Hi There!
I'm looking for recommendations on videos or books to better understand the basics of how to properly set up a net metered / grid-tie PV+Battery setup that also works when the grid power goes down.
The ultimate goal is to build a LFP battery backup solution that can power a few main things in the house (up to ~ 10-12kW sustained*) when things are down, while feeding extra power back to the grid.
I'd like to understand a little bit more about the 120% rule for electrical panels (i.e. - if I have a 200A main panel, and want a >40A breaker feeding in from the solar+battery setup, can I derate the main breaker? Does this 120% rule apply when the main grid is down and are there ways to take advantage of that? Do I really need a 400A main panel if I want a 50A breaker from solar+battery). I'd also like to learn from experiences in working with the power companies and installing the pieces of equipment that handle automatic power transfer when the grid goes off/back on. Lastly - I know I need to read up more on hybrid inverters and how they determine whether power comes from solar vs. battery when supplying the house with the grid online..
I'm not an expert, but I'm comfortable with the basics (wire sizing, calc'ing and matching panels with inverters, choosing batteries based on capacity and power output needs, etc.), but I definitely need help with understanding the more advanced stuff involved with grid-tied with battery backup.
Thanks!
P.S. I'm in Pennsylvania, and where I'm at you get 100% $/kWh back for energy sent to the grid, though it also looks like there are incentives for peak vs on-peak power usage starting to come into consideration.
*Ideally one of the house heat pumps, a fridge, hybrid water heater, and a few computers, and allowance for higher peaks for motor starts
I'm looking for recommendations on videos or books to better understand the basics of how to properly set up a net metered / grid-tie PV+Battery setup that also works when the grid power goes down.
The ultimate goal is to build a LFP battery backup solution that can power a few main things in the house (up to ~ 10-12kW sustained*) when things are down, while feeding extra power back to the grid.
I'd like to understand a little bit more about the 120% rule for electrical panels (i.e. - if I have a 200A main panel, and want a >40A breaker feeding in from the solar+battery setup, can I derate the main breaker? Does this 120% rule apply when the main grid is down and are there ways to take advantage of that? Do I really need a 400A main panel if I want a 50A breaker from solar+battery). I'd also like to learn from experiences in working with the power companies and installing the pieces of equipment that handle automatic power transfer when the grid goes off/back on. Lastly - I know I need to read up more on hybrid inverters and how they determine whether power comes from solar vs. battery when supplying the house with the grid online..
I'm not an expert, but I'm comfortable with the basics (wire sizing, calc'ing and matching panels with inverters, choosing batteries based on capacity and power output needs, etc.), but I definitely need help with understanding the more advanced stuff involved with grid-tied with battery backup.
Thanks!
P.S. I'm in Pennsylvania, and where I'm at you get 100% $/kWh back for energy sent to the grid, though it also looks like there are incentives for peak vs on-peak power usage starting to come into consideration.
*Ideally one of the house heat pumps, a fridge, hybrid water heater, and a few computers, and allowance for higher peaks for motor starts
