Adding Solar Power to Your Tiny House

Adding solar power to your tiny house can be confusing, daunting, and expensive. The reward is independence from the power grid and the satisfaction of knowing you are producing your own clean energy.

Here is a link to a website full of good information. You can learn about solar power and get competing quotes.

Solar Power is a Huge Topic

Many websites and books are devoted to the topic of solar power. We will point you to the best resources rather than “reinvent the wheel.”

How many solar panels do I need?

Use this Gardner Bender Energy Usage Power Meter. Designed to help you cut down your energy costs, the Power Meter Pro is the best meter in the market designed to easily monitor your energy consumption, as well as assess the efficiency of your appliances. This model measures energy consumption in kilowatt hours, the same way as the utility companies do: volts, amps, watts and Hz. The Power Meter Pro features easy-to-read LCD screens so you can easily view, calculate, and forecast your costs. The easy-to-use meters feature only three buttons, compared to competitors’ products with five buttons.

Things to consider:

 

1. Will you be on-grid or off-grid? An Off-Grid Solar System will require expensive batteries for storage and more solar panels.
   • Batteries are super heavy and need to be in a sealed, properly vented area to prevent poisonous gasses coming into living area.
   • You will also need a generator as backup when you can’t generate or save enough power.
2. How much power do you need?

• Carefully design your tiny home to use as little power as possible.
• When calculating energy requirements don’t forget hidden devices like your water pump, vent fans, heat tape on the water pipes, and the vent fan for composting toilet.
• Divert everything you can to another power source.
• Heating elements are the biggest power guzzler. Use propane to power your heater, clothes dryer, kitchen stove, and water heater.
• Select appliances, lighting, TVs, etc. with the lowest energy requirements.

3. Where and how will you mount your solar panels?

• They must face the sun directly to get the best result.
• If you mount them on the roof you would need to orient your tiny house so the solar panels face the south.
• You’ll need to watch your height limit in your design. This could lower the head height in your loft.
  

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Feeling confused and overwhelmed when it comes to solar?

Enroll in The Ultimate Solar Mini Course – For FREE! (Limited Time Offer, August 17)

Learn how to size, setup and maintain your own solar power system in less than hour! Valued at $565, our Ultimate Solar Mini Course will save you hundreds of hours of research with step-by-step, easy to understand online videos that walk you through everything you need to know about solar power. Click on image to learn more.

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Federal Solar Tax Credit and other Renewable Energy Incentives

Buy Solar & Take Advantage Of The 23% Federal Tax Credit
There may also be tax credits from your state and rebates from your local power company.

Batteries for Solar Power System

The overall performance of your solar system depends on your storage capacity. Batteries will undoubtedly be the most expensive part of the solar system for your tiny home. Don’t skimp here.

There are several types of batteries now in use. Each has its pros and cons.

Lead/acid batteries

Lead/acid batteries have been around forever. All non-electronic car have one. While they are the least expensive, they are poorly suited to solar use. Lead/acid batteries can be easily damaged by overcharging and over-discharging. You should only discharge them about 50%. They emit very toxic gas when charging. As the name implies, lead-acid batteries are very heavy (about 50 lbs. each).

Deep-cycle hybrid gel battery

A Deep Cycle Hybrid GEL Battery is a lead/acid battery with the electrolyte suspended in a gel instead of free floating in water. They have advanced valve-regulated technology and can be discharged farther than a standard lead/acid battery without damage. You’ll never need to add water.

Deep-cycle batteries offers excellent recovery after deep discharge under frequent cyclic discharge use. A GEL battery has longer cycle life than an AGM (lead/acid) battery.

Corrosion resistant grids enable a design life of up to 12 years in standby applications and more than 750 charge/discharge cycles at 50% DOD in cyclic applications.

The battery shown here has major storage capacity 200 amp/hours! That’s more than several regular lead/acid batteries would store so you save space, weight, and cost while getting better performance. Click on image to learn more on the Renogy website. $529.99* Currently on sale for $379.99*

Proprietary plate composition and patented gel electrolyte ensures excellent recovery capability after excessive deep discharge.

The Renogy 12 volt 100 a/h battery version of this battery is $299.99*. (Now $215.99*)  Comes with a three year warranty.

Lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have a longer lifespan and are not bothered as much by under- or over-charging. They are smaller and lighter weight. Lithium-ion batteries cost more but last longer. These are not the ones that blow up when being charged. These are the type I currently recommend.

• • Battery Hack: Electric cars and hybrids have awesome lithium-ion batteries. Check your local junk yard to see if there are any crashed vehicles. Chances are the batteries are still intact and can be purchased very cheaply.

Dakota Lithium Batteries are tough, long lasting, and reasonably prices.

The Dakota Lithium LiFeP04 batteries not only give you twice the power, charge 5 times faster, and last 4 time as long as lead/acid batteries, they include an 11-year warranty. Their batteries come in 12v, 24v, 36v, and 48v for many applications.

While some lithium batteries have problems in the cold these batteries are made to operate down to -20° F. It’s the best battery for solar power systems.

A perfectly matched package will save you money and guarantee everything works properly together.

The package shown above includes up to three batteries and is paired with a Victron Inverter/Charger, Smart battery charger with Bluetooth, and more. Click on image for details. You’ll save several hundred dollars over buying the parts individually. The batteries are designed to last 2000 cycles.

This a great package for a tiny home, van, RV, or schoolie. Take an additional 5% off with this coupon code TINYLIFE

Renogy 12V 200 a/h lithium-ion phosphate battery with Bluetooth

Here’s a really good lithium-ion battery that won’t break the bank. It was $999.99* (Now $899.99*)  but that’s not bad for the performance. 12 volt, 200 a/h.

• The lithium-iron phosphate battery has close to four times the usable capacity of regular lead-acid batteries without the increase in size or weight. It weights only 48.5 lbs.
• Extended lifespan, with more than 2000 cycles. The service life is more than double that of traditional lead-acid batteries.
•  High voltage protection, low voltage protection, over-high current protection, high temperature protection, short circuit protection, and automatic equalization of battery pack capacity.
• Self-heating function.
• Click on image to see details.

Lithium batteries are susceptible to cold

Lithium batteries will be damaged if you try and charge them in cold weather. If you live in an area with long stretches of cold weather, buy a battery with a built-in heater. Some companies make heaters for the batteries that do not have this feature.

These cold-weather kits are designed to extend your adventures even in the harshest conditions.  They are ideal when conditions call for continued charging below 32 °F, and discharging below -4 °F.  The master switch allows you to take complete control of when to turn the system on and off, or simply leave it on and allow the built-in thermostat to take over once the temperate drops to 45 °F.

 

12v 100a/h Smart Lithium-Ion Phosphate Battery w/ Self-Heating Function

This technology allows you to charge your batteries in cold environments effortlessly. When connected to an input, the self-heating function will start operating automatically once the battery temperature drops below 41°F (5°C).

The lithium battery has low-temperature charging and discharging protection function. When the temperature is below 0℃, it will stop charging. When the temperature is below -20℃, it will stop discharging.

How to build your own DIY Lithium batteries

Saltwater batteries

Saltwater batteries are a new development. Made with non-toxic materials, they should be less expensive and more optimized for solar storage. They are only made by one company right now, but we look for great things from this new technology in the future.

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Use the easy calculator tool from Renogy to design you solar system. Click on image to begin.

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Charge Controllers and Inverters

Your solar cells production will vary based on weather, temperature, and power consumption. A charge controller maximizes battery charging efficiency while protecting your batteries against overcharging and over-discharging.

The Xantrex Freedom XC Pro 2000w Inverter/Charger is most versatile and flexible AC power solution. It consists of a 100 amp/hour built-in lithium-ion battery charger and transfer switch in a compact, lightweight footprint. The optional Bluetooth remote panel allows to configure and monitor system performance via Bluetooth app. The built-in 50A AC transfer relay senses when outside AC power is present and transfers the load from the inverter to the source of incoming power.

As the brain of your solar system, the inverter/charger will give you an even supply of power with varying inputs. If the sun is strong and your PV panels are producing a lot, or your generator is running, it will transfer the load to the most efficient producer. It keeps your batteries charged and uses their power sparingly.

Start With A Solar Power Kit

Starting with a solar power kit guarantees that all the parts match and work together. Companies offer savings when buying an entire system.

Renogy solar panel kits are created based on lifestyle and energy needs. If you’re new to solar or are looking to expand an existing system, starter kits are a great option. Premium kits are perfect for those prioritizing efficiency and reliability. If you live a mobile lifestyle on the open road, we’d recommend their RV and van solar panel kits. For those who live off-grid in a home or cabin, check out their cabin kits.

Whether you’re charging your batteries or creating an emergency power back-up system, you can rest assured you are purchasing a superior system with the Renogy Premium Kit. If efficiency and reliability are high on your wish list, the Renogy 800W Premium Kit is an ideal choice. This kit includes the new 100W Mono Solar Panel which is not only sleek in size, weight, and color but are made of the highest efficiency solar cells that Renogy has to offer.

This Renogy Premium Solar Power Kit Includes:

The Rover Li 60A MPPT Charge Controller features multiphase synchronous rectification and Maximum Power Point Tracking technologies, which increase charging efficiency. Their new Bluetooth module is also included which can be paired to the Renogy DC Home App. The Renogy DC Home App allows users to remotely monitor and change their photovoltaic system’s parameters with a few simple swipes on their smartphone or tablet. For convenience, this kit also consists of eight sets of mounting Z-Brackets, branch connectors, one 20ft 10AWG Solar Adaptor Kit, one 8ft 4AWG Tray Cable, and fusing components for protection of your controller and battery.

This Premium Kit is perfect for installation on an RV, boat, or camper. It can also be installed in a ground-mount system next to an off-grid campsite, making it an ideal choice for many off-grid applications. 15% off with RenogSolar10

 

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ShopSolarKits.com is a Great Source for Solar Equipment for Tiny Houses

ShopSolarKits.com has tiny home solar products from all the best manufacturers, including Tiny House Kits. It’s a fantastic source. They are a small, hands-on company that stays involved in the solar industry. Their website has a great Learning Center.

This complete off-grid solar power system [OGK-8] will power just about anything you need. With a 4,000 watt split phase (120/240V) inverter included, this kit is powerful enough to run lights, fridge, workshop, TV, well-pump, and more!

This kit comes with just about everything you need, making installation and setup very easy. If you’re looking for a simple off-grid solar kit, this 12V system is the perfect option. The 400 watts of solar panels can easily be added to, and the 4,000 watt 120/240v inverter will power just about anything you throw at it!

When it comes to needing 240v output, most off-grid kits only include a 120v inverter, which is not able to handle things like a 240v well-pump. By going with a kit that gives you both 120v and 240v output, you’ll be in a much better position when it comes time to grow or expand your system in the future! This is one of the only small off-grid solar kits that CAN handle 240v output to run things like a well-pump.” Just $3,759.00*. That’s an $1,840.00 savings.

All-In-One Solar Power Solar Power System

This All-In-One device has everything you need to create a complete solar power system:

• AC Inverter
• Solar Charge Controller
• AC Battery Charger
• Automatic Transfer Switch (if grid power is available)
• Circuit Breakers/ Temperature Protection/ Custom Charge Profiles
• Compatible with many Battery Technologies (Lead Acid, Flooded, AGM, Lithium, LiFePO4

The MPP Solar PIP – 1012LV-MS is ideal for RVs, cabins, and homes with 12v battery power. If your battery runs low, it will switch over to utility power (for on-grid homes).

Perfect for keeping your furnace/ electrical refrigerator running through the night without having to run the generator to keep the battery charged. Just $469.00*. Click on image to see more details.

 

EcoFlow Delta 1800W / 1,300wH [Quad Kit] + 4 x 100W 12V Mono Solar Panels | Complete Solar Kit

The EcoFlow Delta 1,800w / 1,300w/h Quad Kit is the best-selling solar generator kit (under $2,000*) of all time! If you’re looking for a simple, plug-and-play solar kit that comes with all of the parts and pieces needed to get up and running with off-grid solar power, this is the perfect solar kit for you. It doesn’t get much easier or much more powerful than this.

As one of the most powerful solar generators in its class, you can use your Ecoflow Delta 1800 Quad Kit inside your home or RV at the same time that it’s charging from the 4 x solar panels included in the kit. This gives you enough juice to power things like a fridge, freezer, lights, TV, fan, microwave, toaster oven, CPAP & more. It’s fume-free & SAFE for indoor use. Comes charged and ready to use, and never needs gas, ever.

Buying a kit saves you money and ensures you get everything you need

The EcoFlow Delta Quad Kit comes with everything you need for reliable, portable, quiet power. Your kit includes the EcoFlow Delta 1800 solar generator and 4 x 100-watt rigid solar panels that will fully recharge the Delta from the sun in 3-4 hours. You also get all of the connectors, cables, and accessories to make the system work immediately.

If you purchased these items separately it would cost $2,099.00,* but in the kit it only costs $1,409.00.* That’s a savings of $690.00*!

Special Promotions | Hot Deals | Exclusive Discounts & Coupon Codes

• Use code SOLARK101 for $101 OFF Sol-Ark 12k & 15k Inverters
• Use code PRO202 for $202 OFF All EcoFlow Delta Pro Solar Generator Kits

Copy Code & Apply at Checkout. 1 x Code Per Order Only.

While supplies last. Fast Shipping, Lifetime Customer Support & Best Online Prices on ALL Orders! *Excludes the Titan Solar Generator & Kits.

Other Pages of Tiny Life Consulting you’ll be interested in:

Best Off Grid Energy Sources

Portable Power Centers How To Choose

Generators or Portable Power Centers: Which One is Right for You?

Running RV appliances off grid.

More Books about Solar Power

The Tiny House featured at top of page:

The tiny house featured at the top of the page has a massive solar system. You see the 4KW solar array. The photo to the fight shown their 36kw lead-acid storge batteries. They also have a 4.5kw inverter. This system not only supplies power for their tiny house but also for their manufacturing business. Click on image to see more on their website.

Bryce Langston from Living Big In A Tiny House featured the home in a YouTube® video.