100w panel discussion and my future system. Advice needed
- Thread starter midwestsolarnoob
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Pi Curio
Sunlicious
I've read two of the threads on the NE 370 panel you've mentioned, and as far I can tell, these perform well.
True, it's not Jinko, etc. in terms of production quality(near perfection) but I don't think I've seen anyone here saying they have performance issues with these panels. Also, having more people on this forum using that particular model is a plus IMO. And the panel is small for nearly 400W, which is very nice!
If you would ask me, at that price, I'd go for it.
Just my 2 cents.
Most of these modern residential panels are pretty high in performance and longevity, sure there are higher quality ones but not for that price, certainly not new afaik.
Anyhow, it's always worth checking out all the options before buying.
This Hyundai one looks good in the specs, a bit heavier and more expensive though. Hyundai panels in general are usually of high quality.
Hyundai 395W Bifacial Solar Panel (Silver) | Up to 470W with Bifacial Gain | HiS-S395GI
Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL
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SignatureSolarJess
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Can't forget about us!
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any assistance!midwestsolarnoob
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I’ve been keeping an eye out on there
midwestsolarnoob
New Member
It does appear they’re performing well. They also have a 25/25 year warranty which is helpful. I’m thinking I’m going to pull the trigger on at least 10.I've read two of the threads on the NE 370 panel you've mentioned, and as far I can tell, these perform well.
True, it's not Jinko, etc. in terms of production quality(near perfection) but I don't think I've seen anyone here saying they have performance issues with these panels. Also, having more people on this forum using that particular model is a plus IMO. And the panel is small for nearly 400W, which is very nice!
If you would ask me, at that price, I'd go for it.
Just my 2 cents.
Most of these modern residential panels are pretty high in performance and longevity, sure there are higher quality ones but not for that price, certainly not new afaik.
Anyhow, it's always worth checking out all the options before buying.
This Hyundai one looks good in the specs, a bit heavier and more expensive though. Hyundai panels in general are usually of high quality.
Hyundai 395W Bifacial Solar Panel (Silver) | Up to 470W with Bifacial Gain | HiS-S395GI
Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL
I’m in between 24v and 48v. 12v is so easy to find components for but would be limiting on inverting to AC. Plus I like the idea of using smaller gauge wiring for the higher voltage. I could probably squeeze by on 12v, highest power using device will be a mini split heat pump. Which is only 300-1000 watts. I like the idea of having the extra power capability tho
midwestsolarnoob
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I have actually. And your customer service is very helpful!Can't forget about us!
SignatureSolarJess
Online Engagement Specialist
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This is wonderful to hear! Thank you!
JMACK61
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Having started with 8, 100 watt Rich Solar panels I ordered off Amazon in 2018, they work fine. But seriously after being 6 years in this game I would not touch a 100 watt panel if my house depended on it. The 8 panels use to be my source for charging lead acid batteries when I was just learning. I had them proudly on my roof when nobody in the hood had solar. I thought I was something. Now I have 12, 305 watt Canadian Solars. I put those 8 panels on my shed and bought a cheap Powmr charge controller and they charge a 24 volt battery that run a 2000 watt inverter for lights and charge power tool batteries In the shed only. if I could give away these panels away I would (and I tried). Unless you spending $20 a panel or less, You won‘t be happy with the money spent later.
0truck0
New Member
I would not do 12 volts with this many panels. Consider 24 or 48.
I would try to do bigger panels, 400w, even if you have to Tetris some 100 w panels in to maximize space.
I would make it at least two systems. two controllers, maybe front and back as you might be parked half in the shade and this way you have one system 100% in the sun at least, and have redundancy in case a panel goes so not to take down the whole system. I personally have two systems on two battery systems that are separate.
I use the Chins batteries Will suggested and tested, no temp sensor, but they stay inside and I can disconnect the solar easy enough if I ever let it freeze inside, I dont let it freeze. Never had issues, as said, they are all china, so the differences is in the BMS.
That's what I would do. Anything you do will work though.
I would try to do bigger panels, 400w, even if you have to Tetris some 100 w panels in to maximize space.
I would make it at least two systems. two controllers, maybe front and back as you might be parked half in the shade and this way you have one system 100% in the sun at least, and have redundancy in case a panel goes so not to take down the whole system. I personally have two systems on two battery systems that are separate.
I use the Chins batteries Will suggested and tested, no temp sensor, but they stay inside and I can disconnect the solar easy enough if I ever let it freeze inside, I dont let it freeze. Never had issues, as said, they are all china, so the differences is in the BMS.
That's what I would do. Anything you do will work though.
Pi Curio
Sunlicious
For 1000W AC a 24V system is plenty, keeping things nice and cool at about 50A-ish.
Worth considering
Might be worth investing in an inverter of 3200W ish and thicker wires from the get-go, so you could later just add more 24V batteries(assuming you're going with an off-the-shelf battery) and power up to 2500W AC devices for a decent amount of time.
Xijia 3200W 24V inverter is one of the better ones, but you'll need to do some research on it and find a good seller in the US.
Check out John Daniel on YT. This guy is the real deal, probably the best on YT IMO. Great character too. He gets straight to the point, raw data, no BS. Sometimes, I wonder if he has Croatian roots
The thing is, once you get the hang of basic solar panel system design theory, you want to hear more from someone who knows a thing or two about hardware, runs, and evaluates these devices to the point of failure.
He has multiple videos on the Xijia Inverters, he uses the 12V version of that inverter.
Here's one to get started
The PV
The thing is, it's highly likely that you'll need to connect your panels in 2s per SCC to have high enough PV voltage at all times to get some charge into the battery, be it 24V or 48V.
The Hyundai ones might have enough Vmp for 4P configuration @24V, yet if shading isn't that much of a concern to you, you could use 2 panels in series per each SCC/side of the bus. It would work just fine, either the NE 370W or Hyundai ones.
The system voltage.
In my opinion, the 48V off-the-shelf batteries are way overpriced when making the comparison with the price of the cells these days, at least here in Europe as far as I can tell.
So, unless you need over 3000W AC or the price for a 48V 100Ah(minimum) is reasonable at your end, I'd stick with a 24V battery.
As previously mentioned, you can manage a 2500W AC Load with a good 3000W+ Inverter, thicker(2/0)cables, and enough battery juice.
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midwestsolarnoob
New Member
So as far as inverters go I’m between a victron multiplus and giandel 4kw. I’m not sure yet exactly which way I want to go. It depends on in the room we have available in our build. It might be easier for me to mount up the Giandel and maybe add a quality 120v to 24v charger. But if I have the room I’ll probably stick with victron.For 1000W AC a 24V system is plenty, keeping things nice and cool at about 50A-ish.
Worth considering
Might be worth investing in an inverter of 3200W ish and thicker wires from the get-go, so you could later just add more 24V batteries(assuming you're going with an off-the-shelf battery) and power up to 2500W AC devices for a decent amount of time.
Xijia 3200W 24V inverter is one of the better ones, but you'll need to do some research on it and find a good seller in the US.
Check out John Daniel on YT. This guy is the real deal, probably the best on YT IMO. Great character too. He gets straight to the point, raw data, no BS. Sometimes, I wonder if he has Croatian roots
The thing is, once you get the hang of basic solar panel system design theory, you want to hear more from someone who knows a thing or two about hardware, runs, and evaluates these devices to the point of failure.
He has multiple videos on the Xijia Inverters, he uses the 12V version of that inverter.
Here's one to get started
The PV
The thing is, it's highly likely that you'll need to connect your panels in 2s per SCC to have high enough PV voltage at all times to get some charge into the battery, be it 24V or 48V.
The Hyundai ones might have enough Vmp for 4P configuration @24V, yet if shading isn't that much of a concern to you, you could use 2 panels in series per each SCC/side of the bus. It would work just fine, either the NE 370W or Hyundai ones.
The system voltage.
In my opinion, the 48V off-the-shelf batteries are way overpriced when making the comparison with the price of the cells these days, at least here in Europe as far as I can tell.
So, unless you need over 3000W AC or the price for a 48V 100Ah(minimum) is reasonable at your end, I'd stick with a 24V battery.
As previously mentioned, you can manage a 2500W AC Load with a good 3000W+ Inverter, thicker(2/0)cables, and enough battery juice.
I did do a quick search of the inverter you suggested and Amazon has a listing. Not a lot of reviews though. Makes me alittle hesitant.
As far as batteries, probably going to DIY 8S 24v battery packs. I’m an automotive technician so I’m used to DC voltage. But I may get EG4 server batteries as I really like their set up for the price. They have some cool features and safe guards.
I’ll have to check that YouTuber out! I’ve watched a lot of Wills videos and enjoy learning about all this stuff.
I’m not sure yet on parallel or series connections for panels! I’m just soaking in as much advice as possible lol thanks for the all info! I really appreciate it
Pi Curio
Sunlicious
Giandel is also a well-known brand with a decent-quality HF inverters, but the Victron with its LF inverters is in a league of its own. Their equipment just works, is durable, has a lot of features packed within its ecosystem, and last but not least, going Victron saves you money and headaches in the long run.
Especially if you plan to go with Victron SCC and Shunt where Victron allows for a noticeable expansion of features within its ecosystem. Obviously, as you've said, It depends if you have the room for it. But from an investment point, Victron is worth it.
In general, I would recommend asking more about Victron Multiplus here on the forum before buying one. As always, ask questions, ask a lot of questions!
There are quite a bit of advantages to DIY batteries, Yet, if the price is right for EG4 server batteries and alike, the simpler the better.
Will is great! He does an amazing job explaining solar in a way that's easy to understand to everyone. Plus, he has a whole library of videos on solar topics. Great content, and there's a lot to learn from his videos! I know I did
John Daniel focuses more on hardware so to speak, the one he tested and uses daily, Inverters, batteries, and so on. From a more technical and or real-world usage/performance perspective, that works well and does not break the bank so to speak. Such content is invaluable after figuring out the theoretical part of a solar panel system design.
There's a ton to be learned from him as well, regardless of whether one is going for the equipment he talks about or not.
Nothing to it, happy to help
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midwestsolarnoob
New Member
I pulled the trigger on 10 of the NE Solar 370w panels from SS. They seem like they’re solid panelsGiandel is also a well-known brand with a decent-quality HF inverters, but the Victron with its LF inverters is in a league of its own. Their equipment just works, is durable, has a lot of features packed within its ecosystem, and last but not least, going Victron saves you money and headaches in the long run.
Especially if you plan to go with Victron SCC and Shunt where Victron allows for a noticeable expansion of features within its ecosystem. Obviously, as you've said, It depends if you have the room for it. But from an investment point, Victron is worth it.
In general, I would recommend asking more about Victron Multiplus here on the forum before buying one. As always, ask questions, ask a lot of questions!
There are quite a bit of advantages to DIY batteries, Yet, if the price is right for EG4 server batteries and alike, the simpler the better.
Will is great! He does an amazing job explaining solar in a way that's easy to understand to everyone. Plus, he has a whole library of videos on solar topics. Great content, and there's a lot to learn from his videos! I know I did
John Daniel focuses more on hardware so to speak, the one he tested and uses daily, Inverters, batteries, and so on. From a more technical and or real-world usage/performance perspective, that works well and does not break the bank so to speak. Such content is invaluable after figuring out the theoretical part of a solar panel system design.
There's a ton to be learned from him as well, regardless of whether one is going for the equipment he talks about or not.
Nothing to it, happy to help
Pi Curio
Sunlicious
Nice. These will do so much better than 100W panels in every way possible.
Have you decided on which SCC you plan to go with?
For your consideration;
With the two of the NE 370W in series per SCC per one side of the bus, you can likely expect about 629W-ish in the real world(an 85% of the panel's STC rating) in nice weather/panel orientation. Roughly 1258W peak in total from both Twin combos( 2x[SCC-2x370W-inSeries] ).
With that said, the Victron 100/30 can deliver 880W max @24V, which means it would have enough headroom for 630W(2 in series) of solar to avoid running at its maximum and keep the temperature down.
More specifically;
630W solar / 24V = 26.25A charging which translates to about 87.5% utilization of the SCC's max 30A rating.
Although highly unlikely, even if the panels achieve 100% of its STC(standard test condition) rating, the Victron 100/30 can fully utilize it.
As far as the 2x NE 370W in series go, the combined panel Voc is about 82V, or 82% of the SCC max supported Voc.
Per the solar panel datasheet, you're good for up to 60℃(140F) Delta from the STC's 25℃(77F).
Hope it helps.
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