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When I learned about the IQ8 Microinverters and their ability to run off-grid with "Sunlight Backup", I had to try it. I was going to put in a SolarEdge system in 2020, but due to the plague, it never happened. I installed a backyard ballasted ground mount, using Unirac RM10 racks and CMU...

I passed my final permit inspection today! :cool: The inspector showed up a day early, I still have 4 panels to wire up. He was cool with it. I'm slacking! These are 400W and 405W solar panels on a 20C day. There is 900W AC being produced from 2 panels, and over 1.7kW from 4 panels, using...

These inverters are not UL Listed or UL 1741 tested so you can't get a permit to connect them. Also, in the US, you can't connect a grid-tied inverter through a 120V wall receptacle, inside or outside the building, unless it is a dedicated circuit all the way to the main panel and even then, I...

I'm not a "solar salesman", I'm a shitty salesman. I'm an experienced engineer who knows how to design systems to save money and get a good ROI. I'm also an old man with sciatica who's in excruciating pain at the moment. I won't lie, I tell it like it is and if you can't keep up with me jumping...

Another sunny day was lost. I spoke to Enphsae today. It seems that I don't need to go to hands-on training after all. Yeah! But, I need to submit a design review of my single line. I already finished all of the Installer Certification training courses including storage. However, I can't submit...

The technical aspect of it wasn't that hard for me personally as an experienced engineer, but yeah it takes some time and then some. There are a LOT of trick questions as well, so you need to take some tests twice. I wanted to be certified and I can help others DIY "under me". So if you want to...

I have a ballasted ground mount. I used a Unirac RM10 ballasted roof mount on the ground. It works well, but the panels need to be blown off or washed after I mow the lawn because it's low to the ground. I also have an idea for a taller ballasted ground mount using 6-ft long, 250-lb, concrete...

Yup. I received approval and final certification this morning. Yay! :cool: I also learned that they use an inaccurate rule of thumb regarding NEC 2017, 710.15(A). They said regarding my SLD that the ESS must provide less than or equal to the largest circuit breaker in the backup sub-panel. That...

You are NOT going to get 4.8kW of power if your microinverters are limiting it to 3.77kVA. That's the most it can provide. I suspect they sold you 370W solar panels, and IQ8+ microinverters that max out at 299W. The most you can get AC is 13 x 299 = 3.89kW. Anything over that will be clipped and...

It's working! Desiato Solar is online and producing. Yay!

I drew up a single line diagram for a 16 panel, 4 x quad microinverters, HMS-1600-4T-NA and HM-1500NT (North America, 240V, 1P), to show how easy it is to interconnect grid-tied. All you need is to apply for an interconnection agreement with your local utility and get a permit. LMK if you need a...

Regarding your great video. I'm trying to make some videos like this. I have a ton of content recorded from my installation, just haven't got the motivation to edit it and pretty it up. From my YT comment: In California, the approved inverter list is for Grid-tied "utility-interactive"...

Hang on. There are several authorities that offer "Listing" service. These are UL, ETL, and CSA. All can provide a mark that says the word "Listed", and they are all acceptable in the US and by utility companies. TUV on the other hand can test a product for compliance to UL1741, but to my...

Retail pricing for the 7.6kVA is around $2500, depending on how many pre-orders I get. The more I can order, the lower the shipping cost will be to put them in stock. I don't want to take preorders until I'm done testing and evaluating this one. This week I mounted the inverter to the wall of...

Have an electrician install a pair of 240V, 50A receptacles. Then just plug them in as an "appliance". They can't deny you a permit if all you're installing are 2 receptacles. Grid-tied, typically means you are intending to send power back to the utility grid for NET metering or NET billing. I...

Your inverters are in a 120/240V split phase configuration. In this configuration, you should remove both N-G screws from both inverters, and then bond N-G at the sub-panel so it is only bonded in 1 place. If you only removed it in one inverter and not the other, it may cause a ground fault...

Another fire burned this poor man's cabin to the ground. He said it was a faulty charge controller that caught fire. Then he said it was MPP. These inverters have no ground fault protection, no arc fault protection, no rapid shutdown, and half the time the installer doesn't put in proper...

Yes, that's close. I have the CT on the Grid input to my main panel to cap at zero-export for the HM inverters. I also have a relay where you have the CT, to turn off the inverter, and I have my current controller between the battery and the inverter that also controls the relay, low battery...

My new inverter is on its way from Hoymiles. I purchased the 7.6LV, 7.6kW for my own home. I'm going to be making videos showing the installation process, and my evaluation. It is currently compatible with UL Listed, Soluna EOS 5k, and 10k Pack LV, batteries. Hoymiles has informed me that they...

Tamarack Solar has several inexpensive ground mount component kits. They give you all the fittings and clamps, but you need to source the Schedule 40 galvanized pipe. Unirac, IronRidge, and K2, all have pre-engineered ground mounts with plans you can download for permits. Honestly, they are...

We service dozens of sites with trackers. We replace motors, bushings, bearings, bent shafts, etc. They are junk. Any extra energy that is gained while they are working is easily lost when they're not and stuck in the wrong direction. It's no fun.

There is nothing in the NEC code that says current can't flow through a ground wire. I've been dealing with the NEC since 2006. In fact, in the US there are many old houses that use the metal conduit as the grounded neutral conductor, and others where there is only 1 grounded conductor, running...

The batteries do not deliver VArs, they are DC and can only deliver Watts. So unless Enphase has a huge AC ripple voltage riding on top of the DC voltage, which I doubt is the case. The Vars are circulating in the inductance and capacitance of the inverter, not the battery. That power comes from...

Update, my Enphase system has been running flawlessly since turning it on. No complaints. Other than the weather because it's been overcast or thunderstorms nearly every day. However, today my system hit a new production record, 25.19 kWh, or 2.52 kWh per solar panel, per day. It is...

It's just a good business decision. If you're going to spend money on advertising and branding anyway, it's better to promote 1 brand than multiple brands. Private labeling equipment also gets you better volume discounts and lower transportation charges. These manufacturers will even add your...

I can get NEP Inverters, but the only one available right now is the BDM-600X. It's a great inverter and NEP is a good company. I've known their CEO, Ed H. for a long time since he was a VP at Advanced Energy and I was a VP at Cenergy Power. However, it takes a looooonnnngass time to get UL...

I'm thankful you are making these corrections, to help avoid the confusion. I copied a page from the EG4 6.5 Manual, so everyone can see that "Grid-tied" like a Sol-Ark is NOT listed as one of the features for this inverter. It is not a "Grid-Tied" inverter, whereas the Sol-Ark is. It is...

Exactly, which makes me think the battery cables were undersized or long or something was limiting the current to less than the SUM of the battery breakers. Apparently, he didn't have a main breaker/fuse on the battery wire coming into the inverter. That's a no-no! When current is divided...

No, per code the BMS cannot be your Overcurrent Protection for the inverter. Yes, the BMS will limit the current and can even open the circuit, but that is not the OCP that NEC is referring to. A BMS will not qualify as the OCP for the inverter. In some cases the BMS could fail too due to a high...

Merry Christmas, y'all! We had a brief power outage two nights ago, on the coldest night of the year. Temperatures got down to 5 deg-F, with a wind chill of -5! My DIY battery system combined with my Enphase IQ Battery 3T worked great! Short video description.