RENOGY SOLAR PANELS & GOAL ZERO YETI 400 FOR RESIDENTIAL USE!

It all started with a simple camping trip to the Adirondacks this pasting summer. Truth be told, we camp in tents but with all of our high end gear, it more glamping. This year we decided to add a little more electrical power to maintain the air mattress pressure and charge the cell phones. We also had to bring some breathing treatments for one of our kids so we wanted to be ready. 

After much reading and research, I came to the conclusion that the Goal Zero Yeti 400 would meet out needs. Basically a power pack that uses 12V, 33AH sealed lead-acid battery (AGM). It stores 400Wh for use. Here is some neat info on how many times certain devices could be charged over the lifespan of the 400Wh. 

HOW MANY TIMES WILL OUR BATTERIES CHARGE YOUR DEVICE?

Charges:	Switch 8	Flip 10 Guide 10 Plus Switch 10	Venture 30 Flip 30	Sherpa 50	Sherpa 100	Yeti 150	Yeti 400	Yeti 1250
Headlamp (4 Watt-Hours)	2 Charges	2 Charges	5-10 Charges	12 Charges	25 Charges	37 Charges	100 Charges	300+ Charges
Smartphone (5-7 Watt-Hours)	1 Charge	1 Charge	3-5 Charges	7 Charges	14 Charges	15 Charges	30+ Charges	100+ Charges
GoPro® (5 Watt-Hours)	1-2 Charges	1-2 Charges	5 Charges	9 Charges	18 Charges	25 Charges	70+ Charges	200+ Charges
Digital Camera (8 Watt-Hours)	1 Charge	1 Charge	3 Charges	5 Charges	10 Charges	12 Charges	20+ Charges	100+ Charges
Tablet (25-42 Watt-Hours)	25% Boost	25% Boost	1 Charge	1-2 Charges	2-4 Charges	6 Charges	10+ Charges	45+ Charges
Laptop (50 Watt-Hours)	N/A	N/A	N/A	1 Charge	1-2 Charges	1-2 Charges	3-5 Charges	20+ Charges

It can be charged several different ways: the wall (regular outlet), car battery, or the sun. Since we are camping I thought it would be nice to go solar. Goal Zero offers a few fancy travel solar panels, the largest one being 90Wh and a but pricey. After some research, there was a better and cheaper alternative, Renogy 100Wh 12V Monocrytstalline panel. Although this panel is a bit bulky, 48" x 22",  it cuts the charging time into half when compared to the smaller Goal Zero panels. 

Once at the camp, we used the generator to inflate the mattresses and then I hooked up the solar panel to it to charge. Something happened between the start of the charging to the time I tried using it later that evening. After a little investigation in the user's manual I came to find out that some fuse was blown and the only way to fix it is to send the device back to the manufacturer. So there went my amazing experience having some extra electricity at camp. Thanks to Mike, a friend camping with us, who had invested in an inverter to use from the car battery and saved us a few times when we need to put more air into our air mattresses. 

After 3 weeks of turn around time for Goal Zero to send me another new device, I finally have the generator to use again.

The batteries in this generator work best if they are charged all the time and never allowed to go below 40-50%. So the option was to store the device in a closet and charge it every 3 months or figure out a way to use at home. So this is how I came about to setting up a single Renogy solar panel to a Goal Zero Yeti 400. 

In our part of the hemisphere, the panel had to be southern facing, and for us that meant the front of the house. I was debating on placing it on the porch roof however, the longer the chord you have between the panel and battery the more energy you lose. In fact the science behind it is, 1Wh per foot of wire. Since I would need at least a 15-20 ft chord, I could lose 15-20Wh of precious energy. Therefore I made a direct connection to the wall with a 6 ft. chord. 

THINGS YOU WILL NEED:

stainless steel 5/16 bolts, nuts, washers
galvanized steel L posts
drill
MC4 adapter
MC4 adapter extension chord
caulk
zip ties

I zipped tied all of the L posts into place and mounted the panel to see if the railing could take the weight. Everything looked well. So then I went and permanently mounted and secured everything into place. It did take a little more time than originally anticipated but it was worth spending 3-4 hrs on something that can be used every day.

I built this mounting system in order to change the angle of the panel throughout the year. If you 20-40 panels on your roof the angle doesn't matter so much because of the minimal energy lost per panel.  For a single panel however it can be a 5-10% energy lose and I wanted to be efficient. I also found a website that showed the specific angle of the panel for certain times of the year. By adjusting two bolts I can change the angle 4 times a year in under 5 minutes.

I placed a some pipe insulation around the extension wire to protect from the elements but mostly from the constant sunos that part of the house. The MC4 extension wire didn't have much insulation. 

Its always nice to caulk the hole before you forget about it and lose some heat/cool to the outside. 

Easy set up with the generator in a convenient spot for charging all of our devices. Just another way to use less electricity from the grid. 

Surprisingly most of the things that we charge don't take that many watts. Looking forward to many more charges. 

Maybe one day we will go all solar. After an close cost analysis we use very little electricity for it to actually be beneficial. It would only benefit us in 11 yrs when the system is pain off.