Solar Power Reef Tank

[Dave Cureton]

Any additional info on your tank? Size/inhabitants, etc. I'm in the solar industry (16 years) and have a solid grasp of off-grid but don't have this type of setup on my 150ish gallon tank being it didn't make sense financially. I do have a 10kw grid tied PV array and will have 3 Tesla Powerwalls in the near future. Lots of PG&E PSPS events in my neck of the woods and thankfully some good rebates available. I do appreciate you sharing your setup. Very cool!

 

[Justin Aretz]

Sure, I've got 2x 350w solar panels on the roof which go through a charge controller then 4x deep cycle leisure batteries.
I've got a 1000w inverter which converts the 12v DC battery power into 110/240 AC power. I can fully charge the batteries whilst powering everything during the day (providing it's sunny)

so when does your AC “Backup” kick in? Is there a voltage drop on cloudy days that causes the AC power to automatically kick in?

 

[Mike9976]

I have a 13.88 kW Solar Power system on my roof. I not only power my aquariums, but my entire house.

How big is that house!?!?!

 

[secret_reefer337]

I have a 13.88 kW Solar Power system on my roof. I not only power my aquariums, but my entire house.

Is that a house? I thought it is a City Center.

 

[Drive_the_shortbus]

I have a 13.88 kW Solar Power system on my roof. I not only power my aquariums, but my entire house.

I want to be you when i grow up, may i ask your profession..i need goal and motivation! This has me motivated for sure

 

[LoneStarReef]

I want to be you when i grow up, may i ask your profession..i need goal and motivation! This has me motivated for sure

Go check out his build thread. He’s legit.

 

[ravi197699]

I have solar panels installed 4 years ago and working great, I have 1000 gallon system. I have stand by generator as well just in case if power goes out.

 

[McPuff]

I have been thinking about this lately. Gonna stick around and see how this thread develops.

 

[Mark Novack]

Electricity is very expensive here. VERY! Aquarium, pool, etc, we consume about 18,000 to 20,000Kwh per year. If it's good for the environment, super. I did it to economize long term. Powerwall is not economical with our day/night meter so no storage. I keep a 1000 watt generator on hand in case of a general community outage. My consumption from the grid is down 85%. Yes, that's a nuclear plant in the background. I live 1000 meters from 3 reactors.

 

[najer]

When I planned my upgrade a few years ago the first money spent was on getting a 3.2 Kw (I think, I have a small roof) system installed.

 

[Oliver d]

Currently 4 100w panels with 2x100Ah batteries as a backup this keeps my system going for a week.All my pumps and wave makers are DC.My plan is to upgrade the system to run the whole tank 24/7 from solar

 

[robbyg]

I want to be you when i grow up, may i ask your profession..i need goal and motivation! This has me motivated for sure

I think his name is Gustavo Fring. He runs a small fried chicken franchise.
Just kidding

 

[Chickenzown]

I have a 200w with 2kwh battery storage off grid system that is primarily used for my Koi pond, however it is capable of running my marine tank instead in the evert of a power cut and I have used it as such on 2 occasions.

 

[bsr2430]

I have a 13.88 kW Solar Power system on my roof. I not only power my aquariums, but my entire house.

Can you zoom out about another thousand feet, don’t think your whole house is in this picture...haha

 

[McPuff]

I am using some solar but have resisted going the battery route because the lifespan of the batteries vs cost to replace them have made me wary of going that route. I think when solid state batteries finally hit the market and the price on them drops I will go full solar.

How does this work without batteries? Can you share some pics or specs of your solar system? Thanks!

 

[BrandonS]

If you are trying to go cheaper and do off grid so you do it yourself ebay is a good place to pick up panels. I have bought several used panels over the years and they always meter out like new. maybe just got lucky but I payed $80 bucks for 220watt panel. Luckily the guy was local so I could drive to pick it up.

 

[BrandonS]

also if you go down the rabbit hole of DIY power walls used EV (electric vehicle) batteries are a good option. A few you tube channels out there for this kind of thing. I have 10kw of nissan leaf batteries my self but wish I went with chevy volt batteries. More bang for your buck. I have them attached to a 1.8kw solar array. My area gets average 4 to 6 hours of sun a day.

 

[splitting_lanes]

I have a 4.5kw grid tie system on the roof. No local storage, but I have a Nissan Leaf in the driveway and one of these days maybe I’ll back feed from it, or install a battery bank and increase the system to 9kw.

 

[Traian]

Electricity is very expensive here. VERY! Aquarium, pool, etc, we consume about 18,000 to 20,000Kwh per year. If it's good for the environment, super. I did it to economize long term. Powerwall is not economical with our day/night meter so no storage. I keep a 1000 watt generator on hand in case of a general community outage. My consumption from the grid is down 85%. Yes, that's a nuclear plant in the background. I live 1000 meters from 3 reactors.

Well, at that distance if it goes Chernobyl, you won't have to worry about radiation. It'd be quick and painless!

 

[Mark Novack]

Well, at that distance if it goes Chernobyl, you won't have to worry about radiation. It'd be quick and painless!

That's all I ask. Quick and painless! Cooling tower #3 is also the short final marker for the airport so it's a toss up between going radioactive or having a 747 cargo jet land on us!