Ordering panels

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Durandal

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2016
Messages
365
Location
Central Arkansas
So, the prices are simply too good for me to ignore, so I stopped ignoring them and pulled the trigger. I'm getting some used panels for $0.12/watt plus shipping, so around $1,200 for 6.6kW of panels. These are "C" grade, so they've got hairline fractures, etc. As a result I'll probably have to sort them out according to their characteristics and build my strings from there.

With some modification of our schedule, we can probably lower the battery storage needs as well. I plan on keeping the grid to run on one circuit primarily for 240v appliances, then pulling off the majority of the 120v off onto a separate battery powered circuit. I have a 48v 5.5kW sustained 15kW peak inverter, so my costs after this will be batteries and a charge controller.

I'd like to use used Leaf or Tesla cells for the battery packs. I hate lead acid with a passion, and want to avoid the hassles of that ancient tech if possible.
 
so keeping the high amps, 240V circuits on grid and powering the rest of the circuits, 120v from battery? and charging those with the cheap panels?

Seems like a structured move to off grid, smart. How about micro inverters? are have you figured it's best to handle everything through strings and one inverter? I'm no expert, just learning.

So you charge the batteries with DC from the panels? and then through an inverter to the house breakers?
 
So some of my setup is predicated by earlier purchases. A number of years ago I bought a 5.5kW/15kW Peak Xantrax inverter and two panels that ironically cost as much as these 22 panels I just purchased. :roll: I was convinced we were headed for some big time social troubles, and having the ability to set up an off-grid electric system would be good to have... just in case. lol.

So as a result that's why I'm using the single inverter setup. It's a 48v to 120v inverter, and finding a matching one to tie into my already purchased one in order to make a 240v circuit is an effort I don't want to try to bother with. If I want to do 240v in the future, I will simply acquire new equipment and then keep the old 120v inverter as a backup.

Also with it being split up as it is, I can use my grid connected circuit to charge up the batteries of the solar/battery circuit if I encounter a long period of no production. As such, I will probably see if I can get a charger that just keeps the batteries from going below 20% as an example, brings it up to 40% and then stops. I'm not sure if I'll find chargers that smart or not out of the box without having to rig something together.
 
Panels have shipped, I will take pictures and post updates after I receive them for anyone who is interested. I won't recommend these guys until I can confirm that they're good, but paying $36/panel for 300 watt panels is an incredible deal.
I bought them from:
http://www.sunelec.com
So the panels were $792, the shipping was $380.
 
Durandal said:
...I was convinced we were headed for some big time social troubles, and having the ability to set up an off-grid electric system would be good to have... just in case. lol.
Not necessarily an errant thought... Civilization is perhaps a fragile construct; that said, I think I'd rather take shelter on a boat and fend off pirates... Good luck with the "new" panels and I hope they work well...
 
Fresh off the truck:
solar_pallet.JPG

Selfie with the first panel off the pallet:
Solar_Selfie.JPG


I will say, these panels are certainly grade "C" but it looks like the voltage on them is still within spec. I will have to test them all and sort them, but for right now they're sitting in the basement waiting to be installed. I think I will build a deck or gazebo with the panels as a roof, as opposed to just something to get them a little off the ground. Construction costs will come into play, of course.

Now research into batteries, I really don't want to go with flooded lead acid batteries, I will have to see what options are available. My current thinking is to purchase a salvage title Leaf at auction, and take the batteries from that.
 
This is awesome, and I like your idea of integrating the panels into other useful construction very much. I have seen some nice designs that use the panels as shade or roof.

My panels are in a pile too. My neighbor may be available tomorrow to help me dig the post holes with his Bobcat; then concrete and the rest should be quick and easy. Fingers crossed!
 
I have an electric 120v post hole digger that will do 2' deep, but that will not be deep enough. I will need to buy an auger extender so I can get it to at least 3' depth. They're not too expensive, luckily. I'm also fortunate that our soil is not too rocky, as my digger won't cut through rocks at all.
 
Durandal said:
Fresh off the truck:
solar_pallet.JPG

Selfie with the first panel off the pallet:
Solar_Selfie.JPG


I will say, these panels are certainly grade "C" but it looks like the voltage on them is still within spec. I will have to test them all and sort them, but for right now they're sitting in the basement waiting to be installed. I think I will build a deck or gazebo with the panels as a roof, as opposed to just something to get them a little off the ground. Construction costs will come into play, of course.

Now research into batteries, I really don't want to go with flooded lead acid batteries, I will have to see what options are available. My current thinking is to purchase a salvage title Leaf at auction, and take the batteries from that.

You're doing exactly what I'd like to do!!

I've got an older 4.7kw system with battery backup, but I'd like to add another 8kw or so to pretty much eliminate the electric company. I know it can be done, as there is somebody not so far from me who I've heard has done it.

I'd like to build either a gazebo or a walkway with the panels as a roof, so I'm wondering what, if any, progress has been made.

Also, any progress with using LEAF batteries? I've read of somebody that used salvage Tesla batteries, but that's still pricey and a bit more exotic with so many small Ahr batteries.

Were you ultimately happy with the panels you got?
 
I'm starting out with a 2.6kWh battery pack that is supposed to be delivered today. I somewhat altered my initial plans, I'm going to first engage in the building of a solar powered trailer "generator." So panels, plus battery, charge controller, and inverter, installed on a trailer that can then provide clean power for lighting large areas at night, and/or providing power for tools, etc during the day.

So the battery pack is built from old Leaf cells, I purchased it from http://evbatterycenter.com/ and I intend on using that as my launching point for making my own cells from salvaged Nissan Leaf vehicles. I plan on testing out the components prior to the purchase of the trailer, and I'll post an update once I've got that next stage complete. I anticipate some time in June or July I'll be making progress on the solar power trailer.
:)
 
2.6kWh battery came in yesterday, I only had a little time to play around with it, but I was able to get into the BMS with its built-in wifi, and test charging the pack with a 120v to 54.6v charger. (I didn't bring it up to full capacity, I'll let it stay in the 60-70% range until I have everything hooked up and I'm ready to use it.)
Battery on the front passenger floorboard:
lithium_Battery.JPG


Screenshot from the BMS:
BMS_Screenshot.PNG


My Midnite Solar Kid charge controller http://www.midnitesolar.com/product...e=Software&productCat_ID=43&sortOrder=2&act=pcame in at the beginning of this week, so the next step is me ordering all of the appropriate connectors/cables for the panels to the charge controller, then from there to the battery pack. Once I've got all that done, I will get things connected to my Xantrex inverter, and go about configuring it. I want to have the batteries charged up to at max 90%, discharge to 20%, and after that use grid power to maintain power for whatever circuits I have running on the inverter.

I will continue to post updates as I make progress.
 
(Hopefully) all necessary connectors have been ordered, along with a smaller 48v 2500w pure sine wave inverter. (I have a 5500w inverter, but it's HUGE, so I'm wanting a smaller one for my first setup as it will be mobile. If I'm fortunate, I should have everything hooked up by the end of the month for at least one test circuit. As a side-note, we had an 18 hour power outage this weekend that made me wish I had ordered all of that month ago. I ended up hooking up a 1500w inverter up to my Leaf in order to power the refrigerator during that time.
 
There are threads on bonding ground-neutral with a resistor on some of the inverter-generator threads. I'd assume you'll need to do this.
 
silverone said:
There are threads on bonding ground-neutral with a resistor on some of the inverter-generator threads. I'd assume you'll need to do this.
Thanks, after further research, I believe I found the info I need, and ordered the appropriate resistors for the purpose.
 
I used a 1/2 watt, 100kohm resistor to bridge between the neutral and the ground, which allowed me to charge my Leaf using my 48v inverter and battery pack. The final connectors have arrived, so my project next month is to get everything hooked up for a trial solar production run!
 
I've been struggling with the connectors used for the battery pack, as the anderson connectors used for it are huge, and I don't have any tools strong enough to crimp these things. So, I think I've found the appropriate tool. I'm cringing at the cost to buy something that I'll likely only use a few times... :roll:
https://powerwerx.com/hex-crimping-tool-sb-series-powerpole

As a side note, Sierra Club sent me a link to Arcadia Power, where you can have them buy Renewable Energy Credits based on your utility usage. If you want 100%, it's $0.015/kWh which would end up being under $15/mo for me to do. They also have a no-cost option, where 50% of your energy usage is covered by the RECs.. No cost! Amazing. Anyhow for anyone interested in that:
https://www.arcadiapower.com/durandal8882

I've powered a few different things with my battery pack and inverter so far, using grid power to recharge it for the moment until I get the previously mentioned crimpers. I can charge my Leaf successfully, power my refrigerator, entertainment center, etc without issue. The inverter fan is loud, however. So another week or so for the crimper to come in, then hopefully I can proceed with my tests on the Midnite Solar mppt charger. My main concern on it is programming so that it only charges my battery pack to 80% SOC in order to maximize the life of the battery cells.
 
New crimp tool for the Anderson connectors was a total bear to use on the largest connectors, but after some struggle and literally putting my whole weight into it, I made some firm and secure connectors. After that, I went and connected up two panels to my Midnite Solar MPPT charger, and I'm in business. The inverter I currently am using is a smaller "2500W" (probably more like 1500W) "pure" sine wave inverter. All of the quotation marks because cheap unbranded stuff from China is not the most reliable in the world on being true to spec. My next step is to hook up my huge Xantrex inverter up to the system, as I'm sure it will be much more efficient.
 
Oh yeah, just a note, from those "C" grade panels, currently I'm getting about 500w of power from the two 300w panels. I'm sure this will be improved once I have the panels oriented correctly, etc.
 
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