I have been living off grid for over 10 years now and I remember very clearly, the first solar system that I bought. It was quite the moment for me and my little family, 2x 100watt panels, a 12v Steca solar controller and 250 watt converter. ( What you see above is my current set up)
That was 11 years ago and I was so happy to finally be in a situation that allowed me to move further out of the system. This solar set up, was all for the bus that me and my family were living in at the time, a 814D Mercedes Bus. A home that me and my ex converted ourselves and something that I was and still am, very proud of. (That's her up above, this photo was taken in France in the Pyrenees and that's where we parted ways with her.)
At the time we were living in Ireland and I had already bought this wonderful little book, called Do It Yourself 12volt Solar Power. Electricity has always been something that I have been a little scared of, but if you want to have your own solar system, you need to understand how it works. So I was very excited when I found this book in a local bookshop.
I spend a few days, going over all the information and educating myself once again about Watts and volts and discovering for the first time about the different types of batteries and what is best for your solar system. Back then it was leisure batteries. I also learnt about the different solar cells with a solar panel. Amorphous silcon cells, triple cells and mono and polycrystalline cells.
I remember being so enthusiastic to learn and also being very impressed with the book and how easy it was to digest and how much valuable information was in it. Including how to convert lots of appliances and electric devices into 12v. The author of that book has been my neighbour now for the last few years, how small the world is!
But as our family grew and our home, we needed an upgrade. So 5 years ago, we bought 6 x 230 watt solar panels, a 24000 watt, 24 volt, Studer Sine wave inverter, a Victron 100-50-MPPT Solar-Charge Controller and 4 x 240 amp solar (Lead Acid) batteries.
Suddenly we had more energy, than we knew what to do with. No longer needing to keep such a watchful eye on our solar consumption.
But it is never a good idea, to get too confident or comfortable when it comes to your solar system, especially when using Lead Acid Batteries. They are batteries that need some maintenance and because I was away for quite a while two years ago, they managed to run dry and their capacity reduced. This meant that I needed to fill them up with distilled water ever few months, to make sure they would continue charging.
With each battery having 6 cells, it took a while to open them all, measure the amount of liquid inside and them fill them, but not too much, that bit is very important. All in all, it was another thing for me to be thinking about and also something I didn't always manage to keep on top of.
Hence the picture that you see above, my batteries are now outside. A few days ago I woke to a weird smell in the truck and I followed that scent, which led me to the batteries. As I lend down towards the batteries, I could already feel a huge amount of heat radiating from them.
This send alarm bells off for me. I disconnected them straight away and contacted a friend to ask for further advice.
For now I have two very old batteries holding my power, but they will not last long. What I need is new batteries. But this time I want Lithum Batteries, as they are much more efficient and require very little maintenance. (The only problem being, that they are very expensive and I need some a.s.a.p. I am going to be doing some fun raiser events where I live but if anyone wishes to donate, it would be greatly appreciated.)
I have learnt so much since going off grid, so much about my energy and water consumption and I wouldn't change it for anything. It has allowed me to live how I want, to be nomadic and remain under the radar. Right now of course, I am no Longer nomadic, but if you have been following my blog, you will know that I have been dreaming of getting a boat!
So all of my solar knowledge can be put to use again, but this time for a boat and I can be nomadic once again. Being here in the south of Spain is the longest I have been stationary for a quite some time. Hence the itchy feet to get moving again and I believe the seas are the best place!