LiTime 12v 230ah LFP $469

[mvweebles]

I am expanding my small battery backup system and purchased a no-frille LiTime 12v 230ah (200A BMS) LFP battery off Amazon for $469. That's almost 3kwh of storage.

Amazon.com

I also ordered two additional Newpowa 100w solar panels for $55/ea (Amazon had a $46 discount off the two-pack)

Amazon.com

I already have an MPPT controller and a 2000w inverter. But for a bit over $1000, a very robust solar backup system is now possible. For comparison a portable solar generator of similar specs would be close to $3500, albeit in a tidy form factor.

https://a.co/d/d1L9lpz

Amazon.com

Stuff is getting pretty dang cheap.....

Peter

 

[Barking Sands]

I am expanding my small battery backup system and purchased a no-frille LiTime 12v 230ah (200A BMS) LFP battery off Amazon for $469. That's almost 3kwh of storage.

Amazon.com

I also ordered two additional Newpowa 100w solar panels for $55/ea (Amazon had a $46 discount off the two-pack)

Amazon.com

I already have an MPPT controller and a 2000w inverter. But for a bit over $1000, a very robust solar backup system is now possible. For comparison a portable solar generator of similar specs would be close to $3500, albeit in a tidy form factor.

https://a.co/d/d1L9lpz

Amazon.com

Stuff is getting pretty dang cheap.....

Peter

I have been seeing signs again of another shift down in pricing.

The Yacht Riggers in St Pete are at the Annapolis Boat show. They just posted a 25% off all Epoch batteries special.

Six weeks ago I bought a Chins (similar to Litime) 48 volt 100ah battery for my electric Zero turn for $ 794. It works great BTW.

Litime has been pushing prices down big time as well.

In addition, for the fancier batteries...it looks like next gen tech will be hitting markets soon. I know Epoch has a 24 and 48 volt Marine battery with more refinements. The new 300ah dual purpose house/start with excellent comms just came out and with the 25% off are just over $1000.

Like you Peter, I am eyeballing some kind of cheaper , but very capable back up system that integrates the grid, solar, storage and generator. If I can offset some grid costs even better. Next Hurricane I dont want to notice any interruption...lol.

 

[mvweebles]

The fully integrated grid tied systems with battery backup are still very expensive. At our place in Mexico, we have a grid-tie solar system that makes us net-zero even with AC but doesn't have battery backup so when the power goes out, we're dead in the water like everyone else (there is a safety disconnect to prevent energizing the grid and risk electrocuting linemen). We installed that 7-years ago for a cost of $8k USD plus the cost of the pergola it sits stop. Mexicos infrastructure is a bit more fragile so outages are common. We recently considered battery backup but those costs are still quite high - a fairly basic system with 5kwh battery was about $8k USD. What we really need is enough power to run the fridge and a fan for 6-8 hours so a small solar generator is in our future. Costco has Ecoflow 1800w with 1kwh battery for around $700. I don't think 1kwh will serve for longer than a few hours, but it's better than nothing and you can't beat the compact form factor.

If I were a bit younger (I'm 63) and a bit more settled in one place, I'd go off-grid. At our 2-bed/2-1/2 bath condo in Mexico, we use around 14kwh/day in the middle of summer with AC set at moderate setting. 30kwh of battery bank should be plenty for normal living - about $6k USD for batteries. For around $10k, can build a fairly robust off grid system as long as you shop the stuff

I can tell you that even having the tiny system I outlined above has been great. Being able to charge phones, charge cordless power tools, and run a small fridge has been a luxury. A friend has spent hours in gas lines to keep his generator running.

Solar continues to facinate me. I don't know why more people don't use it. It's easy, reliable, and cheap.

Peter