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Gave up on the forklift battery idea when the EQ4 14.3KWH & also EP Cube batteries became so cheap. When I factor in a $200. per KWH Ca. rebate, a 30% federal tax deduction, a 5% discount, and free shipping then my net cost for an EP Cube system w/inverter and 19.8KWH of battery takes the...

Anybody know if I can install an EP Cube gateway with grid in-out wired & then actually operate it as a pass-thru for grid power before battery & inverter (s) are installed and system commissioned? Looking like I will be ordering an EP Cube w/2 inverters and 39.6KWH of batteries on Monday...

I know people do arc weld with a couple of old car batteries. That said, has anyone tried to weld anything with 10 or 12 panels in parallel? Small arc welders usually have about 25V secondary volts and 70-140 amps. Just adding or subtracting panels should work for control.

South facing vertical (fence style) panels mounted in landscape would be the most efficient in snowy winter conditions. It would require really strong poles/posts. One great advantage is they would self-clear of snow.

Bifacials won't help in your wall application. I think 6 vertical rails directly anchored to the brick and 12 end clamps would be, cheapest, strongest & simplest. I am also considering a few west facing wall panels to help with afternoon air conditioning loads, but mine will be a full foot away...

At least check your local welding supply on the cost of welding lead cable when you need larger sizes. The super-fine wire is flexible, handles higher amps than standard wire, and is available in red & black.

An update, yesterday after lots of email & a few phone calls, I reached a milestone w/PG&E. I will be able to stay in NEM2 even if I cancel the solar PV only approved application and reapply for a system that includes batteries, and I have it in writing. I do not know if I can increase from...

@meetyg What a hazard, somebody from the building department would red tag that within a week. Even in china, I suspect.

Yes & Yes. Of course, your water circles the drain backwards so I could be wrong if everything else is backward too.

Assuming you haven't yet started this project, I have a few concerns. Solar fences do work great when run N & S. Assuming the view west of your property is clear, then the rear W end where you have 5 panels is your prime location. To better utilize it you should make the panels either 2 high in...

To be effective you need a white reflective surface under your bifacial panels and ideally, they should be 42" above the ground on the front edge to optimize light reflectance. Check out Sinclair, Powers, and Opsun mounts but they are pricy.

To be effective the solar fence should only run north and south with 50% panels facing east and 50% facing west. To make it even better having your total solar system with your fence mounting 1/3 facing east, 1/3 facing west, and 1/3 as a conventional ground mount tilted solar array facing...

Actually, a solar fence works great when using bifacial panels and it runs north & south. The east & west faces do a great job in the morning and afternoon. You decide when you want peak production, for example you need to start recharging batteries earlier in the morning and run air...

250A @ 12V w/copper stranded THHN in open air= 1/0 ok, 2/0 better. That said, #1 (AWG) welding cable should be perfect. Sorry, I only do metric on my Hondas.

9.99KW version of 18KVP that still has 200A AC pass-thru. There may be a place for a 9.99KWH 48V battery in the 14.9KWH enclosure too.

Assuming the line has a little extra length, it would be easy to cut out the damaged part and solder (sil-fos) it together with a copper coupling. That would require using a gauge set and vacuum pump to evacuate the line for a few minutes before releasing the refrigerant from the condensing unit...

@sunsurfer That said, the 1X-L is designed to be electrically conductive and work in a very tough environment. Dielectric lube was originally designed to lube distributor cams and the rubbing block on points without fouling to contacts or shorting the rotor and distributor cap. Totally different...

OK, the EP Cube w/ batteries is California approved, it was just hidden on the list. To find EP Cube on CA Solar Equipment List: Category: Energy storage system Brand: Shenzhen Eternalplanet Energy Models: EP Cube ComLite NA-3-06-G-1 6.66 KWH Battery NA-5-10-G-1 9.99 " NA-6-13-G-1...

For my grid-tied NEM2 installation I see a lot of nice features in the EP Cube. First it has a full 200A pass-thru thus the "Gateway" can directly replace a 200A disconnect on the exterior of my house without any work at the interior main panel. It is easy to expand both inverter and battery...

Anybody successfully install an EP Cube with PG&E NEM2 or NEM3 approval?

Isn't conductive silver paste mostly used as a heat transfer compound?

Consider using aluminum wire, I found Cerro (brand) 8ga AL THHN/THWN-2 40-amp/600-volt wire red, white & black for $.28 ft. online at Ktool. Seriously low voltage drop for not that much money. If you ever do use aluminum wire, be sure to get the proper compound to use on the connections. PS...

Trying to get a better electrical connection with a non-conductive grease makes zero sense, the best that will do is allow tighter mechanical pressure because of lubricated threads. You might however find a different result using a conductive grease like Tweco rotary ground lubricant 1Z-L, sold...

I just looked up the panel and see the operating @ 20.4V & 4.91A. If I were doing it, I would wire the panels in series-parallel for 40.8V & 9.82A and use 14Ga to the charge controller. If you use 24V (16.6A max out) after the charge controller 12GA would be fine to the buss. I would find a used...

To clarify everything: My goals: A. Reduce overall energy costs for electricity & propane by installing the PG&E NEM2 agreed 9.6KW PV system. B. Eliminate frequent power outages. C. Replace (obsolete) split unit ducted HVAC 4-ton R22/propane heat with a new ducted inverter 4-ton heat pump (Will...

This appears to have been resolved a while back. EG4 says there is no problem with PG&E, and they have many approved PG&E installations. I am still working to confirm it though. Still hope to order a heat pump & 18KPV this week. Will wait to order the batteries until sometime after PG&E sign's...

Better yet, an ice builder. Take an insulated tank, refrigeration condensing unit, copper tubing, make a coil in the tank, charge, and fill with water. Now circulate water in-out across your giant ice cube for air conditioning. Concept has been used in the dairy industry to cool milk for nearly...

"Look for recent threads about PRD PCS on that inverter and you’ll see how the CEC list is not the final say about ESS installations with PG&E."? I don't understand what you have said here, please explain. PRD PCS? ESS?

I will call EG4 tomorrow. Maybe PG&E is OK with it as a LUX, after all they make it & it is also listed a Lux, but I don't know who else sells it.

I need the 200A pass-thru, and don't want to do it twice. The 18KPV is on the CA state approved list both with & without EG4 14.3KWH batteries. What problem can PG&E have? When I talked with PG&E they did think it was an 18K output inverter though. They did say I could use it to replace the...

I could certainly start in NEM2 by installing the system with the 9.6KW of panels and a 18KPV mounted at the proper elevation so that future batteries can just be slid underneath. I would start first with 24K of heat pump strictly on PV temporarily while I assemble the system. That would reduce...

SEER= seasonal efficiency ratio= higher the SEER the higher the efficiency. Previous SEER ratings have been obsoleted by the new SEER2 rating.

A simple AC electric water heater will work. Simply match the AC voltage with about the same DC voltage. That said, the existing water heater controls will not safely turn high voltage DC on and off. The contacts will arc excessively and quickly weld on or melt. You will need a "high voltage DC...

Why not take about 120V DC directly from the panels to the existing 240V lower heat element. To a heat element there is no difference between AC & DC. It would be best to use a "high voltage DC contactor" (Littelfuse DCN or equal) as the existing water heater thermostats/thermal switches cannot...

The EG4 24K hybrid heat pump has a SEER2 of 21 while the 12K AC only has a SEER2 of 28.5. I think there is a good case to be made favoring using two 12K AC only mini splits. During the spring and fall periods where there is no need for heating or cooling having 6-8 unused solar panels makes no...