kennybee
New Member
Hello. I have been researching solar for years and am getting to the point where I need to decide on specifics components. I know general concepts well, but buying components to work to get what I want is making my head spin. I am looking for your experiences who know the products to help me decide.
Back story: I am building a separate pole building next to the existing house/garage that has 200A service. The new garage is built over the underground power line to the house, so it can be easily intercepted to manage power from the grid to the house. I decided to make the new garage optimized for putting solar panels mounted on the roof. I live in far NW Wisconsin, 50 miles straight south of Duluth, MN. I have the roof pitched at 9:12, which gives me a 37 degree angle (ideal for maximum annual power generation here). I have about 1000 sf of south facing roof to mount panels on. We have a Tesla Y and a Chevy Volt. The electric grid in my area is pretty reliable. I want to do a grid tie system as the daylight in the winter is short and frequently overcast. Being so far north, we get an extra half hour of daylight in the summer compared to Chicago and likewise, a half hour less daylight in the winter compared to Chicago. My [semi-irrational] fear is our adversary, China, will hack and take out our electric grid if and when they invade Taiwan and I want to be able to still use the solar system we invested in to run our cars, refrigerator and freezer.
I am favoring buying a pallet (27) of Heliene 460W solar panels (they are manufactured in nearby MN), currently about $4300. Since they are 460W, I am thinking of NOT going with the Enphase Microinverters because they only have a 366W output. There would be more clipping than I would like. So I think I want Tigo Optimizers (with rapid shutdown to comply with NEC requirements) and an inverter capable of handling around 10kw in AC output (or more). No big deal there. The complication is the battery backup. There is an excellent YouTube video that is 9 years old by "Penn State Solar Center" titled "AC Coupled PV Systems" (sorry I was sure if links were allowed to be posted on this forum). I am looking to find out if there are any modern products to continue giving power to the whole house after the grid shuts down. From the video, I like the Outback Power solution or the Magnum Energy solution they mention. But again, would like to know if there is a better system currently. They talk about "Diversion Loads" as a technology that is emerging, but not readily available. I don't think I am interested in a massive battery, at least not yet. Just a small one to get started. I would like to add to that in the future as funds allow. Chances are, I would rarely ever need it. My electric cars can be my unidirectional battery for now. Tesla does not sell the PowerWall in my area.
Long winded, I know. I wanted to paint the full picture. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I respect people's experience and knowledge. Thanks!
Back story: I am building a separate pole building next to the existing house/garage that has 200A service. The new garage is built over the underground power line to the house, so it can be easily intercepted to manage power from the grid to the house. I decided to make the new garage optimized for putting solar panels mounted on the roof. I live in far NW Wisconsin, 50 miles straight south of Duluth, MN. I have the roof pitched at 9:12, which gives me a 37 degree angle (ideal for maximum annual power generation here). I have about 1000 sf of south facing roof to mount panels on. We have a Tesla Y and a Chevy Volt. The electric grid in my area is pretty reliable. I want to do a grid tie system as the daylight in the winter is short and frequently overcast. Being so far north, we get an extra half hour of daylight in the summer compared to Chicago and likewise, a half hour less daylight in the winter compared to Chicago. My [semi-irrational] fear is our adversary, China, will hack and take out our electric grid if and when they invade Taiwan and I want to be able to still use the solar system we invested in to run our cars, refrigerator and freezer.
I am favoring buying a pallet (27) of Heliene 460W solar panels (they are manufactured in nearby MN), currently about $4300. Since they are 460W, I am thinking of NOT going with the Enphase Microinverters because they only have a 366W output. There would be more clipping than I would like. So I think I want Tigo Optimizers (with rapid shutdown to comply with NEC requirements) and an inverter capable of handling around 10kw in AC output (or more). No big deal there. The complication is the battery backup. There is an excellent YouTube video that is 9 years old by "Penn State Solar Center" titled "AC Coupled PV Systems" (sorry I was sure if links were allowed to be posted on this forum). I am looking to find out if there are any modern products to continue giving power to the whole house after the grid shuts down. From the video, I like the Outback Power solution or the Magnum Energy solution they mention. But again, would like to know if there is a better system currently. They talk about "Diversion Loads" as a technology that is emerging, but not readily available. I don't think I am interested in a massive battery, at least not yet. Just a small one to get started. I would like to add to that in the future as funds allow. Chances are, I would rarely ever need it. My electric cars can be my unidirectional battery for now. Tesla does not sell the PowerWall in my area.
Long winded, I know. I wanted to paint the full picture. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I respect people's experience and knowledge. Thanks!