Home Solar System

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Swapped out the 150A breaker for one with M8 studs. Doing some research and now surprised that so many high current breakers come with M6 studs. Nowhere near big enough to be able to handle 100A plus.

Also discovering a lot about how these DC breakers work and the actual point at which they will trip. This is from ambient temp of 25C

Current (Amperes) | Overload Multiplier | Estimated Time to Trip
• 150.0A | 1.00x | Indefinite (Will not trip)
• 165.0A | 1.10x | 30 minutes to 2 hours
• 187.5A | 1.25x | 5 minutes to 15 minutes
• 202.5A | 1.35x | 2 minutes to 8 minutes
• 300.0A | 2.00x | 15 seconds to 45 seconds
• 750.0A | 5.00x | 2 seconds to 10 seconds
• 1500.0A | 10.0x | < 0.1 seconds (Magnetic Trip)

But something else has come up. If i were to run at 2Kw, the current draw on the battery would be around 190A. However, the continuous discharge current of the battery, as controlled by the BMS, is 200A. As the voltage of the battery drops during discharge, the current will rise. So if I ran it flat out (which I don't intend to do) then the BMS may shut the battery down...

It's never ending....

[jennyjj01]

A major advance in our solar adventure.
The Ecoflow Stream Microinverter arrived which prompted me to nudge MrJJ to install the solar panels, which he did today.
I just have to show off his handiwork See pics below.
The mountings comprise 4 x angular frames made from treated and painted timber.

Pitched at 20% as a compromise between solar efficiency and wind resistance, These panels are HUGE 2.4m x 1.2m and 605W each!!!! They weigh about 33kilos apiece.
For ballast, we currently have about 100kg of concrete bricks and there is a ballast tray on which I intend to load four bale arm trays full of bottled water. Might as well use the storage space.

We still need to install the inverter inside the garage, once we have procured 4 x 5m PV extension cables ( Or I could mount the inverter under the panels )

*Evil ecoflow sneakily didn't include PV cables, having changed what's in the bundle.

[Yorkshire Andy]

*Evil ecoflow sneakily didn't include PV cables, having changed what's in the bundle.

Should see the negative feedback piling in on eBay

[Frnc]

A major advance in our solar adventure.
The Ecoflow Stream Microinverter arrived which prompted me to nudge MrJJ to install the solar panels, which he did today.
I just have to show off his handiwork See pics below.
The mountings comprise 4 x angular frames made from treated and painted timber.

Pitched at 20% as a compromise between solar efficiency and wind resistance, These panels are HUGE 2.4m x 1.2m and 605W each!!!! They weigh about 33kilos apiece.
For ballast, we currently have about 100kg of concrete bricks and there is a ballast tray on which I intend to load four bale arm trays full of bottled water. Might as well use the storage space.

We still need to install the inverter inside the garage, once we have procured 4 x 5m PV extension cables ( Or I could mount the inverter under the panels )

*Evil ecoflow sneakily didn't include PV cables, having changed what's in the bundle.

solar1.jpgsolar2.jpg

Impressive. It looks like Mr JJ did a lot of hard work to build all that. Must have taken awhile.

Is the house on the left in the pics, so it will block wind coming from that side getting under the panels? I assume they are fixed to the timber.

I wouldn't have the space. My garden is long, but even narrower than the house, which is terraced, and the hedge takes up a chunk, and would block the sun to a large extent as well. The fence on the left does face south though, as does one wall of the kitchen and back bedroom. Back of house faces NWN so only gets sun in the morning.

[jennyjj01]

Impressive. It looks like Mr JJ did a lot of hard work to build all that. Must have taken awhile.

Thanks. He was pretty quick with his power tools. Blame me for the design where I had to relearn all about triangles . Took him half a day to build and paint and half a day to install, with assistance from a friend. No way the two of us would have been able to lift the panels up there. It turns out the roof surface was as slippy as a skating rink with rain and slime.

Is the house on the left in the pics, so it will block wind coming from that side getting under the panels? I assume they are fixed to the timber.

Next door is on the left and mine is on the right, but offset, forward. It stops wind coming direct into the 'sail' of the panels. They are not screwed down and we are trusting several hundred kilo of ballast to hold them. More to be added.

I wouldn't have the space. My garden is long, but even narrower than the house, which is terraced, and the hedge takes up a chunk, and would block the sun to a large extent as well. The fence on the left does face south though, as does one wall of the kitchen and back bedroom. Back of house faces NWN so only gets sun in the morning.

Mine will get max sun between about 10am and 1pm then will start to get shaded by my house until about 3pm. Before and after that, they will be at a bad angle looking 90ø away from the sun. Far from ideal. I might try facing them West so they max out in the early evening, but that will mean they get very little before 3pm.

I would like a proper ac linked solar battery, but they would never cost in , not in a lifetime.

Total cost so far £349 and I need to spend £40 on cables. Estimated payback time 4-5 years at current rates.


.

[Frnc]

Oh, is this on a garage roof?

[GeraldTheBonzai]

So thats 4*605W? 2.4Kw? How are you going to wired them into the micro inverter, as I though they only has 2 MPPT channels? Or is that 2 panels? Hard to tell.

[pseudonym]

A major advance in our solar adventure.
The Ecoflow Stream Microinverter arrived which prompted me to nudge MrJJ to install the solar panels, which he did today.
I just have to show off his handiwork See pics below.
The mountings comprise 4 x angular frames made from treated and painted timber.

Pitched at 20% as a compromise between solar efficiency and wind resistance, These panels are HUGE 2.4m x 1.2m and 605W each!!!! They weigh about 33kilos apiece.
For ballast, we currently have about 100kg of concrete bricks and there is a ballast tray on which I intend to load four bale arm trays full of bottled water. Might as well use the storage space.

We still need to install the inverter inside the garage, once we have procured 4 x 5m PV extension cables ( Or I could mount the inverter under the panels )

*Evil ecoflow sneakily didn't include PV cables, having changed what's in the bundle.

solar1.jpgsolar2.jpg

Nicely done.

[jennyjj01]

Oh, is this on a garage roof?

yes. Flat rubber roof

So thats 4*605W? 2.4Kw? How are you going to wired them into the micro inverter, as I though they only has 2 MPPT channels? Or is that 2 panels? Hard to tell.

2 huge panels on 4 triangular brackets. So 1 per channel.

[jennyjj01]

I just finished making up the cables with plugs for my solar panels.
You can buy ready made, but trust me it's an absolute piece of cake to make your own and you will easily save 33%-66% of the cost.
Here's an instruction video.... With a few errors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7j5JFwRbU

Buy the tool with TEN pairs of connectors for £15 on ebay

Buy as much 4mm Solar cable as you need: There are some sellers selling offcuts very cheaply

Cut to required length

Pop the threaded plug end and compression grommet* onto the cable.

Remove 7mm insulation with a craft knife. DO NOT twist the cable.

Use Female Metal end with Male plug and vice versa ( not being sexist, but that's the terminology for 'the thing that goes into the other thing'

Grip the metal connector in the correct slot of the tool. (they are labeled on the tool)

Insert the stripped cable

Squeeze the handle till the last click upon which the tool will release

Click the metal connector into the plug body

Move the compression grommet* into the plug body

Screw together the two threaded parts with the pair of spanners to end of thread. You can't overtighten.

Label / number both ends of the cable/

If going through a wall, make up one end only before feeding through the hole in the wall.

Admire your work!


* I don't know the correct term for what I call compression grommet* but it's two pieces, one of rubber.