Questions tagged [solar]
The solar tag has no usage guidance.
94
questions
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5answers
107 views
Solar? Lots of room for panels, so should I ditch oil? [closed]
First post for me. Long time reader.
I'm in south west Massachusetts.
I just bought a new two-story home. 9ft ceilings. With garage, it is about 2,600 sq ft plus 2,000 square feet of garage space (...
0
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0answers
69 views
Installing DIY Solar, I need help bringing the power into my home
I'm going to disconnect my home from the grid (I will not be grid tied). I plan to remove all 240v appliances. My question is would I still need a split inverter 120v/240v to run the whole house?
1
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1answer
62 views
When doing a line side tap, Can ground and neutral be tap before the main panel?
The picture shows what I’m asking.
2
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0answers
51 views
How do I make these Gama Sonic lanterns theft-proof?
Does anybody have a good idea on how to secure these solar lights? I've mounted these to some brick posts in front of my house and a few have been stolen.
The first time the thieves were able to ...
1
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1answer
200 views
Electrical design for large property
Need some help checking out what i'm doing and making sure everything sounds right and nothing fishy.
I have a large property with no service at the moment, I am working with the electric company to ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Need help buying the right sized off-grid solar system
I'm planning on using solar power to supply electricity to a 12x24' building. This building will be located near our main house, but will have no connections to the house, electrical or otherwise. It ...
1
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1answer
73 views
Solar Charge Controller and grounding the battery
I am just getting my feet wet, so I have one 100 watt panel and a 12v marine battery. I plan on running a small water pump to circulate water in a black hose to see if I can heat some water.
The ...
1
vote
4answers
85 views
Aligning pergola rafters to the sun?
I live near Denver, Colorado (so northern hemisphere, some good snow storms in the winter, lots of baking UV in the summer) in a 1970s-built home and I'm putting a pergola over a patio in my back yard....
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0answers
60 views
How many amps electrical panel
How many amps is my electrical panel and what size solar can I add?
enter image description here
4
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2answers
440 views
AC can only go one direction
I'm currently sending grid power from my house to a shed, and I'm now trying to send solar power from an inverter back to the house. I'm confused because the house can power the shed (120V AC ...
2
votes
0answers
46 views
“Non-Retail” House Battery
I need a ~3.5kw battery to power an emergency circuit if the power goes down. I've been quoted $13,000 to add an LG Chem 9kw to our existing system but that does not include the inverter upgrade. ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
How to ground solar transfer switch
I am installing an off-grid solar system to power some external buildings, but I want an automatic transfer switch so that outlets will be grid powered when the solar batteries are low.
Can I run a ...
1
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2answers
48 views
Can I connect a normal 12 Volt 150AH C10 battery with a solar 12 volt 150AH C20 battery in series for my 24Volt solar system
I have an Exide invamaster 1500imst short tubeler normal battery of 12 volt, 150AH, C10. Now I want to connect this battery with a solar battery of 12 volt, 150AH, C20.
Can I connect this normal 12 ...
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2answers
319 views
Lights start flickering on Luminous inverter when I connect my Desktop CPU
I am using luminous solar nxg 1100 solar inverter. At my home, I have 4 fans, one tv, 10 led lights, 3 laptops and a desktop. All the equipments work fine when there is main supply. If there is no ...
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0answers
36 views
Charging a battery bank with Solar Cells
So essentially bought one of these "solar battery banks" for a weather station project i am working on.
Long story short the power output for the built in cell is awful.
Now the question is,...
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1answer
57 views
Solar electric home
I want to see if my house can go completely solar. It's a small house with 240v 100A of electricity so about 24kW. I'm still new to this whole solar panel subject, this is my first time utilizing it ...
2
votes
2answers
85 views
Battery bank in parallel/series or series/parallel
I'm trying to help some friends who live in a remote village in Africa to get the best out of their solar installation, and I'm trying to understand whether there's an optimal way of hooking up the ...
2
votes
3answers
629 views
How to identify electrical panel busbar rating
recently I got a bid from a solar company and they said I don't need to upgrade my eletrical box since it is rated at 125 amps, and for that value, I can install a 7k system based on calculation here ...
1
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3answers
541 views
Battery Backup for 240V (USA) Water Well
I have a well pump. I want to build out a battery backup (and, eventually, charge the batteries with solar and, more eventually, move to solar full time).
It's 1/2 horsepower on a 240v circuit. It's a ...
1
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1answer
53 views
Spacing between solar arrays
I'm considering a solar farm in my backyard so I'm doing my initial research. Found this video. Here's a still from that video:
What's the point of that 12' gap between the arrays? Seems like a waste ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Can I use hot water to transfer heat from a greenhouse into the house?
We have a vacation house that has a (south-southeast facing) greenhouse off of one of the bedrooms. On a sunny day in winter, the greenhouse can easily reach 80F or more. When we are there, we open ...
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0answers
44 views
Solar Battery Pack for outdoor lights
I recently bought a really old house and the light outside has not been working. I just found that there was a little solar battery charger laying on the floor of my front yard, broken to pieces. So I ...
1
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2answers
77 views
Solar system with both grid tie-in and backup power without battery? [duplicate]
My wife and I have been talking for a few years now about getting some solar panels installed on our roof. We even went so far as to have a sales rep for an installer come out and talk through our ...
1
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2answers
298 views
What kind of inverter do I need for an inductive load?
TLDR: My shed AC unit (maximum draw 8A 120V AC) keeps tripping my 1100W inverter. It seems to have troubles occasionally when the fan turns on. It's pretty much guaranteed to have troubles when the ...
2
votes
2answers
194 views
How to run Romex cable to Enphase Combiner box 3?
In designing in the solar panels, I've decided to run the wire inside of the house. So far, I am running 10/2 Romex from the attic all the way to the Enphase Combiner Box surface mounted on the ...
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0answers
28 views
suspending a 36x26 solar panel on a single 4x4x12 post (9' above ground 3 feet into the ground)?
I'd like to suspend a 36x26x1 aluminum solar panel 9 feet above ground on a SINGLE 12' 4x4 timber with some 2x4s at the top. I'm in central Florida.
Will it be too top heavy? wind issues?
it's a ...
0
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2answers
179 views
How do I improve specific gravity in a 4 year old battery
The specific gravity indicates almost nonexistent acid level. Barely above water. What is the best way to bring this battery back to life. It is a 6 volt solar battery.
0
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1answer
40 views
Fixing a roof solar heater
At the end of the season last September the highlighted joint in the roof solar heater was gushing a fair bit of water whenever the pump was turned on.
The joint is now still dry. Is it reasonable to ...
0
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0answers
45 views
Diagnosing Solar Inverter
The goal is to correctly diagnose from the device's fault codes and determine corrective action.
A SB6000U Sunny Boy inverter returns energy into the electric grid: reducing the electric bill ...
3
votes
0answers
54 views
Need help on error code for a solar power inverter
I have a solar array with 2 Sunpower/Sunnyboy inverters model SPR-6000m. One of the inverters has an error that from the manual (see pic) is "Inverter Interference". The indicator lights that blink ...
0
votes
3answers
114 views
Solar water heater vs Heat pump for heating water?
I'm debating between installing a solar water heater vs. a heat pump for supplying hot water to my house. The house is in Bangalore, India - we have about 300 days of sunshine in a year. My estimate ...
1
vote
1answer
99 views
What can I use redundant/spare AGM batteries for?
In my off-grid cabin I currently have a single 258 Ah (C24) Concorde PVX-2580L battery, with a 150 Ah spare (and generator) for backup situations where the main runs flat.
As I frequently see the ...
2
votes
2answers
187 views
Options for Running High End Computer on Old Circuit
I'm preparing to build the computer of my dreams. Unfortunately, it's going to top out at 1350 Watts when running at peak performance. I live in an 80 year old bungalow and the power situation is less ...
1
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1answer
207 views
Proper amount of solar panels needed to charge batteries
I am working on a plan for a 24V electrical system. Based on my needs I plan to have six 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries wired up (2S3P I believe) to give me 24V 300Ah.
Assuming I need to fully recharge ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
12v Off Grid System
One of my clients wants to add a refrigerator to his mobile office (sailboat) that runs off a 12v battery bank (x2 225ah deep cycle AGM) and add x2 100w solar panels and a 400w wind generator to ...
1
vote
2answers
80 views
Window AC unit LCDI tripping when powered by my solar inverter
I have a small 200w solar power system consisting of a Victron 500VA inverter (900w peak) with a 100ah AGM battery.
I just purchased a 5000BTU/4 amp window unit that draws a peak of 430w according to ...
0
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1answer
66 views
Calculating Battery Size for 2 Channel NVR Security Camera System
I need to install a security camera system on a United States 110v power circuit that is only on a night. The circuit is using an astronomical clock to turn on power and more accurately measure the ...
1
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2answers
94 views
Question about new inverter for solar power system
I am new to this community so I hope this is the right place.
I am looking into buying a new inverter for my off grid cabin running from solar. I would like to purchase THIS 3000w inverter. My ...
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3answers
1k views
Solar Power System Circuit Breaker and fuse Amps
So the question is kinda part 2 of my question about the DC Output
Today I went to Hellweg (It's like an Electronics shop in Germany/Europe). To buy a Circuit Breaker or Fuse (idk what I am looking ...
1
vote
2answers
78 views
off grid solar connecting mixed panels best options [closed]
Recently I bought a 35 watt 12v solar panel, I have a small pond 5 watt panel that supposedly is 12v as well. I wanted to combine and use both of these panels for an off grid application.
I want to ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
AC Combiner Box for Solar Project
I've been searching online for a NEMA 3R enclosure to act as a combiner for two 40 Amp, 240v circuits coming out of two solar inverters. Total combined amperage is 80 Amps. The AHJ is going to be ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
Comparing mixed orientation solar panels to non-mixed on a Brooklyn Solar install
I'm looking for advice on choosing from two solar panel proposals. I have a historic landmark brownstone in Brooklyn with a flat roof and am looking for the most power that I can fit into the roof ...
0
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2answers
69 views
Solar air conditioning
What are your thoughts on this Rube Goldberg system I may try this spring in Wilmington, NC.
A shallow well about 15 feet to the well point; static water at 10 feet.
Water temp at 58-60 degrees out ...
1
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2answers
126 views
Off grid Solar What panel to use to distribute power to 2 locations Butte County California
Panels, Batteries and Inverter are all in the shop. Lighting, outlets, sprinkler system pump and well pump will be run off the sub panel in the garage. House isn't here yet but will have a 200 amp ...
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votes
1answer
61 views
Temperature monitoring for storage hot water system (RP-2 connection)
My HWS has a secondary outlet connection I don't use, and I'd like to use it to install a thermal probe I can monitor.
HWS RP ¾ / 20 temp probe?
Does anyone know of a practical way to install a ...
0
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0answers
135 views
Connecting house battery to starter battery - cable sizing considering alternator?
I have a heavy duty 6 ton truck with 24 volt start batteries. I am building a house battery system, also 24 volts. I want to connect the house battery to the car battery with a switch, so that I can ...
0
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2answers
56 views
Status of solar-powered landscaping lights [closed]
As of now (9/2018), are solar-powered landscaping lights a sensible option?
In 5-year intervals, for the past 15 years, I've been suckered into buying solar-powered landscaping lights and every time ...
0
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2answers
282 views
Use a solar light inside
I have a solar light with motion detection that works fine outside. I'd like to know if I can use it inside as well. I want to place it on the windowsill of my clerestory window so that it charges ...
0
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0answers
56 views
Solar panel not charging battery
I have a small PV system for my shed. Just setting up and testing at this point.
90W panel
MPPT T20 charge controller - 20 AMP
120ah 12 volt battery
Only one led light connected to load.
I am not ...
0
votes
1answer
42 views
Good Solar Path LEDs for cloudy weather [closed]
I live in Seattle, where its usually rainy/cloudy for 8 months of the year. Do solar path LED lights make sense? If yes, could I have a recommendation?
This was suggested to me:
https://www.lowes....
