Solar mission creep.

You know how it is. Your original intention was to see if this solar stuff actually works. So you pick up a solar panel or two and prop them in the sun. A voltage reading tells you they are doing something so you hook up a SCC and a battery and all of a sudden nothing happens. Oh yeah the battery is charged and you need a load. You could power a DC item but what you really want is to get that good ol' AC juice, that real stuff in your house runs on.

Next up comes an inverter to take that solar produced power and have AC available. So you look about for whatever seems to have big numbers and is cheap. 12vDC 5000w looks great. After getting it all hooked up you now have some AC to power stuff. But wait it does not seem to work right. The battery goes dead in a short while. Need more battery if you are going to run things. Unfortunately your solar panels can't keep the larger capacity battery charged so that means more panels. More panels necessitate a new SCC or mulitple SCC's.

Panels propped up off the porch are rather flimsy so some form of better mounts are needed. While at it maybe this solar stuff could power a few more loads if you add some more panels. More panels and higher voltage batteries would allow a better inverter or an AIO. More house loads can be supplied now. You start thinking "Hey, if I can power all this maybe I can go Off grid?"

After a few more iterations, with your bank account getting dangerously low, you suddenly realized you have suffered from mission creep.

Sounds like my project. Had to replace our roof, which required removing and replacing the existing grid-tied system. Left me with 21 Sanyo 200watt panels I just couldn't toss. Bought an EG4 6000ex and a couple of batteries, just to test.

Today I have 6 EG4 LifePower4 batteries in a rack, 20 Sanyo panels generating power and 10 new 370 watt panels waiting to ship from Signature Solar. I think I may be done for the time being.

wildbillpdx said:

Sounds like my project. Had to replace our roof, which required removing and replacing the existing grid-tied system. Left me with 21 Sanyo 200watt panels I just couldn't toss. Bought an EG4 6000ex and a couple of batteries, just to test.

Today I have 6 EG4 LifePower4 batteries in a rack, 20 Sanyo panels generating power and 10 new 370 watt panels waiting to ship from Signature Solar. I think I may be done for the time being.

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Define "time being"...

My saving grace is that my roof is almost entirely East/West, AND I need to re-roof soon, so I'm limited to just my 1-car garage roof to play with. Otherwise, I'm in the same curious boat!

#IfYouGiveAMouseACookie

My first adventure into solar power involved buying mirrors at yard sales, cutting them into 2x2 inch squares, and gluing them to a 6 foot diameter satellite dish. I poured a coffee can full of molten aluminum and used it at the focal point as a heat sink wrapped with soft copper tube. Man, would that thing make steam!
Never got to the steam engine stage but I have been creepy ever since.

wpns said:

#IfYouGiveAMouseACookie

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Had to look it up.

HighDesertOffgrid said:

My first adventure into solar power involved buying mirrors at yard sales, cutting them into 2x2 inch squares, and gluing them to a 6 foot diameter satellite dish. I poured a coffee can full of molten aluminum and used it at the focal point as a heat sink wrapped with soft copper tube. Man, would that thing make steam!
Never got to the steam engine stage but I have been creepy ever since.

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That's awesome! I was reading about solar water purification using 2-l soda bottles in Africa, and ended up researching solar furnaces. I still dream of creating a 5 MW furnace making molten salt for heat storage at night to run a steam turbine. That'd be some awesome fun!

I just wanted to run some shop lights, when the utility was down...Honest!

I started with this and 200W of panels to keep the coal stove lit when the power went out. (I know those breakers and 'bus' bar are shit, I was a rookie)

It's evolved to this powering the entire house.



I have more expansions creeps planned before fall...

42OhmsPA said:

I have more expansions creeps planned before fall...

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I have to say, the "creep" seems to be picking up speed, more of a shuffle, maybe a leisurely walk, or a jog, perhaps a trot, or closer to a canter, or a slow gallop...

OffGridForGood said:

I have to say, the "creep" seems to be picking up speed, more of a shuffle, maybe a leisurely walk, or a jog, perhaps a trot, or closer to a canter, or a slow gallop...

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I'll go with a power walk for now. It will be an all out sprint when I find land to build on.

My system evolved after installation was done to finding dump loads when I had excess PV. I had monitored electric usage for a year before the system was finished, I had a good idea what I needed for minimum system size. Dump loads started as electric resistive heaters, then first mini split, then heat pump water heater, now another mini split, now electric resistive heaters and appliances controlled by smart receptacles by apps on my phone. The creep is towards energy efficiency and having a smart home.

Oh mine was classic scope creep.

I started with a 4 kW AIO backup power system with 10 kWh of lead acid batteries. Actually I started with a crappy 2-stroke generator and extension cords. Then a much better generator (Yamaha inverter). Then added a transfer switch and power inlet to power house circuits rather than extension cards. Then came the 4 kW AIO. Then I added some solar PV to it. Then I started to use it to run the pool pump. Then I added another 10 kW of lead acid. Then I added Solar Assistant and realised I could automate some of its functions so trialed running the home with it. That worked but it was under powered. Then I swapped it out for an 8 kW AIO powering the home, with 10 kWh of LiFePO4 batteries, keeping 20 kWh of lead acid as backup reserve. Then integrated with Solar Assistant and Home Assistant keeping close tabs on all the home's energy systems and load automations. Then I reconfigured the main circuit panel to have a dedicated essential loads panel. Then I added an Iotawatt energy monitoring system and along with Solar Assistant integrated it with Home Assistant keeping close tabs on all the home's energy systems. Then I started working on all my load automations. Then I repurposed the old 4kW AIO as a way to use my EV's vehicle to load function to supply supplemental charge to the home battery as an extra backup reserve.

It. Does. Not. Stop.

This is great stuff. I'm just getting started with a battery big enough to get us through a power outage. When my wife complains about all the new parts, I just say, "Hey, this is better than my last hobby. Remember when I started homebrewing beer and it made me forget how to drive?"

bolhuijo said:

getting started with a battery big enough to get us through a power outage.

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And how long is that power outage you are planning for?

wattmatters said:

Oh mine was classic scope creep.

I started with a 4 kW AIO backup power system with 10 kWh of lead acid batteries. Actually I started with a crappy 2-stroke generator and extension cords. Then a much better generator (Yamaha inverter). Then added a transfer switch and power inlet to power house circuits rather than extension cards. Then came the 4 kW AIO. Then I added some solar PV to it. Then I started to use it to run the pool pump. Then I added another 10 kW of lead acid. Then I added Solar Assistant and realised I could automate some of its functions so trialed running the home with it. That worked but it was under powered. Then I swapped it out for an 8 kW AIO powering the home, with 10 kWh of LiFePO4 batteries, keeping 20 kWh of lead acid as backup reserve. Then integrated with Solar Assistant and Home Assistant keeping close tabs on all the home's energy systems and load automations. Then I reconfigured the main circuit panel to have a dedicated essential loads panel. Then I added an Iotawatt energy monitoring system and along with Solar Assistant integrated it with Home Assistant keeping close tabs on all the home's energy systems. Then I started working on all my load automations. Then I repurposed the old 4kW AIO as a way to use my EV's vehicle to load function to supply supplemental charge to the home battery as an extra backup reserve.

It. Does. Not. Stop.

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I forgot, I also added another 5 kWh of LiFePO4 battery. And there is another 6.6 kW of PV and rails etc down in the shed waiting to be used.

The one load I'm hung up on powering off-grid is the ducted aircon. That's just a bridge too far for this system. For now.

MisterSandals said:

And how long is that power outage you are planning for?

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and what is it going to power?

Started with 8 surplus telecom AGM batteries and a 1500 watt inverter. It ran the lights, tv and a couple freezers overnight. Had the grid tied system and a decent generator for the few times the grid went out, never intended to put up more solar panels or a bigger inverter.

wattmatters said:

and what is it going to power?

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2 days. Fridge, TV, WiFi, gas furnace blower (if winter).

Mission creep, never heard of it.
Let’s see….what does my system need(me want). Checks bank account….Ohhh that’s creepy, yikes.