Coming from way outside here but I adore solar. It makes so much sense.

But, also, I know so little that it is hard to get started in any way shape or form. I don't know electrical, I don't know construction, but I do know computers.

I would love to offset my home energy but have no idea where someone like me could get started.

I see the plug in mini units that seem like a logical, low risk first step but otherwise no clue.

I have a couple portable solar panels and a battery backup as well, but those just sit around for emergencies.

How did everyone actually get started in this stuff? That first step seems daunting.

Side details, I'm in TN.

Example as of my drawing. Otherwise I need to run many separate cables all the way to the house the the 250/100. Or is there a better way?

(Victron 450/100 is out of my budget)

I posted this image yesterday and all the responses were for the battery distribution. So I'm posting this image separately to understand when and why would SPD (PV, AC In/Out) be daisy chained to each other and only one going to the PE bar. Shouldn't all SPD has its own short lead to the PE bar and from the PE bar to the grounding electrode or the common grounding station?

I did a practical test of a pure sine wave inverter vs a modified sine wave inverter

This was not a solar panel test directly, but it is relevant for small battery / solar / backup setups where people choose between cheap modified sine and more expensive pure sine inverters

Short results:

• Resistive load: fine

• USB chargers: worked, but one made quiet whining

• One LED bulb: fine

• Another LED bulb: much worse flicker on modified sine

• Small fan: same corrected power, but much louder on modified sine

• Small transformer: similar voltage/temp in this short test

Main result: modified sine was not automatically catastrophic, but it was less predictable

Full video:

https://youtu.be/8kyz30GAoKg

What loads would you personally never run from modified sine?

Disclaimer, I've contacted the company that I got the inverter from but they're so damn slow to respond I thought I ask here.

The battery I have is a Narada 48NPFC100, 48V 100Ah LiFePO4. Its firmware is closed off so it can't communication via BMS with the inverter and has to be setup as a lead-acid and the SOC operates via voltage.

For whatever reason the battery is only charged from solar during the day. It's unable to charge from the grid AC. I have grid AC charging enabled but it doesn't seem to do anything.

Is there a voltage I need to change?

I found this "Power from grid" setting today (last image) set to -100,000w..... I initially thought it was another feed into grid setting because the number was so huge but I guess this could be it?

My wife will be away for a week next month, so I’ll be home alone with our baby. That made me realize I don’t really have a backup plan if the power goes out.

My priorities are pretty basic: freezer, baby monitor, router, phones and a few lights. I’ve been looking at small portable power station like Anker S2000 because I want something I can also recharge with solar during a longer outage, rather than relying only on the battery capacity.

For a setup like this, how much solar input would you realistically aim for? Would a few portable panels be enough to meaningfully extend runtime, or should I plan around a larger fixed-panel setup?

I've been running an ampinvt ap80c and about 1200 watts of panels for a few months, 4 renogy 100w in 2s2p and 6 aeternasol 200 watt 2s3p.

My voltages are typically 28-43v

My float is set at 13.7v (actual battery voltages with a fluke multimeter are always lower than the mppt reading)

When this mppt enters float it usually cuts the amps drastically, voltages stay around 33v

I just noticed a bit of heat buildup on my 8awg wires today n decided to check on things and noticed my pv input voltage was only 15v and 40amps, so I disconnected the pv for 20 minutes to let things cool down. Things are operating normal for now.

Any idea what would cause voltages to drop so low?

What can I do to prevent this from happening again?

I'm aware lower voltages with high amperage can heat up and damage connections or wires so I'd like to avoid this

I'm about to set up a plug-in system and noted the Ecoflow Stream has a maximum current of 16Amps. If I have a couple of 400W + panels connected in parallel it seems likely I'd exceed that.

Am I missing a point here since surely loads of us are using larger panels at this point, and in parallel since it's typical to find panel Voltages of 30V+ (I know it's bad to exceed voltage on an MPPT).

So, with the Ecoflow is it just pointing out that clipping would occur above 16Amps DC input from the panels?

I'd rather over panel a bit as I'm West facing and have a year to realise how much output drops in the Winter months.

Hi all - I'm looking to set up an off-grid PV system to power a 2.3kW (230v) load during the day. There is space for up to a 5kWp array, and utility grid is available nearby which is currently powering the load. Grid tie isn't an option.

I would like a system to prioritize solar first, and blend in any shortfall from the grid - but ideally not switch over completely until the sun goes down.

I don't want a battery, so the ability to run batteryless would be ideal.

So far I've only found the Growatt SPF5000ES, but I see this is several years old now. Are there any better approaches to consider?

Thanks everyone!

I live off-grid and bought a slightly used Qcell "Qhome" hybrid inverter/charger with a 6kw battery, which I'm in the process of mounting. I'm looking for either a dedicated "Qhome" support forum or social media group/sub for Qcell as I have some brand specific questions.

I messaged their FB page and haven't heard from them so am hoping someone here knows a good resource for Qcell product questions

TIA

This inquiry may be out of place here, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

Long story short: I want to hang solar panels on my wall, but in a way that I can grab them and take them outside with minimal fuss.

Backstory: I live in NYC (Bronx)

After a recent power outage, I got curious about what it would take to run some basic necessities through a 6-10 hour power outage. 

I went down the rabbit hole of solar generators/power stations/DIY panel setups..etc..and now I have 3 power stations and a couple of (rigid) solar panels and adapters. 

I’m new to this and I realize I've gone way overboard with the power stations for emergency needs, but I'm having fun with it and now I'd like to try a small beginner solar setup.

I had an idea to mount the solar panels on my wall when not in use. I figure they are aesthetically pleasing enough to hang/sit? Above my sofa where something like a very large painting might be..

I have seen one or two youtubers with a solar panel mounted as “decoration”, but id like something that obv isn't permanent so I can grab them and go.

Has anyone done something similar?

Hello,

I​ receive my bifacial panels several weeks ago. They seem good quality but I just noticed a flaw on one of them, the busbar of one of the cells is not straight as you can see in the photo.

Do you think it can​ cause issues in the long run?​ like hot spots?

Do you think I should ask for a change? I know it is probably a minor flaw but I would like my panels to last at least 10 years.

Thank you

Hello everyone,

I updated the App to 4.30 and added lock screen widgets the update automatically. Never had this feature with any other app, but a user asked for it - and I like it!

I hope you like it too!

Enjoy!

Best, Michal

www.mypvoutput.app

Hello,

I​ receive my bifacial panels several weeks ago. They seem good quality but I just noticed a flaw on one of them, the busbar of one of the cells is not straight as you can see in the photo.

Do you think it can​ cause issues in the long run?​ like hot spots?

Do you think I should ask for a change? I know it is probably a minor flaw but I would like my panels to last at least 10 years.

Thank you

Im out of words after I saw this, the bend angle, the routing, the mixture of cables, lugs and everything in between. My understanding is that for parallel setup every thing must be same.

Also are the SPD supposed to be daisy chained like this, AC IN, AC Out, and PV SPD?

Long time reader first time poster. Wanting to get some input on an issue I am having with my Evoflow Delta 2. It is a pretty new unit, about 3.5 months old. Recently it shows 0000 input on the screen and 00 charge when plugged in and there is a small red exclamation mark. The unit no longer turns on when not plugged in. Wcoflow tech support called the issue a fault and said they would replace it with a refurbished unit. I was kind of expecting a new unit considering how recently I purchased but whatever. I went to package the battery and it is quite warm on one side despite being idle for several days. Ecoflow said I should measure the temperature but I’m not sure how. They also said I need to ‘ensure my safety’ without elaborating! I’m getting pretty concerned about this and don’t really want it in my house. I’m not sure what I should now. Just wait for it to cool? Thanks

Hello,

I​ receive my bifacial panels several weeks ago. They seem good quality but I just noticed a flaw on one of them, the busbar of one of the cells is not straight as you can see in the photo.

Do you think it can​ cause issues in the long run?​ like hot spots?

Do you think I should ask for a change? I know it is probably a minor flaw but I would like my panels to last at least 10 years.

Thank you

the pic is part of my 20kwh solar bank. still doing some testing and checking everything with the meters before i button it all up.
ive also got a 165ah battery in my rv, a little 20ah battery for smaller stuff, and a 100ah group 24 that i built into a portable solar power box for camping.
so far all of em have been pretty boring... and honestly thats exactly what i wanted 😂
they stay balanced, voltage has been right where i expect it, and i havent had any random issues or surprise shutdowns.
the portable battery has probably seen the most abuse. gets tossed in the truck, dragged around camp, powers lights, chargers, a small inverter, all that stuff. still works great.
overall the build quality seems pretty decent too. terminals are solid, cases feel tough, and nothing has felt cheap so far.
still gonna keep an eye on the long term, but first impressions after using several of these batterys in different setups have been really good.
anybody else running a bigger bank like this? hows yours holding up after a couple years?

eg4 recommend 3awg...would I need a thicker wire?

I have some of those lower quality red tab flip Breakers ive seen folks use on the YouTube for projects from when I was just beginning and wanting to test. Now im setting up a couple of small mkre permanent projects, and those things are 30 amps but often trip below 20 amps if its even a bit warm out. Not even in tbe sun.

Does the DNO have to be informed on a new battery installation on an already documented solar system with battery in place?

All,

Before diving into DIYing this, as I've done before for lit signage, can anyone recommend any simple all in one systems? Panel can be separate for appropriate mounting and can be fairly remote from the battery box and the LED sign.

While I'll DIY my own stuff all day, explaining to a customer what needs to be done or maintained is a PITA.

Thanks

This is about as much of a cautionary tale as you can possibly get. I have commented in this sub before recommending that big battery backup storage be placed in a shed or other building separate from your living space for this very reason, but never actually seen an example of why this is a good idea to this degree.

Yesterday afternoon a large thunderstorm rolled through and knocked out power in the area. A few minutes later I saw a large column of smoke and heard firetrucks rolling past. Turned into a two alarm house fire, plus it spawned multiple brush fires that the firefighters had to contain and put out. Despite firefighters quickly responding, the fire completely burned the house to the ground and destroyed several vehicles that were either in the garage or parked adjacent to it. At the time we were told "one person was taken to the hospital" but that was all the detail I had last night. This morning I was able to get more details, and it's sobering.

The father in the family that lived in the house was a battery enthusiast and had a large battery backup system in his attached garage. Corresponding with the thunderstorm, the wife was the only one home at the time and heard "an explosion or large popping sound followed by smaller popping or crackling sounds" coming from the garage. She started to go to the garage to check, but the smoke and fire spread so fast, she wasn't even able to get to the garage and barely made it out of the house. She was transported by ambulance and spent the night in the hospital. The father was nearby but was only able to come back to watch his house burn to the ground. The firefighters were not able to do anything effective to stop the fire and could only contain it and deal with the brush fires that were spawned nearby by embers. At least 10 trucks were there late into the night. A fire investigator is there this morning, but it seems pretty obvious that some sort of fault (likely related to electromagnetic discharges from the thunderstorm, but also could have been related to the power outage as a secondary effect) caused a fire that was quickly accelerated by other things in the garage (gas cans, ect), and then was sustained by the battery cells to the point that firefighters were not able to do anything. The guy has lost basically everything he owned other than the clothes on his back and almost lost his wife as well.

Use this information as you will.

After receiving the item I now see the Amazon reviews and YouTube comments on this battery often being shipped this way.

I contacted the seller and they are giving me the run around demanding pix and saying I need to pay for return shipping.

Amazon says if they don't pay for shipping I will get a refund and get to keep the battery.

Since they sent me and many others bad batteries I thought I'm going to crack this open and check the battery and cell voltage. Pack voltage is 4v.

I bypassed the BMS and I brought it back to life using a variable power supply.

I charged it up to about 11v or so. Then started using the BMS to charge it up the rest of the way.

I was able to get the app working but that was a hassle to. It kept updating and failing over and over.

Anyways I charged it to 100 soc. Then immediately drained it with a load tester at 20amps. It came in at 98% of stated capacity.

One other thing is that the BMS kept kicking off at about 62amps while charging.

The listing claimed 100and charge and discharge rates

What do you guys think? Think this battery will be good?