simple Level 1 EV charger Growatt SPF3000 ES with EG4

[watchdoc]

Simple Level 1 Growatt SPF3000TL LVM-ES with EG4 Lifepower4 battery (3ft 2awg battery cables) with guest appearances from a Zencar level 1/2 adjustable EVSE and my Anker 767/760 that I use for an energy dump when I'm not home. Six URE 365 watt panels wired in series with 20 amp inline fuse and 10 awg MC4 cables.

This has been working very well for over a month now. On a sunny day I can put 35 miles in my Leaf. I have the system plugged into my garage outlet but I have it set to only charge from solar. Growatt/EG4 communication works well. Growatt wifi was a PIA to setup but has worked well ever since. Growatt/EG4 purchased from Signature Solar and their support has been pretty good thus far.

Planning to upgrade the Growatt output cord from 12awg to 10awg so I can turn up the amperage. I typically charge at 12amps(1440 watts) and the 12awg doesn't even get warm.

I also have some Q cell 480 watt bifacial panels I plan to integrate along with a couple more EG4 batteries along with breakers and fuses for a multi battery setup.

I've actually been pleasantly surprised at how well this simple system works. I can even run with batteryless with grid assist. Big thanks to Will for showing how simple it is to build something like this and to Steve from Reel Clear Media Youtube channel for his forward thinking inspiration. (He was doing this years ago)

 

[watchdoc]

In the last few months, I have added the Qcell 480 bifacial panels to the array so I now have 3150 watts of solar plus some bifacial gain. I also upgraded the AC input and AC output cords to 10awg. The 12awg cord would get pretty warm if I charged my EV for a long time. The 10awg cord stays cool. I also added grounding lugs to all my panels, array, and a earth ground beside array. Before I added the earth ground rod, I would sometimes get a tingle from a panel frame.

I have currently run over a megawatt of power through this setup and overall I have been very pleased. It covers 95% of my EV charging and offsets around $35 a month on my power bill. Looking to add another EG4 battery (or two) and a battery fuse.

 

[Tripplett]

This is similar to what I’d like to do but I also want to feed a small critical loads panel for power outages. Is this still working good for you? How did you secure the LiFePower to the wall?

 

[NCislander]

Always good seeing other forum users having success using the Growatt ES series All-In-One units. Inexpensive and very reliable for what they do. Mine have been solid since installing them.

 

[timselectric]

This is similar to what I’d like to do but I also want to feed a small critical loads panel for power outages. Is this still working good for you? How did you secure the LiFePower to the wall?

Looks like the weight is supported by the ledge it's sitting on. And "L" brackets hold the top against the wall.
If you build a similar setup. I would recommend that you properly ground the array, with an EGC.
Don't do what they did.

 

[Tripplett]

If you build a similar setup. I would recommend that you properly ground the array, with an EGC.
Don't do what they did.

The inverter would be feeding a critical load panel in the garage with half a dozen circuits and will be grounded back to that critical load panel as well. The critical load panel will be grounded back to a sub panel right beside it. That sub panel is grounded back to a main panel & meter on the other side of the house - where the grid comes in. There’s an earth ground rod there. The array will be at the back of the property and grounded to earth via rod there, for lightning protection.

Or are you saying the array should be grounded back to the critical load panel with 125+ ft of ground wire?. Actually the array isn’t that far from the main panel at the meter, so I could ground it there if needed, but I didn’t plan to. It’s about 25 ft away from that back corner of the house.

 

[timselectric]

The array will be at the back of the property and grounded to earth via rod there, for lightning protection.

This is incorrect. It's not for lightning protection. That would be a completely different system. This is the electrical grounding system, for personal safety.
The array should be have a EGC. Ran along with the PV wires. All the way back to their connection point, at the AIO. And connected to the grounding system, at that location.

 

[Tripplett]

This is incorrect. It's not for lightning protection. That would be a completely different system. This is the electrical grounding system, for personal safety.
The array should be have a EGC. Ran along with the PV wires. All the way back to their connection point, at the AIO. And connected to the grounding system, at that location.

So the ground wite needs to go between all panels then go two directions - one to a ground rod and one through the conduit back to the AIO.

Or are you saying that I need TWO sets of ground wires on the panels - one to a ground rod and one going though conduit back to the AIO? Actually electrically that shouldn’t matter so I don’t think that’s what you mean.

 

[timselectric]

So the ground wite needs to go between all panels then go two directions - one to a ground rod and one through the conduit back to the AIO.

Or are you saying that I need TWO sets of ground wires on the panels - one to a ground rod and one going though conduit back to the AIO? Actually electrically that shouldn’t matter so I don’t think that’s what you mean.

One EGC back to the AIO. Connected to everything at the array. (Solar panel frames, metal support structure and enclosues)
No auxiliary ground rod at the array. Unless your inspector makes you. (Some don't know any better)

 

[watchdoc]

One EGC back to the AIO. Connected to everything at the array. (Solar panel frames, metal support structure and enclosues)
No auxiliary ground rod at the array. Unless your inspector makes you. (Some don't know any better)

Hey Tim, My array is grounded at the panels (grounding lugs and ground rod) and the AIO is grounded from the outlet as instructed by Signature Solar. Are you saying this isn't correct? In my configuration, I'm treating the AIO like an appliance. In this case, an EV charger.

Bare copper grounding wire running 100' would be really expensive.

 

[watchdoc]

This is similar to what I’d like to do but I also want to feed a small critical loads panel for power outages. Is this still working good for you? How did you secure the LiFePower to the wall?

To answer your question, it's been working well for 9 months now and I've charged my Leaf with 1.7 megawatts of solar. I should be over 2 megawatts by the 1 year mark.

I've only had a few issues thus far.

1. The output cable needed to be upgraded to 10awg because it would get too warm during long charging sessions
2. I've had to manually top balance the EG4 battery to reclaim full capacity.
3. I had some panels get damaged from Ophelia so I had to reconfigure the array and upgrade my ground mounts.

If I was building this system now, I would probably choose the EG4 3000 watt inverter or maybe even go with the Anker 3800 that comes with a 14/50 outlet built in. The Growatt works fine 90% of the time but occasionally has a mind of its own when it comes to bypass vs only charging from solar.

 

[timselectric]

Hey Tim, My array is grounded at the panels (grounding lugs and ground rod) and the AIO is grounded from the outlet as instructed by Signature Solar. Are you saying this isn't correct?

Yes
Your array isn't grounded. It's just locally earthed.
Earthed is not (Electrically) grounded.
An electrical grounding system provides a low impedance (resistance) path for fault current.
Earth (dirt) is not a good conductor.

In my configuration, I'm treating the AIO like an appliance. In this case, an EV charger.

This makes no difference regarding electrical safety.

Bare copper grounding wire running 100' would be really expensive.

It doesn't have to be bare. (I would recommend that it isn't)
100' of #12 green stranded or solid is about $50.
And a lot cheaper than an ambulance ride.

 

[watchdoc]

Yes
Your array isn't grounded. It's just locally earthed.
Earth is not (Electrically) grounded.
An electrical grounding system provides a low impedance (resistance) path for fault current.
Earth (dirt) is not a good conductor.

This makes no difference regarding electrical safety.

It doesn't have to be bare. (I would recommend that it isn't)
100' of #12 green stranded or solid is about $50.
And a lot cheaper than an ambulance ride.

ok, so what would I ground that wire to? the outlet? the Growatt? the ground lug in the panel box? the main earth ground rod (on the other side of the house)? I'm not sure what "grounding system" you are referring to. Thank you for the input.

 

[timselectric]

ok, so what would I ground that wire to? the outlet? the Growatt? the ground lug in the panel box? the main earth ground rod (on the other side of the house)? I'm not sure what "grounding system" you are referring to. Thank you for the input.

The ground terminal.
In the Growatt connection area.
You can either add it under one of the terminals. Or use a wire nut to connect two together with a short piece to a terminal. (If you're not comfortable placing two wires in one terminal)

 

[watchdoc]

The ground terminal.
In the Growatt connection area.
You can either add it under one of the terminals. Or use a wire nut to connect two together with a short piece to a terminal. (If you're not comfortable placing two wires in one terminal)ok,

I didn't know you could use stranded/jacketed wire with a ground lug? I guess I would need to strip a small section for each ground lug?

 

[timselectric]

I didn't know you could use stranded/jacketed wire with a ground lug? I guess I would need to strip a small section for each ground lug?

Yes
But at the array, where the wire is exposed. (Not in conduit)
It is required to be a minimum of #6. #12 is fine everywhere else. (For your PV circuit size)