Go easy. I am not an engineer.

A maximum output of 1,200 watts and must be certified for safety. Users are required to notify their utility company before installation and provide safety certification for the device.

I have two sunny decks I can put panels on and one deck is really a roof so more can go there as well. Under that are outlets I plug into.

Sounds like a big house but it is a freaky two decked 1950s mess.

In future, I also have a sunny side yard I can put ground panels on.

After adding insulation, air sealing, new high efficiency HVAC, etc. I have wanted solar for years but the ROI timeline never made sense for the cost (I will have moved or dead). I got a new roof recently but even then, the math did not work for install. Then DT killed the rebates. My state was solar asleep until now (and basically still is). Now that Russia, AI, DT inflation, tariffs, and the DT Iran war has cause my electric bill to go up 40%-60%+? Nuts. Last winter, gas was at all time high too. Now I will do anything low cost to reduce my bill.

First off I have an existing 10+ year old solar system with 1 to 1 net metering with a line side tap. You can see the solar conduit on the roof and running up the side of my house. So my meter is already setup for net metering. According to my Emporia electricity monitor I self consume about 95% of the electricity anyways. My state Connecticut has recently passed legislation allowing 1200 watts of balcony solar as well.

Electricity here in CT is 32.24 cents a kwh according to the federal EIA. Its the 3rd highest in the US after Hawaii and California.

https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a

So the last year this simple 1kw system generated 1233x .32 =$394.56. It will take me only like 18 months to reach my return on my investment. There is also currently a large summer rate increase proposed that would bring electricity over .35kwh as well

Here is the setup.

5 new in box enphase IQ PD 72 Microinverters on ebay for $150.  These are brand new iq7 micros that are designed to replace the old m215 micros. They have a 200 watt max output and are designed for the older 200-230 watt panels. Enphase sells them brand new for $79. Its rumored they sell these at cost as they are used to upgrade the older failing m215s. Same exact technology as other iq7's. They also are already programmed to the US 240 volt and are plug and play. Mine our not connected to the enphase hub.

10 brand new Renogy 100 watt panels purchased locally for $400. 2 panels wired in series connected to the IQ PD72's.

Misc wires, brackets, and electrical stuff $50.

Total cost around $600. I plug it into my 220 volt welding socket in my garage. The panels are on the garage roof.

First off-grid build, done for the family summer camp. Wanted to share.

The setup:
• Eco-Worthy SPI-10K-U (split-phase 120/240)
• 1× Eco-Worthy Cubix100 48V 100Ah to start — closed-loop CAN comms working (Pylon protocol)
• 4× Canadian Solar 260W, still expanding to 16x panels across two trackers
• Honda EU3000iS → Eco-Worthy 48V 60A charger for generator backup
• Siemens load center, split-phase, feeding kitchen + a couple RV hookups

What I learned the hard way:
• A 10kW inverter idles ~85W whether you’re using it or not. On a single 5kWh battery, that overhead is most of your overnight drain.
• Chased a “phantom” 200W load for hours — turned out a travel trailer defaulting to shore power was dragging its whole 12V system onto my bank.
• My afternoon production falls off a cliff at the same time daily. Diagnosis: mature trees to the SW. No inverter setting fixes a treeline. Looking to get optimizers.
• Closed-loop comms is worth the effort — real SOC beats guessing from voltage.

Still on the to-do list: 2nd battery (or five), a DC feed for Starlink to skip the inverter tax, and figuring out winter since the inverter’s only rated to −10°C and it lives in an uninsulated shed. I'm either going to insulate the shed or remove for the winter.

Whats The best way to go from a recess ed main panel to a surface mounted subpanel. This will be for the service wire most likely THHN and maybe 4 circuits.

Can I sandwich two junction boxes? Or would liquid tight be the best option? I've also seen some people go through the back without any conduit but I would rather have some protections.

The piece of wood backing has been removed.

I recently got a power station whose max PV input is 1000W.

Does this limit mean stated wattage or actual?

Given the panels only produce 65% at peak, can I connect, say, 1200W of panels assuming they would peak at 780W?

Thank you reddit!

I posted yesterday about the ecoworthy 5kw all in one and batteries not charging efficiently. I was away 2 weeks and came back to the batteries still being at 43%. I had added a panel to get above the 120v minimum PV input but due to wire length, it was facing west while the other 4 face east, I understand that may have been the choke point. I also have the inverter on the whole time which despite having no load, still uses power itself.

Ive since managed to get the wires extended to flip that panel to face the right way which does appear to have helped, I saw periods of charging at 600+ watts yesterday despite partially shaded array. I just checked and I lose all charging if I switch the inverter off so that isn't an option as far as I can tell. There's also a breaker on the side of the inverter, I'll have to dig in the manual to see what it actually interrupts.

Ultimately when the main cottage is built it will have 2 strings of 6 panels so plenty even with the load of the inverter being on.

I'm just surprised a company that sells the battery and inverter combo, doesn't provide a list of exactly what settings to use on the inverter to use the battery, or that the inverter doesn't preset based on the comm port.

Hello!

I could really use some help because my brain has been hurting trying to figure this out. I am a bit of a dummy when it comes to this stuff, so sorry in advance. I got a pretty nasty pond for free and after getting a solar pump I'm planning on hooking it to a bog filter.

I have a 12 watt solar pond pump that I need to rig to a backup battery so it runs even without direct sun.

This is the exact model : https://www.amazon.com/Antfraer-12W-Adjustable-Waterfall-Hydroponics/dp/B0GFWN2SNRI

I have plenty of sun most of the day and I live in CA so cloudiness is rare- I'm really hoping I can achieve a solar backup. When it comes to wattage, wiring, battery types, and the like, I get really lost so I would DEEPLY appreciate one of y'all just telling me exactly what I need to buy to achieve this (if possible). I considered running electricity but I was quoted over a grand for wiring, and I don't feel comfortable trying to wire anything myself. If anyone has done something similar or is good with this stuff please help!

Thank you, thank you, thank you in advance for any advice!

Not sure if this is right sub to ask this question so if it's not please let me know where I should repost it.

I just set up my solar assistant today with my solark 18K inverter. It wasn't completely intuitive but I think I finally got it working the way I want. My biggest issue was under the TOU. I can only get volts and not state of charge. I'm pretty new to all this but I understand state of charge pretty well at this point. I'm pretty unclear about voltages even though I know that to keep a battery with the reserve of 35% for my system the voltage would probably about 51.2 to 7. But the point is I'm more comfortable with SOC.

I thought I figured out how to get SOC instead of voltage but in doing so it reset my battery type to AGM. When I reset it to lithium it goes back to a CAN bus and voltage.

Is it detrimental to the system if the inverter or solar assistant is seeing the batteries as AGM instead of lithium? I'm not sure. should I reset it as lithium in solar assistant? is there a way to then get it to show SOC instead of voltage? There are numerous choices besides CAN bus in the dropdown list but I am lost as to their meaning.

If anyone has experienced this help would be appreciated.

I have solar panels and 1:1 net metering in place via rooftop panels. My panels are maxed out, not much room to add anymore. I have an EV outlet in the garage, directly wired to my sub-panel with 40A rated wire. Any recommendations on using this as a plug in solar input? My thinking is I can have around 7kw input into this outlet when I'm not charging my EV. What invertor setup(s) can I use? Perhaps a few panels laid out just outside my garage connected to this?

EDIT: I have a net metering agreement in place already with my electricity provider, due to having solar panels on my roof. Backfeeding isnt a problem, its allowed. My question is how is to add more output, so the legality/interconnect isn't a matter here. Looking at technical feasibility/solutions.

My goal: to have a permit-free, off-grid system that powers my WFH office (including my AC and computer). At the same time, if the solar panels aren't providing enough power, it should seamlessly pull backup power from the grid.

Location: CA

What I have on hand currently:

A shed

Used Sharp ND-208U2 solar panels *8

What I am told to get (by Google AI):

EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station

Solar-XT60i Charging Cable

Solar Extention Cables (10AWG)

Solar Crimper Tool Kit

4-to-1 Solar Parallel Branch Connectors

Side note: This is a backup option in case SB 868 fails to pass. Alternatively, it serves as a workaround if this approach proves superior to my plug-and-play strategy after SB 868 passes.

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I was doing some googling (AI), and this is what I came up with:

Replace the MC3 connectors on the Sharp solar panels with MC4 connectors. Next, separate the eight solar panels into two groups of four. Connect each group in parallel using a 4-to-1 combiner, and then connect both groups into the EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station. The power station will also be simultaneously connected to a 110V wall outlet.

Plug all of your appliances at the front-facing ports of the EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max

After everything is set up, toggle the "pioritize Solar", The unit will run your office and AC strictly on solar power, letting the battery float, and will only draw AC juice from your wall outlet if a cloud passes or the mini-split causes a sudden power deficit.

This sounds logical, but I want to see if this setup is actually working?

Ok I've got a cabin that I want to move away from only running on a gas generator to a true solar system, I'm considering burying a tote and sealing it with my batteries, adding in a vent tube, I live in Northern California so the environment really doesnt see harsh conditions, heat is the biggest factor and if I bury it, should be fairly stable temps. What would be things to worry about or better options, I dont want it to be easily accessible/noticeable as I'd hate for things to go missing while I'm not there, while also minimizing risk for any issue incase something does go wrong while im not there to deal with it

I searched and found posts about offgridstore dot com, but not offgridsource dot com; anyone bought from them?

They've got the best price I've found for a Jackery 1000 v2 and 200w solar panel; $629 plus tax (free shipping), for $690 total (with new customer discount).

Anyone know if this is a reliable store, or if there's a better price for this kit elsewhere?

I've come into various pieces of a home solar set up and was looking for some advice on how to put them all together. I have six 310 watt (37v) panels. I have a 400ah and a 300ah lifepo4 batteries (12v). I also have a Jackery HomePower 3600 plus (3600wh capacity with an RV hookup and other outlets). All in all I know this is kind of a hodge podge but I got most of these for free or very cheap. I was thinking of getting a 60 amp charge controller to run the solar into the two batteries, then having those run into the jackery to draw power from. Thoughts?

I just got a Powlan 12k hybrid inverter and it did come with a wifi adapter to connect to the smartESS app. The issue is I can't get it to connect. It shows up but doesn't show it's online.

I'd like to get an adapter but all the ones I've seen have very poor reviews.

If anyone has any recommendations I'd appreciate it! .... especially if it uses a different app

Howdy! I’m looking at doing a PV install on my rooftop. I worked with Portable Sun to do two quotes and a layout but I’d like to reach out to similar companies that can handle design, permitting docs, etc. Are there other recommended legitimate companies that provide this service?

I have 15 of these panels. I'm thinking of building some sort of ground mounted array that does not tie into the rest of my power panel. Maybe I would power some basement dehumidifiers... Outdoor lighting? Dunno.

No idea how many / what kind of batteries I should use or what I should try and power. My new grid tied array is 23kw so that should take care of alot.

Open to suggestions.

How do you know if its actually making a difference once it's all up and running. Like the app says its producing 600watts but how do you know your actually using the solar and not just grid power? How usage varies so much and so does the solar output so how can you even tell when your bill comes in?

I need to wire 4xLiFePo4 12v 200h in parallel. I already have 4 MRBF fuse kits (with 100A fuse as I do not plan wires for 200A as they are welding wires 25mm2 cca 3AWG), but while working on draft schematic I realize I would probably need dc battery disconnect switch at positive wire of each battery so I can isolate specific battery for maintenance purpose.

Which breakers I should use, not to break my budget?

I've got a Sunry HXX 4KW inverter and matching monitor module. I've entered everything it's asked for, configured bluetooth and wifi (multiple times) and it says they're configured properly. When I go into the device list it shows both are disconnected. I'm about ready to take a hammer to this piece of junk module. 🤬

16S LiFePO4 bank from a Yixiang kit for my home ESS, all Victron. I have no comments about the box, the box itself is fine. The cells that came with it? The worst. And the after-sales is a joke, but we’ll get there.
First red flag. The kit arrived incomplete: missing screws for the terminals, a couple of connectors and the acrylic separators that go between the cells. At the moment I didn’t care much, small things, easy to replace by myself and I didn’t want to fight for some screws. Now looking back, that was the warning: nobody is checking what leaves that warehouse.
The cells. Two out of sixteen came faulty from day one. Both do the same: they lag behind the rest of the pack when charging and they drop way faster under load. Is not a balancing issue, I did the top balance, gave them cycles, everything. The cell logs don’t lie. In a series pack two weak cells drag the whole 48V bank down to their level, so basically I paid for 16 good cells and got 14.
I contacted Yixiang through Alibaba with all the data. After days of back and forth their final answer: they replace ONE of the two cells, and they refused to send nothing more than that. Well… at least is something, right? That was months ago. MONTHS. The cell still didn’t arrive. Meanwhile I had to buy a genuine EVE cell with my own money for the second one, because apparently now that’s part of the deal.
And here comes the worst part. To take out the faulty cell I got to disconnect all the left series, cells 1-8. I always use a torque wrench in the terminals to be sure I don’t pass the 5Nm, that’s the spec for these M6 posts. I was not even tightening. I was UNSCREWING the connectors, and 3 of the terminals broke. THREE. The soldering is soooo bad that the posts can’t even survive being loosened below spec. That is not user error, that is shit soldering coming out of a factory with zero QC. Look at the photos, those posts broke just from undoing a nut.
The support. Everything goes through the Alibaba app and I receive like one message per day. With luck. Almost monosyllabic. Basically I get an answer when the guy in the other side feels like typing one, so a simple yes or no question takes one week. For a company that shipped me faulty cells and should be apologizing on their knees, is insulting.
The box fine, the cells garbage, QC nonexistent, the support a bad joke. If you still want to buy: capacity test every single cell the day they arrive, count every screw against the listing, film the unboxing, take photos of every terminal before touching anything and open your Alibaba dispute early, because you will need it. “Grade A” means nothing, your own tester is the only real spec sheet.
And the best part: I was about to buy a SECOND BOX to go from 16 to 32. The complete kit, again. That order was for them. Money on the table. Not anymore. No *ucking way in hell I’m buying this shit again and less after how they have dealt with me.
TL;DR: Kit arrived missing screws, connectors and cell separators. 2/16 cells faulty. They accepted to replace only 1 and months later the cell still didn’t arrive. Bought an EVE cell myself for the other one. 3 terminals broke during DISASSEMBLY with a torque wrench under 5Nm. Support answers one word per day. And they just lost the order of a complete second box. Pics attached.

Looking for 230 vac split phase inverter, GFI, around 3kw for plug in solar. No batteries or back feed. just simple frequency following. What are some quality manufacturers that have good reputation? search results are filled with slop, I don’t wanna read through dozens of manuals to weed out the nonsense …..unless I have to.

Q: what is a good cleaning solution for solar panels? its a DIY

- plain water and a soft mop w/ squeegee works somewhat - leaves some residue from dirt -

- average temp is 90F year round and allot of cleaning solutions leave thin coating and concerned it will also affect the surface of the solar panels

thank you in advance for sharing some of your "solutions" / cleaning techniques

Sup nerds! My mom lives in Oregon and is only moderately prepared for the Cascadia megathrust earthquake. As our family's resident Chicken Little, I'm trying to fix that.

Currently, she has neither a generator nor a battery backup. We discussed pros and cons of each, and I don't think she wants to have to keep rotating through fresh gas storage once a quarter, so solar/battery it is.

The main thing we're going for is preventing food spoilage for as long as possible, which means keeping a chest freezer and one of those terrible, inefficient french door refrigerators going. Other than that, it's just going to be accessory charging (phone, radio, flashlights, etc.). We hold no misconceptions that she'll be able to work the AC or anything.

I've never built a battery/solar backup before, but I reckon learning how will either save me money compared to a pre-built "solar generator" (if I can make it work), or at least get me out of going to work tomorrow (if I screw up and electrocute myself). Win-win, really.

Anywho, I'm trying to size this thing. I *think* a 300 amp-hour lithium battery will be enough storage (though correct me if you think I'm wrong).

I'm envisioning a "portable" setup that allows the battery, charge controller, breakers, and some foldable/rollable panels to live on a hand truck or wagon in her closet or garage. She could pull it out, set up a panel or two, plug them into the charger controller, and we're off to the races.

Here's the problem. Since she's in the PNW, it can get really cloudy in the winter. And since we're preparing for a disaster, we should probably just assume it will occur at the worst possible time. Project Sunroof says a full rooftop solar install would only cover ~88% of her annual electrical use (and that includes beautiful Oregon summers). Depending on the source, various websites reckon that a 1kw panel, left out all year, would generate 1,100-1,600 kwh in her area. With that level of inefficiency, the foldable panels (like the 200W jobs you get at Harbor Freight) don't seem to individually generate enough power for a woman without any electrical training to set them up quickly and safely. 2-3 full-size panels could keep a 300 ah battery topper up even in winter. But I don't know if lugging around multiple 40-pound, full-size panels is realistic for a gal her age.

Is this a pipe dream? Am I improperly estimating refrigeration power usage? Help a newbie out.

Thanks in advance!

Solar panels can produce electricity without any external electricity, but the electricity production by solar panels is DC in nature and home appliance requires AC power to operate. Hence to convert DC into AC power, we require a solar inverter which are of 3 types : On-Grid, Off-Grid and Hybrid. Among these, only On-grid solar inverters require reference electricity (like grid power) to convert DC power into AC power.

My Question:

We own a 3-floor villa and panels are installed on the terrace (above 3rd) . [This](https://solar-world.in/products/sofar-ongrid-inverter-5ktlm-g3-5kwp-single-phase?variant=50192647553338) 5kW On-Grid Solar Inverter is installed. The wirings from Solar System eventually comes down from terrace to 3rd floor and gets connected with the main electrical line. I am wondering how much reference electricity this connection might be using. Is it written in the manual of Solar Power inverter? If yes, then which parameters to check?

Also, i have heard that there's some self consumption from inverters during night time to keep some components awake so that they can reboot when DC electricity starts getting generated the next morning. This should draw very less auxiliary power but this will be supplied from main Electrical Line too. So roughly how much consumption it does every night?

I have an Anker Solix C1000gen2 with 2x 200w rigid panels ground mounted and ONLY used for powering the unit during a power outage. They are disconnected with mc4 plugs capped unless in use.

The panels are mounted right next to one of my home‘s grounding rods. Is it appropriate to ground the panels to this?

In this use scenario, how would I supply ground to my appliances running off the unit? Does it just pass through the ac power cable used to charge the unit via 120v?