diy solar

diy solar

System redo for off grid only

robaroni

New Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
35
Hi gang,

Here's what happened:
I was intertied for ~10 years and net metered. All my generation was subtracted from what I got from the grid. That has changed, now my grid supplier is charging me retail for all the energy I buy and paying me once a year for all my production at wholesale rates. I refuse to sell to them at 3.5 cents a kWh so now I'm diverting all my energy to my house and what I don't use I'll divert to dummy loads for winter heating, hot water etc.

Here's my set up, I have two systems a SolarEdge SE6000 with 6.4 kW of PV and an OutBack system with two VFR3648, two Flex80's and 3 EG4 batts for 15kWh of battery back up. This system runs my critical loads and the SolarEdge system sends all the excess it creates to the grid. The OB system also sends all my excess energy to the grid after all my house demands are met, however, I can change that to just run off grid.

Here's the problem, let's say I'm charging my EV and the SE production drops below the charge rate of my EV, I have to buy from the grid. I want to only charge when there is enough production from my SE system and I want to divert everything else it produces to hot water and home heat.

I can change out the whole SE system but there are 24 optimizers and an invert. They are ten years old so it's not a big deal but if I can utilize them I'd like to. SE makes a smart charger but you have to upgrade to another inverter to get the full benefit from it which I'm not opposed to doing but is not cheap ~$3k.

Suggestions welcome.

Thanks for your help and time everyone.
 
Your story is why I tell people not to get grid tie solar.
I think I'm understanding that you have an electric water heater and electric heat, if that is correct, I can't fathom being able to run all that during a cold season and charge an ev. How is your electric production versus what you are getting from the grid?
 
Back
Top