Noob looking for advice

[SuperMerc]

I am looking new to solar and home systems and i would like to install a home battery backup system & add solar to it. I have been watching a lot of Will's videos and for the price this setup below seems really good for the price. My goal is to run my home off solar and supplement any additional energy needed by charging from the grid/generator. From what i have seen that seems possible with this system, any suggestions would be great.

Off-Grid EG4 System Kit - 13kW 120/240V Output / 48VDC - 30.72kWh EG4 Lithium Battery Bank | 2 x EG4 6500EX-48 | 6x EG4 Server Rack Batteries

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL

signaturesolar.com

I was thinking i would need this to charge from the generator

EG4 Chargeverter | 48v 100A Battery Charger | 5120W Output | 240/120V Input

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL

signaturesolar.com

Any suggestions on solar panels? Also are there government discounts?

 

[WindWizard]

My advice is to not rely on some package from a Vendor. It depends on how comfortable you are with getting your hands dirty and dealing with hazardous voltages. Quality products are the way to go. I started out small and then built the system that I have now. I started with 10 panels and now have 30. One inverter and now I have two. One charge controller and now I have two. 16 LFP Cells and now I have 64 with 64 more coming this week.

If you work slow and use common sense, then working on a system that you have put together is not only fun but very rewarding.

What I am getting at is that the most important thing about Solar is to not to design yourself into a corner. You don't want to start painting your floor and find out that you have no way to get out except walk on the wet paint. Do not limit what you are able to purchase today for what you may need tomorrow. Do not go cheap. It ends up costing you more in the long run.

Quality stuff.

Victron makes an awesome Charge Controller. My output has gone way up since I purchased the Victron.

Panels you can use whatever. I bought all mine used and they work just fine.

Inverters. 48 Volt....... Do not go with anything less. Low frequency so they can handle the surge.

All in ones. A great concept but has a long way to go to be effective. They consume to much power without giving anything in return. It reminds me of plugging in a heater that warms your house in the summer.

Yeah it costs a whole lot of money but so what. If you buy smart then you will not be buying it twice.

I don't know about you but I have spent a lot of money on stuff that just breaks as soon as your try to use it. When dealing with the kind of power that solar produces, it just makes sense to spend whatever is necessary to get something that works well and is not going to burn down your house.

 

[MichaelK]

The EG4 is a great inverter for play solar. Not too expensive, and it will power a few things with no problems. Let's you power lights, a TV, and a refrigerator.

If however you need a serious, high surge inverter, I'd suggest you look at a quality tier-1 product, like Outback's Radian, Schneider's XW, or Victron's units. Can handle heavy starting surges, like those of big power tools, well-pumps, and compressors.

 

[629658]

Let’s not forget Sol Ark AIO operates our entire home (5 ton Geo, Pool, Well) it’s a thing of beauty!!! And I have a completely different opinion of AIO… it’s the future and the only way to fly.

 

[myles]

Let’s not forget Sol Ark AIO operates our entire home (5 ton Geo, Pool, Well) it’s a thing of beauty!!! And I have a completely different opinion of AIO… it’s the future and the only way to fly.

Yup! I have a sol ark 15K. It powers my two heat pumps. Well pump. Septic pump. And dhw tank at the same time! And if I need more power just get another one!

 

[myles]

I am looking new to solar and home systems and i would like to install a home battery backup system & add solar to it. I have been watching a lot of Will's videos and for the price this setup below seems really good for the price. My goal is to run my home off solar and supplement any additional energy needed by charging from the grid/generator. From what i have seen that seems possible with this system, any suggestions would be great.

Off-Grid EG4 System Kit - 13kW 120/240V Output / 48VDC - 30.72kWh EG4 Lithium Battery Bank | 2 x EG4 6500EX-48 | 6x EG4 Server Rack Batteries

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL

signaturesolar.com

I was thinking i would need this to charge from the generator

EG4 Chargeverter | 48v 100A Battery Charger | 5120W Output | 240/120V Input

Signature Solar provides solar panels, off-grid solar systems, grid-tie, and hybrid systems. Quality solar inverters, bifacial solar panels, complete solar kits, solar batteries. Featuring brands such as EG4 Electronics with their solar battery, LifePower4 and EG4 LLifePower4 and EG4 LL

signaturesolar.com

Any suggestions on solar panels? Also are there government discounts?

How many kWh are you using monthly?

 

[SuperMerc]

Thanks all for the advice. I am using around 700 kWh a month on average

 

[z_zk_z]

Deleted

 

[Vigo]

I think that package is a perfectly reasonable thing to buy. Just doing a super rough breakdown of 700kwh / 30 days = 22kwh/day which means that 30kwh pack would probably give you at least 2, but possibly many more days of autonomy even with no solar or grid (since you would probably curb consumption knowing that you have nothing coming in). You would have to hook enough solar up to actually be able to put it back but that size of battery bank and your average daily consumption means that with enough solar input you could go 100% off grid WITHOUT changing your consumption habits basically at all! Considering you are keeping your grid connection and planning for a generator you may not care to keep a bunch of battery capacity in 'reserve' for blackouts, meaning you could use your whole 22kwh/day without thinking about "when should i run this, hows my battery looking" etc.

Now you may still have to be intentional about the timing of certain heavy loads depending on how big your biggest loads are, but i would say if you are averaging 22kwh a day and buy a ~13kw inverter setup and 30kwh of battery, in big picture terms without knowing all the nitty gritty you are probably on a good path.

You do not necessarily need the chargeverter to charge from generator, but it depends on whether you're willing to tailor your load consumption during charging times to avoid overloading the generator. Which depends how big the generator is, etc. It's not a strictly necessary item but if you are willing to spend 11-13k before solar panels then $400 is a drop in the bucket and it would be a nice thing to have as it will require less accommodation/interaction from the people in the house, to charge from generator.

 

[Hedges]

Any suggestions on solar panels? Also are there government discounts?

Your state may offer something.
Federal tax credits 30% of entire system. Subject to various rules, such as batteries must be charged 100.00% from solar, 0.00% from grid, for battery cost to quality. Not just 99.99% from solar.

Surplus and second hand discounts.
I recommend selecting only top quality brands, not "hay that has already been through the horse."
Both kinds are available from Santan

Solar Panels | SanTan Solar

www.santansolar.com

Thanks all for the advice. I am using around 700 kWh a month on average

I think that package is a perfectly reasonable thing to buy. Just doing a super rough breakdown of 700kwh / 30 days = 22kwh/day

About 5kW of panels would produce that 22 kWh/day most of the year. More for winter, up to 11 kW of panels might be needed.

quality tier-1 product, like Outback's Radian, Schneider's XW, or Victron's units. Can handle heavy starting surges, like those of big power tools, well-pumps, and compressors.

Let’s not forget Sol Ark AIO operates our entire home

Tier-1, Sunny Island with Sunny Boy (for AC coupling) or an SCC like Midnight Classic (for DC coupling)

https://files.sma.de/downloads/SISYSGUIDE-KEN140421.pdf

They have other product coming, such as an AIO, but I think that will require an expensive high-voltage battery.

Since you have grid, grid-tie net metering may be available and attractive. Use the grid as a 100% efficient, unlimited capacity battery that can hold power for months.

Inverter features such as peak shaving and shifting time of use may be worthwhile, depending on tariffs. Or, zero export may be preferred to avoid red tape and forced changes to your rates. Look up on your utility's website.