diy solar

diy solar

New no battery pure sine wave solar power system with smart switchers.

GridWorks Green Solar

Solar Innovator
Joined
Sep 30, 2022
Messages
841
Location
USA Tennessee
Introduction: Hi all, I am not a company or business of any kind but a retired tech that is trying to win at this new green power transition, this project deals with mains voltages (126) VAC! (181) VDC! will require correct wire sizes,fusing, insulation and isolation transformers to interact with other solar or grid power systems.Do not attempt anything you read or see in this thread unless you are comfortable working with high voltages!
After 7 years years of solar power in my home Gopower IC3000 the 4 deep cycle batteries started to degrade and needed replacement, after spending one arm and a leg in replacement cost it dawned on me everything I had saved over the past 7 years just went into new batteries!
This project from the ground up is a no battery,no charge controller, no maintainance and fully automatic normal day (2 second grid/green transfer at 9AM) (2 second green/grid transfer around 6PM). This new starter 800watt system powers the lights,fans,bug zapper, security cams and mini fridge daily in my home. Basic system consists of 9 one hundred watt solar panels 181 VDC in series and a pure sine wave output power board, please allow me some time to upload all the data and pictures. Hope to help others save money and get the power back on from the damage to Florida.

Major steps forward please read page 22 to the end of thread for all the best bells and whistles, successfully providing main Air conditioning to the four largest rooms in my home 95 degrees Fahrenheit outside 74.8 inside at 5:30 PM. Exceeding my expectations.
 

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Interesting.
So, it is only for daytime power? If the grid is down, it does nothing at night?
Looking forward to see more on this.
 
Block diagram as builts of the new system is on the right ?
Solar sensor two 3 volt small solar panels and DPDT relay.
 

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Interesting.
So, it is only for daytime power? If the grid is down, it does nothing at night?
Looking forward to see more on this.
Just one of the things this little power systems does well is charging LI-ION batteries, fully charged my green mower in less than two hours.
Also smart switchers can work with secondary power source or UPS.
 
Fault detector circuit with GFI trip protection, overview, getting ready to build a switcher, have three working switchers,side by side fridge, Mini split heat pump, and new power system, deluxe switcher has 7minute delay for restarting the mini fridge.
 

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Details: version 9 logic relays, ruff drawing of R2 reverse actuators detail, and the start of instructions manual, PM me if you need more information or photos.
 

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I have videos in MP4 format that show the three switchers in action, and the GFI fault detector and grid trip,
 

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Existing new system maxes out around 800 watts on a 1000 watt pure sine power board, although I don't yet have the additional PV panels I am building up a 2000 watt pure sine board that will produce around 1600 watts of clean usable power. Making the max output less than the power board ratings makes these things bullet proof to hard use and abuse, simple power down reset restores operation.
Testing mini split switcher on the right.
 

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Surge suppressor power strips cause nothing but problems with the switcher systems avoid them, only other fault was a tiny spot of epoxy glue on the inverter 15amp micro switch, that expensive cube inverter let out it's magic smoke, take great care to keep the switches/actuators clean from glue, silicone and metal chips.
Never touch the micro switches once the switcher unit is energized!
 

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Here is a ruff drawing of version 6, Version 9 has many improvements like dual Metal geared actuators, Quad series switching for the hots, Quad series switching for neutrals, more than one switch would have to fail at the same time to have a fault condition ?
Version 9 logic will seek out anything hot with the green call enabled, will disconnect switches from grid if grid power is lost for any reason.
 

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Just finished soldering up a 2000 watt pure sine wave power output board, consumed two of the 1000 watt kits to make it.
This power board will require 18 one hundred watt solar panels in two 9 panels series strings target voltage 180 volts DC 5amp glass fuse for each string of 9, for a target of 1600 watts of clean usable pure sine wave power.
Next comes testing and putting it in a old inverter case?
Have three new 1000 watt pre assembled boards 2 still in the plastic bags ?
 

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My personal aim is a $40 a month electric bill, last three were around $80, neighbor across the street just paid $300 for last month.
None of the 220 volt appliances are on the solar system, but the new heat pump mini split is 120 volt and for the past week has carried the day time A/C needs nicely.?
After hours grid power through the Gopower system comes at a 20% additional cost, using the smart switchers shifts the after hours load directly to grid saving more money, These new power board systems work over a wide range of sun brightness as long as you don't fully load the system, normal drop to grid happens just before it starts raining or close to 6PM in the afternoon.?
 
Wish I could get get the word out to the people in Florida who many will not have power for months, to test the new pure sine wave power system, the only expensive part is the isolation transformer for interacting with other negative ground green power systems or grid power systems, most people just need lights fans and a way to charge the cell phone, 9 solar panels and a single power board can do that and more.
 
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2000 watt pure sine power board mounted in an old inverter case and ready for testing. Going to test it as an off grid system on the back deck using a smaller solar panel 14VDC around 30 watts to run the CPU and fans from a switch. Wish me luck, I will report back about this test.?
 

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Amazing news, first time testing the pure sine wave power boards in off grid mode. Not the best conditions overcast sky due to hurricane Ian and using a 14 volt DC solar panel for the CPU and fans when spec on the pure sine wave power boards is 16 volts AC or DC. New 2000 watt kit preformed perfect after running the CPU and fan on 18 volts DC from two nine volt batteries, the 1000 watt pure sine board has no issues running off the 14 volt DC panel and the 9 one hundred watt solar panels on the roof in series at 181 volts DC. ??
 

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These power boards will output 240 volts AC with a PV input of 380 VDC,220VAC out at 360 VDC input,120 VAC out at 180VDC input.
Just direct drive FETs no step up/down transformer, when interacting with other negative ground solar power systems or grid power systems you must use an isolation transformer to block this negative ground DC bias, in other words you must divorce this pure sine wave power from it's DC origin, DC power cannot pass through an AC transformer ( secret to car charging on solar, running a mini split on solar and interacting with other power systems!)
Pure sine power board will explode if you don't address this DC bias at the moment you connect it to another power system, last one looked as if high voltage DC invaded the low voltage side of the pure sine board.
After the isolation transformer all you have to do is bond neutral and ground to earth ground and everything loves the pure sine wave green power ?
Also recommend use of a 16VAC door bell transformer for the CPU and cooling fans on the pure sine boards as isolation from the strong bias to other power systems.
What you may not have noticed is except for the roof top solar panels I built up two independent power systems in just two days that will eventually net me an additional 2400 watts of pure sine power. It can change your life, you don't need to feed it gas/diesel in fact 1440 watts of pure sine wave power will run most level one EV car chargers, new three quarter ton 120 volt mini split heat pump only pulls 800watts after starting ?
 
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Please spread the information in this thread to others, especially to those in the Ft. Myers and surrounding areas of Florida looks like a bomb went off in some areas.Thank You ?

I don't have normal social media accounts (Face Book, Twitter,ect.)
This new concept of a no battery, no charge controller and no maintenance direct drive solar power system is a big deal, with the addition of the smart switchers and sun sensor control concept makes it a totally new way to do solar or other green power, Please help me spread the word.
 
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Notice that the ninth solar panel in the string for new power system was catching a heavy shadow in the afternoon from an off air antenna and security cam, electrically swapped it out with one that suffers no daily shadows.?
also tested and put several mixed panels on a Mppt charge controller for the Gopower unit.?
 
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I don't see anyone doing it, but two panels in parallel in a shaded location could be a cost effective solution compared to optomizers and the like.
 
I don't see anyone doing it, but two panels in parallel in a shaded location could be a cost effective solution compared to optomizers and the like.
Never thought of that but it makes perfect sense, trying to come up with a second string of 9 to put in parallel to double the output power of the new pure sine system. Right now I only have seven and reluctant to spend more money. Maybe as a test the Epever 100amp controller runs on two strings of 6 panels in parallel, borrow a set of six and add three to run a max output test on the 2000 watt pure sine wave kit I built.
PSA caution three panels or more in series can kill you! One reason I like working on them in the pre dawn hours?
Also I know high voltage is dangerous but it is far superior to low voltage high amps (heat hot wires, fuses and connectors in the old days!) DC flows efficient at higher voltage smaller wires just be careful, use proper fuses,wire type/size and switches, house hold switches you get from Home Depot will weld closed under High voltage DC and get you killed ( never touch a DC circuit until it is confirmed off and dead! You must discharge any high voltage capacitors before you physically touch the wires/board)
?
 
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