DIY Battery Storage

NeilBlanchard · 03-23-18, 10:39 PM

I am curious to hear about any experience folks may have with building your own battery storage system; to store electricity from a solar PV array and/or a wind turbine.

There are a few groups that do this (including one on Facebook), and I may be doing this, if I can't buy a system in the next couple of years.

NiHaoMike · 03-25-18, 01:29 AM

I have put together a 12.8V, 82Ah LiFePO4 pack (4S15P 32650s) as a drop in replacement for a common 12V lead acid and am currently working on a 16.4V, 65Ah LiMn (2x Nissan Leaf modules) smart battery pack.

BTW, look up Rinoa Super-Genius if you want to know how to test and reuse discarded 18650s. She has done a lot with 18650s, from building packs for hybrid bicycles to even cutting open bad cells (don't try that unless you really know what you're doing) in order to study them. If nothing else, watch her show off her strength lifting one end of a Nissan Leaf battery pack in preparation for extracting the modules.

NeilBlanchard · 03-25-18, 08:13 AM

Sounds excellent, Mike! How are you using it - do you only use it in emergencies, or all the time? Is it integrated into your AC power, or is it standalone?

NiHaoMike · 03-25-18, 10:21 PM

The LiFePO4 pack is part of my UPS/solar setup and the smart pack can interconnect via an integrated DC/DC converter. The loads are all DC - direct 12V, 5V via DC/DC converters, or 170V DC via the HVDC UPS. The PMIC in the PC can be programmed to raise or lower the "cut in" voltage, useful for "peak zapping" in combination with programs like Ohmconnect.

The smart pack will have a number of additional features like a built in fast charger, HVDC output, USB charging outputs (including Quick Charge and Type C ports), and Wifi/Bluetooth connectivity.

And as they say, "what matters is not what technology can do, but what you can do with it."

NeilBlanchard · 03-26-18, 07:17 AM

Excellent - that sounds like an efficient way to go. Staying DC makes sense for computers, or to charge electric cars.

03-23-18, 10:39 PM	#1
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	DIY Battery Storage I am curious to hear about any experience folks may have with building your own battery storage system; to store electricity from a solar PV array and/or a wind turbine. There are a few groups that do this (including one on Facebook), and I may be doing this, if I can't buy a system in the next couple of years.

03-25-18, 01:29 AM	#2
NiHaoMike Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,154 Thanks: 14 Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts	I have put together a 12.8V, 82Ah LiFePO4 pack (4S15P 32650s) as a drop in replacement for a common 12V lead acid and am currently working on a 16.4V, 65Ah LiMn (2x Nissan Leaf modules) smart battery pack. BTW, look up Rinoa Super-Genius if you want to know how to test and reuse discarded 18650s. She has done a lot with 18650s, from building packs for hybrid bicycles to even cutting open bad cells (don't try that unless you really know what you're doing) in order to study them. If nothing else, watch her show off her strength lifting one end of a Nissan Leaf battery pack in preparation for extracting the modules. __________________ To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...

03-25-18, 10:21 PM	#4
NiHaoMike Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,154 Thanks: 14 Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts	The LiFePO4 pack is part of my UPS/solar setup and the smart pack can interconnect via an integrated DC/DC converter. The loads are all DC - direct 12V, 5V via DC/DC converters, or 170V DC via the HVDC UPS. The PMIC in the PC can be programmed to raise or lower the "cut in" voltage, useful for "peak zapping" in combination with programs like Ohmconnect. The smart pack will have a number of additional features like a built in fast charger, HVDC output, USB charging outputs (including Quick Charge and Type C ports), and Wifi/Bluetooth connectivity. And as they say, "what matters is not what technology can do, but what you can do with it." __________________ To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...

03-25-18, 08:13 AM	#3
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	Sounds excellent, Mike! How are you using it - do you only use it in emergencies, or all the time? Is it integrated into your AC power, or is it standalone?

03-26-18, 07:17 AM	#5
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	Excellent - that sounds like an efficient way to go. Staying DC makes sense for computers, or to charge electric cars.