Questions tagged [solar]
The solar tag has no usage guidance.
143
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Proper torque specs and cleaning busbar and lug connections
I have 4 stud M8 (5/16”) Bus bars which connects 4/0 and 3/0 copper lugs from the LiFePo4 batteries (2.5 kWh) and Inverters 2.6 kW split phase off-grid).
I wanted to know what can I use to clean the ...
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How do I properly ground a 12V off-grid solar system?
I have a 12V DC system I just built (see image below), which I intend to ground to the DC negative side (see dotted green lines) but not quite sure if it's correct / best-practice.
From what I've read ...
GG Grubar
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What are my exterior PV disconnect options?
I am trying to decide on exterior PV disconnect details for a small PV array. (in Georgia, US) The array is estimated to produce roughly 23A @240V and will feed a 30A breaker using 10awg wire. The ...
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Grounding rod conflicts with circuit tester
I built an off-grid shed with solar system. The output from the solar panels goes to a charge controller, then to a 12V LiPO4 battery. I convert the 12V from the battery to 120V ac using a 1500W ...
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MSP Busbar rating and Max branch circuit breaker for PV solar on Sq.D Meter mains CSED SC816D200C series 2
Existing Sq.D SC816D200C series 2 CSED.
200A main service disconnect breaker.
What is the Busbar rating?
I am upgrading solar to a 7.5kW system and all solar (PV & battery)
will require a 60A ...
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Trying to right-size a critical loads subpanel
I'm installing solar and would like to set up a critical loads subpanel that is fed by both the solar and my main panel. The microinvters in the kit are Enphase IQ8+. I'd like to run a few circuits ...
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Help understanding grid tie inverters with limiters [closed]
Wondering if someone can answer some questions for me about my ideal solar setup.
Background - I'm looking to tinker with adding some solar piecemeal ( I know I'm better off getting all identical ...
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murray d100-22 main electrical panel bus bar rating (solar?)
Murray d100-22 main electrical panel bus bar rating
It is a 20-slot. The wire coming from PG&E is a 2 AWG Alum wire.
I want to install solar panels. And wondering what is the bus bar rating of the ...
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472
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Does an off-grid solar inverter need to be UL listed?
I'd like to put some solar panels near my house and power a small sub panel with a few key circuits. Like the fridge and freezer. The idea is to reduce my electrical bill, and have some power to use ...
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3
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NEC 705.12(D)(2) 120% rule for a 125A service panel with 100A utility and 40A solar
I had solar installed and I am not sure they placed the breakers right based on an answer in a previous question here.
My main service panel is 125A. I have 100A of utility power and 40A of solar ...
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Is it a problem that the mounting screws of solar panels are not into framing?
I had solar installed last week. The past couple of days it has been raining so I went to my attic to check for any leaks. I didn't notice any leaks but I noticed the following:
Mounting screws weren'...
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Is it safe to plug 110v outlet to inverter input, and inverter output to the inletbox
I have installed the 10 breakers transfer switch, so if the power is out I can just connect the generator to the inlet box.
I dont want to disturb my neighbors at night so I am planning to install ...
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What is the busbar rating in my main service panel?
I don't understand the difference between "device rating" and "meter socket rating" on my MSP? I'm most interesting in the busbar rating?
Here are pictures of MSP:
https://...
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533
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80amp EVSE on subpanel
I’ve got a trivial problem that has become complicated by a non-trivial setup.
My goal is to install an 80amp (100amp breaker) EVSE to charge my electric truck. An incentive from my electric ...
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Is my Point of Connection to Utility supply-side or load-side?
I'm applying for my PV permit in San Diego (power company is SDG&E), and on step 10 of the template it asks about "Point of Connection to Utility". I'm not sure which my plan falls under....
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Use subpanel main breaker slot for outgoing circuit?
We have a small electrical subpanel with only 12 breaker slots. It's rated 125A, which is enough for all the circuits we want, but we will probably run out of slots when adding solar, induction range, ...
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How much solar can my main and sub panel handle?
I have a 90A main service and a 200A sub with 200A bus. See pictures attached.
I currently have a 3.9kw solar system on a dual 30A breaker.
How much more solar would I be able to add?
Looking to ...
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161
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Sizing wire (calculating ampacity) for solar PV arrays
I have a solar photovoltaic array consisting of 9 PV modules interconnected in 3s-3p. They are the Jinko Solar JKM450M-60HL4-V panels. I want to know which size of wire I need to choose for the common/...
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Calculating wire size for solar array
How can I calculate wire size to go from a solar array (of 36 panels, 365W & 42V each) to a shed with an inverter 50 ft away?
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Safety Switch for utility disconnect placement
I am trying to fulfill my one line drawing for AEP Texas for their interconnection agreement so I can install solar with battery backup on our home.
AEP says:
Please note that the AC Disconnect ...
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Off-Grid Well Setup
I have a well drilled and set up soon on my property where I plan to use completely off-grid (not tied to city power) solar array. Obviously I plan to optimize the power usage for everything that is ...
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Retrofit tankless installation in an apartment building with rooftop solar
This is hypothetical, but based on a real case.
A landlord has an apartment building with 20 units. There is a single 150-gal gas water heater in the building that serves all the units. The landlord ...
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Is solar inverter breaker based on panel rating or main breaker size?
In California, I understand that there are minimums and maximums for solar breaker size.
But I don't understand if these are limited by the panel bus rating or supply breaker? I believe it's the ...
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How to estimate solar production on my roof, considering shade from trees
I am considering solar panels, and I have some trees in the neighbor's yard immediately to the south of my house. What's a relatively accurate way to estimate annual electrical production from a given ...
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155
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Does this Wiring Diagram Create ground loop Issues?
I have a two x LV6548 Pure Sine Wave 6,500W Inverter/Chargers - 13,000W Continuous Output 120/240V Inverters that I wish to integrate with my Subpanels in the house for Off-grid with Main Utility ...
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Residential Solar Stopped Working
I've had my solar panels for a couple years now without issue. Installer is not in biz anymore and not answering calls, texts or emails. July 3rd mid-day it all stopped producing power. APSystems ...
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51
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Weird wiring question
First, I have worked with electrical wiring quite a bit, but sometimes I come up with weird/possibly stupid questions. Here it goes. I have my solar panels wired in parallel because I had an old ...
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762
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How big of a solar panel is needed to run a 300 watt water pump?
I have a water pump in a pond that is rated as using 300 watts. I'm not concerned if it shuts off at night. Overcast days are super rare. I don't plan on installing batteries, just want to connect the ...
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How can I evaluate solar panels to power night lights in areas that don't get direct light?
I have a creek crossing in the woods:
This photo is in the early spring. During the summer it's a bit like a jungle. We've considered the idea of putting foot lights along the edges of the crossing. ...
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Solar powered heating, the 1st step on the research phase
We've just bought somewhere in Portugal and the gas prices are very expensive.
Portugal gets a lot of sun, so we figured let's see if we can heat with solar.
We ideally do not want to be adding things ...
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Trying to improve and expand "professional" solar installation
Several years ago I contracted a local firm to install 56 solar panels on my roof. I know they used a licensed electrician and the utility company approved and installed my Net Meter but the system ...
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How can I convert Single Phase 220v to 2 Phase 120v?
I purchased a SMA Sunny Boy 5.0-US-41 Inverter and brought it to the Philippines. Many connections in Manila are 2 Phase 120v. I am in the province, where we have Single Phase 220v. I called SMA ...
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Upgrade 100A panel to use more solar [closed]
My question is: Is it reasonable to upgrade to a 200A main panel but with a 125A breaker?
Here is a draft of my thinking based on feedback so far:
Upgrade my main panel with 125A service over ...
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Like for Like Main Panel Replacement (PG&E)
I'm located in the bay area - PG&E territory.
I have a Federal Pacific panel that needs to be replaced but it is within 3 feet of a gas line. My wires are underground so it'd require trenchwork ...
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Lights flickering
I have a off grid solar system with 110-120v pure sine inverter. All my outlets work with power but GFCI blinks red every min or so and my all my LED lights flicker when on. I feel like I'm not ...
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Can I run a home run to the main breaker in an attached building with a subpanel?
I'm working with an installer on a solar system that can power essential loads when the grid is down, and this requires moving all essential load circuits (refrigerator, boiler/furnace, etc) to a new ...
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Most efficient heating system @ ~41° N
I'm researching building a home on a property I just bought. Water is plentiful but there is little or no chance of getting municipal services such as natural gas or electricity. However I have open ...
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Sharing solar energy
Solar installers have said that our flat-ish roof isn't going to work for panel installation. Our neighbor is building a new house that will have ample electricity generated by his panels. They are ...
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Solar "side tap" configuration
I am finalizing my configuration for a solar upgrade, and want to do a sanity check.
Jurisdiction: US, NY
The service is 200A, which routes to the meter and then to the main panel in the house. Off ...
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How can I run cable from a solar inverter to a cupboard room where my consumer unit is situated?
The cupboard room is not next to an external wall, about 5 metres into the house. The power to the house comes in through a conduit, quite large, more like a drainpipe, about 5 inches in diameter. ...
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Subpanel and grounding for solar shed to off-grid cabin
I am building a purpose-built shed that will support solar panels and contain all of the solar equipment such as charge controller, batteries, inverter etc. All of this is off-grid.
An A/C feeder ...
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Inverter switches to fault when sun emerges from cloud
My solar setup consists of 3x270 watt panels, a charge controller, a battery and an inverter. It has mostly worked fine for many years, but I've found that the inverter faults when the sun comes out ...
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Can water heaters receive hot water through the inlet pipe without malfunctioning?
I'm using solar powered water heater panels now, and I want to reuse my old gas heated water tank, as just a reservoir for accumulating hot water from solar without gas powering it (disconnected from ...
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How should I ground a shop and a house who both have 2 breaker boxes? One fed by the grid and the other a solar inverter
As the title states, I have a house and a shop both with 240 feeders coming from the grid.
I have solar panels and a solar inverter in the shop.
The solar inverter is powered by panels, a 48v ...
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How can I bypass the motion sensor on a Handy-Brite solar flood light?
I need to rewire a solar flood light so that when the switch is in the "on" position, the flood light remains on continuously being shut off at the switch. In the "off" position, ...
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Why would a wall outlet read 12 V AC at 3 kHz?
I have an exposed wire coming out of a wall, I believe the old owners of the house had a wine fridge or some other appliance installed in the space. I went to install an outlet on this wire and ...
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Second hand SolarEdge 10000H-US Grid tied inverter
My question is how I can safely test whether this inverter is functioning. It requires dc optimizers and I haven't purchased them yet but before I go too far purchasing compatible optimizers, I want ...
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Solar installer
I'm considering purchasing my own solar panels and installing myself and doing all the paperwork. I want to do it myself for the experience. The problem is that my HOA won't allow me to do the work ...
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Does a diverter valve based on temperature exist?
I want to install a solar water heater in my house in the future, so I've been thinking about how I could do it, something like this:
Cold water enters the solar heater, hot water comes out.
If it's ...
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270
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Choosing a feeder cable from solar shed to off-grid cabin
I have questions regarding electrical feeder sizing for an off-grid solar system. I am building a purpose-built shed that will support the solar panels and house all of the equipment such as charge ...
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