My two cents.
If backup power is not a requirement, then hybrid inverters are not needed. Including them Hybrids will complicate the issue of making sure that your grid tied PV and Generator can not run at the same time.
Other users here are correct when they say that the system must be...
I like the simplicity and efficiency of using micro-inverters. I actually have very reliable underground utility power here. So 99.9% of the time I expect to be grid tied. Unfortunately getting my PV to actually work during that 0.1% of the time when the grid is down, is proving troublesome...
So I guess if I want to AC couple successfully, I need to trade my in my IQ8+ inverters for something else. My roof layout is somewhat complex meaning micro inverters are really the way to go. I naively assumed that the "latest greatest" inverters would be better able to respond to changing...
I have a small 2 ton AC. The surge current even on this unit was 65 amps AC. Many meters are fast enough to capture the full surge current. This maps to 312 amps DC. If you have a large 4-5 ton AC it could have a 120-130 amp surge current. This could trip those batteries if you have other...
I just wonder if anyone actually has one of these beasts installed in an RV?
In the process of testing, I was running my AC with my wall oven and my toaster. When my AC starts up it has a 65 amp surge. The dual Schneiders were fine with all this, but it faulted my batteries. I have 3 and...
It is not complexity that kills electronics. With inverters it is heat that will kill them. Because string inverters deal with higher voltages and more current they are more likely to over heat. String inverters also have moving parts like fans that can fail (and yes lead to over heating)...
It's not free. If you double your batteries from 30 KWHs to 60 KWHs and use an electric Dryer you might reduce your generator days from 15 to 6. Instead you go with 30 KWHs and a gas dryer, so you save $9000 in batteries. Instead you will generate say 30 KWHs of additional electricity from...
Interesting, but I think my "mini-industrial control panel creation" or wiring up speaker crossovers is about as low level as I want to get with with electronics. Maybe when I retire I might play around with this kind of stuff. Years ago I tried "make your own pcb kit". It didn't go well. I...
My suggestion is go for something like this:
https://signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/ About $1500 for a 6000 watt inverter. $0.25 per watt
https://signaturesolar.com/eg4-lifepower4-lithium-battery-48v-100ah/ About $1250.00 for 5 KWHs. $250.00 per KWH.
4 *...
I have a grid tied system with full net metering. So for me, yes I do have an electric drier and I have no plans to replace it. Driers along with water heaters are energy pigs. Now your situation in Phoenix is better than mine. You are farther south and there are very few long periods of...
I would suggest that you power your load panel directly from the inverter out terminals. Hook the generator into AC2 (Gen input). The Schneider can switch between inverter and AC2 fast enough that it is like you don't lose power. Also, you can run the generator into your loads panel in "Pass...
My dad had a 1969 280SL when I was growing up. He got rid of it 10 years ago or so. It was restored nicely on the outside. It was bright red. Beautiful car, but it DID drive like a 50 year old car. Not that fast, and when you hit the brakes hard, it would fish tail violently. The seat...
Perhaps, but I have more confidence that if I have a power failure in the middle of summer with the Air Conditioner cycling on and off, I'm not going to have any issues. I could have added 3 more batteries, but that's around $4500.00.
I looked into this. Generac make prioritized load shedding modules. They are simply wired inline with the appliance being controlled. Unfortunately it appears that the master controller that decides when load needs to be shed and how much is in the generator. There could also be some issues...
Yes, the wave form is very strange. It looks like something akin to a square wave hitting a filter. That decaying "Ringing" of the circuit is likely the response of a Inductor / Capacitor getting pinged over and over. Someone else mentioned that maybe it thought the voltage wasn't high enough...
Treated lumber is very corrosive. You need to use specially rated fasteners with it or they will quickly deteriorate. I wouldn't recommend treated lumber for anything electrical.
More than likely the furnace is checking that there is continuity between the neutral and ground wire. If you have a portable generator, it should have a bonded neutral, meaning it has a connection between the ground and neutral wire in the generator. Whole home standby generators will...
I did some more testing today. I learned some things, but it appears right now that Enphase IQ8s will not couple successfully with Schneider inverters out of the box. It appears to be an IQ8 issue, not a Schneider issue. The AC from the Schneider is a rock solid 60 HZ. The very first time...
Just wondering how you went about controlling your strings? Did the lights flicker all the time or just here and there? The have definitely changed the way they handling the "Anti-Islanding" on the IQ8s. It used to be that they way they did this they would never allow the inverters to...
This is from Sol Arc:
@Sol-Ark
1 year ago
Hi Harvey, these are awesome questions for our solar engineering team, and I'd definitely start a conversation with them through this link: https://www.sol-ark.com/contact-us/
With that in mind, here's a couple of answers that may help clarify your...
If you are using the chargeverter you should just wire it to a DC circuit breaker in the PDP on the DC side and the Gen on the AC side. Leave the inverter up and running while you recharge the batteries. There is no good reason to disconnect it. With a smaller generator this may actually work...
Just to clarify, this has to do ONLY with their off grid operation. When these inverters were grid tied they produced power as they should. They operated with basically perfect reliability. It was only when "cutting my cord" to the grid that I had problems.
You figure this out like this:
Max volts: 145 / 37.5 = 3.87. Then round down to 3
Max power: 4000 / 155 = 15.69. Then round down to 15.
This is for each MPPT
If you can fit 14 panels, you could do 4 strings of 3 on one MPPT (5 is the limit),
and possibly 1 string of 2 on the other MPPT...
I believe the problem is this. The electronics by themselves don't draw enough power to turn inverter on. These devices work by periodically testing for a load by sending a short pulse of power out of the inverter. The electronics don't draw enough power to keep the inverter on, so it shuts...
You don't need an AGS for a portable generator. These are designed for permanently installed "Pad" generators like a Generac.
As far has how to do charging it depends on whether you use a chargeverter.
Chargeverter:
Benefit is that the DC goes directly to the battery and the current drawn...
Galvanized nails are Ok for treated lumber. The "Hot Dipped Galvanized" are better and will last longer. Untreated regular nails or screws are not recommended. Now some of this depends on where the items are used too. If they are in a perfectly dry location, they probably would not be...
When there is grid power available the inverter goes into "Pass Through" mode. This means that a relay is closed connecting the Grid in with the AC out. They do have something call "Grid Support". This will actually inject current into the AC out similar to the way a grid tied PV inverter...
On the Schneider ALL the neutral lugs are internally tied together. Generally you would have a "First means of disconnect" upstream of the Schneider. In this case where you are feeding a panel from the Schneider the ground neutral bond should really be upstream from the Schneider not in the...