Newbie - First System on Shed - Some Questions

[Boston Pete]

Hi everyone I am trying to put together my first system. I believe I have a lot of the basics down but do have some questions.
I am looking to install an Off Grid system with 6 - 450 Watt Panels on my Shed Roof, the shed is East / West so not ideal but is what I have to work with.
Anyway my questions are related to an All-in-one System

First off I am looking at one of the Sun Gold "Kits" that comes with the Panels, All-in-one and batteries. I know I will need to get some items like breakers / PV Wire and battery cables. Is this a good option? I know there are so many different companies out there, I would like to go with something that I can expand later down the road and go split phase. I was looking at EG4 as well but they are way more money when I add in Shipping. I am not opposed to anything at this point I just want some thoughts on this setup, it it will work the way I think it will or am I missing something major?

I am specifically looking at the Sun Gold Power 6500W 48V SOLAR CHARGE INVERTER, it has 2 PV Inputs, I was thinking because of the way the panels will get the sun should put each side of panels in Series then connect each set separately (one set of 3 to each PV Input) to the All-in-One? Will this work? It looks like I should have the min 90 Volt input covered.

The kit I am looking at will also include 2 of their 5kwh Rack Style Batteries.
Also I do not want this unit to feed in to the grid (not even sure if that is an option) but would like to use House AC Power as a backup to charge the batteries if needed?

Because the Shed is not climate controlled or even insulated I was thinking about putting the All In One and the batteries in the basement of my house. I would like to power a few items in the house and maybe down the road install a transfer switch so I could power important things during a power outage.

 

[Rednecktek]

So a couple thoughts:

You want to mount the panels on the shed and the guts in the house? That's fine, make sure you get good thick wire to reduce voltage drop and you'll be fine.

What's that package costing you? Usually "kits" are a good markup opportunity for companies but when shipping gets involved can even things out a bit.

Once you get the system set up, how are you getting the power out to your loads? Will there be a sub panel involved or are you trying to get a transfer switch involved?

Using the grid as backup and NOT backfeeding is the standard state of things for most AIO's so that'll be easy. The one thing you'll have to plan for is the grid feed to the AIO. Does it need 120v or 240v? How many amps is it going to want to draw? If it's possible, run a new circuit from your main panel to the AIO to provide that power.

Other than that it seems like a pretty simple setup. ?

 

[Boston Pete]

So a couple thoughts:

You want to mount the panels on the shed and the guts in the house? That's fine, make sure you get good thick wire to reduce voltage drop and you'll be fine.

What's that package costing you? Usually "kits" are a good markup opportunity for companies but when shipping gets involved can even things out a bit.

Once you get the system set up, how are you getting the power out to your loads? Will there be a sub panel involved or are you trying to get a transfer switch involved?

Using the grid as backup and NOT backfeeding is the standard state of things for most AIO's so that'll be easy. The one thing you'll have to plan for is the grid feed to the AIO. Does it need 120v or 240v? How many amps is it going to want to draw? If it's possible, run a new circuit from your main panel to the AIO to provide that power.

Other than that it seems like a pretty simple setup. ?

Thank you for the reply, The Kit I was looking at was from Sun Gold Power which consisted of their 6500 watt All-In-One, 8-415 Watt Panels and 2-5kwh Server Rack Batteries but the panels are back ordered and they have been more than a little shady about shipping. They gave the impression that their items ship from local warehouses but I see someone else post here that their panels are stuck in customs so I think I am going to try and cancel the order and look elsewhere. Maybe Signature Solar but their shipping is nuts to me...

I will be adding a subpanel in the basement of my house for the loads from the inverter (AIO). As for tying the Inverter to the House Power, I would run that off of a dedicated breaker from my existing house panel, I am not sure what size breaker I will use for it. Probably a 30A (I have the capacity for it). This is a Single Phase unit, I am looking to start out with this and possibly upgrade / add another unit for split phase down the road. I was also thinking about adding a transfer switch for some of the items in the house down the road but for now I will be running a rack of computer equipment that I already have an Automatic Transfer Switch for.

One of my biggest concerns is the Solar Panel placement. I really can not do a ground system nor a house roof system so as mentioned I was looking at the shed. The Shed is Facing East / West so I was thinking about putting 3-4 panels on each side of the roof, putting each side in their own series string and connect each string to the Inverters two different inputs. I just don't know how this will work, I should have the min input voltage needed for the inverter / AIO covered with either of the strings getting sun and in the summer they will both be getting good sun for several hours.

 

[Rednecktek]

Yeah, if your AIO has dual MPPT inputs, just throw half the panels on the east side, half on the west, and you'll be good to go.

Even if you go with a different model AIO, as long as each string's voltage is in the right range you can just parallel the strings together into a single input.