• Have you tried out dark mode?! Scroll to the bottom of any page to find a sun or moon icon to turn dark mode on or off!

diy solar

diy solar

Most reacted posts

  • Post in thread: Post Battery Bank and Inverter! (pictures only)

    In my travel trailer:
  • Post in thread: Midnite Solar Batteries

    Stumbled across the Powerflo batteries now listed on NAZ's website. Ship dates are stated as "end of August to early September." Powerflo5: $1,099 https://www.solar-electric.com/midnite-solar-mnpowerflo-5-48-volt-server-rack-mount-lfp-battery.html Powerflo16: $3,999...
  • Post in thread: What Type Of Nut To Use In A Mobile Install

    Nylon lock nuts are the most economical and user friendly. Their effectiveness is reduced slightly each time they're removed and reinstalled but you can usually get a few uses out of them. Here's a great video showing the resistance to vibration of different options. Yes it's an ad for...
  • Post in thread: Post Battery Bank and Inverter! (pictures only)

  • Post in thread: What is your ROI?

    My total before any tax credit is just under $23k, will be right around $16k all said and done. $14k for 1x 18kpv, 1x Powerpro, 20x Qcells 410W, Tamarack racking, Tigo RSD's, shipping. $9k for an electrician to install and hook it all up, including conduit, wiring, 2x MTS, and permit fees. My...
  • Post in thread: Got switched to NEM3, so will be exporting 15kWh storage from 4p-9p one month

    This is what I've seen for NEM3 with PG&E
  • Post in thread: New heat pump tech for cold temperatures: cascade configuration

    How does the second stage condenser not freeze over? Heat pump efficiency drops off a cliff below freezing because they have to periodically reverse refrigerant flow to defrost the condenser, which requires energy but is counter-productive to heat generation. Are these systems that much more...
  • Post in thread: What size battery bank do yall got?

    5kWh on my travel trailer 14kWh for my house (coming soon)
  • Post in thread: What should a 12 V 100 amp power lithium ion battery charge to? Three of mine go to 13.2 V but one of them will only go to 12.8.

    My litimes will rest around 13.7v at full charge. Charge voltage I use 14.2v and they usually will cut themselves off a little over 14.5v.
  • Post in thread: Solid Bars connecting battery terminals?

    I made my own for 4 batteries in parallel on my camper trailer.
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Quick update: I gave up trying to find a comparison under NEM3 showing the "added" benefit of selling back to the grid. So I started playing with Excel and built my own calculator. After doing this, I'm leaning heavily toward the EP Cube system. The results are (in order of original...
  • Post in thread: EG4 Solution: Encrypting your Wi-Fi dongle connection

    I'm in the same situation: V2.06 but no encryption option. On V1.5.2 of the Android app. Edit: meant to quote techguy but you get the idea.
  • Post in thread: Can Solar & LiFePO4 voltages hurt tow vehicle electrical system?

    Plenty of people (myself included) have installed a lifepo4 battery in their car without any problems. If vehicles can tolerate that, a battery in the trailer is nothing.
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    So turns out I was wrong on the sunset date for the property tax exemption: it's the end of 2026 not 2024. Effective September 18, 2022, Senate Bill 1340 (Stats. 2022, ch. 425) amends section 73 to extend the new construction exclusion for active solar energy systems from 2023-24 to the 2025-26...
  • Post in thread: Question for Victron SmartShunt users...

    Bring the battery up to what you know is a full charge regardless of what the shunt says then you can calibrate the shunt to 100%. Then you should see more accurate values.
  • Post in thread: New guy with solar RV plans, equipment help please?

    Hi Vince, welcome! Sounds like a fun project. The good news is that with a generator you always have a backup so you can experiment a bit (if you want). Check your power center, it may or may not be compatible with charging lithium batteries from the engine/generator since they run at a...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Simple enough, see below. The averages are skewed high by a few extremes; they're all equal or greater than the P50 values (not shown). Coverage will vary depending on the system but for around 15 kWh (12 kWh @ 80% DoD) a good chunk of the nights (7pm-9am) are covered. Where I'm at doesn't get a...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Thanks for the response, you bring up some good points. I'm a very handy person and don't mind a more hands-on approach to setting up and managing the system. Heck, if I could build my own system from scratch that's the route I would go. Unfortunately I'm stuck with what PG&E approves so all I...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    My original question that I was looking for information on was whether spending more on a setup capable of export would result in a reasonable ROI on that additional cost. In my case I'm looking at the Sol-Ark/Pytes setup vs the EG4 setup but the same general concept would apply when comparing...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    To be clear, I very much appreciate the discussion and have learned a ton from everybody on this thread. So thank you :)
  • Post in thread: Optimizers or 2 more panels?

    Ah gotcha. I would either do RSDs only or the optimizers. The monitoring built in with the optimizers would be nice but on its own it's not that important to me. Besides, the cost of RSDs w/monitoring is barely any less than using optimizers that have the monitoring included ($6 per module)...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    The production vs usage numbers seem reasonable for a 6kW south facing system: The MidNite One looks nice and would fit the bill (even with "only" 100A pass through), but until it's fully certified and on the list of approved equipment for CA it's a non-starter. Also, on timing, doesn't the...
  • Post in thread: Optimizers or 2 more panels?

    Here's maybe a better illustration of what I'm dealing with (pre-tree trimming). I don't expect to get much of anything from panels once they become shaded but I do want to minimize the impact the shaded ones have on the remaining ones. That's what I'm trying to accomplish. Would optimizers...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Interestingly, cutting down to a single 5kWh battery actually increases the ROI slightly compared to three of them: it adds 0.1 year. I understand what you're saying though since that would be equivalent to a system with 4 Pytes batteries (20 kWh) for the price of roughly 2 Pytes batteries. The...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    My calculator is as basic as it gets: when the battery is at the upper SoC limit, excess solar goes to grid. If there's not enough solar and battery is at the lower SoC limit, draw from the grid. It references the NEM 3 table but doesn't optimize in any way to game the timing of exports. The...
  • Post in thread: EG4 18kPV 12lv can't be used in Cali as of aug 28 2023

    Has it been approved for PCS export and just waiting for the listing or does it still need to be approved?
  • Post in thread: Optimizers or 2 more panels?

    Thanks all for the feedback. I understand what you're all saying but for the sake of this discussion let's assume these panels will work well enough to justify their existence but will still have some amount of recurring shade in the afternoon. Doing more research it looks like the internal...
  • Post in thread: AC Bypass mode - Sol-Ark_15k vs EG4_18kpv vs Tesla Powerwall_3

    What happens in a situation where <50A of inverter power is available due to battery SoC and/or PV output but the loads exceed that? Say PV production can only supply 10A but loads are 15A... does the 18kpv draw 5A from the grid to supplement the inverter or does it draw all 15A from the grid...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Thank you for taking the time to lay all of that out, it's really helpful. I looked into these guys and they've got some good products at decent prices, all approved like you said. My only reservation is they've only been around since 2022 so who knows how much longer they will be. Your point...
  • Post in thread: Optimizers or 2 more panels?

    I'm designing a rooftop system for my house that's going to be subject to shading from nearby trees (see image). Both trees will be trimmed down to minimize their impact but won't be going away entirely. The shade I describe below is before any cutting has been done to the trees. This is in...
  • Post in thread: EG4 Monitor Center Widget???

    Huh, how about that. Can someone explain to me why my total battery charge is 40kWh greater than my total battery discharge? They were reset at the same time 2 weeks ago. Is my one 14.3 kWh battery hiding 26kWh from me???
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Good point. I've run the numbers and it's at most $28/year cheaper with my projected usage on EV2-A or E-TOU-C compared to E-ELEC w/o export. So that cuts it down to $170/year, which would still be worth exporting. That sounds nice and all, but since I don't have a generator and won't be AC...
  • Post in thread: Four Aptos DNA-120BF10-440w Design

    Not an expert but I've set up my trailer similarly and it's been working so far. Here are a few thoughts on your schematic: -Are you planning 12v or 24v? I assume by the DCDC converter the answer is 24v. If 12v you need to revisit some wire and fuse sizes. -If your solar panel Voc can reach...
  • Post in thread: Question on number of solar panel bus bars

    To set the tone, this is entirely out of curiosity. These panels are already installed and I have no reason to be dissatisfied at this time. I bought some Qcells Q.PEAK DUO ML-G10+ 410W panels from Signature Solar. There was no mention of bus bars but the SS part number ended with -6BB so I...
  • Post in thread: EG4 12KPV ALL-IN-ONE HYBRID INVERTER

    @EG4TechSolutionsTeam any update on 9540 certification?
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    How would they enforce it?
  • Post in thread: EG4 18kPV 12lv can't be used in Cali as of aug 28 2023

    That's great news! Any idea on timing for them listing it?
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    If that's the case, is the maximum capacity of these types of inverters equal to the inverter PLUS the pass through? Take the 18kpv as an example, is the max capacity actually 250A, 50A (12kW) inverter + 200A pass through? Because that might change my opinion on some of the options.
  • Post in thread: Optimizers or 2 more panels?

    Microinverters would be the ticket but expensive like you said. I'm going to get 2 additional panels instead of the optimizers and split up the array into two parallel strings of 7 panels. The additional panels will also help keep voltage where the MPPTs need it to be in the parallel...
  • Post in thread: EG4 18kpv MPPT with Mixed Voltages

    The 18kpv has 3 mppts, the first of which has 2 inputs. The performance of one mppt does not impact the others. As long as each of your strings is connected to its own mppt then you're good. I have 3 strings on my 18kpv (no optimizers). 2 are on the same roof that experiences shading and 1 on...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Talking about the 18kpv. Maybe it was a misunderstanding in the thread below but I agree if it can't do that then that's a big deal. https://diysolarforum.com/threads/ac-bypass-mode-sol-ark_15k-vs-eg4_18kpv-vs-tesla-powerwall_3.86968/#post-1146179
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    I'm planning out the setup for my house and trying to navigate the sea of requirements for selecting an affordable hybrid system that's approved by PG&E. Here are the most affordable options with similar specs as far as I can tell, in order of my preference: 1) EG4 18kpv + EG4 Powerpro x1 Pros...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    The only mention I could find in the manual is the last sentence below. If it can blend power in this scenario it should be able to in others as well. 13.1.2 PV CHARGE PRIORITY MODE The order of priority for solar power usage will be Battery>Load>Grid. During the PV Charge Priority period...
  • Post in thread: EG4 18kPV 12lv can't be used in Cali as of aug 28 2023

    Any update on timing for this? There haven't been any changes to EG4 inverters on the approved list and they still don't say approved for PCS.
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    Thanks for the info and suggestions. I'll look into these a bit more in the coming days. Excellent advice.
  • Post in thread: Optimizers or 2 more panels?

    I should clarify: this will be used with an 18kpv and each string will have its own dedicated MPPT (3 strings total - 2 South and 1 West). These panels have enough voltage with 4 in series to get into the MPPTs' operating range so there's some but not a lot of wiggle room, hence my comment about...
  • Post in thread: Hybrid questions CA PG&E

    I'm unclear if it includes labor costs but to keep the math simple, 1% of a $20k system means an additional $200/yr in property taxes. That alone wipes out roughly 7% of annual savings (assuming a nice round $3k/yr targeted savings). It's not massive but it's not nothing either.
  • Post in thread: EG4 18kPV 12lv can't be used in Cali as of aug 28 2023

    Little help on this? I'm new, IDK EG4 accounts on here.
  • Post in thread: EG4 Monitor Center Widget???

    Very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to explain. Now you've got me thinking, and that's scary. I'm using my powerpro with voltage for battery control since my BMS board was DOA and won't communicate (waiting on a new one). Which I suppose further cements your opinion on EG4 BMS's. This...
  • Post in thread: Optimizers or 2 more panels?

    With my layout I'd need 8x dual module RSDs (TS4-A-2F @ $46) plus 2x single (TS4-A-F @ $30) for a total of $428. 18 Optimizers (TS4-A-O @ $43) cost $774. But they also require a TAP ($57) and CCA ($138), plus an enclosure and some wiring (say $50) for a total of $1,019. After tax that's right...

diy solar

diy solar
Back
Top