New Orleans NooB First Foray into Solar

[blackenedvoodoo]

OK... so I am new to all of this. I am building a 200sqft house in uptown New Orleans. The historical District says I cannot have panels on my house so I am going to do 2 small 2kw mobile arrays that I can store during a hurricane... for now. I was looking at the EcoFlow PowerKit with 10KwH batteries and just having it backup critical loads but seeing the EG4 18K, it is cheaper and more capaticy. Is there something I am missing? Why is the EG4 cheaper and looks more expandable for less money? I was trying to find maybe a smart critical loads panel to add to the build. EcoFLow has the Smart Home Panel, does EG4 have anything like this?

 

[Alkaline]

Wow I Lived on Poydras Street left after Katrina and never came back. Ray Nagin was mayor back and as corrupt as they come. Hopefully you figure it out. There are cheaper options that Ecoflow for back up power.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

Wow I Lived on Poydras Street left after Katrina and never came back. Ray Nagin was mayor back and as corrupt as they come. Hopefully you figure it out. There are cheaper options that Ecoflow for back up power.

That’s what I need help with. I saw the EG4 18k and it has more capacity and options for less. But I only need backup power and think that’s oversized for my needs.

 

[Rednecktek]

That’s what I need help with. I saw the EG4 18k and it has more capacity and options for less. But I only need backup power and think that’s oversized for my needs.

The rule of thumb is 3 days of backup so while the inverter might be oversized if you're not using the grid tie features to make a little return on your array, you still want to figure on a large battery. If you need 240v for dryers or aircon or the like then your options really get narrowed down.

I think the EcoFlow is a good idea, but WWWAAAYYY over priced even compared to things like the Rich Solar Power Fridge (that's what I'm going to call it and y'all can't change my mind) that Will looked at not too long ago. A cleaner install maybe but convenience fees are murder.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

The rule of thumb is 3 days of backup so while the inverter might be oversized if you're not using the grid tie features to make a little return on your array, you still want to figure on a large battery. If you need 240v for dryers or aircon or the like then your options really get narrowed down.

I think the EcoFlow is a good idea, but WWWAAAYYY over priced even compared to things like the Rich Solar Power Fridge (that's what I'm going to call it and y'all can't change my mind) that Will looked at not too long ago. A cleaner install maybe but convenience fees are murder.

Would you recommend the EG4 18k?

 

[Rednecktek]

Gotta do at least a basic power audit and ask a few questions.

Do you need 240v or only 120v power?
Are you going to be able to grid tie and net meter to earn something back when it's NOT in a hurricane?
How much solar array can you physically put outside?
Does your power company limit the size of the array?

As an example, I recently re-did numbers for my cabin and I found that I only need 120v for the cabin, used 1.6Kwh/day average with the aircon, and my local power company limits you to 10k of array. So in my case the EG4 18k would be overkill as I could never come close to its capabilities. A 3Kw unit with some Trophy batteries and no grid tie was more effective for me.

Now, down in N'olens I can see aircon being absolutely needed which will determine if you need the 240v or not. If you aren't going to grid tie and need 240v then the EG4 6Kw might be a better option. If you only need 120v then their 6500 would be the better option. If you don't want to piecemeal a system together and just want a turn-key solution then the Rich Solar power fridge should still be significantly cheaper than anything EcoFlow can provide and still provide a good amount of power.

If you're going to be running a whole house backup AND can field a 20Kw array AND grid tie in for some credits, then the 18k is the way to go. If you can't use or don't need some of that functionality then it's not worth the cost for the oversized units.

The new wall mount batteries however I think are a FANTASTIC deal being UL and IP rated price per watt, so look into those for sure.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

Ok so I only need power for emergencies. Don’t need 240v. I also have to put the system outdoors as I have no room inside for it. I only have room for about 8-10 panels and they have to be ground mounted. I’m thinking I’ll need 4-8kw wheb the power is out to run lights and fans and a fridge and maybe a mini split. When there is no need for emergency power I would love to use solar and the batter to take some load off the grid for me and if it lowers my bill $50 a month it’s worth it. The EcoFlow smart home panel would have allowed me to do that so I was looking for something like that functionality wise.

 

[Rednecktek]

OK, so 2 things are going to make it more complicated. 1: There are only so many systems out there that can do "load shedding" (powering off solar and grabbing the grid as needed) which are your higher tier equipment, so I'll defer off to the experts for that one as I'm not all that well versed in those. 2: Having to mount all your stuff outdoors where you live is really difficult and needs some seriously good weather protection.

What kind of money was that EcoFlow system going to run you? You might be looking at getting a critical loads panel installed and a generator connection mounted outside. That way you can just wheel out your portable system, pop up the panels, and plug in the cord to get everything up and running without having to have your equipment mounted outside when the weather hits.

The EG4 is an impressive unit to be sure, but I think it's overkill for what you're trying to do and without being able to use half the features it would be a waste of money. Plus if you're looking for something portable the EG4 is really not that.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

So a power kit with 10kw batteries is 10k. Add another 1k for the smart home panel (which does load shedding as you call it). The smart home panel also has 10 circuits up to 30a for critical loads and allows you to control wether they get power from the grid or batteries when ever you want or schedule them to get battery power only when the battery is say 20%-90%. This way I can get some solar from them all the time and offset my bill.

 

[Rednecktek]

OK, so you've got a 3Kw inverter, 2x 5Kwh batteries, and a critical loads panel. If you were using EG4 products that would be about $4k plus critical loads panel (which is going to mean rewiring your main breaker panel, not sure if you're doing that yourself or hiring an electrician) or about $5k if you get the new 14Kwh battery that EG4 just announced.

If you can mount the batteries and inverter inside then it's pretty easy, you'll just have to plan how to connect your arrays (usually a wall-jack or pass through, not hard) to the system. Any bog standard AIO can take power from the grid and it's just a setting that tells it to draw from solar first, then battery, then mains if the batteries get too low. If you wanted something fancy to be programmable to say only charge between midnight and 6am then you need a fancier unit, but if you just want it to run while it can all the time and not have to worry about it then super easy.

So yeah, it looks like you're going to pay about twice as much for the fancy "smart" panel and programming. Personally not worth it to me, I'd get a 3Kw or a LV6548 for future expansion, an EG4 wall mount battery, and just put in a larger critical loads panel so I had room to grow. The costs of getting a 6 circuit or a 16 circuit panel installed is pretty negligible as the labor is the far larger part of that and that's going to need to get done no matter which way you go.

So value wise For Me I would spend less money and get more circuit and amperage capacity and more battery for less money. I don't mind not having all the fancy wizzies and gizzies and do I have power when the internet goes down concerns, I just want to turn it on and walk away. If I can mount everything inside, or most of it inside (the EG4 wall battery is listed for outdoor use) then I'm happy.

Remember when you're budgeting that you still have to factor in panels, ground mounts, wire, any trenching, and labor costs to get the sub panel installed.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

Ok but I cannot mount it inside. I need something that I can put outside.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

The EG4 8k looks good but has nothing but problems.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

deleted sorry

 

[Rednecktek]

Ok but I cannot mount it inside. I need something that I can put outside.

That's going to really limit you as I can't think of anything that is rated to survive a hurricane. I think your going to have trouble with anything more complicated than a critical loads panel and a generator input so you can take a solar generator outside and plug it in. 10Kwh is going to be about 200lb of batteries plus the inverter weight. If you're having to pack that around it's going to be a right pain in the ass. I would check with EcoFlow and get some assurances in writing that if the parts are mounted outside and a hurricane hits that they'll still work.

Have you looked at the Renogy Lycan 5000 unit? It's got a little more inverter capacity and wheels for moving around, plus can be supplanted with bog standard 48v batteries, and is less than half the price. A 30a cable is cheap and easy. Roll it out, plug in the cord, turn everything on. Set up the solar panels, plug them in. You're going to have to spend to get the critical loads panel installed but you could opt for a single point transfer switch between the "generator" input and your main panel. Power goes out flip 1 switch and everything lights back up.

I just find it hard to justify the cost of EcoFlow when it's soooo much more than anything, kinda like I'll never spend the money on Victron.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

So the EG4 18k and new batteries are all outdoor rated and I can build a little hooch over it to keep it out the weather. Ever the EG4 8k is outdoor rated but I hear it’s trash. Everything keeps coming back to the 18k for me

 

[JJT211]

So the EG4 18k and new batteries are all outdoor rated and I can build a little hooch over it to keep it out the weather. Ever the EG4 8k is outdoor rated but I hear it’s trash. Everything keeps coming back to the 18k for me

Hey dude...I'm from NOLA as well.

Since you're limited with what you can put on your house due to historical district rules and it's just an emergency power thing, then its way more practical for you to look into a natural gas generator assuming you have gas service at your location.

I stayed in NOLA through Ida for work and crashed at my bosses house who had a natural gas genny and it was like "what storm?!?"

We didn't have any disruption in electricity the entire time and there wasn't any need to go hunting for gas at the gas station. I was so impressed I got one myself.

 

[blackenedvoodoo]

Hey dude...I'm from NOLA as well.

Since you're limited with what you can put on your house due to historical district rules and it's just an emergency power thing, then its way more practical for you to look into a natural gas generator assuming you have gas service at your location.

I stayed in NOLA through Ida for work and crashed at my bosses house who had a natural gas genny and it was like "what storm?!?"

We didn't have any disruption in electricity the entire time and there wasn't any need to go hunting for gas at the gas station. I was so impressed I got one myself.

SO the idea with solar is that a gas generator always costs me money.. never makes me money. Where a solar system 1) I can write of 30% of it 2) During the times when the power is on I can supplement my power usage and lower my electric bill, even if its only $25-$50, that's something 3) my lot is narrow and it would cause me to have to place the generator in the middle of my back yard. 4) I am 3' below the flood plane so the generator would have to be raised at least 3' and my house is going to be 5' high

 

[T-486 Ashepoo]

I have a portable system for my daughter's house. Had it up and running by 11AM the morning after hurricane Ida. It uses 12 175 watt (2100 watts) Renogy flex panels, 3k Growatt inverter and 15k battery bank. Worked fine, but I'll say you can never have too much solar. The panels are easy to store.

I'm on the Westbank.

 

[Rednecktek]

SO the idea with solar is that a gas generator always costs me money.. never makes me money. Where a solar system 1) I can write of 30% of it 2) During the times when the power is on I can supplement my power usage and lower my electric bill, even if its only $25-$50, that's something 3) my lot is narrow and it would cause me to have to place the generator in the middle of my back yard. 4) I am 3' below the flood plane so the generator would have to be raised at least 3' and my house is going to be 5' high

My understanding is you don't get to write it off if it's not permanently connected.

 

[T-486 Ashepoo]

My system was installed in 2017 and I haven't looked at the tax description since. Requirements may have changed especially since California's had so many grid issues. Something like a backup power system.