Off-grid post, 6-19-22

So far so good on the testing of the solar power system. It has run all day with no shutdowns. The second power module( pwm2) is charging the first one (pwm1). Maybe I should shorten the abbeviation again to #1 and #2. I get tired of trying to remember stuff. This designation is easier for me to remember. Therefore, #2 is the "beast", and #1 is the one I've had for months now. Hope that is clear.

Now my attention turns to managing what I have, and maybe to optimize it. A couple kilowatt hours doesn't do all that much. But what it is doing now is enough to make me happy. But being the greedy mother that I am, I want more. So now I'm thinking-- how to make this work even better?

There's not a whole lot of spare power left, but there's some. Small tasks can be handled without using too much. One small task would be to pump water on the roof. That would cool down the place a little. Plus there's an unutilized sprinkler thingie I installed years ago. It used too much water, but what if I put a switch on a small pump that put about a gallon up there at a time? It's at an idea stage. More thought is needed. Not to mention so more hardware, which I don't have at this time.

If that works, it will lower the power requirements just a little more. There are a couple more ideas, one already partially enabled. That would be the wall. There's no wall on the south side. If I were to put one there, then most of the sun would be blocked from hitting the sides of the trailer. That would help some more. If I could optimize all this, perhaps the need for an a/c would go away. Or it would be minimized. An a/c uses way too much electricity for a solar power system like mine. A "beast" could handle the a/c, if properly configured with a beefy bms. Number 2 doesn't have a beefy bms. Not only am I greedy, but I am cheap. Beefy bms's aren't.

A bigger solar power system may be feasible, but I'm not anxious to do that just yet. Yeah, it costs too much moola...

By the way, there's probably not enough power to run the dehumidifier for long. It doesn't produce enough water to run the swamper for long anyway. But the water is good enough quality to be put to use. But not to drink, for goodness sake.

I COULD run the dehumidifier in the early morning when humidity is the highest. It could collect maybe a pint or two before it would have to be shut down.

That's it for now.