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To get early and later exposure, you could add some panels oriented toward east and west. I would not touch your existing PV array, and consider making your roof project as a separate one. If the Strings get similar voltage, they can be combined or you can use a separate SCC to charge your...

I agree and checked all of those YouTube Influencers frequently, and few others more, but I would particularly recommend: MikeHoltNEC - https://www.youtube.com/@MikeHoltNEC/playlists ... Who reviews the National Electric Code (NEC) for Solar Installations. Mike Holt's Forum -...

I was recently looking at this video using some Ballasted Ground Mounts, and also PowerRack providing an easy to move structural base for solar panels. You can put some concete blocks inside the ballast, as required from the wind conditions that you get exposed. And when you need to remove the...

It is recommended to have a T-Fuse connected to the battery negative pole. Adding a circuit breaker on the positive pole would provide a good surge protection and also isloation between a battery and a Quick Disconnect Anderson connector. I wonder what would be the best recommendation when...

But the cells are only 100Ah. For DIY batteries, you can get 280Ah to 320Ah cells for about $100 from AliExpress I just noticed that 'LithiumSolar' released a video showing a similar (size and price) battery, available on Amazon Vatrer 51.2V 100Ah Rack Battery, EVE Cells Vatrer - 51.2V 100Ah...

If the strings have the same voltage you can put then in parallel, but better to put one blocking diode in each string.

I noticed on some teardown videos of the Tesla Cybertruck: - DC 48 V plugs and wires: light blue - DC High voltage: orange

@hates_PGE , I'm in a similar situation... Best so far is to have all the utilities of the building powered by solar energy and batteries at night. My system is considered as a "back up" system, so no interaction with my electrical company. I have a power switch to switch all the building...

You can use a RaspBerry device from Solar Assistant, see this video: https://solar-assistant.io/

Thank you for adding the optimal case. Something I was interested with was to compare the performance of the panels for each of the different cases. To do that, I calculated the average yearly energy performance for each of the left columns and found the following: - The South-85 is 20 % more...

I was thinking about this David Poz video @17:27 "Couple wires a huge, High Voltage, Solar PV Array, 12.6kW" but there is only about 300V for each string. I reviewed few DC switches which seems to handle 1000V DC. https://diysolarforum.com/threads/dc-quick-disconnect-switch-recommendation.36069/

This voltage monitoring relay seems to be an exellent device for controling a power switch to energized devices using excess solar power energy.

The problem I noticed is that upgrading is not always possible because solar components have physical limitations (Voltage, Amp, Watt). The most expensive is the battery, if you start with a 12V system, when going to 48V, you will not be able to reuse any of your original system. I would...

When looking at the picture from the above #17 posting, it seems that the particle board under the battery was holding the weight only on its edges and get warp and could not handle the weight of the battery. A single 280 AH LiFePO4 prismatic cell weight about 5.5 kg or 12 lbs. So a 48V battery...

I wonder if the OP may have saved, on the Cloud, some recording of the battery charging status and consumption load to elaborate about the melting overloaded shunt theory?

Looking at the AWG to mm conversion chart, a 4.0 mm^2 wire would correspond to #12, which is I believe typically rated 20A, which is below the 32A advertised? Note: I recently watch this video from 'bigclivedotcom' providing 'a look inside a Wago inline connector" which I found quite...

You need to look at your priorities. I think the most important is to keep your fridge running, and to have some lighting. If it's only for few days, you can use a small camping stove for cooking, until you can build a full solar system. - My point is to avoid to buy cheap something that...

@kevolones Is it for a mobile or a fixe instalation? Since you are using a wire bigger than needed, length is less of an issue, I would in this case put the wires in diagonal like the above picture, to avoid any bend, which looks nicer and more natural.

I wonder if you should also have a ground wire?

How many Gallon has your eletric water heater? Why not using instead a water heatpump, this would be more efficient. Note: If you need extra hot water fast, the heatpump can use resistance heating like an eletric water heater, otherwise heat pump will only use the compressor like a...

I used MC4 only to connect the VP to the combiner box (10 AWG - 25 to 50 ft for each string). There is no MC4 between my combiner boxes and my Solar Switch (box) located near my SCC (6 AWG - 150 ft).

@ody I reviewed some SCC users manuals, and put a summary of settings. Such settings seems to covers some of your requirements. May be this can help you: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/solar-inverter-source-combining.36289/post-456657

A simple way to test your PVs: Module Measurement with Load You should also review this posting from @Hedges: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/measuring-pv-panel-performance.27932/ Also: "Measuring Solar Radiation with Arduino"...

I didn't realise that you could not upgrade your existing system. I just wonder if it is really worthwile to have a Grid-Tied system? How much do you get per kWh sent to the grid versus what you have to pay in the evening?

I wonder was the function of the relay? - Is it to disconnect the load when the battery is too low, or - Is it to disconnect the charging when the battery is charged? - Or is it only for emergency? Does a static relay would be a better option? I think it would make more sense to have two...

I have been contacted for a similar promotion. Basically this company make profit by installing PVs on your property, so they have free rent of space, and selling your solar energy to the grid. You get pennies for the electricity generated and you cannot store it. Then at night you paid full...

In this Off-Grid Garage video, Andy made an interesting comparison between DC Fuses and DC Circuit Breakers: 2:00 - Original Fuse Boxe 5:15 - Replacing the 4 right DC Fuses with DC Circuit Breakers: 7:00 - Resistance measurement at room-temperature

"PV system installers have often used a combination of Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT) and Liquid Tite conduit to install DC runs in tight spaces." This is what I used also, "Liquid Tite conduit" on th roof mostly to protect the wires from the rain and sun heat, and "EMT conduits" up to the SSC.

Which "Grid-Tie Inverter" do you have? I would be surprised if there was not a setting allowing to charge a battery and to use this battery like an UPS. May be I am missing something, I don't have too much solar experience either, but I don't see the need to use a secondary solar system? It...

I mean, not a portable extinguisher, but to install an automatic extinguisher, since the workshop is separated from the house. Any recommendation? Note: I doubt that a water sprinkler would be recommended with LiFePo4 battery cells, what do you think?

I was looking at this option: https://store.santansolar.com/product/first-solar-series-6-440w-thin-film-solar-panel-sav/ First Solar Series 6 440W Thin Film Solar Panel – SAV $202.00 - for an order of 40 PVs, shipping for about 2,700 miles would be in the order of $2k, or $50 additional per...

Thank you for reviewing my posting and for the description of your system. What are the VoC and ImP of your VPs, and how many panels in each string? Also what inside the outdoor boxes?

@Bowlegs868 I would add another wire to ground all the solar panels and have this wire connected to the ground. I don't know if connecting one of the wires of the PV to the ground is necessary or recommended. I don't know either is there is any recommendation to connect the (-) of the battery...

Interesting topic, basically modeling a typical household using surplus of PV energy to fill up an hydrogen tank during the summer, and using the hydrogen in winter to produce additional heat and electricity. The Solar production model was based using 22 PVs of 310W (or 6.8 kW) and a 16 kWh...

@MichaelK I would interested knowing a little bit more about your solar system and consumption for running your pump. 1. Are you running you pump on solar energy when available and use the Grid or a generator otherwise at night or on cloudy days, or do you run your pump using your battery at...

It would be interesting to see the finish product with the battery cells and BMS inside and all the wirings. Do you plan to add some quick disconnect plugs, a cicuit breaker, Voltmeter and capacity display...?

"Hélas" most of the DC components that you can find in the market might be coming from some far east countries. Such as for example: MoreDaySolar

Will you install your panels on the ground or on a roof? Do you need to have a rapid shudown to isolate each panel? About Micro Inverter versus optimizer or combiner box, I found those videos providing some interesting content: Results Overview Shading TEST! Do you need microinverters or...

@sunshine_eggo thank you for your reply. Thank you for pointing out the PowerMax converter device. This would be a perfect way to keep the battery charged. I checked my refrigerator and the compressor power is about 190 W. I am now running a Wattmeter for a full day to determine the daily...

There is a Voltage Drop Calculator that the users of this forum recommend using: https://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html Note: As an example, I'm using the following wires for my solar instalation: #10 AWG between the PVs and the Combining box, (150V 12A) distance between 25...

Permit or not, I would be very careful about the wind situation, in particular for one of those few days of stormy weather..

If you only have few solar panels to install, there are some mounting kits which can be vey handy. See for example: Amazon: Eco-Worthy Solar Panel Mounting Kit

>> I plan to use a former internal vertical garbage disposal to carry my PV cables I used the word 'internal' may be I sould have used 'indoor' I think weight is an issue, so weather resistant materials might be more heavy, thus adding stress at the top.

I wonder if better roof and ceillings insulation could help, and also if you have a lot of large windows facing the sun, I noticed those external windows shades preventing the sun fom heating the windows but still allowing enough light passing through.

Nothing too high tech, but I found this video showing a simple cabin built in the woods, to be a quite inspirational story:

I wonder if anyone would like to share some experience and recommendation of (US or Chinese) retailers selling large 400W solar panels, for DYI instalation and for an amount of 20 to 24 pieces. I am located in Northern California.

I would recommend that you read the User Manual of various Solar Charge Controllers and Inverter to check which one provides the type of settings and control corresponding to the behaviour you are looking for. I don't know if all the devices behave similarly, but the following can give you an...

For a DIY, I would not be too confortable with such high voltage because of arcing and fire risk, I would prefer running two strings of 250V. But this depends also of how much current and voltage your SCC(s) can handle. Do you plan to use rapid auto-shutdown devices at the panel level?

I wonder if building a mini shed underground to store the batteries at a constant and not freezing temperature, would be almost as simple and even less costly to build and then to keep warm, if digging was a possible option? I don't know how deep this would be needed, but I believe that...

About combiner box, how many strings will you have? And what will be the Voltage and Amp on each string? For the PV combiner boxes, I personally use a fuse on each wire so every string can be isolated, when doing any maintenace. I use a polarised dual pole circuit breaker and a voltage arrester...

Did you find information about the Max DC voltage and Amp input for the PV inverter?

The AIMS Power DC Switch mentioned above uses the ASwich EDS7DBR Industrial Control Direct has this model intgrated inside a box, with no MC4 plugs.

I was just recently watching 'SolarEngineering' who built a battery pack with a similar layout, but not as clean. He mentionnned that he contacted the seller BLS, and they replied that having the cells flat was fine as long it was not in a moving vehicle.

I wonder if there is a 48V version, I noticed only 12V and 24V portable Victron chargers ? For reliable chargers, I also got recommendation from @sunshine_eggo in a previous thread to use the following PowerMax Series converters: PM3 12V Series PM3 48V Series

This wire cover looks very practical, do you know the name and the maker or do you have a web link for it? I was prviously looking at this "QBox" waterproof junction box for Shingle Roofs:

I noticed that SCC provides numerous settings and communication interfaces. For a DIY installation, I would like to know if there are easy way ways to get status information from an SCC? In my situation, I will be off-grid so my batteries will be charged only from the sun. (A) When the...

Kind of side question, does having a BMS connected and communicating with multiple SCC is critical or not ? (for charging efficiency and battery protection) Can you have a single SCC communicating with a BMS and the other SCC just plugged in parallel to the same battery?

I might be wrong because I never used and tested RSD, but I think that the great advantage of RSD is not that: - you can not only isolate each PV and shutdown and also turn off the Solar Charge Controlers (since they don't receive any PV input), - but also turn off the DC/AC Inverters remoteley...

I wonder how many T-Fuse are needed for a 48 V DC solar system? - Do you need only one T-Fuse to protect the battery? - or do you also use a T-Fuse on a the negative side of the SCC and also on a the negative side of the DC/AC inverter?

Thank you for your reply. Are you totally off grid? How much battery Cells capacity do you have? How big Is your Maxwell Supercap? Is it connected directly in parallel to your battery Cells? Do you use the 4 kW backup heating element of the Heat Pump or only use the heat pump econo mode...

I noticed this Watts247 "8-2 Solar Panel Combiner Box" with polorized cicuit breakers and diode protection, but not a cheap solution.

So the BMS can be used for 8S 10S 12S 13S 14S 16S Cells combination, but there are two variations, one Li-ion and one Lifepo4. I wonder if it could it had be possible to use the same BMS for both using a jumper or an App setting? But I guess, this would had required more flash memory to store...

I plan to use a 48 V battery system, as I need to store about 10 to 20 kWh of solar energy. I noticed that some solar inverters are limited to 150 V, but I believe that some chargers would accept about 250 V, which would allow then to put all of the 4 panels in series to lower losses, since I...

Is your local eletrical company in San Jose, California, the Pacific Gas and Electric company (or PG&E) ? If so, here are the new 2024 rates: residential-electric-rate-plan-pricing

1. The small inverter (48V DC - 120 V AC 1kW) will be used only to power lights in a building at night, - so can be shut down during the day. 2. The larger inverter (48V DC - 240 V AC 5kW) will be used only to power a water heat pump, running basically like a fridge, like for 5 minutes every 10...

I have some older mercury contactors, this could be an option? Since the contacts are enclosed there is no oxidation of the contact points, so they never worn out. I believe those type of contactors are stiil available, see this MDI catalogue: https://www.mdius.com/pdf/CatalogZ.pdf

Looking at Bay Marine Supply the caption says: "Length is the measurement of all wire used (ie: round trip)." So if you enter '400 ft' instead of '200 ft' you will get for #6 (5.66%) which is the same value than Best Boat Wire.com or Calculator.net

Thank you so much for all your dedicated time to produce such nice overview. I will compile all the numbers to have a more precise estimate of this solar project. The 6 hours of sun was only to have rough idea of the system that I envision. I could mention that the west panels will be facing...

In the video, @2:48 you have 3kW water heating. I noticed that you are located in Canada, near Winnipeg, but could you have considered having a water heatpump?

Looking at the above Will Prowse's video, on the diagram I wonder if it is need to put a 'Blocking' Diode before each panel, or if only one 'Blocking' Diode is needed for each string? I have PVs with VoC of 52V and Imp of 11A and I have 3 PV in serie in each branch, so 156V Voc per string...

I was looking also at at this inverter but I would recommend getting a 48V version. Here are the manufacturer's information, which could be worthwhile to review to compare with other similar inverters: https://www.sigineer.com/product-category/other-products/solar-pump-inverter/...

Does such system exist? Otherwise, I'm sure I could find a DIY on Youtube.

You can use a RaspBerry device from Solar Assistant, see this video: https://solar-assistant.io/

Could you give some more specification for each component and may be a Web link? I am very curious to evaluate the efficiency of your system, such as: - how much solar energy get received and stored in the battery, - and how much energy get stored in the Tesla battery after all the...

Thank you, I really missed this crutial point.: Bypass VS Blocking Diodes in a Solar Power System In this video, the watts247 combiner box with 2 separate MPPT feeds are not available. If I want to build my own combiner box, what would be your recommendation for using Diodes, such as...

I need some help to estimate a possible Solar energy with only vertically or horizontally mounted solar panels. I have a flat roof and because of heavy wind situation, I cannot have my panels tilted, unless I design a very strong frame support. So practically my solar panels can only be...

You should not be soldering copper with a different metal. Copper, tin, aluminium... warmup and shrink at different temperature. This generates gaps, which creates bad connections and resistance, causing heat with a risk of melting insul;ation and shorts over time.

I plan to make some full size mockup with some cardboard to have a better idea of the framing need and possible shading, something to avoid by all means. I read about a case where the mast of a TV antenna was creating noticeable degradations.

I try to find a 48 V DC Inverter to run a 240 V Water Heat Pump in the US. - I cannot find too much information about Water Heat Pump compressor consumption. The information I can find mentioned the 5 kW resistance heating element used for fast water heating, something I will not use, at least...

Can you provide some information and link about how and where to get those panels and price?

Where are you located? You have to imagine that in winter you might have only one third of the summer solar energy.

Just to add to the fray, I would recommend reviewing some of the 'Off-Grid Garage' videos (here is a playlists summary) The whole 'Off-Grid Garage' Solar System uses three batteries racks, so you migh find some clues regarding your quest. I would like to add that using various types of BMS and...

I am looking for a Solar PV DC Quick Disconnect Switch and the only model that I can find is the AIMS Power PV array DC Isolator. The only issue that I have with this device is the 32A limitation both - from the use of MC4 connectors. - but also fromthe internal DC switch rated IEC 60947 1600V...

From which US retailer did you order and get support for this inverter?

If I may, another topic I am interested in, is to build a simple monitoring system to measure and display the solar energy produced during the day and the battery charging level and consumption. I could of course use some sophisticated devices connected together with Bluetooth, and sending...

I wonder how the battery get charged? Do you use a separate charger connected to the grid? Note: I would be interested to get a similar setup, but using 48V batteries to be charged during off-peak hours, and providing power during peak hours.

On the step 3, you can provide some roof map information. I know that I could put 4 flat panels, and may be 6 panels, depending on the exact size of the panels. The system shows about 1.5 kWdc (10 m2) when drawing the map. Should I include the map, or should I skip this step (?) but in this...

I think that the first step is is to make an Audit of your consumption, maybe use a device like Emporia. Then, if you plan to make your own DIY system, you could start making a small off grid system with a 48V battery that you charge using off peak power (maybe Octopus rate) and use the battery...

I would like to build a Switch Device to connect a 240V load to either: - the Grid or - a Split-Phase Inverter (which is not Grid connected). I plan to use a separate 2 poles relay to connect the load to one of the power input. This part is straight forward, but regarding the Neutral and the...

Would anyone consider installing a heat pump using solar energy surplus to pre-heat water, and a circulation pump, in complement to a gas heater ?

<<Sacré nom d'une pipe!>>

Each string is 2S, so VoC = 220V x 2 = 440V and ISC = 2.25 A Each branch is 7P, so ISC max = 7 x 2.25 = 17.85 A Power for each branch = 440 V x 17.85 A = 7,854 kW So you need an SCC/Inverter with 2 VP input of about 500 V, 20A and 8kW for each input, or 16kW. The Sol Ark 12kW specifications...

@gamer I am a beginner so I am curious to know what kind of system you have around your batteries? I mean how do you charge your batteries? Do you have any voltage monitor to protect your battery from over voltage? I read in other threads that a user got his batteries damaged this way. My...

How often will you get the PV max solar production? The max solar production will only occur around noon time with direct South facing and inclination adjusted for your location and date.

@dRdoS7 Andy on the Youtube Channel "The Off-Grid Garage" published several videos about JK-BMS. More recently he tested the new active balancing feature, so I wonder if the 'Pre-discharge" could be related to this new updated BMS. Anyway Andy found some issues regarding the configuration...

There is in fact the same electrical entrance on the roof and was used to connect the master antenna television (MATV) feeder, you remember when TV was analog...

So there is: 2400 W = 6 x 400 W 2000 W = 5 x 400 W 1600 W = 4 x 400 W But I wonder about: 960 W = 2.4 x 400 W ? 480 W = 1.2 x 400 W ?

How do you proceed to calibrate the voltage?

Do you have a document describing that no permit is required for a portable backup system, in case of an inspection from an AHJ? This could be an interesting DIY solution, to avoid getting a permit by build a cart with a shelf on top of it, and installing a battery, a Solar charge controller...