I wanted to create my own solar-powered generator just to see if I could do it. Over a year ago, I bought a 100W Renogy solar starter kit, paring it with a Sunforce 1000W pure sine inverter and large AGM battery. It has been over a year since I bought the parts, but I finally have everything together and working! It spent the night outside just to make sure it didn’t catch fire. I did not want to burn down the garage.
This thing is not what I want my final product to look like, but it is a good prototype of what I want. I learned a few things along the way, and this is not a permanent installation. The battery is hidden under the wood, but everything seems to fit pretty nicely. I do not have the inverter secured, but I doo not plan on lugging it through the woods. It is pretty heavy. Yes, I know the solar panel is not going to be the most efficient sitting on the ground with a concrete footer blocking the panel, but this is just an experiment.
The next test is going to be installing a receptacle on the outside of the box and trying to light half the garage with it. The voltage is all good, and the battery is charging. I ran a ShopVac for about 10 minutes without issue, so lighting the garage using LEDs or T8s should be pretty easy.