Finally adding solar.. - Page 3

Vern2 · 12-03-12, 11:35 AM

Thanks for posting the bad with the good, your making some good choices.

For others that may read this thread, here's some of my thoughts. Don't buy odd size solar panels and tie them to the same array, the smaller size panels will drag down the larger panels. Only way around this is to buy inverter or charge controller for each array with identical size panels, no losses.

With grid tie, all your generation will be used by your house. Any over generation will cause your power meter to register a lower reading. Then at night when you turn on a light, you will draw back from the grid the excess KWHs you generated during the day. YOUR USING THE POWER GRID AS YOUR BATTERIES. Batteries are only for power outages or totally off grid. You do not want to turn DC into AC, because of the loss in conversion DC to AC. Only way around this is have 12v, 24v or 48v appliances in your house, no conversion needed.

Total electric home, zero electric bill for 4 years.
Solar build Lots of Videos.

Live monitoring.

granadaCoder · 12-03-12, 01:19 PM

I'm following this thread.

If possible, is there anyway you can post exact part numbers (or amazon links) to the parts you are using?

I'm a newbie, and if I ever "jump in", having a real life list of actual parts used would be invaluable.

Thanks.

Fordguy64 · 12-04-12, 08:31 PM

Well if you want to read up on solar and or ask questions go here

Solar Electric Power Discussion Forum by Northern Arizona Wind & Sun

Awesome group of people and very newb friendly.. I learned a lot just reading threads already started..

Little update today.. I ran across another deal on panels 10x210 watt spi panels for 2000$ shipped and they are grade a the sharp panels I was looking at are b grade 230 watt panels for 2600$ I'm looking into the spi company as we speak.. Seems to be a good company made in us just like the sharps..

creeky · 12-11-12, 08:40 AM

Hey fordguy64.

I wonder if you'd like to look at my solution to changing the angle of the panels to follow the seasons.

Basically (see my post "PPPower shed"). I built a post and beam shed with a shed roof. To the high end of the shed I attached a pt 2x10. I then attached dock hinges, from HD I think, to the 2x10 and then made a mate to which I attached the insert end of the dock hinge. This makes for a very heavy duty support system as the bolts from the hinges (1/2" galvanized; lock washers) are quite strong.

I then attached unirac to the "mate": another 2x10. And bolted the panels to the unirac.

This system has been in place for just over a year now. We have had many storms, including one "major" blow (for our area) that blew down trees. My neighbor lost three. The panels didn't so much as budge from the 30 degree summer setting. There has been no movement on any of the bolts.

And they are fully adjustable from flat to upright with very little effort.

This system currently has 1 kw, with plans to add another 500. I have the panels, just not the time. If you look at the original post I have a drawing for a 2kw set up. In my case I'm moving the next kw to a different location to offset late Nov/Dec/Jan. shading from trees.

Daox · 01-04-13, 09:35 AM

So, now that you have a million panels, where are the updates?

Fordguy64 · 01-24-13, 06:21 PM

haha i wish i had a million panels.. i think i might actually go 24v system with non grid tie. ive been reading into GT with my utility and it sounds like a huge pain. And ive run across a new inverter that 24v that is less then half of what they are new, so i might pull the trigger on that. other then that i have no major updates.

Fordguy64 · 05-19-13, 07:17 PM

well i picked up 2 pure sine wave inverters on ebay. one is a 1500watt 3k surge and the other is a 600 with a 800 surge. ive got them wired into my battery bank as 24 volt. so ive got a 24volt bank with 840amp hours. i have my trimetric battery meter hooked up and is giving me all the info i want for the batteries. i opened up the house fan the other day and have been running the house fan off of the solar as much as possible. i should be ordering 2 more sets of the dm solar panels this week. that will bring my array up to 870 watts. i brought in 1.2kwh today on the 290 watts of panels i have now and this morning was very cloudy so i expect i can get some more out of it on a better day.

i know i had talked about going with a 48volt bank originally but i went with the 24 just because it seems to be easier to get inverters and things for it. i also plan to build a small diesel powered generator for when the sun doesnt shine.

Daox · 05-20-13, 09:26 AM

Sounds like you got a pretty good sized battery bank. Are they normally that large? I know in electric cars you generally dont want to take your pack down below 50%, and I would imagine that in a household application you would want to bring them down even less to extend life.

Fordguy64 · 05-20-13, 07:46 PM

i do have a rather large battery bank. the battery bank size really depends on how long you want to be able to run with out sun or other ways of charging the battery bank. at 24 volt and 840 amp hours i have roughly 20kwh of storage. now that is to full discharge of the batteries.. like you stated the further you drain the batteries the less life they have.. i personally dont plan on letting mine drop below 80% or so. with a 20% discharge that is roughly 4kwh or power. basically i can run a fridge (roughly 1.2kwh a day) for 3 days with no sun and not drain the batteries below 80%. technically my battery bank requires about 2kw of solar panels to be totally functional but im waiting on that purchase till later. and i still plan on going with an outback fx3524 inverter someday..

this brings me to another project im working on. im curently building a small diesel generator to charge the battery bank if need be. its a Lister-Petter AC1 a small 6hp single cylinder diesel engine that i will hook up a very large alternator to and charge the batteries with that. more on the generator later.

12-03-12, 11:35 AM	#21
Vern2 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 145 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Thanks for posting the bad with the good, your making some good choices. For others that may read this thread, here's some of my thoughts. Don't buy odd size solar panels and tie them to the same array, the smaller size panels will drag down the larger panels. Only way around this is to buy inverter or charge controller for each array with identical size panels, no losses. With grid tie, all your generation will be used by your house. Any over generation will cause your power meter to register a lower reading. Then at night when you turn on a light, you will draw back from the grid the excess KWHs you generated during the day. YOUR USING THE POWER GRID AS YOUR BATTERIES. Batteries are only for power outages or totally off grid. You do not want to turn DC into AC, because of the loss in conversion DC to AC. Only way around this is have 12v, 24v or 48v appliances in your house, no conversion needed. Total electric home, zero electric bill for 4 years. Solar build Lots of Videos. Live monitoring. __________________ Vern To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by Vern2; 12-03-12 at 11:38 AM..

12-11-12, 08:40 AM	#24
creeky Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: a field somewhere Posts: 304 Thanks: 64 Thanked 44 Times in 31 Posts	hinged solar panel solution Hey fordguy64. I wonder if you'd like to look at my solution to changing the angle of the panels to follow the seasons. Basically (see my post "PPPower shed"). I built a post and beam shed with a shed roof. To the high end of the shed I attached a pt 2x10. I then attached dock hinges, from HD I think, to the 2x10 and then made a mate to which I attached the insert end of the dock hinge. This makes for a very heavy duty support system as the bolts from the hinges (1/2" galvanized; lock washers) are quite strong. I then attached unirac to the "mate": another 2x10. And bolted the panels to the unirac. This system has been in place for just over a year now. We have had many storms, including one "major" blow (for our area) that blew down trees. My neighbor lost three. The panels didn't so much as budge from the 30 degree summer setting. There has been no movement on any of the bolts. And they are fully adjustable from flat to upright with very little effort. This system currently has 1 kw, with plans to add another 500. I have the panels, just not the time. If you look at the original post I have a drawing for a 2kw set up. In my case I'm moving the next kw to a different location to offset late Nov/Dec/Jan. shading from trees. Attached Thumbnails

01-04-13, 09:35 AM	#25
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	So, now that you have a million panels, where are the updates? __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

05-20-13, 09:26 AM	#28
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Sounds like you got a pretty good sized battery bank. Are they normally that large? I know in electric cars you generally dont want to take your pack down below 50%, and I would imagine that in a household application you would want to bring them down even less to extend life. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-03-12, 01:19 PM	#22
granadaCoder Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm following this thread. If possible, is there anyway you can post exact part numbers (or amazon links) to the parts you are using? I'm a newbie, and if I ever "jump in", having a real life list of actual parts used would be invaluable. Thanks.

12-04-12, 08:31 PM	#23
Fordguy64 Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cincinnati ohio Posts: 338 Thanks: 40 Thanked 35 Times in 31 Posts	Well if you want to read up on solar and or ask questions go here Solar Electric Power Discussion Forum by Northern Arizona Wind & Sun Awesome group of people and very newb friendly.. I learned a lot just reading threads already started.. Little update today.. I ran across another deal on panels 10x210 watt spi panels for 2000$ shipped and they are grade a the sharp panels I was looking at are b grade 230 watt panels for 2600$ I'm looking into the spi company as we speak.. Seems to be a good company made in us just like the sharps..

01-24-13, 06:21 PM	#26
Fordguy64 Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cincinnati ohio Posts: 338 Thanks: 40 Thanked 35 Times in 31 Posts	haha i wish i had a million panels.. i think i might actually go 24v system with non grid tie. ive been reading into GT with my utility and it sounds like a huge pain. And ive run across a new inverter that 24v that is less then half of what they are new, so i might pull the trigger on that. other then that i have no major updates.

05-19-13, 07:17 PM	#27
Fordguy64 Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cincinnati ohio Posts: 338 Thanks: 40 Thanked 35 Times in 31 Posts	well i picked up 2 pure sine wave inverters on ebay. one is a 1500watt 3k surge and the other is a 600 with a 800 surge. ive got them wired into my battery bank as 24 volt. so ive got a 24volt bank with 840amp hours. i have my trimetric battery meter hooked up and is giving me all the info i want for the batteries. i opened up the house fan the other day and have been running the house fan off of the solar as much as possible. i should be ordering 2 more sets of the dm solar panels this week. that will bring my array up to 870 watts. i brought in 1.2kwh today on the 290 watts of panels i have now and this morning was very cloudy so i expect i can get some more out of it on a better day. i know i had talked about going with a 48volt bank originally but i went with the 24 just because it seems to be easier to get inverters and things for it. i also plan to build a small diesel powered generator for when the sun doesnt shine.

05-20-13, 07:46 PM	#29
Fordguy64 Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cincinnati ohio Posts: 338 Thanks: 40 Thanked 35 Times in 31 Posts	i do have a rather large battery bank. the battery bank size really depends on how long you want to be able to run with out sun or other ways of charging the battery bank. at 24 volt and 840 amp hours i have roughly 20kwh of storage. now that is to full discharge of the batteries.. like you stated the further you drain the batteries the less life they have.. i personally dont plan on letting mine drop below 80% or so. with a 20% discharge that is roughly 4kwh or power. basically i can run a fridge (roughly 1.2kwh a day) for 3 days with no sun and not drain the batteries below 80%. technically my battery bank requires about 2kw of solar panels to be totally functional but im waiting on that purchase till later. and i still plan on going with an outback fx3524 inverter someday.. this brings me to another project im working on. im curently building a small diesel generator to charge the battery bank if need be. its a Lister-Petter AC1 a small 6hp single cylinder diesel engine that i will hook up a very large alternator to and charge the batteries with that. more on the generator later.