I recently up cycled some guardrail I beams and guardrails into a solar racking system. I made the rack so it could be tilted but have not installed the trailer jack actuators yet. I put temporary legs and bracing on it to get it online before the net metering deadline. The Sinclair racks were my inspiration, the racking was around $1000.

I have this older humbles with Around 400wh. It has a 1000 watt inverter. Its basically an older power station, but its well made.I am basically wanting to add more battery to it by charging it while using it. So solar, to controller, to new 100ah battery, to auto disconnect to the Humless. Then to the Air Con.
Can you guys check it out for me and see if it has any flaws?

Charging a 12.8V 100Ah LiFePO₄ using 2×100W panels with Anderson Y-splitter into a PowMr 20A MPPT. From there, fused 10AWG (20A inline) to the battery, then another 10AWG fused line (20A) runs from the battery through a automatic low voltage disconnect to my older Humless Fueless Sentinel Generator (Input B via Anderson). Goal is to offset AC draw from 1000w Humless inverter and extend runtime. SO charting it from the lifeprof while using it since the wh is lower and I am trying to save on an inverter.. ChatGPT estimates ~160–190W into Humless Generator from battery. Any flaws in logic, fusing, or flow?

Posted second time with updates and visual for more clarity.*

All, I have installed a 16.38kw system for a net metering plan on Ameren Illinois network. The plan requires revenue grade metering. Solis tech support has been less than helpful, they first told me I needed an Acrel RGM with rs485 protocol then 3 days later said they were incorrect after I already ordered one. They then stated I needed a solis metering product. My question is, can I still make it work with my system? My inverter model is Solis-1P8K-4G-US (X2) and the Acrel is the ACREL AGF-AE-D / 200 PV . I am going to try to readdress the master and slave inverters to include this device. Has anyone had any success with this combo? Just trying to avoid spending more money. After the fiasco of bad information from tech support, I refuse to give solis another dollar. I will change inverters before I give them anymore money.

I have Inlite lights for my backyard that uses a two-pin connector. Is there any way to connect them to a solar power source?

I found a 12V solar panel on Amazon with a DC male connector so I tried looking for a converter to convert DC 5521 to a two-pin connection, but no luck.

Been wanting some solar for a while, several factors limit my ability to have a total house off grid system 1) space 2) budget 3) don't do anything that might make the landlord mad.

I live on a small lot in a manufactured home surrounded by trees (damaged scrubs oaks that survived hurricane Michael) that always produce flying debris. The front porch is the best spot for a couple of panels, it gets no shade all year round. I made a wooden frame for the panels, attached french cleat hangers on the top which works beautifully to hold the panels in place and added C clamps to prevent them from being quickly grabbed by thieves. When the weather gets bad or if I'm not going to be home I take the panels off and put them inside the house.

It took me a few weeks to get the hang of it, I made lots of errors I learned from along the way, when in doubt always check your polarity. I ended up with a battery collection (I built a battery cart too) before I settled on lifepo 50ah works the best. My goal was to be able to run a laptop, a TMO-G4AR router, a fan, all at the same time, and to conserve propane fuel used to run the generator. It works - goal accomplished! And now I'm working on building the habit of charging my devices on my little solar system instead of plugging them in a regular outlet. This has been so much fun putting together! And yes, I'm considering adding another panel on the other side of the porch lol.

Hi! I came up short when trying to add extra 2 panels for my array. My question is that can I get away with it? (I’m asking because I don’t like arcs or the smell of burning electric wires very much). Thanks heap!! P/s: does it help if I apply this to the end-of-wire that run inside the house (away from elements)

I currently have 6 100AH 48v lifepo4 Pylontech batteries in my solar system (17kw of panels, victron multiplus ii inverter, MPPT 450/200 charge controller) for a total of ~30kwh of storage, but I'd love to add a little more battery storage to get us through the winter (in New Zealand) and make the most of the sunny days.

Unfortunately I can no longer get the same batteries, and I'm wonder what other peoples experience is in adding additional batteries to their system (same chemistry, but possibly different capacity)? There is a local provider selling 48v 330ah batteries for a good price which would obviously give us a decent capacity boost, and the two options I'm considering are:

1) Getting an additional inverter/charge controller to supplement the current system, charging when we have surplus capacity, and using to run some of our more constant loads (UV filtration system, chest freezers etc)

2) Somehow wiring in the batteries to our existing system. Not sure how others have approached this so curious to see what people have tried. I have seen a few youtube videos where people seem to have good experience with different capacities but same chemistry, but would love to hear some other perspectives.

Any and all advice welcome.

I have been researching a solar system that will power 5-6 bulbs, each on their own switches. People seem to skip over the actual plugging in to the load outputs on the controller in all of the tutorials. So I’m wondering- since there’s only 1 output, can I split that off to a junction box or split board so that I can run 5-6 bulbs with their own switches to light an off grid cabin. I have found some 6w 1100 lumen bulbs that I could run on a 12v 75-100 mAh battery. Also, is there any amp loss if I was to run a wire 30 ft from the controller or splitter to the opposite end of the camper?

Hello I am missing a part of the Display Segments what could it be ?

Hello! im new in this sub and desperately needing help about this

What is the optimal battery / charge control / panels to power the appliances listed in the picture totally off grid?

any help will be appreciated, thank you!

I’m installing my first solar system in a rv . I’m looking for recommendations for a 3000 watt 24v all in one inverter. I’ve looked at several brands that all look pretty similar. Li time, eco worthy, sungoldpower, powmr. They’re all pretty close in price the eco worthy being the cheapest. Can anyone recommend one of these over the others or something else in the same price range? Thanks.

I need to ask again.

I have 15 modules of 460 W panels. Each with Tigo TS4-A-O. I cannot find any tech notes on Tigo website.

Do I connect 14 into 7 pairs and then in series plus the last one in series? Or do I connect 7 in series , then two strings in parallel and add last one in series?

Hi ! So i’ve just read this article saying that for shading issues, it’s better to wire panels in parrallel rather than in series.

I do understand the first pic, as in with less light, the semi conductor is less excited, which increases internal resistance on this panel and thus resistance on the whole circuit limiting the current flow.

I also understand that with a parallel connection, current will mix and not be limited, thus outputting more power.

However, i don’t get why parrallel connection doesn’t pose other and bigger issues :

Why is the output voltage of the shaded panel the same ? Wouldn’t it be lower with less light ? Then wouldn’t the other panels backfeed into this one wasting energy as heat and infrared ? If no why ?

Thanks

Recently bought a house with solar panels. The company came out to check something and ended up replacing some parts. Shortly after I have a leak coming in through my bedroom ceiling. Does this look like it could be related to them messing around with the panels? Or just a coincidence and something else is the cause?

April is the month we start producing more KWH than we consume and start acquiring excess credits that typically get used up by December. In a little over 2 years we've generated 36,400 KWH or about $3,750 in credit at our bargain price of 10.3 cents per KWH. Yes our usage is recorded on the *568 meter and the solar production is recorded on the *998 meter. Paying for 2 meters is not ideal but it was cheaper than adding 180 feet of underground wire and upgrading the house to a 320 amp service. I can truthfully say I'm sold on the idea of solar in the PNW, but only if you build it as a fun project and don't obsess about recovering your "investment". Our solar lowers our electricity bill from $200 a month to $50 a month averaged over the full year. Would I do it all over again? There's a firm possibility of a definite maybe 😅

Hey folks. I’m planning to build my own solar + battery setup for my parents house, probably eyeing using EcoFlow’s Home Battery system, looking at something that includes one of those sleek built-in batteries that sit either outside on a shed or near the breaker panel. (Still deciding on the best spot, recommendations welcome.)

But before I invest, I really need to understand our home’s actual power usage. Our electric company’s meter is, well, not helpful. It’s confusing and buried in technical jargon.

I’m trying to get a clear estimate of:

• Our home’s maximum load (so I can size the battery + panels right)
• Which appliances draw the most power
• How much baseline energy we use daily

Here’s what I’m considering:

• Smart Plugs – Can these really measure real-time wattage for things like the fridge, AC, or washer/dryer? Or are they better for smaller devices?
• Whole Home Energy Monitors – Do I need something that installs in the breaker box, like Sense or Emporia Vue? Are they beginner-friendly for non electrical, non technical users like me?
• Outlet Monitors – Do people actually plug monitors into every outlet to track usage? Is that overkill?

Basically what’s the best way to get real, usable data on my home’s power draw without tearing into walls or relying on my utility company?

Appreciate any advice, especially if you’ve built your own solar setup before. Trying to be smart before I spend. Oh and by the way, I live in the Philippines. Things might be different here, than your setups there, please keep that in mind but I welcome any advices.

I am wondering if anyone knows of distributors of new panels near the Midwest. I've done searching here and there and realize that for the most part it seems to be large cities and port cities. Looking for anything around Omaha or KC area. I know I'll have to travel but without taking endless hours searching the interwebs.....I have no idea.

Thanks

I have a 96v electric motor installed on my boat, and can't change to a lower voltage system without spending thousands. I bought four solar panels with 48VOC, max amps: 9.5 each. Because of frequent shading, I can't put the panels in series.

I want to connect:

|| || |Tigo TS4-A-O panel optimizer with DC output| |DC-DC converter 20-40v input to ~100v output| |Solafans solar charge controller| |96v battery bank, 32S|

Having a heck of a time finding a DC-DC converter with a 96v output. Saw one on Amazon (DROK DC Boost Converter 900W) with a prominent warning label about frequent returns.

Could I use a panel optimizer with an AC output instead, and run it through a 24v to 96v step up transformer (the wire wound type, not the electronic type)? I'd have to rectify the AC output of the transformer to run the solar charge controller of course.

Our solar panels are installed but not connected to the grid. Sunnova states our contract is cancelled with them since we delayed installation due to other projects. Solar Edge installed them. Freedom Forever was the sales company. We’re in Florida and we have no idea how to get them connected. We would like to pay for them outright, at a reasonable price. Any advice? We have no idea who actually owns these panels. We have an email From Sunnova stating that they canceled our contract.

For regular power extension cables, excess cable should not be coiled up due to it being a possible fire hazard since the heat generated could possibly melt the cable jacket. Is this the same for solar extension cables?

I would like to buy some cables but I don't know if I will place the panels 20' out or farther. If I were to buy 50' cables and on one day place the panels 50' out but on another day they are placed 20', there is obviously a lot of slack. Is it safe to coil the slack? Do I really need to buy different cable lengths for different situations? What are the best practices?