My Solar Shed Construction Starts in a Week

[eddie1261]

I wonder what his HOA said about a ground solar array? If they are forcing him to paint his shed the same color as his house, they must be major pricks to deal with. I can't see people with a stick shoved that far into their butthole allowing a solar panel farm on the grounds of "their" little Shangri La. (Never mind that HE owns the house and the ground it is built upon...)

 

[Deleted member 783]

I wonder what his HOA said about a ground solar array? If they are forcing him to paint his shed the same color as his house, they must be major pricks to deal with. I can't see people with a stick shoved that far into their butthole allowing a solar panel farm on the grounds of "their" little Shangri La. (Never mind that HE owns the house and the ground it is built upon...)

Just because he is painting it to match his shed does not mean anyone is forcing him to do so. You went kinda far down that rabbit hole in your head LOL. As I understand it, the main reason to build the shed is to house the batteries, components, etc., so that should the worst occur, you burn down your shed rather than your house. That's why I did it, anyway. It's also exactly why he said he was doing it in the original post. The shed also eliminates the worry about hydrogen gasses being expelled from over charging, though I know that is only an issue with cheap batteries. Another side bonus-relatively easy to move if needed.

 

[azdave85650]

Patiently waiting on Will to show up with the details and pics of his new shed project install

 

[PHoganDive]

Patiently waiting on Will to show up with the details and pics of his new shed project install

 

[Will Prowse]

Shed is now installed. Time to add some batteries and solar panels!

 

[Will Prowse]

Just because he is painting it to match his shed does not mean anyone is forcing him to do so. You went kinda far down that rabbit hole in your head LOL. As I understand it, the main reason to build the shed is to house the batteries, components, etc., so that should the worst occur, you burn down your shed rather than your house. That's why I did it, anyway. It's also exactly why he said he was doing it in the original post. The shed also eliminates the worry about hydrogen gasses being expelled from over charging, though I know that is only an issue with cheap batteries. Another side bonus-relatively easy to move if needed.

Oh wow they aren't actually forcing me to. Did I say that somewhere? I figured it would look nice and they would like it. I love having a HOA because all the other neighborhoods without them look horrible. My HOA actually only cares about the front yard aesthetics. I like that. And my HOA is 32 bucks a month. No parking restrictions either. It's great. My neighbors and I install stuff on out backyard all the time. I just had the inspector come by and I talked to him for an hour about all sorts of stuff. I'm fine. As long as I don't do something stupid

 

[Will Prowse]

I asked the same question at first.
Then I went back a reread his post.
He is going to put up 3 arrays (1 grid tie, 2 for backup on shed and yard I assume)
The 4.5kw grid tie will pay for most of his electricity and charge his car....the shed (2 arrays-48v 5kw) will be back up.

Yes exactly!

 

[Will Prowse]

A few pictures, far from completion

Can you make your own post of this in the show and tell section?

 

[eddie1261]

You guys are all correct. He did NOT say his HOA demanded that it match. I said that because of my past experiences with HOAs that make OUTRAGEOUS demands like not flying a flag, one friend was told what color flowers she could plant!!

 

[Deleted member 783]

Shed is now installed. Time to add some batteries and solar panels!

VERY cool! Suggestion: while everything is still open, get some silicone caulk and seal everything. All the top & bottom plates, roof sheathing, around the door, etc. It will make a big difference, will cost very little, and it's impossible to do once walls and everything are up. You can also get R15 in 2x4 insulation now, which will be a noticeable improvement. Can't wait to see it stuffed full! Congrats!

 

[Will Prowse]

I have some LiFePO4 cells coming in the mail, but man, 2x Tesla modules used with a 48v inverter would be lovely. I may have found a BMS that can manage the job nicely too.

Also, the shed is 2 feet from the wall. Some had concern about the property line distance, but I can assure you that there are 6 other sheds on my block with sheds much larger than this pushed right up to the property line. It's a tiny shed though, so I could easily move it

 

[eddie1261]

You actually got me started on research to do something similar but for different reasons. The friend who stayed here for a month helping me after surgery lives 65 minutes from his job. I live 15 minutes from his job. AND he works afternoon into night. I was thinking about putting up an 8x12 shed (96 sq ft = no permit) and let him stay there. He'd have my electricity (extension cord), my wifi, and he could either shower in my house or go to his gym. I just don't want a roommate IN my house, and this would just be Mon thru Thursday nights. And if he doesn't want to do that, my 8x12 shed could hold my lawn mower, my ladder, my saw horses, etc.....

Now to see your shop come together!!! We are all eager!

 

[Will Prowse]

VERY cool! Suggestion: while everything is still open, get some silicone caulk and seal everything. All the top & bottom plates, roof sheathing, around the door, etc. It will make a big difference, will cost very little, and it's impossible to do once walls and everything are up. You can also get R15 in 2x4 insulation now, which will be a noticeable improvement. Can't wait to see it stuffed full! Congrats!

Very smart idea!

 

[gnubie]

That tree looks very dangerous. I think you might have to cut it down

 

[eddie1261]

That tree looks very dangerous. I think you might have to cut it down

More importantly it looks like it shades the roof an awful lot. But without knowing directional orientation it may be just right for solar. You want it facing south, right?

 

[Will Prowse]

Yes, the back of it is facing south. MOST of the sunshine will come from a ground mount array on the north side of my yard, facing south.

 

[Will Prowse]

I am also cutting the tree down. Not even for shading reasons either. It grows too fast. Needs trimming 5 times a year and costs too much to maintain. I have it scheduled and a quote agreement to chop it down.

 

[eddie1261]

There are probably houses all over your area with solar arrays. It is hard for me to not think in terms of Ohio where nobody has a solar array on the ground. You see some houses and businesses that have some solar, but it is far from the norm here.

 

[Bluemalibu]

Will, I can only assume that the PPM inverter is from your 48v S/P Systems for Beginners video...
In that the batteries and inverter are such an expensive part of each build, if you were purchasing the inverter for this 48V build yourself, and needed it to be one that had a rock-solid warranty and one that you could rely on for years to come, which 4k to 5k inverter would you use?

 

[offgriddle]

It is a 6x10 Tuff Shed. Total cost was 2,500 bucks. It will have air conditioning to keep my LiFePO4 battery collection nice and happy. I will install a MASSIVE 48v 5kw system in it (this one). It will serve as a backup system for my house if the grid were to fail for prolonged duration. And as a super cool man cave:

View attachment 66
This is how I designed it to fit into my back yard and to match the color scheme of my house:
View attachment 65
I will have the front door facing north, and the south facing roof covered in solar panels. This MPP unit has 2x mppt's, so I will have 2x separate arrays on my property. Will talk about the solar panel array in another post.

The hardest part of this system is temperature regulation. It will be 110 degrees plus here in vegas. Luckily, we have lots of sunshine to run air conditioners off of solar power. If I can regulate the temperature of this shed with a couple of small ground mounted arrays, I will consider it a success.

What I love about sheds is that you can store/charge dangerous chemistries of batteries inside of them without the stress of having your house burned down. I do not use combustible batteries for solar (as many of you know haha) but I have some long range fpv drones I will be building in the following months. I have caught those batteries on fire too many times! And I am scared of them. I will charge them only in this shed.

I will also add lights, security cameras and so much more. I can't wait!

Let me know what you think or if I should add something

IF you dig a six foot deep foundation hole under the floor and operated a small fan that sucked the cooler air from the below ground into the space, would that be worth the effort in helping keep the shed cool?