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Connecting Solar Panels for Camping to Home (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by venusaur@lemmy.world to c/solarpunk@slrpnk.net

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Hello! Hopefully this is the right community for this question.

I’ve started small with solar by getting a 100W panel that connects to a battery that I charge daily and use it to charge things like my laptops or other devices.

I want to start adding additional panels and sending that solar power into our home to use throughout.

As I vaguely understand it, I can get a grid-tie microinverter and then plug panels into that? Will this work? Do I need different type of panels? Do all the panels need to match in specs/watts? It has MC4 (I think?) cables and bullet output.

How are yall sending solar to your home without getting a full on roof mounted solar system?

Thanks!

EDIT: in California

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[–] puffball@slrpnk.net 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I'm in a shared living situation where I only control my bedroom, but there I have a pair of 100W panels outside my window that I just pass the cables through inside via that selfsame window, a shelf next to it with a solar controller and battery, and then run DC to all the lights in my room and my corsi-rosenthal box (which was built with 12V PC fans), plus whatever devices I want to charge like phones and flashlights and stuff. Basically the low-tech magazine approach.

If you're starting small scale anyways I don't think it makes sense to set it up as though it were large scale, and if you evaluate what your actual energy needs are you might find that you don't even ever need to go big.

[–] venusaur@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Nice! I want to move away from charging a battery. Plus the battery I currently have won’t charge and provide power at the same time and the place I need it doesn’t have an easy way to connect to panels outside.