Topic: How about a solar power source for pop one price mining - page 3. (Read 1267 times)

it is a 10k system - I think you say 9 because I put 290 for the panel watts - they are actual 295 I have 12+ hours of sunlight. I have 2 inverters - initially it was a smaller system, I added more panels and another inverter. as for the house, it points north to south, the panels are laying lengthways with their ends facing east/west. the sun travels unrestricted (unless bad weather) but even on a full on rain day, I still get something. The company that did the install is the one that stated I should get 62-72 kwh per day.

Looks like you have a 9kW DC system, converting it to AC at some point.  There are wiring losses and losses in converting from DC to AC.  Assuming a 8.5 kW AC system with high efficiency inverters, I would average about 5.5 hours of sunlight per year in my area, not sure what your average sun hours are.  So I would expect about 46-47 kWh per day on average over a year with a system that size.  Granted my system is older and I’m not sure how efficient your inverter is, so I’m just guessing on the numbers.  Assuming you meant you are facing directly south or at least in a southerly direction with panels in an east/west plane.

I  am trying to use solar presently - I have 31 panels each are 290 watts so this is a about a 10 kw system - mine is tied to electric so if solar is not sufficient the electricity kicks in and i have no battery - however, I find it barely produces enough to power one miner for the month... I am told it should average between 61 and 71 kw/h in generation per day, but its only producing on average of 46 kw/h per day. I have zero tree cover - the panels face east to west and I get sunlight from as early as 7am and generally past 8pm each day.  what am I doing wrong?

we finally have parts and will be testing it in the next 2 weeks.

I had this idea some times ago but find it hard to justify with grid-tie micro-inverter.
I have 2x 260W Solar Panel on my shed  and 1x inverter feeding the Electrical Box, work great.

For your project, super capacitor or battery is probably needed.
If you don't eat / re-route all the current generated by solar you will blow your DC/DC. ( current source != voltage source )
You also need a MPPT circuit able to track max power from panels for best results.

Fun DIY doh, keep updating !

looks like 1000-1100 is more practical for various reasons.



working on a breakout board for a dc to dc psu that will give a stable 12 volts of power.

may need a cheap car battery to keep it 12dc volt stable

note the battery does not extend  your mining over night what it does is help out during rain/clouds etc

A place like Houston  would do 5-6 hours of mining a day  on the average.   

it may not be practical with margins so tight

A couple of points:

1. S9i solar panel 'doghouse' design with 1400-1600w output would be great, thanks for working on it.

2. I looked into Tesla roof...it is horrible, cost like 100-120K for my house (50% roof, before batteries) while solar panels install cost 25-30K for the same wattage. Unfortunately, i would have to replace roof before putting solar on (roof is 19 years old).

3. I am in Houston, so no local incentives, which sucks...oil men, etc.

First off laws rules and incentives are different every place on earth.


Some states in the US are great and have lots of incentives other states are not good.

So you need to check where you live for incentives and rules for solar power.

the panels we use are these

http://sepbatteries.com/ecosolargy-230w-poly-crystalline-solar-module?gclid=CjwKCAjw9e3YBRBcEiwAzjCJuolmm5yZWCBbii562Sy355bQTVhVhQZCgbk4m4QsQCvCwwwL5c7LMxoCsYYQAvD_BwE

they are 39 by 64  inches

seven are about   23 feet  wide by 5 foot 5

should do about   1610 watts which may do an s9i  will certainly do 2 L3+ on a bit of a down clock

The game at the moment is cheap power.  If you build the power source/panels for 1k it is viable plan with a path to profit.

Most people can't do this as they can not source parts cheap enough.

the cost for the panels on that website would be 7 x 100 = 700 so you would need to spend under 300 for inverter.

as for keeping the gear dry the big issue would be down time on the s9.  as it would be turned off most of the 24 hours. and run for 6 hours or so each day.

in the winter cool air may prevent it from starting when sun comes up.

You may be right about shell LLC's designed to block all warranty claims, but it is possible to shield electronics from wind, wet, and snow.

I'm not saying it is street legal, but I have used your typical eBay inverters (sellers like: ChargerAngel) to backfeed power into my residence.  The inverters are housed in marine battery boxes, with the top vents sealed with silicone.  It's cheap, and the inverters have made it through snow, rain, Nor' Easters, and hurricane Sandy.  Solar is pretty damn set it up right and forget it.  Completely different than setting up miners.

If you can find a good spot to lean solar panels up against your dwelling, you can do this.  You don't need to roof mount, you don't need fancy frames.  Use the space underneath the panels to house inverters and whatever other electronics you are working with.  Keep everything off the ground by a foot or two or three.

I haven't put a miner outside, but so long as it is elevated off the ground, and there is a decent plastic housing that is waterproof, I see no reason why this can't be done.

Also:  spray silicone can help so long as you let it dry completely.  As in apply it, go away for a week or more before applying power to what you sprayed.  Yes, I have done this.  All my Vega cards were stripped down, sprayed with silicone, Raijen Morpheus heat fins & 120mm fans applied afterwards.  Very quiet, cooler than the reference blower, and running just fine.

Try the silicone spraying on something very cheap.  Let it dry thoroughly.  Test it.

dude I have been using a 1.5 acre array  for years

works fine.  

here is the thread  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1369207.0 the array has worked since april of 2016

we are simply looking at making a small version.

I did an edit of your post to get to the narrative.
Basically it has been tried already in the days when Bitcoin could still be mined by the GPU cards. Some guy did that in Germany or in Finland. It was linked on this forum, but either I can't find it or it is gone. He couldn't keep his setup working even a single full year.

The main technical point is that protection from the elements in a non-trivial undertaking. It is not only about keeping it cool, it is also about keeping it warm and dry when not operating or operating with constrained power.

The moisture condensation and icing will void any warranty for the electronics, unless you buy marine-rated equipment.

Additionally, the warranty on panels in the USA will probably be unenforceable. I've been told that those companies reselling and installing the solar equipment are intentionally created to go bankrupt, they may as well offer 100 years of warranty. That is apparently some political stuff more difficult to explain, which I don't fully understand. I didn't see the actual panels discussed in this thread, but I've seen some other sold and installed in the USA and they weren't designed to last.

I'm sorry for raining on your parade.

I do have a prototype  that can hold 2 L3+ or 1 S9i

It is outdoors a doghouse available at Amazon.com

I am going to take a photo or two of it now.

about 28 inches long

https://i.imgur.com/Q5PMo2x.jpg

about 25 inches high note air intake

https://i.imgur.com/Jgo42qb.jpg

note air leaving
https://i.imgur.com/th1HHmF.jpg

pair of L3+
https://i.imgur.com/vERn9pS.jpg

could use 1 s9i I am waiting to get some to check how well it cools.

2 L3+  doing voltage mod pull 1360 watts and run cool

https://i.imgur.com/CB8Phmg.png

Note to mods this is not about  L3+  As my goal is to build this with s9i

s9i is cheap  my tests show power and heat can be managed for L3+
the s9i come soon  will show tests for it when it comes.

Sky has inverter/converter power source on order.

If we can  build a solar power source with this in the 1500 watt range doing 5 hours per day in NJ  where 13.7 to 16.7 cent power is common  the source gives 7.5 kwatts a day   that is 1.03  to 1.23  usd a day in power or 375 to  457 usd in power in a year.

The power source should have a long life  no batteries involved
Easy to setup  no grid connection.

the panels rate 20 years
the inverter/converter is 5 or 7 years.

So if we can sell it cheap enough it could work out.

Of course practicalities come in
maybe the ratings are too high .

maybe it does not last the timespan it should 

we won't know till we rest a bit.

Phil, i met Sky at the training at Canaan in Beijing last April. I believe solar is a very powerful and possible idea for south american and central american countries. Excited to see the develop of this, and if you need to test this here just let me know Sky has my contact info

@ yankees  I dont recall if the power supply is 5 or 7 year warranty.

And your numbers have some accuracy.

We may have to target a 20 cent  or higher power area to be selling a viable product.

At the moment I have a wedding to attend and we wont be  doing any real testing until next week.

The enclose I designed will work for 1400 watts or less with no overheating It can be secured or moved.

It lowers sound of the 2 L3+'s

I get  the s9i's next week.

I like the idea of letting a higher power cost guy  get in the game.

Phil I cant wait to see it testing.

So  if you run it in day only  and I know NJ  gives an average of 5 hours of full sun in a day  your gear will average 5 x 1.5 = 7.5kwatts  and you project 20 years for the panels , but what about the power source?

20 x 7.5 x 365 =55000 kwatts correct?  at 15 cents a k-watt it is more then 8000 worth of pre paid power

10 x 7.5 x 365 =27500 kwatts which at 15 cent a k-watt is more then 4000 worth of pre paid power

5 x 7.5 x 365 = 13750 kwatts which at 15 cent a  kwatt is more then 2000 worth of pre paid power

So if your power supply/inverter/converter is a five year warranty  the panels and power supply need to be under 1500 maybe 1200 if you are a 15 cent kwatt user.

Batteries are worthless. Not really but they make install  harder.

The key is to keep it simple.

We can get new old stock panels at a good cost.  The highest end panels  cost far too much.

But 210-240 watts panels  come up for auction at decent prices.

I have a prototype outside box that  should work..

  box\   right about where those ladders are.

we found a decent dog house  the fits 2  L3+  or 1 S9i   the box  size is fine  since panels are pretty big.

The test box is in my basement pulling 1350 watts running 2 L3+

Please at least make it work with an S9. Also, it should be like a whole package including battery. Just a self-sufficient little mining-at-home kit. There is definitely a market for that!

U mean u gonna just tie it to an L3 or S9? Wat about loud sound issues and most people wont be interested in mining?
If u can just install a solar roof that mines and auto sells the btc every month and sends it in cash to the persons bank account, they would sign up I would think lol. I wrote the last post just after reading only the thread title unfortunately. I thought u were going for the average person who is not even into btc, and not just miners.

Well, if u watch shark tank, u would realize things that are odd are not so odd after all lol. Good luck.

Hi Phil,

Their best target market would be California because it is mandatory to put solar cells on the roofs there
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/09/california-solar-panels-power-renewable-energy


https://news.energysage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Dow-solar-shingles-624x365.png
Perhaps it can be used with the tesla roof. The mining chips should be on the ceiling inside the house, shielding it from rain.
Maybe if only use few chips and the chips were located far apart enough, there can be enough airflow such that u dont need cooling or it needs some kinda setup,a quiet one.


It needs to be wifi connected via an app and the chips need to be auto-configured to mine on its own. The owner should not need to configure it as most are lazy and not into btc. Perhaps can just auto-sell the btc every month for the owner and send the rewards to their bank account. Most owners are lazy. U may wanna market "Buy our solar miners and receive monthly payments to your bank account"


And some might this is nuts but if u consider that someone created a way to mine bitcoin just from body heat lol, this isnt so crazy. Other crazier things have worked.