I like being able to run my equipment when I want to without having to worry about power outages. I don’t know how things are where you live, but here at my location there are power outages all the time. The time of year doesn’t seem to matter. I’m always one of the last on the list for restoration, too. Frankly, my small, off-grid solar system is more reliable than the old power lines strung thru the mountains, hills and valleys of Virginia. Not a year goes by that we don’t lose power for at least a few days in a row.
The picture above is my Victron Charge Controller. As you can see, my system is currently producing 68 amps and the battery stands at 13.6 volts. The breaker box I use is specifically designed for a 12v system. Two solar panels are connected to a separate fuse on both the positive and negative side with an 80 amp breaker that can disconnect all incoming power from the panels to the charge controller.
All that harnessed electricity is stored in a 300 amp hour lithium battery from AmpereTime. The little blue box with the LED is there to monitor the BMS or Battery Management System. My battery has a BMS that is capable of handling 200 amps. Don’t get that confused with the amp hour capacity of the battery.
I can monitor every detail and make adjustments to any parameter in the system with blutooth using the Victron Connect app on my smart phone.
With this system, I can run my HF, VHF/UHF, GMRS and CB radios 24/7 and not have to worry about a power outage since I have 300 amp hours of available power. I could be on the 40m band all day and the 80m band all night at 100w SSB and not come close to discharging the battery below the voltage requirements of any of my radios.
