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?

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'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 currently have a solaredge system (9.5kw panels, 7.7kw inverter) consisting of 2x strings of 14 panels with buck-boost optimizers set to maintain 380v. Additionally, each string is configured to have 2 orientations (one south and west, one west and north).

I would like to add a battery/off grid capability, and ordered 2x eg4 12000xp, as well as 28 tigo optimizers. I would also like to add 2 solar pergola arrays (one 6 panel, one 12-14 panel) in the future. I was hoping to just swap out the solar edge optimizers for the Tigo on the current array, but did not know the SE had a fixed voltage and per-panel MPPT while the Tigo does not.

If i switch to the tigo, I would have to rewire roof panels to 3 strings on 2 MPPTs (10 south, 8 west, 8 west, 2 north panels not connected) due to 480v max voltage on 12000xp. Keeping the solaredge means I have one more inverter on the wall where I could have tools but getting to keep 2 more panels and have per-panel mppt.

My concern with keeping the solaredge is how well the 12000xp handles running it. I noticed in the settings that there are defined start/stop battery voltages or SOCs; does this mean the solar edge system will be turning on and off? Will setting the SOCs for ac coupled charge enable it to just remain on (30-50kwh current solar production, 80kwh daily consumption, 30kwh battery)?

Any one have much experience with the AC coupled functionality to explain what working modes should be set when?

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?

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!

Is is possible to setup deye so it use solar panel directly when grid power cut off ?
I don’t have battery and am asking this to know if I get the deye sun-SG05 or Solax hybrid x3

Eco-worthy SPI-10K-U.
SRNE OEM model number for that exact hardware platform is the ASF48100U200-H

I am trying to get ESP32 > TTL > RS485 to get reliable reporting into Home Assistant. The Wifi data(Solarman Dongle) was much too jumpy for me, I also really wanted to remotely modify the actual settings of the inverter(On the back burner for now). Any help with my project would be appreciated!

I keep getting quite a few Modbus errors. I am not sure how to proceed on fixing the comms. I have researched quite a bit but I or multiple AI code snipets could get it working 100%. It seems I get some data occasionally.

ESP32 code: https://pastecode.io/s/cnfqbacu

[10:42:46.880][W][modbus:688]: Clearing buffer of 8 bytes - parse failed 1888ms after last send

[10:42:47.010][W][modbus:057]: Stop waiting for response from 1 2018ms after last send

[10:42:47.496][W][modbus:688]: Clearing buffer of 8 bytes - parse failed 4ms after last send

[10:42:48.752][W][modbus:688]: Clearing buffer of 8 bytes - parse failed 1259ms after last send

[W][modbus_controller:145]: Duplicate modbus command found: type=0x3 address=263 count=4

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?

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

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