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Just wanted to share my recent price and other experience getting quotes and chatting with some of the suppliers on Alibaba. Of course they all say the same thing, perfect Grade A, brand new cells, fully tested and matched. and they will all include bus bars and fasteners. Some of them add...

Been using the panels for a couple months. but May was the first full month of net metering use. So we used about 79kwh of energy. , Energy usage was around $9, My bill was $55. We get to pay $40 just for the privilege of being Coop members. And another $7 security light fee. I think our...

I went ahead and ordered 20 of their 250's, probably similar to what I saw in that video. I made an offer for $700 for 20 of them and they took it. $275 freight to my residence. Not too bad, 5kw for $1000. About 1/3 of what I paid for my brand new panels for the 6kw array I setup for the...

Well the skybox install is coming along good. I turned it on about a week or so ago after I finally got the last of my mounting hardware from renvu (what a mess they are). Anyway, I’ve got my 5.3 kw of panels producing on the skybox using a no export mode until I hopefully get an agreement going...

I've read a lot of information here, but figured I start my own thread to get individual advice and give everyone a new user to pick on.. ;) I am planning to get 16 270 ah cells from Michael C from this forum, I don't know the details of his cells but trust him from what I've read and chatted...

I am in OK and I didn't negotiate the freight, but they just offered that price when I inquired. But yeah on their website the same 20 panels was going to cost about $375 for freight so they gave me a better deal. Just call them or contact through ebay. I saved about $10 per panel by...

Well after all my price & supplier research I didn't order from any of them. I ended up using the local fellow who offered to broker the batteries for me for basically a $100 fee. He orders from the same company all the time and normally sells locally or on ebay as I understand. I had told...

I chatted with her a little. seems like she's gotten a little "proud" of herself. They are advertising $89 cells on alibaba to lure you in, and then when you talk to them those cells are "out of stock" of course and the new version costs $120. And I also do not believe her 30 day transit time..

Yeah they do have their own posts. 13’ long C piles. It is a turnkey mounting solution. A lot of work to install. When I ordered them I figured I’d just hand dig a 12” post hole and set them in 3’ of concrete. Nope! Either have to be pounded 6’ down with a pile driver or set in 6’ deep 24”...

Ok. I read a few posts over on the outback forum and found some people had the same question. The instructions with the skybox are just bad in general and when they said remove the factory jumper to use a rapid shutdown device it confused me because there is no factory jumper installed. I...

Exactly. I used the unirac gft. Those suckers are 6’ into the ground with 4 yards or concrete footing around them ?. Panels are so cheap compared with fancy tracking mount options I just figured I could add a few more arrays over the years if I need to. I’ve got 70 ares of pasture to add on!

Found the forum through Ampster on another solar forum. This one seems a little more active. I’ve been mulling over building a system for years. Finally ordered my panels and most my equipment from renvu, it’s showing up a little at a time. I’ve installed my critical loads panel and have it all...

Yes she is. The last one on my list. $120 per cell

Oh it’s just laying there so far. I’m not sure how to permanent mount it. I’ll probably just use some command strips or something. The sensor cables aren’t long enough to mount on the outside of the box. Is that what you mean I could extend? Or the p- cable? That one was pre crimped and I’m...

I have been reading a little about this but I haven't found a clear answer. I don't want to export because it is not cost effective with my electric coop as they charge $30 just to do net metering, plus I'll have to get a $1m liability policy for probably another $50/month. Most of my circuits...

just looking for any general tips or ideas and critiques, also will post some install pics. Been planning this system for years off and on, finally got started. I worked with renvu sales engineer on the system setup. And did some of my own load estimates and calculations using online solar...

The instructions don't really specify how to install the C piles/posts that come with this system. From what I can tell they are designed to be driven into the ground about 6 feet. I don't have the ability to do that. I can use an auger to get about 4-5' deep and use concrete to set the posts. I...

We do have net metering available. I just haven’t signed up for it yet. I am working with the poco engineer now. They seem to have gotten more friendly to solar. We don’t have any variable rates. Our rates are fairly cheap around 12 cents. But will only have about $5k in my setup after tax...

So in the winter we use very little electric. Maybe less than 10-20kwh/day, because I heat with wood and geothermal and also have propane floor heat, which expensive and temporary until I figure out a way to heat my floor with solar or geo. Anyway, I did start using the net metering. It is...

I have a bank of 100ah ready to go, other than the BMS. have just a few questions. Not much experience using these batteries so I'm asking here first. I got my bank from a local guy. He resells from his Chinese supplier. Tests and balances them before sending me the complete pack ready to...

No worries. I actually got the bms yesterday and started connecting it. The instructions are probably from google translate so they are a bit hard to follow if you've never done it. But I think I got the idea. I think after connecting all the sensors in the right order, connect B- to the...

Be happy to help. I have limited experience but have setup my skybox with a ground mount 6kw array pretty much by myself. Of course I did have the help of forum members here and over at Outback. The hardest part of my whole install was the ground mount system. I used unirac C pile and would...

I currently have an Outback Skybox with around 5kw of panels. It is working great, but it is about at its limit as far as PV input. I am thinking of installing a second inverter out in my shop with another 3 or 4kw of panels that I picked up for a good deal. Are there problems with this...

i have a few tall trees off to the east of my panels about 200 feet away in a fence row. they only provide shade until about 10 or 10:30am. so my question is are they causing shade issues for the panels? If they were shading the panels until noon I'd definitely just cut them down now. but...

Yeah tracking systems are pricey. I’d probably design my own. They look simple but probably aren’t! Another drawback of our net metering plans is that our credits expire month to month. And they don’t pay us for our over production. It would be nice to set up something that would defer the...

Thanks both of you! So if my 2nd inverter is UL1741 compliant then it will not be an issue with backfeeding too much energy to the skybox as BentlyJ mentioned in his previous post? My shop loads will not be heavy or consistent most of the time. Although I am toying with the idea of heating...

Maybe that is how I did it, I can't remember and my pic has the plug covered up. I will have to read the instructions again. I thought I read that the first red wire goes to the "total" positive terminal, which I took to mean the 48v (54v) output terminal.

I finally got the skybox installed. I went through the quick start and got everything setup and turned it on. The only thing connected currently is the grid inputs. I am a little lost on the rapid shutdown section. It states that there should either be a rapid shutdown device or a factory...

Ok. I'm sure thankful for you guys on these forums! I had gone ahead and ordered a daly 80 amp for this pack. Of course after reading a bit more and a reply over on the other forum it seems I shouldn't mix the 100ah and the 280ah planned bank. So I'll likely be selling this whole 100ah bank...