Things I have learned using solar power for a few years now.

Solar panels actually produce electrical power if placed in the sun and a load applied. The power they can produce is not a constant since many factors change the amount of sun the panels can see. First being the sun rises and sets.

Rainy days are not good for solar power.
Cloudy days are not good for solar power.
Seasons change the amount of solar power you can harvest as well as panel placement (tilt, pointing) and things like shadows.
Hot days reduce power and cold days can result in burning up your SCC if you don't allow for higher voltage.

I learned that a lot of the components that are sold for taking power from the solar panels is iffy (some are outright hazardous) in terms of quality. Wires, terminals, fusses, holders, breakers and other things. I learned that you really have to study a components specifications to ensure that it works for and how you intend it to. There are a lot of gotchas if you do not want to read the operators manual but wing it. I also learned that some of the operators manuals were written by a large group of monkeys pounding on typewriters attempting to create the works of Shakespeare.

I leaned over time that much of the advice floating around the 'net on how to setup a nice working PV setup is horribly wrong. Though there is a great deal of really good advice on this Forum. Thanks for Will and the contributing members for making the Forum happen.

I am still learning. It seems just when I have it mostly figured out some new thing comes up to be aware of. For you other folks on the solar quest what have you learned so far?

Add one more to your list.
Solar panel ventilation matters too.....

After panels, batteries, and inverter, I was surprised how much the balance of system stuff added to the cost.

Good wire, good tools, good lugs, good fuses, good mounts, more good wire….

Bluedog225 said:

After panels, batteries, and inverter, I was surprised how much the balance of system stuff added to the cost.

Good wire, good tools, good lugs, good fuses, good mounts, more good wire….

Click to expand...

I have been learning that myself. The cost of a solar setup is a bit like doing plumbing. Every little fitting adds up in price. And some of those little things are not cheap.

Mattb4 said:

what have you learned so far?

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it's fun, addictive and so satisfying when you can DIY things
and you can get bonus points because others think you're being eco
oh... and it saves a bit of money too!

After about two years in, I learned that the "baby steps" approach cost me too much money. I spent nearly $5k on a Bluetti AC200Max with two B300 batteries that's pretty much useless now (in light of my 6000xp) and can't be resold for anything near what I paid. When I first started I just wanted to back up a fridge or two and maybe a couple lighting circuits, but because the solar input is so low it never could really keep up. Also the power quality of the Bluetti is terrible. Lighting was constantly flickering, some lights wouldn't even function in dimmer mode and when I used it on kitchen circuits, the microwave clock and coffee maker clock were off time due to the inaccurate frequency on the Bluetti.

At the end of the day it's my fault for not doing my homework and getting a portable power station to try to do the job of an inverter that's designed for residential loads

Seems like getting components that give you decent headroom and not trying to push settings to the max yields peace of mind and reliable performance.

After joining this very useful forum, the challenge now is to periodically check connections for tightness, and refrain from buying more solar because it is fun.

KITROBASKIN said:

...

... and refrain from buying more solar because it is fun.

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I am a sloww learner in that regards. However it is one other thing the process of buying and getting solar stuff has taught me. Getting things shipped is a hit or miss proposition. Will it come quickly, months later or never? Will it come intact or smashed to hell by the shipping company? If things do not go smoothly can I rely on CS to make it right?

One thing I learned - overpanelling can work but can also lead to hot wires. I have ~150ft of 6awg in EMT from combiner boxes to Midnite Classic 150s (~4400w at 100%). Started with 3s4p (3420w) per Midnite but then over paneled to 3s6p (5130w). This consistently brings the Midnites to their max in spring/summer afternoons but my wire temps (inside the conduit) rose along with this to 55-60C / 131-140F. While within wire insulation specs (in theory), the heat could be felt with the finger at the main bus/control box as they emerged from the conduit - enough so I put temp probes to get data.

So, because of the fire/rebuild, I'm adding a Midnite / reconfiguring to go back to 3s4p on all the Midnites to keep wire temps squarely <40C / 104F in hottest summer day.

My point - overpanelling is fine but one may need to think about the wiring (size, length, temps), not just can the controller / system handle things.

*This other thing I've learned over the last 7 years - panels are just COOL! as they sit there, quietly, and make useable power with no maintenance year after year!.

I have been pleasantly surprised how much electricity I can generate with my temporary set up of 42 panels on ground in those buckets. (Still working and long way off on permanent system)

I’ve learned that a 12v system isn’t as useless as some make it seem. My small 2400w solar array adequately keeps my 8kwh of 12v LFP batteries charged while also powering two 12kbtu mini splits, mini fridge, multiple wireless routers, multiple fans, cell booster, and a couple security cameras running just fine in the peak of summer with 115F temperatures.

Once your system is up and running the piece of mind not having to worry about food in the fridge, meat in the freezer, combustion fan for the coal stove, minisplit, well pump, etc is amazing.
Sit back and enjoy the storm without a care in the world if the grid goes down.

It's an extremely addictive hobby that's very costly while gratifying and rewarding.

Mattb4 said:

I have been learning that myself. The cost of a solar setup is a bit like doing plumbing. Every little fitting adds up in price. And some of those little things are not cheap.

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i have learned this too that's why I go with pre-wired stuff these days ,they are nicer too

I went to my parents yesterday, and their power had been off for 5 hours. I like that my power never goes out.

SoakedUp said:

I’ve learned that a 12v system isn’t as useless as some make it seem. My small 2400w solar array adequately keeps my 8kwh of 12v LFP batteries charged while also powering two 12kbtu mini splits, mini fridge, multiple wireless routers, multiple fans, cell booster, and a couple security cameras running just fine in the peak of summer with 115F temperatures.

Click to expand...

i have a 100ah lifepo4 12v system for security lighting a little over 5 years old and not doing great.

22 pieces 3w /12vdc lights operating with a cheap 20a Chinese lifepo4 charge controller with dusk till dawn feature

Mattb4 said:

For you other folks on the solar quest what have you learned so far?

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It's almost too many things to list.

The best thing I learned early on was that buying wire and tools to make whatever I cables I needed with whatever connector was appropriate was a MUCH better plan than overpaying for pre-made. Looking back, I don't understand my reluctance at first.

The most important thing I've learned is that if my head isn't in it, don't work on it. This stuff requires full attention to make sure you're building and maintaining a safe system. There are a few times over the years where I've been a bit distracted and then thought "Yikes, that could have ended badly. Pay attention!"

So much learning!

I have learned that no matter how much battery I have, I always want/need more. I have also learned that the other members of the household won't be anywhere near as frugal with power as I am. Case in point... 18 year old son that thinks it is just fine to take a 45 minute hot shower at 11pm at night. We have electric hot water, and I just watch the kWh get drained as the water heater and pumps go active...ugh, never mind that the bathroom exhaust fan is left running an hour after the shower. I have six more SOK 48v server rack batteries that I will install soon.

As poster Bob142 said, "if my head isn't in it, don't work on it", how true that is. I have to be vigilant when working around all the potentially dangerous voltages that are in my solar room. I got a quick bite from 240v a couple of years ago that got a holler out of me as I jumped while right in front of my wife. Funny thing, I was wrapping some electrical connections at the time so that my sons would not get shocked by inadvertently touching the hot wires of the 240v, and ended up shocking myself.

I also learned through the DIY Solar Forum that buying quality products with USA technical support is a must. Good grief, how many posts are for help on products that have no USA technical support or are some strange, cheap no name Chinese brand. I am totally off-grid and I don't have a grid to fall back on, so my system has to work and stay working.

Lastly, I learned that if I had to pay someone to install my system, then it would have never happened. Kudos to my wife and sons for all their hard work and efforts on helping to install the mounts, panels, inverters, transformers, batteries and the 600 feet of trenching required.

SolarTexan said:

... Kudos to my wife and sons for all their hard work and efforts on helping to install the mounts, panels, inverters, transformers, batteries and the 600 feet of trenching required.

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Having a wife that will dig a trench 600ft for you is damn impressive. I have had women willing to dig me a hole 6ft down but never a 600ft trench.

Danke said:

I have been pleasantly surprised how much electricity I can generate with my temporary set up of 42 panels on ground in those buckets. (Still working and long way off on permanent system)

Click to expand...

Yep, my 8 panels, 10K inverter and 5 batteries are supplying the majority of power for my home. The last few months my electric bill has been about $20 (for the circuits my system is not supplying power to).

Kenny_ said:

Yep, my 8 panels, 10K inverter and 5 batteries are supplying the majority of power for my home. The last few months my electric bill has been about $20 (for the circuits my system is not supplying power to).

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I’m pretty much all electric. Stove, washer/dryer, water heater, etc. Did run a wooden stove this last winter when it got really cold. I bought three of those Midea U shape window AC units for a temporary solution until I get the geothermal heat pump set up. With those windows units, I have a total of 28,000BTUs. And that’s been enough to keep a 3500+ square-foot home plenty cool so far.

I’ve never gone below 50% state of charge on my battery bank.

Mattb4 said:

Solar panels actually produce electrical power if placed in the sun and a load applied. The power they can produce is not a constant since many factors change the amount of sun the panels can see. First being the sun rises and sets.

Rainy days are not good for solar power.
Cloudy days are not good for solar power.
Seasons change the amount of solar power you can harvest as well as panel placement (tilt, pointing) and things like shadows.
Hot days reduce power and cold days can result in burning up your SCC if you don't allow for higher voltage.

I learned that a lot of the components that are sold for taking power from the solar panels is iffy (some are outright hazardous) in terms of quality. Wires, terminals, fusses, holders, breakers and other things. I learned that you really have to study a components specifications to ensure that it works for and how you intend it to. There are a lot of gotchas if you do not want to read the operators manual but wing it. I also learned that some of the operators manuals were written by a large group of monkeys pounding on typewriters attempting to create the works of Shakespeare.

I leaned over time that much of the advice floating around the 'net on how to setup a nice working PV setup is horribly wrong. Though there is a great deal of really good advice on this Forum. Thanks for Will and the contributing members for making the Forum happen.

I am still learning. It seems just when I have it mostly figured out some new thing comes up to be aware of. For you other folks on the solar quest what have you learned so far?

Click to expand...

OffGridInTheCity said:

One thing I learned - overpanelling can work but can also lead to hot wires. I have ~150ft of 6awg in EMT from combiner boxes to Midnite Classic 150s (~4400w at 100%). Started with 3s4p (3420w) per Midnite but then over paneled to 3s6p (5130w). This consistently brings the Midnites to their max in spring/summer afternoons but my wire temps (inside the conduit) rose along with this to 55-60C / 131-140F. While within wire insulation specs (in theory), the heat could be felt with the finger at the main bus/control box as they emerged from the conduit - enough so I put temp probes to get data.

So, because of the fire/rebuild, I'm adding a Midnite / reconfiguring to go back to 3s4p on all the Midnites to keep wire temps squarely <40C / 104F in hottest summer day.

My point - overpanelling is fine but one may need to think about the wiring (size, length, temps), not just can the controller / system handle things.

*This other thing I've learned over the last 7 years - panels are just COOL! as they sit there, quietly, and make useable power with no maintenance year after year!.

Click to expand...

Just a thought… when wiring is installed in EMT a neutral, and all of the hot wires must be in the same conduit to cancel the induction. Separate EMT conduits for N, L1 & L2 will create heat.

Kent86 said:

After about two years in, I learned that the "baby steps" approach cost me too much money. I spent nearly $5k on a Bluetti AC200Max with two B300 batteries that's pretty much useless now (in light of my 6000xp) and can't be resold for anything near what I paid. When I first started I just wanted to back up a fridge or two and maybe a couple lighting circuits, but because the solar input is so low it never could really keep up. Also the power quality of the Bluetti is terrible. Lighting was constantly flickering, some lights wouldn't even function in dimmer mode and when I used it on kitchen circuits, the microwave clock and coffee maker clock were off time due to the inaccurate frequency on the Bluetti.

At the end of the day it's my fault for not doing my homework and getting a portable power station to try to do the job of an inverter that's designed for residential loads

Click to expand...

I think we all spent some "Tuition" on these projects before we arrive at true "Investment" phase

the goal is to reduce the Tuition phase

dougbert said:

I think we all spent some "Tuition" on these projects before we arrive at true "Investment" phase

the goal is to reduce the Tuition phase

Click to expand...

But I bought all my stuff. Got a great deal. How do I make it work?

Bluedog225 said:

But I bought all my stuff. Got a great deal. How do I make it work?

Click to expand...

do it and separate the Tuition from the Investment

remember Tuition is paid to reach Investment

NOTE: it has taken me 25 years to reach my level of Investment (see signature) back when we did not have this website, nor the tech we have today. In 2000, it was Homepower magazine only for the most part and some get togethers in John Day, Oregon. Never could get to Minnesota for the big renewal fair, or was it Wisconsin?

In 2000 the Trace SW4024 inverter was the SolArk of the day. Still got mine and have loaned it to a friend who is using it at his camp site on his property

I still have the son of Trace, with the Xantrex SW+5048 I used for a few years. I am using its grandson, the XW Pro, today

Myself, son and a friend of his dug the 250' trench for solar power. After watching us wife has decided that we WILL rent a trencher for the next project.