense significant water. You will not get very cold air, but this is the only way to make peltier heat flux efficient enough.
@Niko-rq7ie They are pretty tedious to work with but really fascinating. Testing a different setup with 8 elements, bigger radiator. In the first quick test it blew cold air. Should have some clips of it soon.
@@solarpoweredge I can't remember the specifics, but it gets pretty depressing doing the math on this. To get something equivalent to a 6000btu window AC unit, you'd likely need 100+ of these cheap peltiers and run with very low amps to get anything approaching a reasonable efficiency. At least they are cheaper in bulk, but I found the other materials like metal waterblocks and tubing to be way too expensive. It gives off so much heat I wonder if a 55 gallon drum or a 275 gallon tote of water may be a better idea than a traditional radiator and fan (or likely, dozens of fans). Please prove me wrong :)
@@solarpoweredge In multi element systems, it is better to use individual heat sinks, or water blocks, if there is even slight variation of thickness of the elements. Also, heat sink waviness and roughess make things worse. And with peltiers, any thermal resistance growth, even due to little too thick thermal paste will cause significant effect, because the ceramic on the elements do not distribute heat to the better contact areas.
@@orangezeroalpha If you could achieve side to side temperature differential of 20 deg C, the cooling power from 60 watt (mac heat transfer) element is about 40 watts with 90 watt power draw. 40 degree differential, it is about 20 watts with power use increasing little from 90 watts.
@orangezeroalpha Peltiers have unique properties and are worth investigating; so I chose to include them in my experimental research. Exactly as expected, the first test was good training but pretty underwhelming. The second test (running now) is performing well enough to merit the time spent. I was surprised how much cold air and dehumidification their was. I just might leave it running all the time in some form - probably with a bigger radiator and more elements. It depends on how many watts I can safely push through and other factors. Incidentally I do work with refrigerants and compressors, which where this series is headed, it takes time (and a lot of $). I am developing a powerful compressor based direct DC solar powered air conditioner. The goal is to freeze my workshop with pure solar. I will document some of the work along the way.
Instead of getting another AC try insulating the hut. Double layer roof like some landrovers had?
@pepethefrog7193 Good idea... I have some half inch foam board to eventually install, when I get the chance. The roof is insulated with 2 inch foam to keep the heat out which collects above it
Having used many different UPS models over the years and all of them using DC batteries. I can't but think about the conversion losses when you go from wall AC converted to battery DC back to output AC only to convert back to DC in the power supply of the devices we use. How about removing the power brick and putting the load (your device) on the DC or battery side of the unit. Let the UPS AC to DC transformer do its thing and put the load next to the battery. Keeping it all DC at that point. Would this not save some power loss in not doing all that conversion back and forth? The main issue is how to make that work with off the shelf parts.
@JamesGreen-gv4yn Yes it would definitely save power. Straight DC is the way to go. Working on my own UPS that does this, but I want to mod the Goldenmate as well. Should be pretty simple to do by carefully soldering some wires, fuses and using off the shelf circuits. Some of my mini server computers are DC. Planning to make some videos about this kind of topic as soon as possible.
Love watching this stuff
@randylenart9674 Glad to hear it :D 👍
...no Internet of Things (IOT) LOL, one of the best lines I've ever heard!!!
@rhotau3325 Haha!!! :D
interesting concept! Looking forward to Part 2. What's extremely valuable is that you have energy monitoring throughout, so we can calculate the watts consumed to temperature difference and then calculate the COP off that. That way we can see how the COP of a heat pump contrasts to the COP of this system
@subhobroto Absolutely right about monitoring, still digging into this topic and hope part 2 will be a little more interesting
you want a heat exchanger on the hot and cold side of the tec 2 pumps and 2 loops one inside chiller loop and one hot side loop to rator and fan one radiator and fan inside the inside loop will be cold and cool the air through the radiator I would prob use a glicole mix for the loops
@linearburn8838 Good ideas thank you
Glad to see the PV2L trend continuing. Maybe it won't be anywhere near commercial systems, but there is just something to a system being able to run without any offsite input (grid). Although running an ac (heat or cold) just on a solar load will be pretty hard (with the solar dips and all).
@Craftypiston Direct solar does have a lot of challenges, sun going behind the clouds and all. When experimenting with direct solar fridges, same problem but I managed to apply and test some creative solutions. Future videos in the series will cover fridges and compressors too
Hi, I'm watching from England and I like what your doing its very interesting, thank you. I'll look at your other videos as and when I get the time and maybe add a constructive comment or two. Best Regards.
@MichaelRowland-vy2oe Hello, thank you for tuning in and the good feedback. I really appreciate you watching and commenting, hope the videos are beneficial. Glad you're here! -Dave
Nice to see LiFeP04 at last in a UPS. Long overdue in my opinion.
@chrisreynolds6331 I agree, we've had these kinds of batteries for years, and still using lead acid. I don't get it - but am thankful there are at least some options
@@solarpoweredge I've got a small cyberpower UPS that had a 4.5ah lead acid battery. I replaced the battery with a 6ah LiFeP04. The dimensions are identical so it's an exact fit. I now get over an hour runtime instead of 8 minutes. The only slight issue is that the new battery needs to get quite low before charging starts, due to the very stable nature of LiFeP04 voltage.
@chrisreynolds6331 That is fantastic. I want to do that mod to a rack UPS. The batteries stop working every 1-2 years. It cost 100$ each time, plus labor... yikes.
@@solarpoweredge It makes the UPS much more useful. I try not to draw more than about 120 watts because I don't want to risk tripping the BMS. My workspace and living area draws a maximum of about 70 watts in total so all good. When the unit had the lead acid battery and there was a power cut I only had a few minutes to plug it into a portable power station. So in effect I needed a UPS to run another UPS, which was a pain.
@solarpoweredge That's not bad. The mini servers over here are 8w / 12w / 12w, maybe 5w for the switch. Should be plenty of time to react if anything happens. If this Goldenmate works well over the long term, I hope to save up and get a second one just for the desktop PC :)
Very very nice prototype! What do you figure the temperature difference is of the outgoing air? What type of radiator is being used? I'm just wondering if different styles would significantly change the efficiency. I wonder if different coolants would make and changes? I have to admit, I'm envious of your project right now. I'd love to be doing the same thing myself. I'm getting a lot of enjoyment and education from your videos, so that is almost as good as having the projects myself. When I do start again, I'll be sure to share the projects with you. They may not be as good as yours, but it might be fun for you to watch. The main project I want to make, I want to eventually make it available to people to 3D print the parts themselves. That's a long way off though.
I'll let DD speak the specifics but in general, water provides the best heat dissipation for its cost. Most of the glycol based coolants (like you use in your vehicles) decrease the dissipation but it gives better corrosion and freezing characteristics. If worrying about corrosion and freezing isn't a concern, nothing AFAIK beats distilled water.
@colin8532 Thank you, feel free to share your projects - none of us work in billion dollar labs but all research and creative efforts are of value - and worth sharing. I tore apart the old setup (water tank was inconvenient and evaporation concerns) in favor of a more powerful system with 6-8 peltiers. Video of that soon as possible. Measuring outlet air can be deceiving, because outlet air temps are not just governed by the cooling power, but also the speed of the fan! But I'll see what I can do with a K thermometer to get temperature readings
@subhobroto Believe it or not, I am using distilled water... mainly because it's clean :)
@@solarpoweredge I guessed that's what a smart inventor like you would do. The only little change I would do is put in 2ppm bleach
@subhobroto Ah you're too kind :D if I keep any of these setups, I will put bleach in. I dropped a brand new radiator in the dirt the other day and had to carefully flush out all the contamination. So there goes all that distilled water :)
I asked a few people that used Vapes to give me them when they were empty. Word got out and not i have almost 100 vapes. I have been recovering the batteries. You should ask around too. The batteries are great!
@scooterss2112 Right on! That's a real haul of batteries, and they'd just end up discarded if not for enthusiasts. Well I don't know anyone around here who vapes, but I do keep an eye out for more batteries :)
Seen guys use a similar set up but run the cooling tubes under ground or in bottom of pond. Thanks for sharing👍
@Nico-vh1qp I am very interested in underground cooling, so many ideas to test :) thanks for watching and commenting!
Does it have any way of connecting to the computer so the computer can get power status and shutdown before running out of battery? It would be nice to see the watt consumption with the battery full and no load. If you had a Kill-O-watt meter or something like that would be an easy measurement. Nice price too. Its about the price of two lead acid replacement cycles for my ancient APC SmartUPS.
@davidstacer Could not find any way to connect it to a PC to shut it down. Also I plan to measure consumption with a watt meter as soon as possible. For my own computer rack, manual shutdown would be OK as I will hear the beeper and have plenty of time to react. I have used a ton of APC's with lead acid, and bought so many replacement batteries over the years. It adds up. It would be nice to replace them all with LFP batteries some day.
Look into thermal heat cooling. Ex ammonia or li br cycle
@whatthefunction9140 Good idea, will do
You and I chase after the same goal, however, I have chosen a completely different pathway. I use direct solar to run dc motors, which in turn, run air compressors and sometimes ac generators. I find it less complicated making my adventure more mechanical. Fewer wires does not, unfortunately, mean my shop is any less a mess. I think messiness is just a fundamental property of shops. I have an idea to use a stream of compressed air powering an "eduction" pump and drawing a vacuum over water, attempting to lower the water temperature by increased evaporation. By manipulating pressure, the water will "boil" at ambient pressure. It takes a lot of air, but fortunately, I have a lot. In fact, many of my friends tell me I'm full of (hot) air.😂 I'm autistic, live alone and therefore, call the shots. I'm the boss and if the boss says, "Build a flying saucer." I'm on it!
@WhatDadIsUpTo This is all very interesting. I'd like to see the water experiments. Everything needs investigated, so many ideas :) Storing power with air is something I want to achieve. Been saving for a good sized air compressor pump but who knows when I will get my hands on that. Plus all the hardware and such. The list of projects is just too big lol. PS it sounds like we are both secluded. I have been locked down in my house for almost 10 years. And you are right about the wires and mess. The way I see it, big mess = "stuff is getting done"!!
Do you have a KZread channel?
@shanonallen5395 Yes, but it's purpose is to provide an avenue for kids & grandkids to keep up with my shenanigans.
What DC motors are you running? Are you using air compressors as batteries to store energy during the day and then use them to run generators at night?
@subhobroto Surplus motors, yes, I don't use batteries. Instead, I use stored air pressure to run air motor Gen sets.
I've wondered the same thing about UPS batteries. The small drop in LiFePO4 typically have such a small current limiting BMS that they won't support use in a UPS, at least not at fulll output. And then there is the issue of the charge and float for lead acid being applied to LiFePO4. Glad to see a dedicated LiFePO4 unit, even if it means I need to replace existing UPSs. The web page says it is a 24v LiFePO4, and it mentions "PP45" terminals. Normally I'd associate that with Anderson PowerPole 45amp connection. I cannot find a good photo of all the sides of the unit.. but no picture shows anything I recognize as a PP45 or any potential battery expansion. Is there an external battery expansion connection? Have you opened it up to see if the battery can be replaced (or expanded) without soldering and what kind of connector is used?
@Sylvan_dB There is no external connector, but could easily add one. Planning to open it up later to do some mods, had to bench test first. I will share any mods that happen :)
I’ve seen a guy who was heavily involved with the science of this kind of thing and he took what was normally used as a cryogenic cooling device and created a cooling device that was completely mechanical and used very little energy but was powerful enough to freeze things without chemicals. The only issue people see with this kind of cooling device is that they are usually too noisy for consumer use. They are very efficient though. So I wonder if you somehow figured out the noise problem would you get the LED of the cooling world
@daniellapain1576 I'd like to see what he's up to, sounds amazing. I am chipping away at several cooling related projects, some with refrigerants and some without. Will be sure and upload anything good I can find
What peltiers are you using? and what current/voltage?
5 amp 12v modules in this first experiment, not driving them very hard. Second experimental setup is under construction, will test bigger modules and higher power levels.
@@solarpoweredge so tec1-12705s?
@superskrub4209 Yes and I will test some 12715
Keep on looking forward to your new videos. Love the experimentation!!
@AlbertKopp Glad you like them, part 2 upload soon :D
This is really killer stuff you're working on. Thanks for sharing .
@GreenTextPro Welcome!!! :D making a more powerful one, will upload clips asap
I am sort of doing something similar but I work with a normal solar setup and then convert things to DC but now I might consider using direct PV for some items. Though I do think that this method would benefit from a Capacitor attached to it. Specifically the Maxwell ultra capacitors. I am not sponsored by them but I do really like their products. I have one installed in my current system. Normally you would install them behind your inverter for anything that needs a quick spike in power
@daniellapain1576 Hi, I have a bank of supercaps for that purpose. Since they are not mandatory for normal PV2W stuff like fans and lights, they were not connected in the video. Even my little inverter runs fine without them. I like those Maxwells too - they sure are expensive though!
Hi, Very grateful for you. Are you getting good amount of energy from the vertical position? Thank you
@justiceonly9105 Hi, nice to meet you! Early in the morning, there is very little, but once the sun comes around, very good power. At the end of the day, very good also, as the sun is low in the sky in the west. Basically, wall mount only works if the building is facing the right direction. Roof mount gets more sun, but wall or ground mount means easier access to the solar panels for maintenance etc. Hope this helps :)
❤ Amazing video with EXCELLENT detailed explanation and knowledge. Thank you very much 😊.
@hazamc1 Great to hear! Thank you for your kind feedback! I am glad to know all this work was not in vain :) happy metering :D 👍
I use 12v liFeO4 bateries for night use. I just got a solar direct AC. I love it. I have been wearing a coat and my bill has dropped.
@CSGATI That works... I have a 40ah to run the workbench lights at night
Where did you get your solar direct AC? Thanks
Great experiment, thanks for sharing. Good video and explanations 👍
@mbrad2669 Welcome! Thanks for good feedback :) 👍
The best is to use universal motor for some appliances because you can use AC or DC to runs. No inverter needed but best use dc to dc converter to prolong the motor.
@thienvu4503 Hi, ty for commenting, I've been working on building machines with DC motor setups for some time. I'll so some video about it when possible.