Solar Generator Homemade

If you need a supply of energy that can be replenished daily this may be the thing for you.

This unit has these components:

Two wheel cart, battery box, battery, inverter 750 watt, solar panel, mounting bracket, and solar controller.

The solar panel generates DC electricity, which is sent to the solar controller. The solar controller sends the electricity to the storage battery and then the inverter changes the electricity from DC to AC.

Solar Controller

The solar controller was mounted onto the battery box lid (picture above). The white and green wires come from the solar panel, one set of red/black wire connects to the battery and the other set connects to the inverter. The inverter is attached to the battery box lid with a u-bolt.

You can plug into the inverter with the appliance you want to use or just charge the battery. The solar controller has a built-in regulator to protect against over charge of the battery.

You can see from the picture how the battery box sets on the two-wheeled cart. You can secure the battery box to the cart permanently or with a bungle rope for easy removal.

The panel it attached to the two-wheel cart with perforated L-shaped steel. The bracket is swiveled for tilting the solar panel for maximum output.

I was able to run our refrigerator for about four hours in the test. The inverter has two 110-vac outlets built-in to it.

You can increase your generation of electricity either by increasing the size of the inverter, the solar panel or the number of batteries.

Solar panel is the most expensive component. The battery box was $7.50. The solar controller was $45-$60. I had the two-wheel cart but they run about $20. The inverter cost $50-$75 depending on the voltage. Solar panel is $900-$1100. There are ways to scale down or eliminate some of the components. I have seen smaller setups for a cost around $300.