Our biggest install yet!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2024
- You saw us remove the old system last week, now it's time to install the new system!
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You are one of my favorite TH-cam channels; with warmer weather just around the corner I look forward to a bunch of new videos. 👍
Clean install, I like it. Ground mount is the best if you have space. Easy and safe to install and remove and no roof leaks!
I have three on the side of a pond damn. Not the easiest to install lol.
As some one who is striving to live off grid I can tell you right now they need more battiers. I have 87,000 watt hours of lithium and its not enough. I need to easily double that if not triple. When the rain sets in in the winter you make very little power compared to summer. And you can have a week straight with no sun or more
Dang, Your making the utility look like a little backup system. :)
Please post a video on how to wire the AC output from each inverter, all the way to the house breaker panel, and what safety considerations we should address
Nice to see that they upgraded the neutral and ground busbars. Making sure you had the right lugs to work with the old busbars was annoying.
You know what’s up lol
Agree that ground mount is the way to go! Raccoons got onto my roof and burrowed under the panels, destroying shingles and wiring...Relocated to a ground mounting and couldn't be happier!!!
They should be good for power for a while.. good job.
I love video and install also all your other videos. But I don’t get people like this. What did all this cost? First system now second. 100k plus and they have grid power. I understand they can sell some back but is it all worth it in the long run? I live off grid because getting power the half mile to my property would have been 100k plus. So I purchased 3.65kw panels one of those signature solar 30.72kwh racks and a 4400w inverter.
Love that ground mount. You could call the boss inverter the Primary and others secondary 1, 2 etc. Good clean job as usual.
Or we could keep the same term we've always used in the technical industry for over 100 years and not worry about over sensitive people. Master, and slave.
@@kimfella4770 It’s not over sensitive ppl. You clearly don’t get it. Those terms were derived from brutal abhorrent colonial past. And ppl of color are still oppressed. It’s long overdue time to move away from such language. 400 years of hurt and still happening in so many ways. Mining, telecommunications, jobs, consumer goods, the list goes on. I’m done.
@@lennieadi Yes, you are done.
NICE job...love it. I am looking at those EG4 "six-gun" 30 kWh rack batteries. I just upgraded two of my arrays with 12 480w Q-cell bifacials. Love them.
Just love the intro music!!
Per NEC, PDB's in covered wire trays must be "finger safe". Do you have covers for those blocks? I typically use Polaris "knuckles" in trays like that in order to pass inspection.
Upset I didn’t get notified that you upload this
On the last video when you was disassembling the solar a ray you had made it a point to talk about the corrosion the MC4 connectors. How would you prevent that from happening again in the future?
Setups like this (20-40 kw solar + 50-80 kwh battery), are going to become very very common throughout the entire solar industry going forward and into the future. This was always how it was meant to be done. Very great job.
why? Most homes not off grid could run on half this, easily
@@av1204 when the grid is not helping out, you need to oversize for seasonality. In the summer you'll be way over producing, but in the winter you'll just get by. Being net-zero completely behind-the-meter takes a large system like this.
@@drewgoodman7932 in most the country it does not. 1,000 kwh is what is used by most all electric homes in the south in a month. efficient appliances could easily reduce it by a 3rd. but even at 1000kwh / 30 days = 33 kwh a day. That is nothing.
@@av1204 In a climate that offered reasonable uptake, sure! My normal electric bill is high because I run a ton of refrigeration but before I did that, I could run my house at 40 kwh per day or less most of the year even with electric hot water and heat pump.
I have a 14.4 kwh PV with a 54 kwh battery bank. I'm trying to stay off grid with just my shop in the PNW. Let's just say, it appears that at least 3 months out of the year, I'm screwed. I can't even run my shop. My uptake is down right sad and my system eats half of what I produce. On a sunny day though, you'd think I was nuts. Trouble is the length of time between true sunny days this time of year can be WEEKS where I live. Some days I product less than 4kwh. If consumption is even 10kwh and my battery bank allows me to go to 80% DOD, I have 4 days before I'm out of juice. Recharging at those low rates is really slow even with no daily draw because the system itself requires at least 3 kwh per day to run.
@@av1204 add an EV to that equation and it looks much different. Every new vehicle sold in 2030 will be electric and charged at home 90% of the time. Even small homes that are all electric with EV, net-zero, and behind the meter will require a 10-15 kw + 40 kwh battery. I’m telling you, just eeking by and over relying on the grid is a thing of the past, the new way forward is big power.
*Shockingly professional install, Sir ! 👌😃 If you will pardon the pun ?*
This setup is almost exactly what I plan to build, love seeing this! Especially seeing the pair of 15k Solarks, curious to get a more in depth walkthrough of how those 200A capable inverters can operate on a 400 amp service
nice clean install. you triggered 2.pet peeves though: 1. pronunciation of the word height. :). 2. when talking about units of electricity, don't forget the 'hours'. the battery bank might be 60kWH, but not 60kW. same with mentioning your usage from the utility. it makes a difference
What did you hear that was incorrect about his pronunciation of ‘height’?
@@balrog006 it rhymes with fight, not having an ending sound like breadth
Why are they doing all the walking with the panels if you can just move the skid steer
Well done, Scott.
Haha..awesome I didn't know you had these videos lol I only saw the welder you were making. I am the 100% off grid girl lol who is Jack of all no masters in this off grid life but learning.
Man I wish I had the cash for a system like that!!! Mind giving an estimated cost for that install? I'm hoping to get a 10kw system (no batteries yet) installed this Spring for part 1 of my solar future. Plan on at least 3 parts of the project as we can afford it.
Excellent video, thank you so much for posting. The E G4 batteries in combination with the 15K really seem like the winning team. Have you installed a lot of the 15K so far? any issues. They seem like an awesome all-in-one system. Thank you. 👍👍
Sorry for the question ⁉️ What are CT's. I love your channel. Thanks 👍
CT=Current Transformer. They are used to monitor current flow (amount and direction) in a circuit. In this case they are monitoring current flow to allow the Sol Ark charger/inverter to know when to throttle and direct power in order for the customer to receive the best $$ results.
Was the original install featured on your channel? I think I recognize the back porch area and if memory serves you had a pretty large "Solar Generator" for temp power.
I enjoy the videos and have a for many years now. How does one get a few of your shirts that your employees wear???? Cheers, Mate.
I’m in Florida, thoughts on Mt solar mounts that I can move to flat for hurricane wind issues?
2 questions: Do you connect 1 rack of batteries to each of the inverters? How do the solar-ark handle surges like a A/C startup, and a Air compresser?
Where are your cables coming out of the battery cases? Did you drill some holes or something?
What's the reason for not using the GEN input for the generator? I thought it worked awesome when I used it during an extended outage
How do the EG4’s compare to the Ark Lithium batteries you also use?
and how much electricity did you pay per month before the solar system because it looks like for all the money you spend if you are on the grid you will pay your bill for the rest of your life
Why no season adjust? and what's a model of bifacial panels? Thanks Enginer775 😉
For the ground mounts, is it possible to mount them 3 rows high? (3 rows of 14 instead of 2 rows of 21?) The idea being to make the ground mount foot print smaller? I know space is not an issue with this site.
I'm not Scott but I'm gonna guess you're going to create a massive windsail with that kind of array. lol It's stunning just how big these panels are.
Twin 15K's I'm jealous .. lol. I noticed there are two battery inputs on the 15K's which makes me wonder if you could use two different battery chemistry's .. like lithium and AGM's for example?? Or are there two for splitting up the loads?
Is there any reason you don't use a roll of 2 inch pvc or some kind of plastic pipe instead of the 10 ft. sections of electrical conduit when making long runs underground?
It would be nice to be able to use something else. Something cheaper but PVC conduit is required.
Please tell me you were joking about the master and slave comment 😂
Please elaborate on the wiring (line diagram) of transfer switches. I noticed your not using the internal SolArk. You mentioned another transfer switch, is it the ATS for the genset
Ok got a few questions, what is the temp range on these batteries? with this set up is it only solar? My old unit could do wind and solar this new one not so much. I also have to much battery and not enough power intake. So I will wake up to no lights. Oh and the batteries shouldn't they be more spaced apart due to gases as well as heat from the load from the sun and the output voltage being used. I know my batteries need to be moved/swapped every 5 to 7 weeks to keep them ore equal in their charge and their drain. Mine are wet so they work beautiful in the cold not so good in the heat.
Shouldn't these panels be better to have installation gaps around 4 sides of each panel, to allow wind gusts passing through?
Very nice install. Super clean. I like it. One question for you concerning the transfer switch. I notice its 2 poles, so it's switching both hots...that is, L1 and L2. How are you switching the neutrals or do you have the neutrals from both sources connected to the house neutral?
Very cool project!
I’m working on my 32 panel array, very similar ground mount. How do you guys ground the solar arrays?
We have 2 12k's and when installing them were instructed to keep a minimum of 12" between them for proper cooling... Is there something different with the 15k's?
Hi, if your 12k's have side ventilation then that's the reason. The new 15k's (and possibly the new 12k's!) vent from the bottom to the top to enable them to be put closer together.
As was stated yeah the 15ks vent vertically and there is a 2-in minimum clearance between them
@@engineer775 Why do I always find myself wishing I lived on the East Coast in your "service area"?
@@simonpaine2347 Yep! Side ventilation. Soooo wish I'd have had these options for the 15ks when I bought my original components in late 2021.
@@doodlesthegoose7085 I understand. The thing is that this is just such a fast moving industry! There are so many companies developing new technologies and Sol-Ark seems determined to stay ahead of the curve. I'm looking at getting some Pytes batteries, they seem like a great option, but in 6 months, who knows? Perhaps there will be a good second hand market that develops and you could trade them out?
Question where do you get the 12 x 12 x 12 4 ft wiring troughs or can I get one from you along with at 15K SOl Ark
You said CTc, that is charge controllers correct?, what are they and by what MFG?
Im between Easley and Pickens. Question, how to you dispose of bad panels? That the only problem I have with solar.
i love your videos where can u get eg4ll and the big black metal cages 4 the eg4 ll batteries please let me know and umm i love this whole in stall how do u go about all of this i am looking to do this on my house soon and looing 4 ideas
He sells them on his site, they’re also available from the main supplier in Tx, Signature Solar.
Is it important to flip the bus bar in the EG4 cabinets? What happens if they're not flipped?
I just bought one and know nothing.
You can get current imbalance between batteries if bus bar is not flipped.
Ok, I flipped it. The bus bar sticks out a bit at the bottom now on the negative side but I can still hook it up. Thanks!
Why would you have to trim off the canopy you little stand we should solar panels on when it looks like if you'd had it all the way to the end of one way you did to Sara do you need it was another two solar panels lineup right perfect have to cut anything.
Nice! I’m sure those eg4s are saving you and the customer money. Why did you say if you only have one inverter you don’t need CTs? My understanding is that the CTs are still needed to prevent export to the main panel via the the inverters bidirectional AC in
You can put the inverter in limited power to load and it will not export
Hey Scott, how do you pass inspection mixing ac and dc conductors in the trough. We ended up having to run a sheet metal barrier for separation. Also I see your solar riser is PVC, I thought it had to be EMT or MC. Thanks!
NEC Article 300.3C. AC and DC can be in the same raceway as long as all conductors run at no more than 600V and they are both part of the same system.
Hi!! Talk about loads of PV power! Have you had any issues with these V2 EG4s throwing an alarm light with “protection error” on the screen? Nothing ever connected to it !! It’s still in the box. Weird eh?
Hi.... for this sol ark 15k model..... is it true that we can only pullout a 12k watts from it?
sol ark 30k coming soon?
What is a CT?
With 2 sol-arks, does the load wires downstream of the PDB's need to be rated for 400 amps since each sol-ark has the built in 200 amp breaker? Thanks.
jeez 102 panels, not 250w i hope :)
450
how long of an area does that 42 panel arrea cover in feet if I may ask?
For smaller loads any interest in the EG4 8kW hybrid inverter?
do u carry spare diodes for the solar panels u supply???
Beautiful Install - If I think about this install - it looks to be about $150K to $200K in total cost for equipment and labor - looking at the Return on Investment - if you think the typical Grid Bill of $250 to $300 per month for the house electrical bill - it would 55 years before this system would pay itself off or break even - to me I rather pay $300/month for the electrical bill from the grid than invest in solar. The solar panels loose 6% to 8% of power generation every year - so you will have to replace the solar panels, inverters, and batteries around 10 to 25 years to get back to full power generation - that added cost will change the payback or breakeven time.
Where do you get 6-8% loss per year? I have 245 watt SolarWorld panels that are now 13 years old, and I see less than 5% total loss. All panels are working great.
1:24 kWh? Units units units
Giterdone!
What panel are you using.?
If I hear power distribution block one more time I’m going to short circuit.
Power distribution block
Stack one more inverter and add get the battery to around 80 kwh, and I don't see why a system like this couldn't take any normal sized property completely off-grid.
You don't think 2 15k's would do it for a normal home? I would bulk up beyond the 80kwh if I could for my house. I have 54kwh now and 2 12k's. Uptake in the PNW this winter has been horrific for weeks.
We're still getting used to things as we upgraded more PV, another Sol-Ark and another 33 kwh on batteries this past fall after having the initial install done in late July. We're trying to run our shop off grid and work on back feeding the house on good days. We need to rewire the feed between house and shop as current wire maxes us at 60 amps.
@@doodlesthegoose7085 a normal home to me is used to a continuous 200a delivery from the grid. I may be wrong here, but solar+storage 2.0 needs to be able to deliver that same uninterrupted 200a with no compromises. Stacking 3 solarks is how you accomplish that. If you have an electric vehicle charging at 48a, you will certainly want all of that 200a. The updated NFPA 855 is going to limit residential sites to 80 kwh, so yes I think the battery should be more like 100 kwh it looks like we will need to keep it under 80 and figure out how to make that work, probably adding more PV and shifting energy usage to the day is how to work around that.
@@drewgoodman7932 It's nice in theory but where I live, my whole property would have to be covered in panels. Some days, my uptake is so bad, I get 4 kwh in total uptake on 14kwh PV. A third Sol-Ark would eat more power than my incoming on days like that (which are many in the winter). Summer I did pretty well and could power my whole home given the right wiring which is in progress of being upgraded.
@@doodlesthegoose7085 you’re right, a system like this is not going to be for urban infill lots. By the end of the decade, electricity will be dollars per kWh not cents, so if you can’t get to net zero behind the meter it’s going to inevitably come back to bite you. I’m not saying how this gets done I’m just saying what’s going to happen and the remedy is 20+ kw solar & 50+ kwh battery. You’ve been warned.
@@drewgoodman7932 No warning necessary for me! We'll be lucky to live that long but, in the meantime, we're doing what we can to prepare for this. We are not urban but have our limitations due to the setup of the property. If anyone else leaves us money in a will, I'm adding to the system! lol But I'm pretty sure our $70k+ investment for our self-install is what we're going to have to work with. :-(
very very very nice
Surprised this isn't an off-grid system.
It definitely can operate as one if needed
What settings you use for eg4 batteries? I can’t get my eg4 ll2 connected to inverter. Called sol-ark they said they don’t support eg4
Here you go-m.th-cam.com/video/elHLWUkTVX8/w-d-xo.html
Did you contact the battery supplier-Signature Solar?
If he needs more batteries, wire in a generator instead!
My biggest concern with lithium is EoL disposal/recycle. I know they have a lot of power to weight and high density, but the long-term has me concerned. Lead-acid batteries are significantly more recyclable than lithium anything.
I used to worry about recycling myself. Then I realized that none of that matters when you find they're making the entire planet toxic with the substances dropped on us by the planes. Check your soil and water levels for toxic levels of aluminum (and enjoy the lithium while you're at it). Aluminum makes nutrient uptake a bit difficult.... Also, read the MSDS sheet for Silver Iodide (a publicly acknowledge substance used for cloud seeding. It's "highly toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects."
Do what you can but we're going to need the added battery capacity until we can learn to live like cavemen again if we're lucky enough to live through the next 5 years.
very well done sir !!!
hey you move your cameras so fast especially when explaining the AC OVERLOAD FAULT. Next time you look it that, otherwise i am a happy follower from KENYA
What is your area you serve?
We offer turnkey installations to those within 2 hours driving distance of Pickens, SC. We can provide DIY kits and technical support to the whole US.
@@engineer775 I’ve been subscribed for awhile but never notified of your posts .. we are in MA and have talked to a few companies but DONT trust any of them (and bad reviews)… we are not capable of doing ourselves. Although my husband can still do a lot- he’s 77… any suggestions or do you know of a reputable company?
Please keep calling it master/slave. In this world there is something called context which some brainlets chose to ignore. I'm sure I'm not the only one sick of the never ending outrage on behalf of others. -- a black guy.
first :)
Love your channel! But please stop with the PC BS. Slave and master are the correct words as they are inanimate objects. To say its improper is to show ignorance to the English language. It’s your channel but bringing politics into it is never good business.
It was a joke…
Looks nice!