Well, lets be real. I been following you for years and truth is. Your clients are far better off than most of us. We can only dream of 90% of the stuff you install.
True. Very true. That plus sides though are that he at least employed Scott and his crew and because some people can afford the expensive stuff, there are cheaper, less capable units that that also are then created and sold to the next lower tier of the economy.
If I recall that is 50k just in the eg4 batteries and I can not be sure yet I am sure those sol arks are 8k each. This is likely a 150k dollar system. Yet if you are 100% on electric for heat and cooling and lets just assume they have a very high end electric bill of 6k per year which gives a pay back of about 25 years. Sell excess energy and you could see a payback in 12.5 years maybe. The real kicker is that these people likey have more than enough battery power that will extend the life of the cycles for 50 plus years.They also could be running crypto miners which cost them nothing. With all of that extra energy could could run miners all the time and cost you nothing. Even if the crypto market is down lot of miners shut down operations because they can not make a profit yet because its solar you can keep mining and just moves your pay out time much longer yet if the price goes up to pay it off or upgrade you can do that. Just more free money.
@@kameljoe21 their power bill could be even larger than that, they probably power lots of power tools too for a garage/shop, well pump if they use well water. Where I live, if I use $300~ of electric, my power company literally charges me ANOTHER $300 in FEES! I can use 2500 kwh of electric in a month, and the power bill will be $550-600, with literally HALF of it being FEES! They should get a decent ROI, but the peace of mind that they can survive grid collapses, SHTF scenarios, and stuff like that, is also great. Plus, all of their equipment still holds value, even if it does depreciate some, it still increases the property value, so if calculating that, then their ROI is even better. So if they spend $150k on a system, and after depreciation say it's still worth $100k, then they only need to get a return on investment of closer to $50k, while still having all of the other fantastic perks (non-grid reliant, SHTF situations, self sustain, pleasure of owning such system and being their own utility company). All I know is, this setup is GOALS!
@@whatta7793 Yeah ROI for a lot of people can be quick. Though most people just do not have that kind of cash to drop for 10 plus years of electric bills. This system is mega big and I would not mind having it.
That is an entire miniature power company. Really great work, its so clean and tidy. I envisioned a system this big in my mind, thanks for showing that it would work.
This is bat shit crazy rich people power. I have half the solar and only 6 of those batteries. And its does everything I need in our 1800sq ft home. The only time the generators run I was too sick to get out of bed and clean the panels off after a snow storm for two days.
I use two EG4 waterproof batteries in my van! Everything i buy in the future will be from Signature Solar! Best bang for your buck! The quality is top notch!
I use only 6 230w panels with 48v 400a battery bank and when the sun's out I can use my AC, toaster, microwave, fridge, water n sump pump n have plenty to spare to last me a full day of use, I get a kick out of watts coming in with that little setup
QUESTIONS: regarding 36 EG4 batteries 1) what type of bus bar are you using to tie all batteries together? 2) what amperage rating is needed on bus bar? how did you determine smp rating needed? Amy other mods needed to parallel 36 racks? thanks
Nice work Scott! You do it big. I upgraded to a "six gun" rack of those EG4's and three arrays of those bifacial Q-cells (9 kw total). Seeing great numbers. Keep up the great work!
In Upper Michigan we must allow for a 48" snow accumulation below the panel structure. I use 6' tall posts with good results. Also, our winter tilt for this latitude is 62° from horizontal which aids snow dumping.
a great example of why 400VDC needs to be more common. most hybrids/electric cars are using it. Now we need solar to catch up... ( also many cars are going to 800VDC )
There are high voltage scc i believe up to 400v... There are inverters that are high voltage too... Theres a channel using high voltage scc and inverter.
That’s only 150 KWh of battery. So if running a couple of AC units over night and maybe also own one or two EV’s and they’d be empty. I can use up to 200 KWh daily especially in winter running heat pumps (4 of them) for my house and barn, and water well that fills the pond and so on.
@@31337cyberhuman I average between 205-265 kWh/month (minisplit for AC and shoulder season heating, wood for the other few months), although I don't have an EV.
Back of the napkin math on this one: 96 x Q-Cells, $198 each, that's $19k before discounts. 36 x EG4-LL, $1300 each, that's another $46,8k. 4 x Sol-Ark 15K-2P, $7k each so add another $28k. We're already at $93k before we even add in cabling, panel racking, battery racks, custom rack supports and labor. This is a $200k job easy.
@@GeraldPUR you get that 200 is more then 100 right? So if I don't have 100k then guess what I don't have 200 either. I wasn't trying to estimate the cost of the entire system I have a life...
I have 1/4 the panels and 1/3rd the battery capacity. Now this is a system. I build my own battery banks to save money. I spend $10,000 well just under but close enough for $60kw 53.5kw usable. that gives me 2.5-3.5 days with no input. Usually I can go 5-7 days in winter. I will add another 9 kw of solar and another inverter since I use Growatt all in one 5000US version ( I will max out each inverter at 6kw PV). Might change to EG4 6500watt inverters. Right now my whole system was under $15,000 since I bought used panels and built my own ground mount. I have seen 90 MPH winds and no panels loss yet. I say that because mother nature always can destroy anything it wants to.
Right... Man Im just starting out but already know that I'm going with solar fridge and freezer on a small 12 volt system and have a modest 48 volt that will run the lights, TV and AC.
@evertking1 I would highly recommend the 48v system's. But much smaller system's than most. I run a deep freezer and lights off a 600w system 200Amp hour lifepo. In Michigan of all places. Inverter is a 3k. Of course we live much more frugal than your average Babylonia/Roman out side World. But if you need a system as big as this one, well I'd take a look at self needs.... verse self wants...
Ladies and gentleman, we just witnessed one heck of a solar "flex" 💪. E775, so happy you could share this with us! To the owner; I hope it pays off in spades! I tip my hat to you 🤠.
Just shamwow, a massive Battery bank of 153 Kw/h that I dream of. As an IT Linux Node tech don't be mad but I would be just a tad skepticial on stacking those bad boys on top of each other with no or little airflow doors. Stacking the rack-mounted units on top of each other in a server rack unit can potentially lead to heat buildup, especially if the batteries are tightly packed. To avoid excessive heat accumulation, it's advisable to allow for adequate airflow and spacing between the battery units. This can be achieved by limiting the number of units stacked vertically and ensuring proper ventilation. Usually server rooms feed the cold air at the bottom front and exhaust it away at the top rear. Hell your getting free energy may as well do this. Definitely awesome videos keep it up.
WOW, THAT IS A HUGE POWER SYSTEM! Would 3 Purlins instead of 2 Purlins eliminate the flexing of weakest part, the panel frame? If memory serves me, I think I read Miami Dade Certifications for roof installation is 3 rails. The 3rd in the center to eliminate frame flexing during strong winds. ENGINEER 775, THANKS AGAIN FOR SHARING & KEEPING US ON THE CUTTING EDGE! I too am in the process of installing our Sol-Ark 15k.
Yes, mentioned in another thread that even in installation manual for these panels 2 rails/purlins per panel is the MINIMUM. They should have specced it out for 4 rails per row if wind was a concern.
I think it would be cool to use ATS vs mauel. then you could have a board with a couple of push buttons. Red for Genset, green for Solar and yellow button for Grid. and each button is just a simple no/nc switch that changes the state of the ATS
prior this video, I was watching a video titled "biggest off-grid system" but they use Bloodborne batteries.🙄 this video simply says "just an upgrade" despite more than 210KWH!😁😁
For such high power I would recomand a HV battery and inverter, much more efficient and reliable. Low voltage such as 48V need the battery close to the inverter due to high input ripple current, if not the caps from the inverter will fail soon.
Wow what a system. Congratulations for putting that together! The only things I can think of is I hope that slab can hold 4000lb in a small area without cracking with those batteries, and also the EG4 racks are rated for stacking a full rack on top.
typical concrete is 3000 psi and greater. That's pounds per square *inch*. The only issue with the concrete will be if the ground under the concrete isn't compacted or washes out. The racks tho...
@@Sylvan_dB This is absolutely correct. Plans for the last 20 years or so call out for 3500 psi concrete where I live. One of my trucks can weight as much 25,000 fully loaded running over my shop slab everyday for almost 20 years I have no cracks at all. The thing that will destroy concrete, however is tree roots. This is why you should never plant large trees near walls or slabs, unfortunately people do this all the time and they simply destroy concrete.
Aaaannnnnddd, next month, the new Sol-Ark 24K is out, along with the new and improved low cost high density sodium ion batteries at 400ah in the size of a sugar cube. One cool thing about tech, is it is constantly faster, better, cheaper in the next version.
Q cell has to be my favorite. Pallets built out of actual 2 by 4s. You buy some REC panels and they’ll come on plywood and particle board with the bottom panel smashed. Never had a bottom panel smashed with Q cell even if the shipper uses 48” forks like an idiot
Geeee I'm such a rookie when it comes to solar, are they suppling a whole neighborhood? Because I don't think you can sell back to the grid in SC anymore... but I love to live off the grid for sure!
I had the luxury to get a Tesla powerpack (230kWh battery 4'wx4d'x8'h and 50kW inverter (4'wx6'dx8'h) combined with a 480v-208v 3phase 75kva transformer ). while slightly more expensive, I think, it is incredibly space efficient and also has the built-in liquid cooling and massive fans and is outdoors so no need for a whole 'room'. I also wonder if most fire departments wouldn't worry about having so much lithium inside a building (code here required it to be outside and 10+ft from the house etc). Anyway you have a cool setup but it's a lot of wiring and space - does look fun.
I have seen those mega packs. They do look quite cool. Yet most people do not use that much energy and a system like yours has to be on the 100k range. Though you did not state if you were off grid with solar or this was a back up system.
@@kameljoe21 yeah just over $100k (all battery/inverter fully equiped/wiring etc). I'm disconnected from PGE so off-grid electrically. 230kwh is a bit on the high side but with the bad storms during winter months, having a normal size house, you need a lot of battery storage, I think people tend to lowball the requirements and then get anxious. I've dropped down to about 40% capacity for a few days, usually drop down to 50% for the dec/jan months a couple of times. And that's in California where we do get sun during winter months.
@@wcoekaer That is pretty good. I did a basic calculation and found that if you spent 100 even and at 22 cents and used an average of 100kwh per day it would take you 13 years to pay for itself. My question is do you have an EV because if you do then that is where all that extra energy is going which could be a really good thing. I think we pay right now 16 cents per kwh and we use quite a bit less energy that you do. I would like to go 100% electric when I build a new house in a couple of years which is where I want to put in some solar. Nothing like what you have. I am considering using EG4 branded mini splits which can run directly off solar, grid tied or a combo of both. In the end the pay back time should be far less overall. The only problem with going full solar is the cost of adding batteries. I intend to buy used panels if I can find a supplier that can also supply ground racking, I would ideally like to install 50kwh of solar installed for no more than 40 cents a watt. Even if I have to have help to install it myself. I would like to find a battery less invert that can be stacked yet this poses a problem because I have only found one unit so far that has that option and I am not even sure if they still sell that model anymore. If I can go battery less with grid tied then I wont worry about the grid going off as I can stil have power during the day. With a stacked unit I can over size the units by one. and the 40k solar will be more than enough to power 4 to 5 stacked inverters and the other 10k is devoted to the heating and cooling system, which can accept a max of 3kwh of solar.
@@kameljoe21 if I had the ability to connect to PGE it would average at like 40c if you have a decent amount of consumption. I do have an EV (2 on regular basis when friend visits) charging. pay for itself in my case was a different choice - I don't have power at the street, it's 700ft away, so my cost to have utility power would be 700ft of underground cable (100% my cost). I'm better off with my setup right now :) But one thing I have learned is that it's very easy to undersize and underestimate solar + battery needs for normal living arrangements. especially if you're disconnected and have no backup generator. December/January are rough months. Size for those. sure, I have 4x more power during 50%+ of the year than I need but that's because I need it those 2 months.
@@wcoekaer Yeah. I've considered going off grid, but living in Erie, PA where we average less than 1 sunny day per month in February makes it difficult. I would have to have a windmill for the winter months. Winter production for the 3 worst months are less than 10% of the summer months.
Wondering if roof mount would survive the tornado better just by having more attachment points. I am looking to do ground mount, but considering doing some roof as well for a few reasons. I am still debating the EMP value unless everything is protected. Id be really bummer to have inverters but no batteries, or panels, or any electrical devices even needing power. VERY nice build and love the separation of the trays. Curious how well everything power balances with shared connections to/from 4 inverters to/from all the battery packs.
If you look at installation manual for these larger panels most will mention that 2 rails (4 bolts per panel) is the MINIMUM. If you are in a high wind area or installing even larger panels you can use up to 4 rails per panels (8 bolts per panel). Vikram 540W panels require 4 rails just to get the "normal" 5400Pa load rating. So they should have installed 4 rails per row instead of 2 if wind was a concern which would have made big difference.
The only thing I hate about all in one inverters and system like this is they have no option for battery less. What happens when or if something goes wrong with that battery bank and you had to go days or week with out some form of energy. Let say you have no grid and no generator. There is one mpp solar all in on that I know of that is batteryless yet you can not stack the unit. If I could just buy the inverter and solar and stack them along with being grid connected then I would opt to get started right away yet because they do not offer anything like that then there is not point. No I do not want grid tied stuff. I want an off grid system that just has no batteries or the option to add them later. EG4 also makes or brands a mini split with heat pump that can be run directly off solar. In this case I would I am opting to have these installed. I priced them out and to get started right now today I would need to spend on the low end 6k with brand new panels, Cheaper if I bought used panels. This would be enough to off set half of my heating and cooling cost and pay back would be 3 years. Though I am hoping to have everything done and ready to build in 2 years. I would like to build new with solar and that really depends on the job I am working on right now and if it will pay out as much as I think it will.
@@kameljoe21 With that many batteries and inverters, there is little chance of ALL of them going out at one time. Even two or three of the batteries going out, (or even a whole six-stack) even with one inverter going out also, wouldn't shut down that system. One would only have to maybe budget a little less power per day, until replacements could be shipped.
How do you handle battery communication with that many batteries in parallel? Don’t the EG4 batteries have a battery communication limit of 16 batteries?
Isn't there supposed to be a minimum gap between those panels? Manual states "Maintain an interval of at least 0.39 in (10 mm) between two modules along the short side and 0.20 in (5 mm) along the long side."
tried to get a quote on a good system on an 80 acre ranch from these guys and got pawned off to another company that only wanted to install a generator. They never even came out to see it in WNC
In that power range, a high voltage battery would do a big difference in terms of conversion and system losses… The 3000A battery current limit is ridiculous… 😅 Nice system. Best regards from Germany
Great install, amazing, the cost must be a bit high.. LOL Questions with the bifacial PV, If you have white or more reflective surface, like white gravel on the floor, What efficiency increase ( in percentage ) would a typical installation gain? Because dirt or grass is not very reflective and on a bifacial PV one would like to optimize that 5% gain.
Good question. I wonder if white concrete underneath and making a "pond" of water would not only add reflective power, but perhaps keep the panels cooler. (I live in the southern CA desert, so cooling is more important than heating much of the time.)
still saving up for the fancy machine - pile driver - skid steer- we do the old fashioned ways renting equipment - as tons of rock in Texas also and need different gear but still want this... plus one day I hope to film our installs more - really like seeing your installs. - and good to have critics also - it makes you better - but more expensive when your trying to follow the rules.. Did you ever figure out if EG4 battery and if you can use them when you need an interconnection agreement - and inspection most areas in Texas we need batteries listed on CA energy commission site - plus in Austin they have picky inspectors and rules making it near impossible to do DC coupled like this . any way , are the EG4s under another china name??? anyone know?? I see UL on front of battery now - I asked the signature solar this also and haven't heard back. are people just not getting interconnect agreements when using these? this signature solar company is in Texas.
I’m using the EG4 6500ex all in ones for my home rig, have used one testing its out before doing the full install and they are pretty reliable, got all of my batteries from the auction also they are the generac 50ah lipo batteries, I’m pulling out the proprietary bms’s so I can use with my system … 2100 ah for $2300 including adding the new 30 amp bms’s. I’m pretty stoked for what I have invested into this monster system. $30 for each panel $3600 $400 for all of the steel and $5300 for all of the inverters $11,600 for the whole rig plus the wire costs not a bad investment.
I was really hoping you would show battery connections. Not finding much about connecting three server racks to one inverter. Found PDF that really helped explain it. EG4-18kPV-Battery-Wiring-Diagrams.pdf
*wiping drool off my keyboard* I'll never convince the wife to get solar, so I picked up 2 100W panels to play with..hooked to 2 SLA 6v 10Ah batteries... Have to feed my desires somehow... Would those bifacials benefit with some white rock beneath them for some reflection? Could keep growth down around the panels as well...
Seems excessively large but if you use 2000 kWh a month which might be realistic for some that’s 66 kWh a day needed. This will give you 3-4 days of full power during cloudy days or otherwise low solar input. And that’s all while ensuring you won’t be taking your batteries to zero. Seems excessive but I designed my system to have 3 days of power based on average kWh per month over a year. The. I added 30%. Even for low usage consumers the system will be bigger than ya think.
I didn't see how big the house is, but even if you've got decent insulation, triple pane windows etc... if the house is big enough, say for a 5 bedroom two story with a basement in the NE USA (~3000 sq. ft/floor) or south-central Canada, based on what I've seen from people's usage, I wouldn't be surprised to see 2-2.5 MWh/month in summer with AC and 4-6 MWh/month in the three coldest winter months if heating with an air source heat pump system. Say 38-43 MWh/year depending on the weather. Peak single day load in winter of 300+ kWh/day for the odd -10 °F (-23 °C) cold snap. And that's before EVs.
Well if I had $115,000 I would buy 40 pallets of 590 Watt solar panels 31 solar panels in a pallet. But I'm pretty sure if I save the money for it I be able to do that in about 12 years if I'm lucky which is not very often.
Any pricing information available for the panels? I live in Norway and all the local resellers have huge markups on the panels they sell, so im thinking of just importing a 20 feet container from China with Q cell panels.
In the us the price per watt is around 50cents per watt USD and when included shipping it is up around 75 cents. If you have low or no import tax in Norway then you should have no problem ordering an entire shipping container for really cheap. The only problem would be docking, shipping, custom fees and a whole lot of other things. You need to make sure you know everything before you buy because in the end something dirt cheap may end up costing you double because you did not know about port fees. I have looked at several machines that were 1500 USD and that is the cost to ship them to the port which is a day's drive and 1400 miles away. To get that same machine shipped and pay port fees would make it not worth the cost and pay a few thousand dollars more and pretty much buy the same machine with less options for someone who makes them in the US and have it delivered in a week instead of 2 months. Now if I were to buy a whole container full of them it would be cheaper yet I would have to sell those machines in a market where no one wants one.
@@kameljoe21 Thank you for a great answer! Yes there is a lot to think about and regular consumer VAT in Norway is 25%. But if I buy as a farmer and the business that the farm is registered on I would not need to pay VAT, since businesses does not pay VAT. I am also lucky so a the largest shipping port in Norway is only 1 and a half hour drive from my farm, so getting it trucked to my farm should be a reasonable cost. The thing I’m most worried about is getting real branded panels with high quality, and not fake or B products that has much lower performance and quality. So getting figuring who in China to buy from, and what brand of panels is fairly challenging.
@@TheJensss My best guess would be to go local and buy a panel from them. Then use that information to back track to a supplier else where. Since you are a farm and you will likely want to get in with other farms which can help cut the cost over all. That is about all I know. The only thing you can do is have sample sent. Video chat with suppliers, phone, photos, and so on. Its likely that if you find the right person you could get a lot of panels at very little cost to you. For example if the unit cost you 100 units and you do all the work and you charge 25 of your farmers 104 per unit and local they sell for 150 a unit. You can get all of your panels for free and they will have gotten a super good deal. That is just an example and I have seen people work deals like that before.
@@kameljoe21 Awesome! Yes this would be a subject to research thoroughly before buying, since price differences is huge and the quality difference even greater. I'm planning to use around 200-300 kW of solar myself, where the panels would be oriented in different directions to capture sunlight the whole day and avoid a huge production spike in the middle of the day with power im not able to use. The large array size is to accommodate the low production and huge demand for power in the winter, and the production restriction with different orientations on the panels would be to accommodate the "power production tax"that applies for power producers that have over 100 kW backfeeding to the grid at any given time. So that is not an option since the taxes are extremely high.
Wow that's a really sweet setup. I'm starting my solar project soon, just waiting on batteries and inverter to come. How did you wire all the panels together, series or parallel? I've got 48 panels on 2 ground mounts and researching the best way to bring them back to my 18kpv inverter
When paralleling the Sol-Arks can you take one of the four down for maintenance without bringing down the whole stack? My main complaint with outback skybox hybrid inverters is that when you take one down for maintenance, the whole stack goes down until you bring all 4 back online...
You just turn them off, move Com cables as needed, change settings for whatever number of SolArks are running…get the bad one repaired and change everything back. That’s why I’m installed a third 12k soon. Redundancy.
WOW!!! That is NIIICCEEEE!!!!! On my new house build I am planning a system with 2 solark 15ks, 30kw of storage and 12 eg4ll batteries and I thought that was big. NOPE this guy beat me LOL Keep em coming Scott! BTW do you do builds in Calif?
Those new battery racks are very nice. I assume that although there’s a garage door there, they have somewhere else to park the cars since that rack is now in the way.
Being bifacial I would think having those support bars in the middle of the panel would reduce its effectiveness to produce electricity on the back side
Holy cow!!!!
Yeah! I was just thinking I had a fairly large system until seeing this one! LOL
Even Will is impressed lol
Well, lets be real. I been following you for years and truth is. Your clients are far better off than most of us. We can only dream of 90% of the stuff you install.
True. Very true. That plus sides though are that he at least employed Scott and his crew and because some people can afford the expensive stuff, there are cheaper, less capable units that that also are then created and sold to the next lower tier of the economy.
come on only 20% I am already happy 😊
If I recall that is 50k just in the eg4 batteries and I can not be sure yet I am sure those sol arks are 8k each. This is likely a 150k dollar system. Yet if you are 100% on electric for heat and cooling and lets just assume they have a very high end electric bill of 6k per year which gives a pay back of about 25 years. Sell excess energy and you could see a payback in 12.5 years maybe. The real kicker is that these people likey have more than enough battery power that will extend the life of the cycles for 50 plus years.They also could be running crypto miners which cost them nothing. With all of that extra energy could could run miners all the time and cost you nothing.
Even if the crypto market is down lot of miners shut down operations because they can not make a profit yet because its solar you can keep mining and just moves your pay out time much longer yet if the price goes up to pay it off or upgrade you can do that. Just more free money.
@@kameljoe21 their power bill could be even larger than that, they probably power lots of power tools too for a garage/shop, well pump if they use well water. Where I live, if I use $300~ of electric, my power company literally charges me ANOTHER $300 in FEES! I can use 2500 kwh of electric in a month, and the power bill will be $550-600, with literally HALF of it being FEES! They should get a decent ROI, but the peace of mind that they can survive grid collapses, SHTF scenarios, and stuff like that, is also great.
Plus, all of their equipment still holds value, even if it does depreciate some, it still increases the property value, so if calculating that, then their ROI is even better. So if they spend $150k on a system, and after depreciation say it's still worth $100k, then they only need to get a return on investment of closer to $50k, while still having all of the other fantastic perks (non-grid reliant, SHTF situations, self sustain, pleasure of owning such system and being their own utility company).
All I know is, this setup is GOALS!
@@whatta7793 Yeah ROI for a lot of people can be quick. Though most people just do not have that kind of cash to drop for 10 plus years of electric bills.
This system is mega big and I would not mind having it.
That is an entire miniature power company. Really great work, its so clean and tidy. I envisioned a system this big in my mind, thanks for showing that it would work.
Somebody's got some deep deep pockets.😮
Indeed. i noticed that water tower too. Those aren’t cheap either.
Indeed they do lol
Gotta be a few hundred grand.
Even if my electric bill was always $500 a month a setup like that would never break even.
@@2hotscottpro sometimes it isn’t about breaking even, sometimes, you don’t have other options to get electricity.
Beautiful now he can run the toaster without a problem.
This customer isn’t f’n around!
Awesome setup 👍
I respect the people who want to be independent of the power energy providers. Living off the Grid is always a challenge.
Gotta love that power energy.
This is bat shit crazy rich people power. I have half the solar and only 6 of those batteries. And its does everything I need in our 1800sq ft home. The only time the generators run I was too sick to get out of bed and clean the panels off after a snow storm for two days.
A good amount of the Qcells are made right here in the USA. I love my Qcells. They have even been through two really bad golf ball hail storms.
I use two EG4 waterproof batteries in my van! Everything i buy in the future will be from Signature Solar! Best bang for your buck! The quality is top notch!
I use only 6 230w panels with 48v 400a battery bank and when the sun's out I can use my AC, toaster, microwave, fridge, water n sump pump n have plenty to spare to last me a full day of use, I get a kick out of watts coming in with that little setup
QUESTIONS:
regarding 36 EG4 batteries
1) what type of bus bar are you using to tie all batteries together?
2) what amperage rating is needed on bus bar? how did you determine smp rating needed?
Amy other mods needed to parallel 36 racks?
thanks
Nice work Scott! You do it big. I upgraded to a "six gun" rack of those EG4's and three arrays of those bifacial Q-cells (9 kw total). Seeing great numbers. Keep up the great work!
In Upper Michigan we must allow for a 48" snow accumulation below the panel structure. I use 6' tall posts with good results. Also, our winter tilt for this latitude is 62° from horizontal which aids snow dumping.
a great example of why 400VDC needs to be more common. most hybrids/electric cars are using it. Now we need solar to catch up... ( also many cars are going to 800VDC )
Many are going 1000vdc too. Look at Altis.. they are offering MEGAWATT cbarging at up to 1400A in liquid cooled conductors
There are high voltage scc i believe up to 400v... There are inverters that are high voltage too... Theres a channel using high voltage scc and inverter.
What a beast system. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing
Nice!
He must have a second microwave in the house … lol.
My god I can't imagine using/needing that much power for a residence, but it's impressive!
My imagination immediately thought of grow rooms.
Roam culture.
Amish got it figured out.
That’s only 150 KWh of battery. So if running a couple of AC units over night and maybe also own one or two EV’s and they’d be empty. I can use up to 200 KWh daily especially in winter running heat pumps (4 of them) for my house and barn, and water well that fills the pond and so on.
@@31337cyberhuman I average between 205-265 kWh/month (minisplit for AC and shoulder season heating, wood for the other few months), although I don't have an EV.
i need this much power. but i have no sun for like 2 months
Wish I had a 100k to toss at my solar. Nice work!
You can too. It’s all about priorities and doing without the unnecessary things in our lives.
Back of the napkin math on this one: 96 x Q-Cells, $198 each, that's $19k before discounts. 36 x EG4-LL, $1300 each, that's another $46,8k. 4 x Sol-Ark 15K-2P, $7k each so add another $28k. We're already at $93k before we even add in cabling, panel racking, battery racks, custom rack supports and labor. This is a $200k job easy.
@@fullsleevetats Yeah so we both did similar math, I just stopped when it hit 100k and was like never gonna happen lol
100k ?! Nope more like 200+ 😅
@@GeraldPUR you get that 200 is more then 100 right? So if I don't have 100k then guess what I don't have 200 either. I wasn't trying to estimate the cost of the entire system I have a life...
I have 1/4 the panels and 1/3rd the battery capacity. Now this is a system. I build my own battery banks to save money. I spend $10,000 well just under but close enough for $60kw 53.5kw usable. that gives me 2.5-3.5 days with no input. Usually I can go 5-7 days in winter. I will add another 9 kw of solar and another inverter since I use Growatt all in one 5000US version ( I will max out each inverter at 6kw PV). Might change to EG4 6500watt inverters. Right now my whole system was under $15,000 since I bought used panels and built my own ground mount. I have seen 90 MPH winds and no panels loss yet. I say that because mother nature always can destroy anything it wants to.
Scott, another outstanding upgrade. Kudos and Cheers, Mate.
What a killer setup! I love geeking out on this stuff! Awesome job!
Man, I'm glad we went the opposite direction. Back to Basics. Power diets is where it's at.
Right... Man Im just starting out but already know that I'm going with solar fridge and freezer on a small 12 volt system and have a modest 48 volt that will run the lights, TV and AC.
@evertking1 I would highly recommend the 48v system's.
But much smaller system's than most. I run a deep freezer and lights off a 600w system 200Amp hour lifepo. In Michigan of all places. Inverter is a 3k.
Of course we live much more frugal than your average Babylonia/Roman out side World. But if you need a system as big as this one, well I'd take a look at self needs.... verse self wants...
@@6969smurfy agreed. 48V systems have better roundtrip efficiency too, and a lot more future options for expansion etc.
Ladies and gentleman, we just witnessed one heck of a solar "flex" 💪. E775, so happy you could share this with us! To the owner; I hope it pays off in spades! I tip my hat to you 🤠.
Wow! Awesome install Scott you and the guys are killing it. That the customers retirement! No bills!
I don’t know how anyone could keep up with all that. Y’all are brilliant and I wish I had the money for my small house.
You don't need alot of Money. You need alot of reduction of the Roman cultures.
Check out how the Amish do it. There the best example.
*I wish I had a small house....*
Just shamwow, a massive Battery bank of 153 Kw/h that I dream of. As an IT Linux Node tech don't be mad but I would be just a tad skepticial on stacking those bad boys on top of each other with no or little airflow doors. Stacking the rack-mounted units on top of each other in a server rack unit can potentially lead to heat buildup, especially if the batteries are tightly packed. To avoid excessive heat accumulation, it's advisable to allow for adequate airflow and spacing between the battery units. This can be achieved by limiting the number of units stacked vertically and ensuring proper ventilation. Usually server rooms feed the cold air at the bottom front and exhaust it away at the top rear. Hell your getting free energy may as well do this. Definitely awesome videos keep it up.
So I would like to have seen how you combined the panels as far as a Series/Parallel point of view... But I loved watching this.
That is what I call a juicy battery bank!
WOW, THAT IS A HUGE POWER SYSTEM!
Would 3 Purlins instead of 2 Purlins eliminate the flexing of weakest part, the panel frame?
If memory serves me, I think I read Miami Dade Certifications for roof installation is 3 rails. The 3rd in the center to eliminate frame flexing during strong winds.
ENGINEER 775, THANKS AGAIN FOR SHARING & KEEPING US ON THE CUTTING EDGE!
I too am in the process of installing our Sol-Ark 15k.
Yes, mentioned in another thread that even in installation manual for these panels 2 rails/purlins per panel is the MINIMUM. They should have specced it out for 4 rails per row if wind was a concern.
I think it would be cool to use ATS vs mauel. then you could have a board with a couple of push buttons.
Red for Genset, green for Solar and yellow button for Grid. and each button is just a simple no/nc switch that changes the state of the ATS
prior this video, I was watching a video titled "biggest off-grid system" but they use Bloodborne batteries.🙄 this video simply says "just an upgrade" despite more than 210KWH!😁😁
Engineer775 - "Do you want one?"
Me - "Heck Yeah!"
Checkbook - "Not on your life buddy!"
What a system and capacity 🤩
nice work. i would've asked him to pipe across the ceiling and down to wireway with the cable-vs- the cord ramps. just a cleaner look.
For such high power I would recomand a HV battery and inverter, much more efficient and reliable. Low voltage such as 48V need the battery close to the inverter due to high input ripple current, if not the caps from the inverter will fail soon.
Wow what a system. Congratulations for putting that together!
The only things I can think of is I hope that slab can hold 4000lb in a small area without cracking with those batteries, and also the EG4 racks are rated for stacking a full rack on top.
typical concrete is 3000 psi and greater. That's pounds per square *inch*. The only issue with the concrete will be if the ground under the concrete isn't compacted or washes out. The racks tho...
@@Sylvan_dB This is absolutely correct. Plans for the last 20 years or so call out for 3500 psi concrete where I live. One of my trucks can weight as much 25,000 fully loaded running over my shop slab everyday for almost 20 years I have no cracks at all. The thing that will destroy concrete, however is tree roots. This is why you should never plant large trees near walls or slabs, unfortunately people do this all the time and they simply destroy concrete.
How much weight do you think that garage floor holds with your Escalade sitting in there on 4 small tire patches?
I dunno if he is using all the power, but he should do something white on the ground around his solar field.
i was thinking the same thing
Aaaannnnnddd, next month, the new Sol-Ark 24K is out, along with the new and improved low cost high density sodium ion batteries at 400ah in the size of a sugar cube.
One cool thing about tech, is it is constantly faster, better, cheaper in the next version.
Big piles of batteries are so beautiful
Q cell has to be my favorite. Pallets built out of actual 2 by 4s. You buy some REC panels and they’ll come on plywood and particle board with the bottom panel smashed. Never had a bottom panel smashed with Q cell even if the shipper uses 48” forks like an idiot
It’s real nice when you get a full container from the factory. They’re all always in pristine condition
My QCells had bottom panel smashed.
Geeee I'm such a rookie when it comes to solar, are they suppling a whole neighborhood? Because I don't think you can sell back to the grid in SC anymore... but I love to live off the grid for sure!
You can never go too big 😁
I had the luxury to get a Tesla powerpack (230kWh battery 4'wx4d'x8'h and 50kW inverter (4'wx6'dx8'h) combined with a 480v-208v 3phase 75kva transformer ). while slightly more expensive, I think, it is incredibly space efficient and also has the built-in liquid cooling and massive fans and is outdoors so no need for a whole 'room'. I also wonder if most fire departments wouldn't worry about having so much lithium inside a building (code here required it to be outside and 10+ft from the house etc). Anyway you have a cool setup but it's a lot of wiring and space - does look fun.
I have seen those mega packs. They do look quite cool. Yet most people do not use that much energy and a system like yours has to be on the 100k range. Though you did not state if you were off grid with solar or this was a back up system.
@@kameljoe21 yeah just over $100k (all battery/inverter fully equiped/wiring etc). I'm disconnected from PGE so off-grid electrically. 230kwh is a bit on the high side but with the bad storms during winter months, having a normal size house, you need a lot of battery storage, I think people tend to lowball the requirements and then get anxious. I've dropped down to about 40% capacity for a few days, usually drop down to 50% for the dec/jan months a couple of times. And that's in California where we do get sun during winter months.
@@wcoekaer That is pretty good. I did a basic calculation and found that if you spent 100 even and at 22 cents and used an average of 100kwh per day it would take you 13 years to pay for itself. My question is do you have an EV because if you do then that is where all that extra energy is going which could be a really good thing.
I think we pay right now 16 cents per kwh and we use quite a bit less energy that you do. I would like to go 100% electric when I build a new house in a couple of years which is where I want to put in some solar. Nothing like what you have. I am considering using EG4 branded mini splits which can run directly off solar, grid tied or a combo of both. In the end the pay back time should be far less overall.
The only problem with going full solar is the cost of adding batteries. I intend to buy used panels if I can find a supplier that can also supply ground racking, I would ideally like to install 50kwh of solar installed for no more than 40 cents a watt. Even if I have to have help to install it myself. I would like to find a battery less invert that can be stacked yet this poses a problem because I have only found one unit so far that has that option and I am not even sure if they still sell that model anymore. If I can go battery less with grid tied then I wont worry about the grid going off as I can stil have power during the day. With a stacked unit I can over size the units by one. and the 40k solar will be more than enough to power 4 to 5 stacked inverters and the other 10k is devoted to the heating and cooling system, which can accept a max of 3kwh of solar.
@@kameljoe21 if I had the ability to connect to PGE it would average at like 40c if you have a decent amount of consumption. I do have an EV (2 on regular basis when friend visits) charging. pay for itself in my case was a different choice - I don't have power at the street, it's 700ft away, so my cost to have utility power would be 700ft of underground cable (100% my cost). I'm better off with my setup right now :) But one thing I have learned is that it's very easy to undersize and underestimate solar + battery needs for normal living arrangements. especially if you're disconnected and have no backup generator. December/January are rough months. Size for those. sure, I have 4x more power during 50%+ of the year than I need but that's because I need it those 2 months.
@@wcoekaer Yeah. I've considered going off grid, but living in Erie, PA where we average less than 1 sunny day per month in February makes it difficult. I would have to have a windmill for the winter months. Winter production for the 3 worst months are less than 10% of the summer months.
Wondering if roof mount would survive the tornado better just by having more attachment points. I am looking to do ground mount, but considering doing some roof as well for a few reasons. I am still debating the EMP value unless everything is protected. Id be really bummer to have inverters but no batteries, or panels, or any electrical devices even needing power. VERY nice build and love the separation of the trays. Curious how well everything power balances with shared connections to/from 4 inverters to/from all the battery packs.
If you look at installation manual for these larger panels most will mention that 2 rails (4 bolts per panel) is the MINIMUM. If you are in a high wind area or installing even larger panels you can use up to 4 rails per panels (8 bolts per panel). Vikram 540W panels require 4 rails just to get the "normal" 5400Pa load rating. So they should have installed 4 rails per row instead of 2 if wind was a concern which would have made big difference.
The only thing I hate about all in one inverters and system like this is they have no option for battery less. What happens when or if something goes wrong with that battery bank and you had to go days or week with out some form of energy. Let say you have no grid and no generator. There is one mpp solar all in on that I know of that is batteryless yet you can not stack the unit. If I could just buy the inverter and solar and stack them along with being grid connected then I would opt to get started right away yet because they do not offer anything like that then there is not point. No I do not want grid tied stuff. I want an off grid system that just has no batteries or the option to add them later. EG4 also makes or brands a mini split with heat pump that can be run directly off solar. In this case I would I am opting to have these installed. I priced them out and to get started right now today I would need to spend on the low end 6k with brand new panels, Cheaper if I bought used panels. This would be enough to off set half of my heating and cooling cost and pay back would be 3 years. Though I am hoping to have everything done and ready to build in 2 years. I would like to build new with solar and that really depends on the job I am working on right now and if it will pay out as much as I think it will.
@@kameljoe21 With that many batteries and inverters, there is little chance of ALL of them going out at one time. Even two or three of the batteries going out, (or even a whole six-stack) even with one inverter going out also, wouldn't shut down that system. One would only have to maybe budget a little less power per day, until replacements could be shipped.
How do you handle battery communication with that many batteries in parallel? Don’t the EG4 batteries have a battery communication limit of 16 batteries?
The new LLs have more dip switches to allow higher addressing.
Isn't there supposed to be a minimum gap between those panels? Manual states "Maintain an interval of at least 0.39 in (10 mm) between two modules along the short side and 0.20 in (5 mm) along the long side."
Which manual?
Leave expansion room. It’s not that much.
Now that's a system.... Awesome well done..
tried to get a quote on a good system on an 80 acre ranch from these guys and got pawned off to another company that only wanted to install a generator. They never even came out to see it in WNC
In that power range, a high voltage battery would do a big difference in terms of conversion and system losses…
The 3000A battery current limit is ridiculous… 😅
Nice system.
Best regards from Germany
If you are going to follow code. All conductors in combined AC/DC systems should have 600 v insulation.
HUGE installation! Fun to see happen. Are there plans to place white rock/gravel or some reflective surface down under the BiFacials?
I saw one installation out east with crushed quartz under it (over drainage ravel/geotextile) for just that reason.
Incredible system! I want to be able to do what you do lol
My god that lot must cost well more then it cost for the house and land 😮👍🏻🇬🇧
Great install, amazing, the cost must be a bit high.. LOL
Questions with the bifacial PV,
If you have white or more reflective surface, like white gravel on the floor,
What efficiency increase ( in percentage ) would a typical installation gain?
Because dirt or grass is not very reflective and on a bifacial PV one would like to optimize that 5% gain.
Good question. I wonder if white concrete underneath and making a "pond" of water would not only add reflective power, but perhaps keep the panels cooler. (I live in the southern CA desert, so cooling is more important than heating much of the time.)
Wow! This is my dream solar off grid system. I wish its mine. 👍
wouldn't white ground surface under the bi-facials increase light to the back surface?
The ground surface under the bi-facials is in shade.
Electric Sheid EMP proof
i’m gonna have to look into stacking my battery boxes. it’ll save me space.
still saving up for the fancy machine - pile driver - skid steer- we do the old fashioned ways renting equipment - as tons of rock in Texas also and need different gear but still want this... plus one day I hope to film our installs more - really like seeing your installs. - and good to have critics also - it makes you better - but more expensive when your trying to follow the rules.. Did you ever figure out if EG4 battery and if you can use them when you need an interconnection agreement - and inspection most areas in Texas we need batteries listed on CA energy commission site - plus in Austin they have picky inspectors and rules making it near impossible to do DC coupled like this . any way , are the EG4s under another china name??? anyone know?? I see UL on front of battery now - I asked the signature solar this also and haven't heard back. are people just not getting interconnect agreements when using these? this signature solar company is in Texas.
Yes this looks very nice. i like to see that installation, well done
Real Gargoylian system their great job keep up the good work
I think this guy needs a house backup for his battery bank.
Where do you get the solar panel brackets … I got the same ground mount steel from an auction only thing I did not get was the panel mount brackets
I am building a 32kw ground mount with (120) 280 watt Panasonics panels and need the brackets, can you send me the link for the bracket mounts please.
I’m using the EG4 6500ex all in ones for my home rig, have used one testing its out before doing the full install and they are pretty reliable, got all of my batteries from the auction also they are the generac 50ah lipo batteries, I’m pulling out the proprietary bms’s so I can use with my system … 2100 ah for $2300 including adding the new 30 amp bms’s. I’m pretty stoked for what I have invested into this monster system. $30 for each panel $3600
$400 for all of the steel and $5300 for all of the inverters $11,600 for the whole rig plus the wire costs not a bad investment.
I was really hoping you would show battery connections. Not finding much about connecting three server racks to one inverter. Found PDF that really helped explain it.
EG4-18kPV-Battery-Wiring-Diagrams.pdf
*wiping drool off my keyboard* I'll never convince the wife to get solar, so I picked up 2 100W panels to play with..hooked to 2 SLA 6v 10Ah batteries... Have to feed my desires somehow... Would those bifacials benefit with some white rock beneath them for some reflection? Could keep growth down around the panels as well...
Nice big system! "Emp hardened" inverters but EG4 batts?!?!?
Seems excessively large but if you use 2000 kWh a month which might be realistic for some that’s 66 kWh a day needed. This will give you 3-4 days of full power during cloudy days or otherwise low solar input. And that’s all while ensuring you won’t be taking your batteries to zero. Seems excessive but I designed my system to have 3 days of power based on average kWh per month over a year. The. I added 30%. Even for low usage consumers the system will be bigger than ya think.
I didn't see how big the house is, but even if you've got decent insulation, triple pane windows etc... if the house is big enough, say for a 5 bedroom two story with a basement in the NE USA (~3000 sq. ft/floor) or south-central Canada, based on what I've seen from people's usage, I wouldn't be surprised to see 2-2.5 MWh/month in summer with AC and 4-6 MWh/month in the three coldest winter months if heating with an air source heat pump system. Say 38-43 MWh/year depending on the weather. Peak single day load in winter of 300+ kWh/day for the odd -10 °F (-23 °C) cold snap. And that's before EVs.
could he make it over the winter with that without generator support?
Use PLC communication for the Sol-Arks.
This guy has to be running a major grow operation to need all of that power off-grid.
How do you EMP harden the system? Where are you located?
Well if I had $115,000 I would buy 40 pallets of 590 Watt solar panels 31 solar panels in a pallet. But I'm pretty sure if I save the money for it I be able to do that in about 12 years if I'm lucky which is not very often.
Somebody is saving huge money moving forward
This is my dream 🤩 system
Wow very nice.
Only if money is not a problem 😢
Any pricing information available for the panels? I live in Norway and all the local resellers have huge markups on the panels they sell, so im thinking of just importing a 20 feet container from China with Q cell panels.
In the us the price per watt is around 50cents per watt USD and when included shipping it is up around 75 cents. If you have low or no import tax in Norway then you should have no problem ordering an entire shipping container for really cheap. The only problem would be docking, shipping, custom fees and a whole lot of other things. You need to make sure you know everything before you buy because in the end something dirt cheap may end up costing you double because you did not know about port fees. I have looked at several machines that were 1500 USD and that is the cost to ship them to the port which is a day's drive and 1400 miles away. To get that same machine shipped and pay port fees would make it not worth the cost and pay a few thousand dollars more and pretty much buy the same machine with less options for someone who makes them in the US and have it delivered in a week instead of 2 months. Now if I were to buy a whole container full of them it would be cheaper yet I would have to sell those machines in a market where no one wants one.
@@kameljoe21 Thank you for a great answer! Yes there is a lot to think about and regular consumer VAT in Norway is 25%. But if I buy as a farmer and the business that the farm is registered on I would not need to pay VAT, since businesses does not pay VAT. I am also lucky so a the largest shipping port in Norway is only 1 and a half hour drive from my farm, so getting it trucked to my farm should be a reasonable cost.
The thing I’m most worried about is getting real branded panels with high quality, and not fake or B products that has much lower performance and quality. So getting figuring who in China to buy from, and what brand of panels is fairly challenging.
@@TheJensss My best guess would be to go local and buy a panel from them. Then use that information to back track to a supplier else where.
Since you are a farm and you will likely want to get in with other farms which can help cut the cost over all. That is about all I know. The only thing you can do is have sample sent. Video chat with suppliers, phone, photos, and so on. Its likely that if you find the right person you could get a lot of panels at very little cost to you. For example if the unit cost you 100 units and you do all the work and you charge 25 of your farmers 104 per unit and local they sell for 150 a unit. You can get all of your panels for free and they will have gotten a super good deal. That is just an example and I have seen people work deals like that before.
@@kameljoe21 Awesome! Yes this would be a subject to research thoroughly before buying, since price differences is huge and the quality difference even greater. I'm planning to use around 200-300 kW of solar myself, where the panels would be oriented in different directions to capture sunlight the whole day and avoid a huge production spike in the middle of the day with power im not able to use. The large array size is to accommodate the low production and huge demand for power in the winter, and the production restriction with different orientations on the panels would be to accommodate the "power production tax"that applies for power producers that have over 100 kW backfeeding to the grid at any given time. So that is not an option since the taxes are extremely high.
Awesome job boys!
Wow that's a really sweet setup. I'm starting my solar project soon, just waiting on batteries and inverter to come.
How did you wire all the panels together, series or parallel?
I've got 48 panels on 2 ground mounts and researching the best way to bring them back to my 18kpv inverter
For such a huge installation, what safety standards and protocols did you implement, specially in terms of fire suppression?
What do you do when those batteries start to fail and they are no longer made? I suppose they don't need to communicate.
4:01 dip switches? they still use mouse pianos?
Looks like a million dollar setup. ATLEAST...
I hope you know that SolArk will not standby the warranty if you are using EG4 batteries. Going through it right now.
Do tell please...
When paralleling the Sol-Arks can you take one of the four down for maintenance without bringing down the whole stack? My main complaint with outback skybox hybrid inverters is that when you take one down for maintenance, the whole stack goes down until you bring all 4 back online...
You just turn them off, move Com cables as needed, change settings for whatever number of SolArks are running…get the bad one repaired and change everything back. That’s why I’m installed a third 12k soon. Redundancy.
10:03 build quality of those boxes looks like developing countries compared to european ones. :)
I got dizzy with all the camera movement.
When you're talking about the battery cable trays that you walk over you said "acrost" with a t. There is no T in the word "across"
Really ?
Nice install
That is an amazing setup.
That's some serious power. I'm to poor for that.
I wish I had a backup power system like that
WOW!!! That is NIIICCEEEE!!!!! On my new house build I am planning a system with 2 solark 15ks, 30kw of storage and 12 eg4ll batteries and I thought that was big. NOPE this guy beat me LOL Keep em coming Scott! BTW do you do builds in Calif?
does the post pounder work through cobble? How much ground without rock is needed? Thanks. That setup is so impressive.
I don't know but I think Curtis Stone has the biggest EG4 bank in North America today. 48 units.
Those new battery racks are very nice. I assume that although there’s a garage door there, they have somewhere else to park the cars since that rack is now in the way.
I am curious as to the quality of the SolArk inverters? How do the Sol-Ark compare to Enphase both in quality and cost?
Being bifacial I would think having those support bars in the middle of the panel would reduce its effectiveness to produce electricity on the back side
Does Solark inverters have ethernet? I'm not a fan of wireless.
Yes
Then battery cables look very small..
My system is useing 2Awg battery cables.
I am missing a damn lot of fuses on the inverters/busbars