/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>2793024
How long are people actually getting out of those lithium batteries on a full solar setup? Is it really worth the money for em yet? And how deep do people discharge/recharge those things on a daily cycle?

I did an oil change on the wife’s car today. Where’s my ASE patch?

>>2793057

>>2793057

Batteries: abt 12-20 yes.
DOD LiFePO4: 80% true full cycle daily.
panels: abt 15 good years. another 5 mediocre. 5 more poor.
controller/inverter: abt 25-50 years

it'll never save us money. it will never save the planet. it's not about that. it's about having resources when others dont.

I doubt that the chemistry has been around long enough to 'know' exactly, but it can be plotted-out.

LFPO has no maintenance,

Has 99% efficiency

Even if the cells degrade to 80% after 10 years, which seems a little heavy degrade, based on current stats, they will still be at 99% efficiency.

Solar use of lfpo with adequate reserve, is a very low cycle rate, so it's not from hard cycling that ages the batteries, but just age. Your OP setup says he's going with 15kw (300 ah at 50v nominal = 15000 watts) storage, which if it's just him and his woman, with a 6000+ watt array, should not only provide adequate reserve with no generator needed, but recharge slowly enough (120amps max) into the bank that a C rate of 0.4, which is about double of optimum, but,

How often is it really going to reach that peak? A few hours a day?

I like what Edison (the hybrid truck people) suggested with their solar installs: have half the panels facing east, the other half facing west. It evens out the energy production and makes it reflect more typical usage (peak morning, sag noon, peak evening). Some variation on that, depending on latitude. You'd need two identical strings. If the Sol-ark (DEYE) has multiple mppt inputs and a max voltage of 500v, then splitting the 18 into 9&9 gives a max open circuit voltage of 360v, and a working voltage of 315v, which should be plenty to both trigger and operate the MPPT's.

>>2793230

solar people know other solar people when they speak. thank you for your info.

it's mind numbing how many times I hear someone suggest I do exactly what I'm already showing in a photo or explained in a post.

>you should run 24v! more power!!

>48v system shown in photo

it's refreshing when someone chimes in with actual knowledge.

>>2793236
Sol-ark's don't run at 24v, or 12. Everyone knows that. There's no way you can economically handle that much power on 12v, or 24, either. You don't look mentally incapacitated in your photo.

> gorsh gee oh shucks

You should be on diysolarforum.com. Not this mongolian basket-weaving forum. You won't get good advice here. But if you are on another forum (god forbid facebook's solar groups) I see a lot on there, of absolute noobs that don't do the least bit of reading or figuring. I could see how you would develop an opinion of 12v people from that.

12v is fine for mobile chassis on a modest trailer or modest motorhome, or van. I don't have anything against it, but it maxes out at a system to run typical lights, pressure pump (not well pump!, just a cabin pump), laptop, phones, cell booster, a lot of which can be made to run directly on 12v anyway.

Once you get into aircon, well pumps, appliances (clothes washer/dryer (starting w gas!)), normal house stuff, you don't run anything other than 48v minimal.

>>2793024
>>2793078
If you're /diy/ing this much and you're not saving money, you either have ultra-cheap electricity or doing something wrong. Even commercial installs usually have 10-14 year ROI, assuming you don't buy into high voltage battery scams.

>>2793245
It WILL save OP money, bonus if he's on hilly grade (often overlooked opportunity, but may have great solar visibility). Typically the power company wants to charge $20,000+ to put in poles, wire and transformer. Fuck that. You can put in a bad-ass solar system for that.

Plus a 'meter fee' every month. e.g. $38 a month here for water. For the meter. Fluoridated zombie water. Hilly sides likely to have a spring around here. That's what I do.

Aux panel runs a 12v pump 300ft away, lifting water 100ft up. Pump is $20 from amazon.

There’s for 15kWp of panels on my new house. Apparently they have produced 24000kWh over 2023 (as reported but I’m not sure if that’s even realistic). House has no heat pump, I have no electric car and no batteries.

What’s a cost efficient way to use this power and should I get batteries? Currently I can still deliver it to the grid at a good price but this will end in a few years. I am thinking get an electrical heat pump now (with 30% govt subsidy) as gas prices are through the roof

I never calculated the battery thing, what should I look for? I can run my washer, drier and dishwasher using sunny times. Would some small battery make things cheaper?

>>2793245
the monthly offset is huge. approx $150 month in bill reduction.

that said, we still had to pay for the equipment. at our current usage and current equipment level, ROI is between 12 to 15 years. since we plan on adding another $6,000 to $8,000 of LiFePO4 battery and panels... you see where I'm going.

yes, the added expense will totally free us from the grid, so $0 electric bill moving forward, but now I've got to recoup $16k to $19k worth of total equipment investment, at an approximate rate of $250/mo.... you see where I'm going.

>>2793257
>>2793250
>>2793245

ok... did some math.

looks like my ROI @ current investment would be approx 6.5 years. so that would make my ROI of investment a total of 13 to 15 years to offset the entire system cost, after my planned expansion.

this is all assuming today's pricing. however, we know that electricity cost per unit will increase over that time. but most likely, eventually, I will have to replace or repair parts of the system along the way.

still.... my point stands.

it's not about saving money. it's not about saving the planet. it's about having resources when others dont.

>>2793250
>the power company wants to charge $20k
You need a professional install to get tax write offs though don’t you? Can’t you get about $12k back federally PLUS whatever incentives your state offers? I live in an area where the panels wouldn’t ever offset their cost, but the tax rebates make it worth it if you can get them.

>>2793280
DIY installs are covered in the gay-ass tax(theft) rebates offered by our ruling class.

keep all receipts. you would be surprised what can be covered. example: they cover tile install labor and supplies for EPA efficient 2020 stoves.

it's all capped at different amounts per year, per category. I overspent last year on their hippie efficiency bullshit, and missed out on about $6k worth of rebate becasue it was over.

you live you learn. just make sure you read and understand the tax crumb code about it.

regardless of what I didn't get back, I'm pleased at the $2k I did get.

>>2793280
Why would you get a rebate etc when they charge you $20k, just for grid power. And then, after that, you want a grid tie system that won't work when the power goes down?

> but muh rebate

no thanks

>>2793294
we are NOT grid-tied.

our system can run in MANY modes. we run it in off grid, battery mode. we have the grid as a one-way backup option, but only if we allow it.

there is no grid sellback, and there is no 2-way connection.

I honestly don't know why I bother to explain these things to those who have no understanding, initiative or reason to learn.

>>2793298
> we are not grid tied
> we do have grid power

Ok mr high and mighty. If you had more cells upstairs than the average facebook solar group poster, you could see the comment was directed at those that have no grid power on premises, and have the option to go truly off-grid instead.

Keep banging those rocks together.

>>2793024
Started looking at solar over Christmas after DTE dropped power for almost a week. AGAIN. Researched, bought (via Signature Solar), installed DIY, commissioned in Feb. Now saving $200-250/mo. With the tax credit it'll pay for itself in 7-8 years. Shorter if you count the fact that I don't need a generator now.

Single EG4 18kPV, two strings of 10 425w panels using snap-n-rack mounts, 2x EG4 wall-mount 14.7kWh LiPos. Grid-connected but zero export b/c DTE is a bitch about it.

Went in much easer than expected. Haven't used DTE electricity for anything other than charging the PHEV in over a month now, and most days the batteries top out.

If you're thinking of getting in, it. Plug-and-play & EG4 support has been a great resource.

>>2793409
>>2793409

I love our Sol-Ark but if the new EG4 all-in-one units had been on the market, that's what I would have purchased. they came out about 2 years after I bought the sol-ark.

we do have 2 EG4 12,000 BTU mini-split HVAC units in the house. we like them.

looked into EG4 Lithium batteries. had pretty much decided to go that route, until a deep dive on Trophy battery, and a long phone call with their tech guy. I have decided to go trophy, but EG4 is a solid product as well.

>>2793253
15kWp is a lot. You could even run infra heating (directly covert electricity to heat), which is a much smaller investment than a heat pump, but obviously also loses the ~3 COP that the heat pump brings.

Batteries are complicated. Having any kind of LFP battery saves you way more money than having no battery, and it's always diminishing returns beyond the first pack. If you have confidence that you can /diy/ a battery, then LFP cells are piss cheap currently and prices keep going down, you can have a 16kWh battery for under $2k. At that price, batteries are worth it even if you live in an area with very cheap power. If you're buying commercial batteries, $2k usually gets you around 3-5kWh, which is not such a great deal and technicians might tell you that the battery will be cycled a lot and will have a shorter lifetime in a regular home, especially with a heat pump. This is kind of bullshit I think, because the cycle life of an LFP battery in a conventional home solar setup is enormous, it would likely do 15-20 years even if it's undersized.
Avoid high voltage batteries unless you get a really good deal on them, they are usually vastly overpriced and offer no advantages whatsoever. Everything should be on 48V.

I'm thinking of buying a solar setup because of the frequent power outages here.

Here's a picture of my KWH electrical usage.
I was burning wood Oct/Nov/Dec but had to run out of province so I just left the baseboard heaters on while I was gone for a couple months.

I'm thinking of getting EG4 3kW Off-Grid Inverter and one or two EG4 LifePower4 Lithium Batteries to start. How many Solar panels would I need to have this setup work if just to keep my well pump running? I'd like to potentially run my Starlink and computer too.

>>2793960
Oof. Well pump.

I worked the following out for a fren who had a 250ft deep 3-phase.

Many such options, but I'm going to give you the cheap one, first:

Get a 2-5000 gallon surface level (just put it on the ground) tank. They sell these all over the place, tractor supply, etc. You should have no problem sourcing it.

Get a single-phase pump that will provide enough pressure and volume to your dwellings/barn/hydrants, from the tank. Get a UV lamp for the outlet of the tank as you like. Feed that pump from your EG4 3k and 10kw of batteries.

Replicating 3-phase power is possible from a single phase setup. Look into that, too.

Essentially I suggested that he have a system that when the mains power was out, and pressure dropped at the accumulator tank (bladder tank), the contactor would power up the single-phase pump and feed it power. Obviously, it would give him water until the reservoir ran out. But it should last him a week.

MPP makes a 3-phase unit that is directly solar powered. LOTS of panels tho to drive it.

There is a dominant DC brushless pump + controller company that makes all sorts of solutions. But then you have to pull your pump and swap it out. That alone could be an expense, particularly on a deep well. It's RPS. There's also sunpumps.com; Idk about them, but as solar prices have gone down, expect more options.

>>2793960
Get 2, not 1 EG4 lifepower 5kw. You need 200ah to operate that unit correctly. I have the Growatt version, but I'm sure the requirement is the same, because of the limitation of a single EG4 5kw/100ah cells & BMS.

The capacity of the 3kw inverter will trip the breaker on a single 5kw EG4 (and probably any other 100ah too). Plus, you'll pay the same shipping for 2 as you would for 1.

Davidpoz used a pair of batteryhookup 24v modules, $699ea + shipping, for $1500, 90% capacity, 280ah cells. BMS is from Orientpower, called DIY BMS, $363. 'Build your own solar battery, fast and cheap' is tbe video. That would give you more than 2x the capacity of 2x EG4's, at 2/3's the cost.

And again, as he said you can order something like 16 of those 24v banks at a time, and pay the same shipping as for 2. Essentially all those batteries come on a pallet, so you're paying for the pallet, whether it's 1 or a dozen batteries. My total failure of understanding everything I wrote above, at the time, meant I had to eat the shipping cost for a 2nd.

>>2793960
>How many Solar panels would I need to have this setup work if just to keep my well pump running? I'd like to potentially run my Starlink and computer too.
well pump: likely very little solar panel wattage, because despite their high power draw, well pumps don't usually have much "on time"
They normally have a diaphragm tank to act as a buffer. My well pump uses 1500w when it's running, but it pumps about 12 gallons a minute, and our usage in a day never exceeds a few hundred gallons at the very most. For me, that would mean a single 300w panel would probably cover my needs.
The bigger issue with well pumps is that most conventional pumps have a huge start up current; they might use 10kW or more for just a couple seconds when they turn on, so unless you have a soft start or inverter drive pump you'll likely exceed the surge capacity of your 3kW inverter.
Furthermore, most of the cheap off grid inverters (I haven't bothered to look up the EG4) are transformerless or "high frequency" which further limits their surge capability compared to the heavier units.

In many cases it is more economical and sensible to swap your pump to a soft start pump (like a Grundfos SQ) rather than coping by using a much much larger inverter. This saves you a lot of power use every day because the larger the inverter, the larger its standby or idle power consumption will be.

As far as your PC and starlink goes: consider their average power usage over 24H then consider your worst season solar irradiation (look up a chart) and figure out how many kWh/day to expect from a given wattage amount of panels. You'll get your answer. If you intend to remain connected to the grid for backup/low times then it may be more sensible to have a best-effort solar setup that takes care of your needs 90% of the time rather than building a system twice as large to cover 100% during the worst solar times of the year.

>>2793976
its usually cheaper and easier to swap to a soft start pump

>>2793992
Pulling a pump that was 250ft deep was a significant cost, aside from the pump cost. How much does the Grundfos SQ run?

What's the cost on a converter to make sufficient 3 phase power to power the pump from a single-phase source?

>>2793999
>>2793992


We have a grundfos in our deep water well. i specifically requested it because of our off-grid and solar plans.

>>2793960
How much is your well pump using? Where are you located?
To cover the entire power consumption in the picture you posted, you'd probably need quite a lot of panels for winter months, in the range of 15-25kWp, depending on your location. Starlink and computer are not that bad.

>>2793999
>Pulling a pump that was 250ft deep was a significant cost
that's because you're a manlet who doesn't lift
> How much does the Grundfos SQ run?
under a grand
>What's the cost on a converter to make sufficient 3 phase power to power the pump from a single-phase source?
I have no idea-- weren't you the one who suggested that? Most of the cheap all-in-one inverters can be configured in 3 phase operation if you have 3 of them

Adding 5000 gallon water tank + 2 more inverters (which also have to be sized 4x or more)in order to run a pump like will wind up costing 10x the price of just switching to a soft start pump if you have a big enough cock to DIY. Also, your system idle power consumption would go up by 5-10x and negate a huge amount of the solar array and battery capacity.

If you have a submersible pump with a topside control box, sometimes you are able to install a softstart kit without having to pull the pump, which would be a good option too. Although most of those are 240v, and it's unclear if that anon was planning for 240/120v or running everything at 240 anyway.

>>2794118
> manlet who can't lift a deep well pump by himself
A pump that deep, 250ft, requires a truck with the equipment to pull it. This isn't your grandma's 25 ft hand dug well. The way I've witnessed it done, pump removed and reinserted, was with hard pipe in sections. Hence the rigging to hold it. Maybe a poly pipe setup, at 100 ft, would be manually manageable.

> I have no idea
I asked you.

> Adding a 5000 gal tank plus 2 more inverters to run the pump

You're mixed up. Let me unconfuse you:

If adding a ground level or slightly raised (for backup gravity feed) tank, you do not also need to make any changes to a simple 3kw system that has 200ah/10kw of batteries. That's the point. Somehow you got the tank confused, with powering the existing well-pump.

To run the existing 3 phase pump, alternatively:
2 more inverters for 3 phase means more batteries to handle the surge capacity. Technically, 3 inverters can start on a shared 10kw battery array. There's the $1600, plus $6000, for 2 more inverters + 4 more batteries, to reach a 9kw surge capacity, although yourself said it would be up to a 10kw surge on startup.

I know a large tank, plumbing, and a suitable single-phase auxillary pump can be DIY'd for less than $7600. And it's a lot less dependent on electricity, at all. Sure, it's not a 100% replacement for powering a $1000 soft-start well pump that still needs 3-phase, but in most circumstances, if power is out, it's intermittent or up to days at a time. This puts the water issue in the correct direction, because even with the Grundfos soft-start and enough 3-phase power to start and run it, you still don't have any available ground-level or higher water storage capacity. Yes, there's the toilet, bathtub or sink. Or a stock tank. Assuming you know in advance that the power will be out or the system will stop working, which you won't. And you don't mind drinking from where the cows do - who consume 35 gallons a day, each.

>>2794077
> I have a Grundfos in my well already.
Then you can start with the above-ground storage, and the simple 3k EG4 and two 5kw batteries (or that 280ah basic DIY). Trying to reduce the sticker-shock, and also improve the redundancy for you, to the lowest tech most straightforward back-up, first and foremost. If you had $10k's of cash to throw at the issue, you probably would not be here.

We are the mongolian basket-weaving forum of last resort.

>>2794186

OP HERE
just to clarify, since this forum does not identify:

Our system:
12k all-in-one
2500w of glass (Qcell)
48V
300ah FLA (8× 12V - S,P)
All inside shed in OP

Our home/loads
new construction 2022/2023
1400sqft 3bd2ba
no children
grundfos 10 deep well pump
spray foam insulation
zip board
2x EG4 12,000btu mini-split AC units
wood stove heat
propane kitchen stove
LED lighting
80 gal heat pump water heater
2 refrigerator/freezers (upright)
2 chest freezers
2 fish tanks
1 Samsung 75" TV
modem & router

there are some other intermittent loads, but that is the bulk of what runs often and heavy.

I don't know what that helps, but I wanted to clarify what I was referencing, overall.

Somewhat related questions: have any of ya solar fags gotten gov’t rebates or anything for installing solar? If so, what state and how much did you get? How was the process?

I think Florida has something, they gave me a decent rebate when I put a new AC unit in last year. A lot of neighbors have some solar panels on their roofs, I’ve been seeing more installs recently. I’m somewhat tempted by it after I put a new roof on the place, even if there’s no battery bank and I can just offset the electricity a little bit, especially in the summer.

>>2794403

It us my understanding, that Florida, the fucking "Sunshine State" is quite unfriendly towards solar systems and homeowners. I don't know enough to elaborate much, but I believe permitting is nearly impossible.

Federal Tax, I can speak to with knowledge. yes. there are several rebates. they are mostly capped, from my experience, at $2000 total, combined. example: we spent almost $18,000 on qualifying HVAC, stoves and water heater. that should have qualified us for $5400 since it is a 30% rebate. however, they cap the rebate at $2000. so we missed out on $3,400 by not spreading the purchase over multiple tax years.

whatever...

>>2794426
Mobile jobsite solar exists so one could plug that in like a genset to an appropriate receptacle. I refuse to damage my roof and have ample land so if I do solar I'll fab or mod and existing trailer.

>>2794394
> this board does not track a consistent userid over a single thread, to be able to determine who is talking. I am clarifying therefore.. I am OP.

That's why I gave in, and started namefagging. Now anons can see my namefag across multiple threads on /diy, which sucks, but it's a tradeoff, so people aren't confused. I also use Read Chan, an excellent app I can't say enough good things about. ReadChanAnon, if you're here. It tells me when someone replied, and in what thread, allows me to pin interesting threads, put /diy first, etc. Saves my 4chan pass. Maybe the website on an android does that for you seasoned anons, but there's no way I would use a basic web browser.

> what we have

You already have the SolArk/DEYE 12k, you 'overbought', knowing you would be expanding. Other than not having enough solar, for future stuff, and not enough batteries, either, right now, you plan to expand. I don't know how far toward the poles you are. 2500 could be adequate around texas/fl. 8000k and you will be able to crazy stretch your legs with those loads, so 6k is OK. Battery similarly.
>>2793230
was me.

But you move polar enough, with enough overcast and cloudy weather, like indiana, west virginia, michigan, and you have to expand the solar and the battery by 50%. It's so regionally dependent.

>>2793078
>panels: abt 15 good years. another 5 mediocre. 5 more poor.
My mono crystaline pv's were made in 1989. They put out more than 90% rated power.

>>2794971
Yes. People who are trying to egotistically be more blackpilled than you.. don't realize both the solar and batteries last a really long time. There were issues with developing robust BMS's for lfpo, but that was solved years ago.

'people who muddle in their own mire'

>>2794403
Ya, about $6K straight off my taxes, 30% of the $18K costs. Process was to give my accountant the receipts. I'll DIY just about anything but taxes.

>>2793230
Try vertical east-west with two-sided panels, that seems to be the new meta. Lower operating temperature evens out the lower angle to the sun.

>>2794971
So I'm new in this thread, and really? I've heard such bad things about older ones. Less than 20% return. Is this crabs in a bucket sort of thing, based on the brand, or materials? What can I watch out for?

OP here.

Got the system up and running. it is not connected to any load, yet. I let it run all day yesterday, to fully charge the batteries. they seem to be in good health. I was worried, them having been sitting outside totally unprotected for 6 months, then partially protectd, then mostly protected from the elements, but no temperature protection, through a freezing winter. I did fully charge them prior to storage.

it took ALL DAY to charge. at 19:00 it finally went from 83% to 100% SOC. this is normal, and due to amperage acceptance. overnight loss was less than 1%.

I will try to get the load panel in the shed connected to it today.

currently, it is running in off-grid mode. my father and I will begin final 4AWG cable install and trenching to the house next weekend. once that is done, it's just installing a few sensors and switching program modes over to AC coupled operation.

I still hope that we may be completly operational, and mostly, if not totally off-grid sufficient by june.

Shed is hot. we have one 4 ft T-12 ballast light & 7 outlets. 4 circuits total. one for light, one for south wall outlets, one for north wall outlets and one dedicated 25 amp outlet for larger or critical loads.

it's only a shed, but it's still a massive step. last week, the grid was down for 6 hours. we had eggs in the incubators and quail hatchlings in brooders. we lost aboot 7 quail because of the temp.

this will at least provide us emergency power, if needed, for another week or two, until we get the hoose connected.

>>2793024
shingles
do people really?

>>2793057
10-15 for LFP, possibly a lot longer depending on how they calendar age but the most unanswered important question is how they handle post life. As in, can you continue to use a large but degraded lifepo4 battery bank past its 80% capacity and just over size it?
I've heard they have less sudden failures post life, such as cell shorting and increased resistance (can't push current). The only battery I know that will last 30+ years is LTO. it ages out before you cycle it out. 30k cycles.
Long life versions of lifepo4 cells can be as high as 8000. So more likely to just age out. LTO cells can go far beyond 80 or even 70%. They do lose some of its ability to push current but remain functional far longer than any other lithium chemistry in a heavily degraded state.
I'm talking about the C rate, not capacity. Example being you have a 100 AH battery. After many cycles and years its now 80/100 AH, at the end of its life. You may find 80 AH still meets your needs but it loses some of its ability to push current. It was once capable of a 1C discharge or 100 amps. It might only be capable of a c/5 or 20 amp discharge in its diminished state. Its kind of frustrating because long term data is rare. The few lifepo4 failures I've seen was in the tropics and heavily used on a boat. 10-12 years in that case.

Is this what a need to build a solar system?
panels
batteries
Charge Controller
?

>>2798178
You know you wrapped up your statement, with a worst case scenario (salt water, heat, movement, rough seas, humidity, and low total storage) that contradicted nearly everything you said prior. 10-12 years in horrible conditions.

>>2793024
What have you done for lightening protection? Gas discharge lamps or what.

Be interested to hear.

>>2793057
Totally worth it, you run on solar 24/7, specially now that they are cheap

>>2798878

It is better now, to have solar, now that the grid is such shit, or, due to power rationing in so many places. Bitter Mary's need not apply.

However, most systems won't handle the second to final clusters of outbursts from the sun. So, for awhile, we'll be in the 18th century. And then everything metal gets cooked, like those cars on 9/11 or the ones on maui island, sounds like. That's about 10 years away. In the meantime get yourself a couple of Harvest Rights and store everything in glass w glass lids, or plastic.

You have 50kw of storage and 3 single phase EG4 units for 3 phase power? And one spare?

How much solar? Each one of those has two MPPT's for... what I'd have to look up the specs but I'm guessing 6 to 8kw each unit, of solar? So that's 18kw.

All that spanish or portugese, you must be on brazil, chile... Europoors don't build such an elaborate DIY independent system.

>>2799566
I am in Italy, very few ppl build diy systems here worth anything.
This is 3 phase power + 1 spare, i can also put the spare one to work in one of the 3 phases too for a 1 + 1 + 2 configuration.
I have 48kwh of diy lifepo4 + 15kwh of 3x 'orient power' server rack batteries (another clone of the jakiper battery)
I have 16.43 kwp of solar but i will reach 19.85 kwp as soon i have time to install the last panels. In Shitaly law you can not put more than 20kwp in an off grid system.
This warehouse has a galvanized sheet metal covering the whole roof. I pray it will resist a big fart from the sun.

I shoulda clicked on this thread sooner. Im 150 feet from a power pole. Wired my small house with 200 amp panel planning to tie in.

Decided I hate everything around me that isnt mine, took the money for the trench and power hookup and bought a used off grid setup minus the batteries from a guy that lived in the national forest for 1500.

12v, yes, 5kw of lifepo batteries, yeah its limited .

But 3k, havent paid a power bill here and never will. Whats the roi of that, nerds?

Think about power different, view it as a tool to use not something that makes you a victim if you dont have, get off the grid and dont be afraid of 12 volts to start. Dont let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

>>2797905

I bought a huge lot of stuff for 1500 usd, came with 6 205 watt panels

1 only put out 9 volts, but I have 4 of the others wired together as one of my arrays for 820 watts rated from the factory. I have seen these 4 panels put out regularly around 870 watts on the charge controller 100ft away thru 6 guage wire, and when in the cool mornings of this spring, as high as 900 watts.

I believe "panel degradation" is largely attributable to not keeping glass clean, amd electrical connections deteriorating and creating resistance over time


Old panel, new wires and spotless glass=output shockingly close to new panel specs.
My opinions.

Ok...

the Paternal Unit & I strung out and measured the 4 AWG on hand. we had aboot 284Ft. we need 426ft. so we need to get aboot 142ft more. that's going to run aboot $165.

we also measured and listed all needed conduit & fittings. no price on that yet. looks like 11 sticks of 1-1/2" conduit, 4 service elbow, 6 sweeping 90°, 4 slip couplings, 4 thread×slip adapters and a few collars. we also need aboot 142ft of #6 copper ground wire.

we are *so close* yet so far away. do to budget constraints, I will have to wait until June 1st to purchase these final items.

none the less, it is moving along. there was apparently a power outage this morning, while wife was milking the sheep. she was able to switch power to shed/solar and kept right on going. that's one marble in the "it's paying back" jar for the solar system.

>>2799783
That's a FlexMax80? Can do 12/24 or 48v. Very efficient MPPT costs around $500 new.

Jesus just get some new panels. Are you close to tennessee? I know a dealer there of a warehouse that has odds and ends, a dozen panels here or there, a pallet. Get matched panels, that aren't all beat-up. That FM80 at 48v battery pack can handle 8k of solar. 150v string limit though.

>>2800022
Why such heavy gauge wire? MElectrician is a free app that has a voltage drop calculator.

Your panel string should run at the highest voltage possible, particularly when located a distance from your main integration unit. The batteries should be as close as possible.. like within feet.

Can your main unit handle at least 500v open circuit?

>>2802585

It is a flexmax 80. Theres one mounted on the wall next to it not even hooked up yet too just to flex on everybody that I show my shit too.

Yup, so im running the 12v magnasine inverter till it dies, or I see a the deal I cant pass up on a 48v inverter then gonna buy two more batteries and enter the current generation overnight from my ancient shit. But it was cheap and it works.

Im still building my cuck shed. No need for more power yet, i dont have a well pump and i run a window ac just to dab on my neighbors too when the batteries are full.

Ive got the 4 205 watts going to one, 2 440 bi facials i got for free going to the other not hooked up yet, two little ones for my fridge and one for lights and radio in my old 96 sq ft cuck shed.

>get new stuff
No :)

>forgot pic

>>2802587

4AWG is what is reccomended by Sol-Ark, the manufacturer, and an electrical engineer I trade goods with.

run from pole to meter is 3/0. our electrician kept 3/0 going from bottom of meter 36" to main panel. we are removing the 18" section of 3/0 at the bottom lugs (outgoing) from under meter. we will replace this with 4AWG 70' run to solar equipment shed, the. 4AWG 70' back from shed, to house load panel. this will be encased in PVC electrical conduit trenched 24". we have not yet decided if we are going to put all 6 #4AWG cables plus 2 ground wires in one run of 1-1/2 inch conduit, OR if we need to do two seperate 1-1/4" conduits, each 2hot1neut+grnd, one going to, and one coming back from shed. our concern(s) are EM resonance between phases/directions & heat buildup.

the solark 12k can take 500VOC. we are currently at 320voc.

batteries are 3 feet under the controller. the 000 battery cables that connect them to the unit are 6'.

this is all from our old hoose. we are setting it back up at the new house, using only what we already own. when we have the CASH saved up, we will buy 18 new panels somewhere in the 350w-390w range. our biggest expense/upgrade will be our switch to LiFePo4. we will start with 300AH of lithium, then add as we can afford the $4k (approximate) punch, each time. looking into EG4, Fortress, HomeGrid and Trophy. so far, Trophy is in the lead.

>>2803065
The wire gauge is based partly on the run length. It's not like it's always 4AWG, using your example, regardless of whether it's 4' or 400'. Particularly with DC. An electrician is going to go on NEC, and that used to allow smaller gauges for very short runs, for instance, where now they just say 14g for 15 amp, 12g for 20, 10 for 30 and so-on.

I'll have to read everything you wrote again, because I feel like I'm missing something.

As for the batteries, have a hard look at what DavidPoz did in his LFPo build. It's just slightly more DIY than slapping in some Trophys. 2x260amp 24v packs and a purpose-designed BMS kit, makes it 4 parts and you've got a better value in storage than brand new Trophys.

>>2802968
A Growatt TL LVM ES 3k is ~$750 (or less) and a better value than a separate inverter, charger and mppt. There are a ton of real dealers. Currentconnected i think is one. I used Ian at Watts247.com. DO NOT buy them from ebay. The market has look-a-likes that are not real units. Go to diysolarforum with your poorfag issues and they can hook you up with some panel deals. Santan Solar has AZ and Georgia warehouses, and I know a guy out of Tennessee that has them too. You'll want a partial pallet of matching panels.

Save your odds and ends for ventilation and pump projects. I use a 200w panel through 300ft of 12/2 landscape wiring to lift water 100' vertical with a $20 4lpm 12v DC pump. You can do the same kind of things with fans, a converter, and a panel, to ventilate your sweat shack during the day.

Other uses are powering batteries for livestreaming game cameras.

>>2803122

See yeah you like everyone else do not really step outside of where you are imo to see where i am in any meaningful way.

>buy this
NO

Like, i tried to explain. You didnt try and understand.
So ill wait till I find a 48v inverter I like, biy two more batteries and do that all at once, and till then continuing hooking up my shit. Read my post, theres 880w left to hook up.
Not doing forums. Thats why im here being pissed, talking to nearly a peer but still frustratingly just one more idiot

For the money you people throw at it, id trench to the pole by the road. Im only off grid because that was cheaper than the initial connection fee.

So buy this 750 thing and that 500 that is no.
This shit is available next to dumptsers, being decommissioned all over the place.
Im happy you have good experience with new products.

>>2803315
*tunes up small violin*
> I'm far to busy to go on one of the best solar forums, and far too lacking in humility to say I'm a poorfag please help me out.
*belts out a tune*

While 48v is a great idea,
- if you have identical true deep cycle lead acid batteries, or, much better, LFPo, that by design includes cell balancing and monitoring,
- and you have at least 3kw of power to feed into it,

You have neither. Ironically, you'll see a few 12v'ers, haranguing someone or advocating for 12v, in systems at that size when they should go 48v. I think you're the first person I've run into that insists on a 1kw system that thinks it should be 48v.

>>2794403
Got 2/3 thirds of the system comped between state and fed. Really pretty easy some 16k. To get the state money had to use certified installers but they smartly keep it so its still cheaper than doing a DIY install. Second round did a battery upgrade only qualified for federal 30%. Super ez just told turbo tax the price and got the return.

Picked up a refurb Ecoflow for really cheap for memorial sale.
Two 200W panels too because also cheap.
Prepping for hurricane season. I just wanna be able to run a fan and charge some devices for power outages even in un-optimal lighting conditions which is why I got so "much" panel. Maybe be able to use my microscope and a monitor out and about without worrying about power. Use some corded power tools away from the all.
I don't think I could build a battery/inverter/solar charger with the same specs for cheaper.
It's an all-in-one system so not much else to talk about
my shitty contribution to this thread is now over.

>>2803065
Needed two 70ft 4/0-4/0-4/0-2/0 Stranded Aluminum SER for a battery upgrade. oof I thought 6.5$ a ft was high now 8.5

Hey nerds, midwit here with some specific questions about DC systems and ground isolation. It’s my understanding that your ground should be isolated from the DC positive and minus completely. I’ve got a system that was throwing GF alerts, went through and fixed wiring issues and system isn’t detecting GF anymore but when I test voltage there’s potential bewtween the ground and positive/negative conductors. Insulation resistance testing on the modules is over 4000MOhm between frame and panel leads. including the whole string it’s stable around 850MOhms.
There’s some bullshit rapid shutdown devices involved because system was off when I tested volts. Showed 20VDC + to - which was expected, then about 8V + to ground. Does that not constitute a fault condition? am I missing something where there can be potential but current won’t flow?

>>2793024
Your woman has bigger muscles than you, lol.

>>2803563
The basics are:

Battery negative, bonded to chassis.
Neutral bonded to ground if you are completely offgrid, and only in one location, bonded to chassis.
Solar panel frames bonded to chassis.

Chassis can be bonded to earth with decently conductive ground using a piece of rebar and a grounding strap to chassis.

>>2805411
* When using a (lfpo 12v100ah for the chassis, on the 12v side, that is bonded to chassis. And, even when using a 40-60v to 13.8v potted converter (they look like a large aluminium heatsink w 4 wires, and have a common negative), w or wo a 12v battery, the negative is bound to chassis, so the 48v is also bound to chassis.

Read Chan will just on it's own do a submit sometimes. So sans typos, you get the idea.