EEVblog2  Home Solar Upgrade Options - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2020, 09:52:29 pm
content: Dave needs to upgrade his 3kW home solar system, what are the options?why not have two strings of panels . one for on-grid, your power retailer. the other string for off grid.have one solar power system that is independent, uses off grid off grid deep cycle Lead-Acid batteries to store electricity for independent home use.have two sets of power outlets in some rooms. so electricity demand is from two systems.two inverters.example 500w AC single-phase off grid power outlets. all other power outlets on-grid.or sets of lights off grid. choose if electricity power outlet is on-grid or off grid.one inverter can be switched off if no off grid AC is needed.most if not all Hospitals have two independent systems on-grid or off grid uninterruptible.you can have off grid to power star trek sliding doors or strip lights.a family member of mine is building an earthship thing! star trek house.

author: The Soulman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2020, 10:57:53 pm
content: 1) Don't buy new LG's, yes they last twenty years but efficiency is still around 20% so it is likely you'll be upgrading again in ten years time. btw, LG neon2 full black 355Wp are around 250 euro's here, a comparable panel from a Chinese manufacturer is around 150.2) What model SunnyBoy you got? the SB3.0 can handle 5500Wp of PV power, with that you could add new panels on the second string and be ok, max power output remains the same but you'll get more KWh's per day.(I have 10x 325Wp facing east and 10x 325Wp facing west for a total of 6500Wp on a SB4.0)3) Also note that the newer higher power panels have larger size, 105cm wide instead of 100cm and 175 to 200cm tall instead of 165cm.I'd go with tier 1 chinese panels and a new SMA SunnyBoy if needed.Such as Trina honey (150 euro price range):https://www.estg.eu/amfile/file/download/file/4483/product/3725/

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2020, 11:06:57 pm
content: Quote from: The Soulman on December 08, 2020, 10:57:53 pm3000TL:https://pvoutput.org/display.jsp?sid=20402Quote from: jonovid on December 08, 2020, 09:52:29 pmSounds like a huge pain to setup and maintain. Have to buy new batteries every ~5years.You can get systems that will handle all that for you though.

author: The Soulman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2020, 11:20:14 pm
content: Yeah, these older inverters aren't the greatest when it comes to flexibility, max. dc input power is 3200W andminimum mpp voltage is 175V, so at least 6 panels in a string, so simply adding four panels on the second string of the existing inverter wouldn't work.

author: The Soulman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 12:31:48 am
content: Just watched Dave's second video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKOmNkVLUAA&feature=youtu.be@Dave:1) For the partially shaded panel you may want to add a Tigo TS4A-O power optimizer, to get the most amount of energy from it without adversely affecting the rest of the string.https://www.tigoenergy.com/products/2) Here (NL) it is required by the panel mounting materials manufactures that no panel or part thereof is placed within 30cmof the edge of the roof to avoid damage by turbulent winds, you may wan't to check with you local authorities and insurance company if or what rules apply in your case.3) Not sure if I follow your logic regarding your pv power calculations vs energy consumption?Typically you would want to produce as many KWh's as you consume on a annual basis.Depending on your usage profile and feed-in tariffs you may want to match your system to your monthly or even weekly consumption.A software such as sunnydesignweb is use full for calculating a system vs consumption etc.But in your case with limited roof space the most Wp for the buck seems like a valid approach.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 09:10:24 pm
content: Quote from: The Soulman on December 09, 2020, 12:31:48 amNahh. It seems the Dave's current array is wacked onto the roof for minimum installation effort. If you count the tiles a bit it is easy to see the existing array is using 50% (or a little bit more) of the available roof space. With re-arranging the panels it should be possible to nearly double it. But it takes getting creative with the panel configuration & orientation based on precise measurements of the roof. Buying 2nd hand solar panels can be very interesting as well; their ROI is much shorter when bought at the right price.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 10:16:09 pm
content: Quote from: jonovid on December 08, 2020, 09:52:29 pmBecause that's vastly more comlicated and will vitually never be used.I've been in this house for something like 15 years now and the number of power failues we've had I can count on one hand. Only maybe one or two lasted more than an hour.Much more sensible to have the usual AC storage and backup.As is happens, it's looks like LG are going to donate 16 new 360W panels (they say they are much cheaper than the 380W ones due to volume), and possibly Enphase are going to donate micro inverters, with possibly a new design Enphase battery pack in about 6-9 months time. LG want the old panels back because they are now out of stock of those and need some stock for replacements on existing systems.Was offered a Chinese inverter I hadn't heard of before, butI'd much rather have the Enphase.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 10:19:41 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 08, 2020, 11:06:57 pmEven if you dedicated something like that to say just the EV (wiring wise would be fairly simple). The EV uses a 37.5kWh battery. So having even a large 15kW battery storage doesn't even get you half a charge.

author: The Soulman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 10:39:30 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 09, 2020, 10:16:09 pmSounds like a no-brainer.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 10:41:20 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 09, 2020, 10:16:09 pmI guess they didn't change their mind after seeing your panel fail, what did they say, something like that was their only ever recorded failure

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 10:43:16 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 09, 2020, 10:41:20 pmThat's why they don't need many.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 10:44:44 pm
content: Quote from: The Soulman on December 09, 2020, 10:39:30 pmYep.And there is a company that might donate new racking, so it should only cost me installation.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2020, 10:49:59 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 09, 2020, 10:19:41 pmYeahGoing the opposite way, for a Leaf you can safely pull 1kW from the 12V battery and via an inverter to use as household backup for basic necessities (LED lighting). The ioniq has similar design but unclear if its tested by anyone:https://www.ioniqforum.com/threads/what-is-the-maximum-capacity-of-the-dc-to-dc-step-down-converter.34348/not worth screwing around with in your area though.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 04:21:53 am
content: Looks like I'll be getting a new >6kW LG panel system with Enphase micro invertersBoth companies are keen to supply them to get the public eyeballs.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 08:15:51 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 16, 2020, 04:21:53 amGood one.Anyone in Oz who does anything solar without at least some soc. media in the background is a mug.