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diy solar

Beginner trying to spec out a system, help!

theUMP

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Joined
Oct 11, 2021
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Hey everyone, I'm so glad I found a place like this. I thought I knew some about electricity/solar but the more I started looking into putting together a legit system, it seems to just get more and more complicated! I've watched a lot of Will's videos and have ordered his book but it's not here yet so if anything I'm asking about is in pretty clear in there, just tell me to go read the book.

So I'm trying to spec out a partial home 48V system to back-up the essentials: water well (240V), 2 fridges, 1 chest freezer, some lights, and *maybe* the central heat system if I can control that it won't run at the same time as the well.
I'm currently thinking of the following as a start since I would like to get the system in before this winter and can add to it early next year if need be:
Battery: Either
1 Jakiper 48V 100Ah JK48V100 LiFePO4 (https://jakiperbattery.com/product/jk48v100/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek). Is this one any good? Will has it on his website but it's almost too cheap and makes me worry that you get what you pay for.
or
1 48V 100Ah LiFePower4 Battery by EG4 (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/48v-100ah-lifepower4-battery-by-eg4)

Thanks to comments pointing out they cannot be put in series I will not be using the
4 HQST 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 in series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XMB96P4/ref=emc_b_5_i)

Battleborn batteries in series are also an option but are at least twice as expensive so are not first choice.

MPPT/Inverter:
5kW Stackable 48V 240VAC 100A 450VDC Off-Grid Inverter by Growatt (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/5kw-48w-240vac-80a-off-grid-inverter-by-growatt)

Solar:
I currently have 4 12V 100W Renogy Monocrystalline (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF5JY35/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that I would put in series and am planning to get as many: Either
440W 72Split-Cell Silver Mono Solar Panal by Solarever (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/440w-black-mono-60-cell-panel-by-solarever)
as I can with the budget I have left after the batteries and MPPT. Would 1 of these be able to charge the system or would I need at least 2 in series?

or

360W Black Mono 60 Cell Panel by Solarever (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/360w-black-mono-60cell-panel-by-solarever)

Ideally I would like to set up Solar, Battery, and Grid (from a breaker in my main panel) into the Growatt and have it feed the loads I want to back up through a sub panel. If I could program the Growatt to run off Solar as much as it can and supplement with grid power normally in order to reduce my electric bill and switch to solar+battery if the grid were to go out.

Sorry, I know this is a lot all at once for my first post. I'm kind of overwhelmed myself! It's not the "By some panels, a controller, and some batteries and hook them all together..." situation I thought might boil down to after having played with My First 12V Solar Kit©. Thanks in advance for any input/help!
 
Last edited:
The HQST battery states the following:
DO NOT connect this lithium iron LiFePO4 battery in series. It is made ONLY FOR PARALLEL CONNECTIONS using identical batteries.

That rules out its use for a 48V system. Many batteries have this restriction. If you want to make a 48V battery bank with 12V or 24V batteries make sure they explicitly state that they can be connected in series.
 
The HQST battery states the following:


That rules out its use for a 48V system. Many batteries have this restriction. If you want to make a 48V battery bank with 12V or 24V batteries make sure they explicitly state that they can be connected in series.
You are absolutely right! Thank you! I just found that battery not too long before I made the post so I hadn't looked at it as closely. I'd like to think I would have caught that but you never know so thanks for pointing that out! I had also been looking at putting 2 Battleborn 24V 50Ah LiFePO4 in series, I even called and talked to Battleborn/Dragonfly Energy, but those are $800 each so it would be $1600+ for only a 50Ah system! The Jakiper batteries are much cheaper but almost seem too good to be true/you get what you pay for...
 
This is more or less what we want our system to do. We hadn't found this forum yet and we'd picked up a piece here and a piece there. In the end we ended up with thousands of dollars worth of equipment that wouldn't work together at all. We finally ended up working with Northern Arizona Wind and Sun. We're paying for our package today and it's all the parts we'll need except conduit, junction boxes, wire and the panel. We're going with a 10kwh system with 20kwh lifepo4 battery storage. The system is expandable if we ever find money to increase it's size. It will barely do what we need where we live in the winter. In the summer we'll be able to run anything we want. The cost was half that of having a professional installation. It's worth considering.
 
My system more or less mirrors what you want to do, with a refrigerator, 240V well pump, and various power tools, including a concrete mixer. Here's what I run my system with...

15 300W Renogy 72cell solar panels
Schneider XW+6848 inverter
Midnight 200V charge controller
568Ah Rolls battery
 
Regarding the statements about the Growatt and the subpanel, you are on track. DavidPoz has reviewed some 48v batteries. Here is one of the videos.
 
Regarding the statements about the Growatt and the subpanel, you are on track. DavidPoz has reviewed some 48v batteries. Here is one of the videos.
I just found his videos! It looks really similar to what I'm doing so that helps! Although he has WAY more solar! I've been watching through his videos too.
 
My system more or less mirrors what you want to do, with a refrigerator, 240V well pump, and various power tools, including a concrete mixer. Here's what I run my system with...

15 300W Renogy 72cell solar panels
Schneider XW+6848 inverter
Midnight 200V charge controller
568Ah Rolls battery
I also have similar requirements refrigerator , two freezers, a water heater, and the 240 well pump various lights and small appliances I will use off and on as power permits. I would like to grid tie just to reduce utility. I really want grid down power.
I have 8 - 315 mono 39 volt, 9.4 amp solar panels.
will you recommend components? Thinking I might add 2500 more next year.
24 or 48 system
charge controller
grid tie inverter

I assume breakers in between components
 
Solar:
I currently have 4 12V 100W Renogy Monocrystalline (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF5JY35/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that I would put in series and am planning to get as many: Either
440W 72Split-Cell Silver Mono Solar Panal by Solarever (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/440w-black-mono-60-cell-panel-by-solarever)
as I can with the budget I have left after the batteries and MPPT. Would 1 of these be able to charge the system or would I need at least 2 in series?

or

360W Black Mono 60 Cell Panel by Solarever (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/360w-black-mono-60cell-panel-by-solarever)

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the Renogy unless you have a separate charge controller for them. Too much complication to match working voltage with the other panels.

Both of the larger panels would need at least two in series, you need working voltage above your battery voltage.
 
Hey everyone, I'm so glad I found a place like this. I thought I knew some about electricity/solar but the more I started looking into putting together a legit system, it seems to just get more and more complicated! I've watched a lot of Will's videos and have ordered his book but it's not here yet so if anything I'm asking about is in pretty clear in there, just tell me to go read the book.

So I'm trying to spec out a partial home 48V system to back-up the essentials: water well (240V), 2 fridges, 1 chest freezer, some lights, and *maybe* the central heat system if I can control that it won't run at the same time as the well.
I'm currently thinking of the following as a start since I would like to get the system in before this winter and can add to it early next year if need be:
Battery: Either
1 Jakiper 48V 100Ah JK48V100 LiFePO4 (https://jakiperbattery.com/product/jk48v100/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek). Is this one any good? Will has it on his website but it's almost too cheap and makes me worry that you get what you pay for.
or
1 48V 100Ah LiFePower4 Battery by EG4 (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/48v-100ah-lifepower4-battery-by-eg4)

Thanks to comments pointing out they cannot be put in series I will not be using the
4 HQST 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 in series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XMB96P4/ref=emc_b_5_i)

Battleborn batteries in series are also an option but are at least twice as expensive so are not first choice.

MPPT/Inverter:
5kW Stackable 48V 240VAC 100A 450VDC Off-Grid Inverter by Growatt (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/5kw-48w-240vac-80a-off-grid-inverter-by-growatt)

Solar:
I currently have 4 12V 100W Renogy Monocrystalline (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF5JY35/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that I would put in series and am planning to get as many: Either
440W 72Split-Cell Silver Mono Solar Panal by Solarever (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/440w-black-mono-60-cell-panel-by-solarever)
as I can with the budget I have left after the batteries and MPPT. Would 1 of these be able to charge the system or would I need at least 2 in series?

or

360W Black Mono 60 Cell Panel by Solarever (https://shop.signaturesolar.us/products/360w-black-mono-60cell-panel-by-solarever)

Ideally I would like to set up Solar, Battery, and Grid (from a breaker in my main panel) into the Growatt and have it feed the loads I want to back up through a sub panel. If I could program the Growatt to run off Solar as much as it can and supplement with grid power normally in order to reduce my electric bill and switch to solar+battery if the grid were to go out.

Sorry, I know this is a lot all at once for my first post. I'm kind of overwhelmed myself! It's not the "By some panels, a controller, and some batteries and hook them all together..." situation I thought might boil down to after having played with My First 12V Solar Kit©. Thanks in advance for any input/help!
1st step to saving $ is batteries. For what 200amp hours of 12v Battleborns cost you can buy 280ah of 48v. That's almost 6 times the storage. No brainer.
 
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