diy solar

diy solar

Best way to run AC power 500 ft from array to cabin

kind of a shame that they didn't just ask how to do it and let the chatter happen, or at least just not get bent when they started at least three threads trying to solve the same problem. I have learned that you will get a few pages of chatter no matter what you post about, then the thread will settle down and really get going
You just described the characteristics of developing good brainstorming meetings. 95%+ of intelligent people need to wind into or ‘get up to speed’ moving from one task to another brain task. Often, divergence topics stimulate focus for several people and the true conversational development of complex solutions begins.

I just think he was somewhat narcissistic and has control issues along with a superiority mindset that made him react that way.
 
So it is five threads about solving the same problem. This is about as efficient as the resulting solution will be. Something with this many requirements certainly needs a manager that can understand how they all play with each other and what the tradeoffs are.
 
There is an enormous amount of information for the AlaskanNoobies to sort through. The good thing is, they can bounce the ideas off of each other. Who could have imagined their threads evolving to such a level? That was a rhetorical question, no response required.
Maybe the electricity went out. Probably what happened is they took my ideas and ran with them. :ROFLMAO:
 
Also, I think wood heat is not optional here.
I just moved to a place with a wood stove, I haven't run the heat in like 2 months, except for when the fire dies down at night. My electric bill was less than half of what it was the previous month, and it's been much colder outside.

The point of that being; if I was building a solar system, and integrated wood heating, I could now design a system that's half as large and half as expensive. Half of everything really. (This excludes summer AC of course, but I assume in Alaska it's probably not needed).

If I was in a remote location with lots of trees nearby, I wouldn't even consider trying to heat my house with solar, other than maybe a space heater for emergencies.
 
The point of that being; if I was building a solar system, and integrated wood heating, I could now design a system that's half as large and half as expensive. Half of everything really. (This excludes summer AC of course, but I assume in Alaska it's probably not needed).
x100 We suggested just this philosophy multiple times in an effort to help with their core ac issue but instead of a simple "thanks" we got scolded by a thread tyrant.

It's a mindset of being off grid that i don't think they grasp yet. A couple cold winters will do the trick.
 
Hear ya go,

500-ft 4/0-4/0-4/0-2/0 Aluminum Ser Service Entrance Cable​

$2863


@$2.08' I have been considering 4/0-4/0-4/0 AL service entrance cable as this appears the most economical way to get +90v, 60amps the ~200' round trip from array to shop. The AIO can only take 150v, the panels are 37.7voc, wiring the panels 3s (113v) give plenty of cold headroom (~134v).

Does this sound feasible? Best way to reduce the 4/0 to fit into the combiner box at the pv panels? Same question at the Growatt aio in the shop. The Growatt says 8gauge max wire size for pv input. Seems a bit small. Checking the pv inputs and it will accept at least 6gauge with some wiggle left over.
 
Has to be both copper and aluminum friendly. Have a link to what you are thinking of?
 
What about an in-box solution? Thumbing through disconnect boxes but the small ones generally go to ~6awg.
 
What about an in-box solution?
If there is not room in the devices on either end then a junction box might be a simple solution to accommodate the splice from big wire to smaller wire. To avoid loss one would want to keep the length of the smaller gauged wire as short as practical.
 
The powercos use clamp-blocks to join aluminum pole-to-service runs. Then - oddly- wrap in electrical tape. An electrician I’ve used doesn’t tape them but used wicked thick shrink over entrance splices.
Any commercial electric supply house outfit I’d think should have these, and a water shedding masthead and junction box to place them in.
 
I agree with A. Justice. Your panels can generate high voltage DC without any added equipment. The standard wiring between panels is rated for 600 to 1000VDC depending on the wire manufacturer. 500 feet of 10AWG wire is about $350 per spool, probably cheaper in larger quantity. Say you decided to run high voltage DC instead of AC. A 12S set would be 600 VDC at somewhere around 8 amps--well within the current carrying capability of 10AWG. Yes, you'll see more line loss than you would with very high voltage AC--who cares. Four pairs of cable ($2000 at most) strung together brings 600 VDC to the house to a high voltage input MPPT controller that charges the battery bank.

You probably do not have any shading problems that a chainsaw can't fix.

I'm doing something similar for different purposes. As shown here I'm going to be directly charging a Tesla model 3 battery, keeping the system at roughly 400VDC until I invert it to supply AC. A bigger battery makes the system more practical for supplying all your electrical needs, current and future. If you do something like this pay attention to fuse, breaker, and/or contactor ratings for any circuit protection you use. DC is harder to interrupt, the voltage doesn't go to 0V 60 times a second like AC does.
SelfishSolar-1.jpg
 
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This looks cheap and easy and like previously mentioned, I have seen electricians use a split-bolt, rubber tape, and lots of black tape over the connection. The 3-way would work at the array where there will be two, 4 into 1 combination boxes. Looks like Morris, Breaves, Blackburn, and surely many others, make several lines of insulated connections.

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