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Hi. I have 8 x 100 watt Renogy panels. I want to buy rail and clamps but am having a hard time finding small quantities. Any suggestions? Thanks.

@rmaddy I got the VE.Direct Smart Dongle, plugged it into my inverter and was able to set the low voltage cut off. Thank you again!

After a little more poking around I see that my inverter only has a ve.direct port, so I’ll get the ve.direct smart dongle. We’ll see how this goes…

Thank you. It’s like a puzzle to figure all of this out. I really appreciate it pointers.

I'm ordering a Smart Dongle now. I was so confused that I couldn't monitor or configure the inverter. Thank you!!!

Thanks for the quick reply. That makes sense. The Phoenix 1200 doesn’t connect via Bluetooth so I need to figure out the adapter / dongle situation. I will look the ones you referenced above. Thank you!!!!

I’m stumped. Sorry this is a dumb question. I have an SOK 206 connected to a Victron 1200 inverter and a smartshunt 500. I want to set the low voltage shut off level but can’t figure out how to do that in the inverter or shunt. Do do I need to add an extra device for this? Any pointers are...

@merlin714 i added a second charge controller today. I capped each at 25 amps. I’ll see how it goes tomorrow. In hindsight I wish I built a 24v system, but it’s just the learning curve.

Or I can get a second 30 amp charge controller and wire it to the second array. Then each array/controller can put out 360 watts into the battery for a total of 720 watts. This is probably the easiest/cheapest option.

Or I suppose I could get a second battery, wire it for 24v and charge it at 30 amps to get to 720 watts... but then I'd need to replace my 12v inverter. Expensive lessons!!!

Thanks for flagging this. I've been researching all night and you are right! I'm new to all of this. So you are correct that I'm over paneled with this controller. I think it will be ok on the input, but the output is limited to 30 amps x 12 volts = 360 watts into the battery... which wasn't...

Thanks. The charge controller is spec'd at 30 amps and 100 volts, so as long as you stay under that, you are fine. I have two arrays of 4 panels each. Each array is wired in series, then the two arrays are wired in parallel. According to this calculator, it's only going to peak at 74.4 volts...

I did this mostly for fun 8 x 100 watt Renogy panels Victron 30/100 charge controller Victron smartshunt 500 Victron Phoenix 1200 inverter SOK 206 battery Goal Zero Yeti 500x I use it to power my wifi, garage door, ebike and flashlight batteries. It also can charge the Tesla model 3 in a pinch.

Hi. I did a similar project - small solar rig to trickle charge my Tesla. Here's an overview I ran into the same grounding issue that you describe above. You have to ground the AC output from your inverter to the chassis, then ground the chassis to an Earth ground. Here's how it works in a...

This is just a proof of concept that I did while stuck in quarantine. It shows how you can build your own micro solar system for trickle charging your Tesla (or anything else). I will add more panels / batteries over time. By the end of the day it added 12 miles of range to to the car / day...

I don't know how to do it, but my ideal would be to build a small system that shaves the peak times. At $.50/kwh it wouldn't be a very long payback.

Ha! You are 100% right. I would like to add more panels,,, and another battery… it is addicting. This rig is literally next to my home service panel. I wish here was an easy way to power a few of my home circuits from it… like the refrigerator. Right now it’s powering stuff that I could easily...

My first solar project, thanks to Will Prowse! I put this on my home roof/garage as emergency back up power. Works great. Feedback is welcome.

Thanks for the pics @Lowcountry It's great that you were able to put 2 good size panels on there.

@LR~Eagle that's exactly what I'm thinking. Maybe 100w to trickle charge a battery for blackouts or some up lights, Christmas lights or ???

Agreed with both of you. Just a panel or two attached to plywood and then attached to this to power a battery or some lights.

Yes! ~20 kwh/day. I have a flat, south facing roof, and a decent understanding of panels, inverters, wiring, etc, so I might take the plunge on a DIY set up and then have an electrician tie it to the grid. It's not complicated... especially if someone helps put the kit of parts together to...

Holy smokes, they just raised that peak rate. I'm on the EV-A plan Midnight to 3pm: $.18 3:00 - 4:00 $.39 4:00 - 9:00 $.50 (wow!) 9:00 -midnight: $.39 We have shifted our laundry, dishwasher to mornings. Fortunately we live in SF, so no A/C or major heating. My bill is only $100-$120/month...

Thanks for your response. I pay $.18/kwh from midnight to 3pm, then higher rates in the evenings (~$.35). We don’t drive a lot. I agree that net metering is the way to go. Thanks!!!

I was just removing an old Directv dish from my roof and noticed that it’s perfect for a solar panel mount. It’s well engineered, it can swivel and articulate (with degrees marked!) and it’s already attached to my roof. They are probably easy to find for free. Just remove the dish and the...

Thanks. I'll check it out.

Hi. I know just enough to be dangerous. I live in San Francisco. Just got a Tesla Model 3 Long Range (82kwh battery). Is there a relatively straight forward way to have solar panels on my roof go into a battery, then inverted to a 220v NIMA 1450 plug that charges my car? My ideal solution...