diy solar

diy solar

Am i buying a decent hybrid and is it legitimate advice needed,

H

heather-

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2023
Messages
149
Location
Wigan
hi, hope your all well, and enjoying free electric, chuckles.:)

Im just about to order a edecoa hybrid inverter model em-452a, its perfect for my setup, as from my solar array im getting 4400 watts,, but i cant seem to find this model listed on the edecoa official website, does anyone have experience with this model ?.

I'm also confused, the maximum watts from my solar panels should be 4200 but im getting 4400. i have 6 trina boards and two longi boards.
 
heather- said:
hi, hope your all well, and enjoying free electric, chuckles.:)

Im just about to order a edecoa hybrid inverter model em-452a, its perfect for my setup, as from my solar array im getting 4400 watts,, but i cant seem to find this model listed on the edecoa official website, does anyone have experience with this model ?.

I'm also confused, the maximum watts from my solar panels should be 4200 but im getting 4400. i have 6 trina boards and two longi boards.
Click to expand...
Hi @heather- and welcome to the forum!
Looking up the inverter you listed, this is a 24v DC - 240V AC inverter - which makes sense for your UK location. I don't know anything about edecoa and honestly can't recall anyone discussing them on the forum - or at the least, not that I recall. Before spending your money, it would be good to hear from some members first. Hopefully this bump to your post gets some attention. @SeaGal is very knowledgable - maybe they have heard of this make and model -?

not sure what you mean about the "4200 watts from my solar panels but getting 4400" - I mean if you didn't order the inverter yet, how is it that you know the incoming PV ?
That said, I have seen my own panels out-perform their ratings in perfect conditions - but normally during cold weather, not in summer when the panels are hotter. What are the Trina and Longi panels you have?
 
Hi OFFgrid
OffGridForGood said:
Hi @heather- and welcome to the forum!
Looking up the inverter you listed, this is a 24v DC - 240V AC inverter - which makes sense for your UK location. I don't know anything about edecoa and honestly can't recall anyone discussing them on the forum - or at the least, not that I recall. Before spending your money, it would be good to hear from some members first. Hopefully this bump to your post gets some attention. @SeaGal is very knowledgable - maybe they have heard of this make and model -?

not sure what you mean about the "4200 watts from my solar panels but getting 4400" - I mean if you didn't order the inverter yet, how is it that you know the incoming PV ?
That said, I have seen my own panels out-perform their ratings in perfect conditions - but normally during cold weather, not in summer when the panels are hotter. What are the Trina and Longi panels you have?
Click to expand...
Hi thanks for the reply and the warm welcome, wow you've got some setup there fella, chuckles, i wired them all series, each Trina panel is capable of 415 watts max independently x 6, and the two longi panels x 2 are capable of 420 max independently , so total should be 4200 watts max.
my reading from my multi meter is 340 volts @ 13 amps, after connecting all panels in series, times them together and it makes 4400 watts, is this correct ?. i tested them on a cheap mppt charge controller and its the same reading,

the longi panels have a 3 amp higher rating than the the Trina panels, but the Trina panel's have a higher voltage by 7 volts or so.

the weird thing is i tried arranging the panels at first by connecting them in series and parallel, to suit a different inverter, but my overall watt reading was only 3400 watt, which made me unhappy, bonkers, so i set them up in series only to suit this hybrid inverter I've mentioned here , and boom 4400 watts super duper, but I'm concerned so i thought i would mention it.

Both where tested in exact same weather, its got me baffled, chuckles,

Your correct about the specs to on the hybrid inverter, there on sale on eBay for 330 at the mo, 430 on amazon, the eBay seller seems pretty reputable, and as sold loads, but i cant find any of his models on the edecoa official website.
but out of the hundreds he's sold on eBay there's no complaints, he also offer a 60 day returns policy
 
Last edited:
I did a quick search on this forum - turns out there are quite a few posts about the edecoa - use the search function ^^^^ up there^^^
take a look at what others have posted about this unit. It looks like this is a common unit in UK.
 
OffGridForGood said:
I did a quick search on this forum - turns out there are quite a few posts about the edecoa - use the search function ^^^^ up there^^^
take a look at what others have posted about this unit. It looks like this is a common unit in UK.
Click to expand...
hi thanks again, I've read them, all in all seem ok, but I'm hoping someone can point me to an official edecoa support website for this model before i buy it
 
OffGridForGood said:
I see that @SeaGal has posted about this make before
Click to expand...
I was summoned :) (y)

A chap called Sam from the UK who seems to have since left this site had one of those and AFAIAA was very happy with it. See some of his postings by searching on "EDECOA" by user "SamDeleted"...
https://diysolarforum.com/search/2615393/?q=edecoa&c[users]=samdeleted&o=relevance

The inverter is very cheap, but for a reason, it is not approved in the UK for connection to the electricity grid.

So, if you are planning on a fully off-grid setup, it could be a cheap option.

If you want something more mainstream and able to be grid tied, suggest you look into SunSynk (aka Deye) or Solis - both these inverters are popular amongst UK & European members on here.
 
SeaGal said:
I was summoned :) (y)

A chap called Sam from the UK who seems to have since left this site had one of those and AFAIAA was very happy with it. See some of his postings by searching on "EDECOA" by user "SamDeleted"...
https://diysolarforum.com/search/2615393/?q=edecoa&c[users]=samdeleted&o=relevance

The inverter is very cheap, but for a reason, it is not approved in the UK for connection to the electricity grid.

So, if you are planning on a fully off-grid setup, it could be a cheap option.

If you want something more mainstream and able to be grid tied, suggest you look into SunSynk (aka Deye) or Solis - both these inverters are popular amongst UK & European members on here.
Click to expand...
Hi thanks for the reply would you have a link for this recommendation thanks,

my plan was to wire this hybrid ive listed here up to my main fuse board in my house with a isolation switch just before the fuse board, and when im using solar, switch the isolation switch of to the main fuse board from the grid supply, could i do this thanks. so basically have two feeds going into my main fuse board in my house both with isolation switches one from the grid one from the solar , but only one switched on at any one time
 
Last edited:
gfjardim said:
Maybe a doppelgänger of this:

View attachment 224413

Almost bought one of those, but went with Deye instead.
Click to expand...
Hi thanks for the reply it does look similar to the edecoa do you have a link for this powmr inverter going for sale ty,

also the deye you mentioned could you provide a link for that to ty honey , how's the deye been for you thanks
 
Ive just had word back from edecoa official support from there customer support who say they do make this model ive listed here, chuckles i thought it was a clone or something, I'm just waiting for them to provide a support link now.
 
heather- said:
so basically have two feeds going into my main fuse board in my house both with isolation switches one from the grid one from the solar , but only one switched on at any one time
Click to expand...
I have a 3 position 100A changeover switch after my 100A DNO fuse, Grid in, Sunny Island in and feed to consumer unit.

Position 1 then the Grid feeds the CU with no Sunny Island connection.

Position 0 no connection to CU

Position 2 Sunny Island feed the CU with no Grid connection.

To get from 1 to 2 or 2 to 1 you must pass through 0 so the grid is never back fed by the Sunny Island.

An example


You size it based the amps of your DNO fuse.
 
heather- said:
my plan was to wire this hybrid ive listed here up to my main fuse board in my house with a isolation switch just before the fuse board, and when im using solar, switch the isolation switch of to the main fuse board from the grid supply, could i do this thanks. so basically have two feeds going into my main fuse board in my house both with isolation switches one from the grid one from the solar , but only one switched on at any one time
Click to expand...
No - it's not that simple. That will not power all your house loads and there would be a number of concerns especially regarding grounding and switch over (as @kommando just highlighted).

I suggest you consult a qualified sparky. That type of installation will require a qualified Part-P electrician.

See my posting here, that covers some of the technical and legislative requirements for the UK...
diysolarforum.com

Octopus Energy will no longer require MCS certification in the UK

https://gtec.co.uk/clause-5-8-octopus-opens-up-the-solar-pv-market-with-a-paragraph/ I'm not sure how exactly the UK's permitting and approval process works but this sounds like a major win for DIY.
diysolarforum.com diysolarforum.com
 
heather- said:
Hi OFFgrid

Hi thanks for the reply and the warm welcome, wow you've got some setup there fella, chuckles, i wired them all series, each Trina panel is capable of 415 watts max independently x 6, and the two longi panels x 2 are capable of 420 max independently , so total should be 4200 watts max.
my reading from my multi meter is 340 volts @ 13 amps, after connecting all panels in series, times them together and it makes 4400 watts, is this correct ?. i tested them on a cheap mppt charge controller and its the same reading,

the longi panels have a 3 amp higher rating than the the Trina panels, but the Trina panel's have a higher voltage by 7 volts or so.

the weird thing is i tried arranging the panels at first by connecting them in series and parallel, to suit a different inverter, but my overall watt reading was only 3400 watt, which made me unhappy, bonkers, so i set them up in series only to suit this hybrid inverter I've mentioned here , and boom 4400 watts super duper, but I'm concerned so i thought i would mention it.

Both where tested in exact same weather, its got me baffled, chuckles,

Your correct about the specs to on the hybrid inverter, there on sale on eBay for 330 at the mo, 430 on amazon, the eBay seller seems pretty reputable, and as sold loads, but i cant find any of his models on the edecoa official website.
but out of the hundreds he's sold on eBay there's no complaints, he also offer a 60 day returns policy
Click to expand...
Could it be that you're reading open circuit/short circuit numbers and comparing this to the array under load or Vmp Imp rating?
 
SeaGal said:
No - it's not that simple. That will not power all your house loads and there would be a number of concerns especially regarding grounding and switch over (as @kommando just highlighted).

I suggest you consult a qualified sparky. That type of installation will require a qualified Part-P electrician.

See my posting here, that covers some of the technical and legislative requirements for the UK...
diysolarforum.com

Octopus Energy will no longer require MCS certification in the UK

https://gtec.co.uk/clause-5-8-octopus-opens-up-the-solar-pv-market-with-a-paragraph/ I'm not sure how exactly the UK's permitting and approval process works but this sounds like a major win for DIY.
diysolarforum.com diysolarforum.com
Click to expand...
Understood my plan was to only run light loads when switched on solar, would this make a difference.

how I'm understanding it, if either isolation switch is switched of, how could any a electricity ?pass through the one that is turned off ?
 
littleharbor2 said:
Could it be that you're reading open circuit/short circuit numbers and comparing this to the array under load or Vmp Imp rating?
Click to expand...
Hi correct it was open circuit reading, but why the big jump between different arrays when setting the panels up ie only 3000 watts when combined in series and parallel and then 4400 watts when combined in series only
 
heather- said:
Understood my plan was to only run light loads when switched on solar, would this make a difference.
Click to expand...
IMHO, it makes no sense to attempt something non-standard like that.

It is straightforward in the UK to purchase a grid-tied and approved inverter and connect directly to the grid. Then any solar you produce will automatically be used to power house loads. Impractical to do it otherwise IMHO.

A G98 compliant inverter produces less than 16A per phase and then it's only a case of informing your DNO after commissioning - prior approval is not required.
 
Last edited:
I had an Educoa 24V inverter, lasted about 4 months when the display went out. I contacted educoa and they said they would RMA it, but then they stopped responding, never did hear from them again. The inverter still seems to work, but I have no idea what any voltage/amps/watts are since the display is dead. I replaced it with a different 24v inverter and keep it only as an emergency spare.
 
SeaGal said:
IMHO, it makes no sense to attempt something non-standard like that.

It is straightforward in the UK to purchase a grid-tied and approved inverter and connect directly to the grid. Then any solar you produce will automatically be used to power house loads. Impractical to do it otherwise IMHO.

An G98 compliant inverter produces less than 16A per phase and then it's only a case of informing your DNO after commissioning - prior approval is not required.
Click to expand...
no problem thanks dude, it could be done in theory tho ?. my other option is to just wire two sockets directly to the inverter and bring them into the house and possibly disconnect the lights from the main fuse board and wire them up to the inverter, my budget is tight,

did you find a good price for the grid tied inverter you mentioned thanks ?
 
Hogheavenfarm said:
I had an Educoa 24V inverter, lasted about 4 months when the display went out. I contacted educoa and they said they would RMA it, but then they stopped responding, never did hear from them again. The inverter still seems to work, but I have no idea what any voltage/amps/watts are since the display is dead. I replaced it with a different 24v inverter and keep it only as an emergency spare.
Click to expand...
which model was that thanks
 
Hogheavenfarm said:
I had an Educoa 24V inverter, lasted about 4 months when the display went out. I contacted educoa and they said they would RMA it, but then they stopped responding, never did hear from them again. The inverter still seems to work, but I have no idea what any voltage/amps/watts are since the display is dead. I replaced it with a different 24v inverter and keep it only as an emergency spare.
Click to expand...
do they need a load attaching to them to stop them from switching of at night time or will batteries suffice
 
I would go with a grid tied hybrid. Deye is not sold in the UK, just Sunsynk which works the same.

IMHO, I would go with a “buy once, cry once” approved solution.
 
There is no point in running small loads off of solar, you are making back the most bang for your buck when powering heavy loads and keeping them off your electric bill.
 
You can get a decent G98 3.6kw inverter off ebay for £200 to £300 that can be installed without needing permission, you only need to inform. Couple that with a excess Diverter to hot water and that will give you a cheap install to best use of the panels setup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

diy solar

diy solar
Back
Top