Would you do Eg4 or something different?

[ADK Homer]

We use on average 17k kw a year here, with a larger portion in the summer months, up to 2k a month then, 70-75kwh a day sometimes.

I bought a pallet of Solarever 410w to start and plan on running 2 strings of ten panels each on my first mounting location. We have full exposure from nearly sun up to sun down, so hoping we can take advantage of that. The southern facing roof im mounting on allowed me to get more of the 410s than the 455s on it with a higher output, which is why I chose those. The voc is also considerably less and allows me to add more per string while staying under the limits of the Eg4 6500exs I intend to buy now. Which leads me to my first question. I intend to start with needing assistance from the grid until I can get build a bigger bank and add more panels. Would I be wise to go with 2of the Eg4s starting out and expand to 4 or 6, or go with something else?

Im going to be building my banks from eve 280s or 304s, with roughly 30 kwh to start, which brings me to next question. I will probably want at least 90kwh bank in the near future, and will need enclosures and/or safe mounting in my basement. I like the dewalt rack idea as my friend uses them in his garage and they're built extremely well. Would that be a good option, mounting buss bars on each end?

Do they sell reasonably priced bases to put each group in, or full enclosures? Or should i build something around them and leave them exposed on the shelves?

 

[Lt.Dan]

A lot of your questions are going to be mainly up to you, to be honest.

I would start out with just 2x inverters, get your feet wet and make sure the system runs before getting into 4x or 6x. But if you're bold and like to spend money, go for it.

Battery capacity is going to be dependent on how many days of autonomy you want to have. In practice, you should have 2-3 days worth, but at 70kWh/day, you might want to think about more efficient appliances/air conditioners to bring that number down, rather than try and produce more power. Its ALWAYS cheaper to get more efficient appliances.

Many many options on enclosures/racks etc. Mine are just on Costco racks with wood shelves, no enclosure. But i'm a rebel. Some people build concrete boxes far from their home. Again, it all depends on what you want, there is no "right answer"

 

[Quattrohead]

If you need permits then the solark is a better choice and bear in mind there are some randomly differing reviews of the EG4 6500 units.

 

[Madco]

I agree with SolArk being a better choice for your system. Yours will be large, around 65kWh per day in the summer. I have two 6500's operating in split phase and their history is a little rocky. Mine operate well but others have reported seemingly random problems ranging from short drops in output, voltage regulation issues, flickering lights, issues with the MPPT circuit not starting reliably, etc. I believe a lot of this is firmware related and the manufacturer seems to be working through and correcting the problems but I would not consider them to be mature, trouble free, products.

In all fairness, given that there are infinitely many ways these things end up being wired, I suspect that many problems reported on the forum result from the end user's application. Some though are definitely related to the product itself.

If you enjoy tinkering and troubleshooting, you will enjoy the 6500. If not, go with the SolArk or some other stackable inverter.

 

[Adam De Lay]

I agree with @Lt.Dan. IF you decide to go with the 6500s, start with 2. You can alway grow your system as needs and funding allows but this way you can get used to how things work.

As far as the battery rack/enclosure, I have my DIY batteries on a dewalt rack. Works fine for my needs. If you want to put the cells in an enclosure, you could always look at the Seplos enclosures.

If you enjoy tinkering and troubleshooting, you will enjoy the 6500. If not, go with the SolArk or some other stackable inverter.

Agreed.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Personally I wouldn't go with any high frequency inverter, be that EG4 or SolArk. There are upsides and downsides to HF and LF (cost, idle power, efficiency, etc), but LF inherently has better power stability and also those natively support true 240V split phase due to having a big honkin' transformer in them.

 

[NVCYberPro]

Seplos enclosures

Have you used any of their products?

 

[Adam De Lay]

Have you used any of their products?

I have not. Kinda pricing for me. All the reviews Ive seen on the enclosures though look really solid.

 

[ADK Homer]

A lot of your questions are going to be mainly up to you, to be honest.

I would start out with just 2x inverters, get your feet wet and make sure the system runs before getting into 4x or 6x. But if you're bold and like to spend money, go for it.

Battery capacity is going to be dependent on how many days of autonomy you want to have. In practice, you should have 2-3 days worth, but at 70kWh/day, you might want to think about more efficient appliances/air conditioners to bring that number down, rather than try and produce more power. Its ALWAYS cheaper to get more efficient appliances.

Many many options on enclosures/racks etc. Mine are just on Costco racks with wood shelves, no enclosure. But i'm a rebel. Some people build concrete boxes far from their home. Again, it all depends on what you want, there is no "right answer"

Thank you for the input. Most of my appliances are all new but everything runs mainly on electric here..water heater, dryer, cooking stove, pool pump. Use a pellet stove for main heat source and propane monitor for small area..but want to be less dependent on propane and outside resources if I can, which is why i haven't switched everything to propane. Its going to be a process, but im hoping I can fully convert to solar as the budget affords.

 

[ADK Homer]

If you need permits then the solark is a better choice and bear in mind there are some randomly differing reviews of the EG4 6500 units.

I will need permits in the interm..so I was planning on at least one Eg4 battery lol. 6500s are UL listed for inspection correct?

 

[ADK Homer]

Personally I wouldn't go with any high frequency inverter, be that EG4 or SolArk. There are upsides and downsides to HF and LF (cost, idle power, efficiency, etc), but LF inherently has better power stability and also those natively support true 240V split phase due to having a big honkin' transformer in them.

I haven't done much research in regards to hf and Lf. Isnt Solark rated as one of the best inverters. If you wouldn't use them..who would you consider?

 

[watchdoc]

You could always install a manual transfer switch which is easy to get permitted and cheap to install and get your feet wet with something small like a growatt and EG4 batteries in one of their premade racks on casters. You gotta find a better way to heat water and get away from the electric stove as much as possbile.

 

[ADK Homer]

Thank you everyone for the replies. Sorry for the delay responding..Ive been setting up the " The Musker" we call it, Starlink. Up and going, everything great so far!

 

[ADK Homer]

You could always install a manual transfer switch which is easy to get permitted and cheap to install and get your feet wet with something small like a growatt and EG4 batteries in one of their premade racks on casters. You gotta find a better way to heat water and get away from the electric stove as much as possbile.

Problem being, I live in the Northeast, so heat pumps not very efficient. Propane is definitely the ticket..but I want to be able to function if propane is not available at some point..hopefully no time soon, but wsnt to be prepared.

 

[watchdoc]

Problem being, I live in the Northeast, so heat pumps not very efficient. Propane is definitely the ticket..but I want to be able to function if propane is not available at some point..hopefully no time soon, but wsnt to be prepared.

cold climate heat pumps are pretty common now. I agree Propane is necessary but you need to figure out some ways to cut back or you will end up with a very large and very expensive system.

Have you considered having a local contractor install a turn key system? Prices vary wildly across the country but local, state, and federal incentives can help a lot.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I haven't done much research in regards to hf and Lf. Isnt Solark rated as one of the best inverters. If you wouldn't use them..who would you consider?

Schneider or Outback.

 

[ADK Homer]

cold climate heat pumps are pretty common now. I agree Propane is necessary but you need to figure out some ways to cut back or you will end up with a very large and very expensive system.

Have you considered having a local contractor install a turn key system? Prices vary wildly across the country but local, state, and federal incentives can help a lot.

No mainly because the prices are astronomical and because I'm capable of doing everything. I just dont have much experience with these solar products, so was hoping for the good input I've been getting here. I guess inverters are my real big question. I dont have a lot of money to spare right now...but I'm also not the guy who buys cheap stuff and expects it to perform as needed. I usually do buy high buy high end with everything I do..you get what you pay for, but money is tight right now. Im assuming you would want all inverters to be the same, so I can pass on the Eg4s and put the project off for a bit, or start with them if the general consensus is they'll work?

 

[EastTexCowboy]

Problem being, I live in the Northeast, so heat pumps not very efficient. Propane is definitely the ticket..but I want to be able to function if propane is not available at some point..hopefully no time soon, but wsnt to be prepared.

I'm not in a cold climate as you are but I just installed some Mitsubishi ducted heat pumps that are 100% efficient down to -5F and have a 12 year warranty. There are some brands who claim to go even lower.

I run the MPP version of the GW6500 and have had no problems so far, but they have only been online since November. If I had it to do over I might look at something else but it's what I have so all I can do is see how it goes. I have 60kWh of the EG4 batteries and have been very happy with them so far as well. As with most things, time will tell.

 

[watchdoc]

No mainly because the prices are astronomical and because I'm capable of doing everything. I just dont have much experience with these solar products, so was hoping for the good input I've been getting here. I guess inverters are my real big question. I dont have a lot of money to spare right now...but I'm also not the guy who buys cheap stuff and expects it to perform as needed. I usually do buy high buy high end with everything I do..you get what you pay for, but money is tight right now. Im assuming you would want all inverters to be the same, so I can pass on the Eg4s and put the project off for a bit, or start with them if the general consensus is they'll work?

The learning curve is pretty steep unless you are intimately familiar with electrical work and your local inspections dept. I would still consider a small cheap system to get your feet wet before spending $20-$30k on a giant system. Maybe build a cheap small system just for the pool pump?

 

[EastTexCowboy]

No mainly because the prices are astronomical and because I'm capable of doing everything. I just dont have much experience with these solar products, so was hoping for the good input I've been getting here. I guess inverters are my real big question. I dont have a lot of money to spare right now...but I'm also not the guy who buys cheap stuff and expects it to perform as needed. I usually do buy high buy high end with everything I do..you get what you pay for, but money is tight right now. Im assuming you would want all inverters to be the same, so I can pass on the Eg4s and put the project off for a bit, or start with them if the general consensus is they'll work?

If you start with them you're somewhat committed. Yeah, you can switch to something else later but you may have to rebuild your wiring/conduit to accomodate a different inverter and you've wasted the money you invested in the EG4. If I was going EG4 I'd look at their 8kw model but whatever you go with, do a lot of research. This stuff isn't rocket science but it's definitely not plug and play.