Tesla Powerwall - Ultimate Aquarium Battery Backup

[sirreal63]

I wouldn't even consider it, it isn't the smart way to do it. A 3kW solar setup with batteries is cheaper and far more usable.

 

[nuxx]

Yeah thought I read it required solar panels??!?

 

[sirreal63]

It is just a battery, no charging included with price.

 

[BFG]

It is interesting, but gets pretty expensive after you add solar panels, inverter, charge controller and all of the wiring, brackets and accessories needed to keep it powered up. Figure another 8-$10k if you want to recharge via solar, add multiple powerwall packs and the cost to solar charge goes up quickly.

We went another route, a Goal Zero 1250 solar generator/charger with 8 Boulder panels. This is all the tank needs, and with some extra for lights and device charging. With 8 panels it charges quickly and has more than enough power.

I still think it is a great idea, and the prices will come down.

Do you have a picture of your Goal Zero setup?

 

[sirreal63]

This is from a little over a year ago. 4 of the 8 panels hooked up. In addition to being the aquarium backup, this little thing was our power out at the farm for almost a year. Easily transported and plenty of power. I would recommend getting all 8 solar panels so it recharges quickly. 4 panels work, but 8 will get it to a float charge which is what you want.

 

[d2mini]

Hey Jack, what's the total cost of a setup like that?
And how long would it run the average tank?

 

[sirreal63]

Dennis, the price is all over the place on them. We have just about every accessory available, including lots of extra clips, extra long cords for the panels and bags. I think we have a little over 3k in it, that includes shipping. As for how long it will run a tank, it depends on how much juice you need. It will run my tank indefinitely, but my tank uses very little electricity. It would not support your tank for very long with the chiller, all of the lights and accessories. If you used it for just the bare minimum, no chiller or lights or high wattage pumps, and you had good sunshine, you could run indefinitely as well.

The key is wattage draw, the more you draw the faster it depletes the battery. To make a pot of coffee will pull 60% of the available charge but with the solar panels it recovers in a couple hours. The coffee pot pulls a lot of wattage but when we stopped using it to make coffee, it would power our popup for several days on a charge. That is lights, charging two ipads and two phones. A real generator is what you want if your tank uses a lot of electricity, especially if you want to run the lights, high wattage pumps, heaters or a chiller.

I would not try and run my lights with the solar generator, but the rest of the tank would have no problem and I could replace what I used the day before with a few hours of good sunshine. For you, the whole house generator is what you want.

 

[sirreal63]

Oh, I forgot the fan, it also ran our fan 24/7 to keep the popup moving air. The solar generator is not suitable for tanks that pull a lot of power, but the system can be expanded and you can add batteries to the main unit through a plug in the back and double or triple the time you have power.

 

[d2mini]

For you, the whole house generator is what you want.

Yeah, but there is no way i'm spending $12-14k installed for a Generac.
Last time we lost power for more than an hour was Hurricane Ike.
That's why I've stuck with the regular gas generator I can pull out of the shed when needed.
But if I could have a little solar setup like that sitting in the backyard, that seems kinda interesting.

 

[sirreal63]

It works for me but my whole tank runs on about $20 a month in electricity and the bulk of that is lights. I think it would not be a wise investment for your tank, your pumps alone draw too much power. For the price, you are a third of the way to whole house generator that will power everything, even the AC.

 

[d2mini]

Ya, i agree... probably not worth it.
I'll stick with what I've got. The little battery that runs my powerheads is fine most of the time.

 

[sirreal63]

We also have a couple gas generators for the farm, one of the Ryobi 1.8 kW continuous inverter ones (we may pick up another so we can couple them) as well as a large 7kW beast that is way too loud but has enough power to do whatever we need. The little inverter one has enough power to supplement the batteries in the Casita if we get too many clouds for the solar panels. It is very quiet and sips gas.

To anyone wanting a small generator for power when needed, I would recommend the inverter ones. They are not cheap but they are the perfect solution for emergency power because they are quiet and extremely fuel efficient.

 

[BFG]

Thanks Sirreal63 for the pictures! Now I know that the Goal Zero can be connected to multiple solar panel. To connect the Goal Zero to multiple solar panel, did you diy the connector or was it available when you purchase the set?

http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-Ult...F8&qid=1433310387&sr=8-122&keywords=goal+zero

Was this the one you've purchase? Just saw it on Amazon, didnt know they have this.


http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-Max...F8&qid=1433310965&sr=8-226&keywords=goal+zero

Found another package.

 

[sirreal63]

The unit has plug in's for two arrays. Each tripod holds 4 panels that are daisy chained to each other, then the last one in the series plugs into the gen. The gen will only accept 8 panels. We started with 4 panels and then bought 4 more as well as two of the 30' The kit we started with is like the second one, and we added to it.

I think we have had it for about 3 years now and it has worked beautifully.

 

[BFG]

Jack, with 8 panel on a good sunny day, how long does it take to fully charge the Goal Zero thingy?

 

[sirreal63]

It will depend on state of discharge, we never let it get below 50% and it would take all day here, but that is letting it get a good float charge but not a 100% charge, closer to about 96%. The key is to not let it discharge too much, and that means just bare minimum usage. We have never had a chance to fully test it on the aquarium, our power is way too stable and in 3 years has not been out for more than about 30 minutes.

Using it out at the farm prior to getting grid electricity, it would run the fan all night, my phone with wifi the wifi running, charging two iPads and all of our lights for the weekend. For the tank it would run the Tunzes and return pump, just the bare minimum but should power that for a few days before charging. Charging times vary, depending in the info in wattage, the power adapter puts out a max of 90 watts and with 8 panels I get about 160 watts, so it charges faster with the panels, but only for the time the sun hits it optimally. You have to go move the panels as the day progresses to get the maximum exposure tomthempanels.