BrokerTinkerFarmerDad
New Member
Hi all, I’m new here, but have been a subscriber of Will’s for a while. As such, you think that’d I’d have installed my system myself, but, as often happens, life got in the way. To start off, I’ll give you all some background.
So, I had SolarEnergyWorld install a 26.4kw, grid-tie system consisting of 80, 330 Trina panels, and 3 Solar Edge inverters. This was finally lit up in early November. They did have a batteries available for sale, but they were $10K each for 10kw batteries, so I decided that was something I’d tackle. Not just to save money, which it def will, but also it sounds like a fun project.
Moving on. Our farm, like most, I’m sure, is a mess of wiring (and water pipes) stretching across the better part of 6 acres on our property. Feeding this spaghetti mess are 2 Utility meters. One serves the house and my shop, and the other serves our barn, office, gym, and pool. Our solar is connected to the latter, mostly due to proximity. 68 of the panels are mounted on the barn, and 12 are on our office/gym, which is where the meter is located.
On the main house, power comes from the utility pad mounted transformer (100kva) next to my garage > Meter > 200A Service Disconnect Symphony II Automatic Transfer Switch > 200A Main panel > 50A Mechanical Sub-panel. That meter also feeds 200A service to my shop.
The other meter is fed by the same transformer > Meter> 200a Panel which in turn feeds 60a panel in the barn and a 60A panel at our pool. This meter is fed by the solar system.
My plan is/was to go with a 30-35kWh rack system for batteries, but I’m uncertain of how to effectively tie them to my solar and to the panel. My solar salesperson is no help at all. I can have my electrician hook it up, but he can’t really tell me what I need to buy. 35kWh may seem large, but because we have livestock, I need to ensure that we have power enough to last a few days of dark skies due to storms. My intent is to be independent from the grid when it becomes necessary due to high costs or simply more expedient. We do share the net metering across the meters, which covers about 70% of my carry costs.
My problem now is actually figuring out how to add batteries so a) the solar will keep them charged, b) the transfer from the grid to the battery system is automatic, a la my generator and c) the system is designed to be easily disconnected from the grid. Ideally, I’ll have two battery systems, leaving the propane generator as a backup to the backup, but that sounds too complex to tackle at the moment. Baby steps.
All things being equal, I’d rather generate and store my own power rather than let BGE dictate terms. We are on a well, have oil heat/hot water, and cook and heat our pool with propane. So, while I do have to buy oil and propane, the tanks we have are large, (1,000 gal Oil tank and 3, 250 gal propane tanks) and so we only need fill them once a year for propane, and once every 2 years for the oil. To reduce our oil and propane use even further, I’m actively looking to purchase solar water heaters for every building and for the pool, but that’s a question for another
Anyway, back to the battery question. Given my goals: eventual energy independence, automatic switching, and large enough to provide 3 days of power, what says the group? I had initially planned on rack mounted EG4 batteries, but I’m open to suggestions. Money is a consideration, but I’ll pay more for a product with a better warranty, excellent customer service, and intuitive operation. Basically, if it’s easy to use, and I can get someone on the phone to answer my questions, it’s worth more to me. I don‘t want to have to learn a new language to use the system, but I’m also not a Luddite.
Finally, if anyone on here is a specialist in these systems, in the DC/Annapolis, I’d be interested in talking offline.
TIA!
Rob
So, I had SolarEnergyWorld install a 26.4kw, grid-tie system consisting of 80, 330 Trina panels, and 3 Solar Edge inverters. This was finally lit up in early November. They did have a batteries available for sale, but they were $10K each for 10kw batteries, so I decided that was something I’d tackle. Not just to save money, which it def will, but also it sounds like a fun project.
Moving on. Our farm, like most, I’m sure, is a mess of wiring (and water pipes) stretching across the better part of 6 acres on our property. Feeding this spaghetti mess are 2 Utility meters. One serves the house and my shop, and the other serves our barn, office, gym, and pool. Our solar is connected to the latter, mostly due to proximity. 68 of the panels are mounted on the barn, and 12 are on our office/gym, which is where the meter is located.
On the main house, power comes from the utility pad mounted transformer (100kva) next to my garage > Meter > 200A Service Disconnect Symphony II Automatic Transfer Switch > 200A Main panel > 50A Mechanical Sub-panel. That meter also feeds 200A service to my shop.
The other meter is fed by the same transformer > Meter> 200a Panel which in turn feeds 60a panel in the barn and a 60A panel at our pool. This meter is fed by the solar system.
My plan is/was to go with a 30-35kWh rack system for batteries, but I’m uncertain of how to effectively tie them to my solar and to the panel. My solar salesperson is no help at all. I can have my electrician hook it up, but he can’t really tell me what I need to buy. 35kWh may seem large, but because we have livestock, I need to ensure that we have power enough to last a few days of dark skies due to storms. My intent is to be independent from the grid when it becomes necessary due to high costs or simply more expedient. We do share the net metering across the meters, which covers about 70% of my carry costs.
My problem now is actually figuring out how to add batteries so a) the solar will keep them charged, b) the transfer from the grid to the battery system is automatic, a la my generator and c) the system is designed to be easily disconnected from the grid. Ideally, I’ll have two battery systems, leaving the propane generator as a backup to the backup, but that sounds too complex to tackle at the moment. Baby steps.
All things being equal, I’d rather generate and store my own power rather than let BGE dictate terms. We are on a well, have oil heat/hot water, and cook and heat our pool with propane. So, while I do have to buy oil and propane, the tanks we have are large, (1,000 gal Oil tank and 3, 250 gal propane tanks) and so we only need fill them once a year for propane, and once every 2 years for the oil. To reduce our oil and propane use even further, I’m actively looking to purchase solar water heaters for every building and for the pool, but that’s a question for another
Anyway, back to the battery question. Given my goals: eventual energy independence, automatic switching, and large enough to provide 3 days of power, what says the group? I had initially planned on rack mounted EG4 batteries, but I’m open to suggestions. Money is a consideration, but I’ll pay more for a product with a better warranty, excellent customer service, and intuitive operation. Basically, if it’s easy to use, and I can get someone on the phone to answer my questions, it’s worth more to me. I don‘t want to have to learn a new language to use the system, but I’m also not a Luddite.
Finally, if anyone on here is a specialist in these systems, in the DC/Annapolis, I’d be interested in talking offline.
TIA!
Rob
