Thanks Mark one C**k up but will make another video about this one 450 watt panel is not the same as another 450 watt panel. But resolved now. Learning curve this soler thing. 👌😀
Very interesting. My impression was that you were a fireman previously, without schooling and professional experience as an electrician, but this complex system, especially the inclusion of 220v into a 24v system, which sounds dangerous, looks very involved. I am looking forward to more vids on this project explaining everything. I would really like to hear your thinking about the design of the system: why 24 volt, why the breakers and fuses where you placed them, how you did the connection from 220 into your system, all of that. Just excellent work!
Thanks so much for the comment, a detailed description will be given in another video. As well as being a Firefighter I was an Electrician so yes I do have a bit of Electrical background but I enjoy tinkering around, writing this reply is from the solar providing free energy. Thanks for watching.
The inverter was 10,500 THB all other components were also bought from Lazada, I will be doing a video on the total cost and setup. Thanks for the comment.
A lovely install Les, did you make a trip to screwfix whilst you were in the UK. Where did you buy the main components from? I’m always doing bits around the house like you in Thailand. Flex is quite dear here I normally buy a small drum of 1mm or similar flex from the UK plus other bits etc! Love your DIY projects🙏🇹🇭👍🍺
Your well prepared for the unexpected! Good to know that the battery's are maintained even if the sun is insufficient to charge the battery's. Take Care
Thanks for the comment, I like the options this inverter gives, eg Solar first then battery and lastly Mains. great little piece of kit, hope it gives good service.
Your first system was nice, but this is even better. I know your main goal is to have back up for those all too many outages we have here in the kingdom, but because you have dedicated circuits off grid you will see the top being taken off your power bill and your system paying for itself in maybe 4 or 5 years, less if power prices keep rising. But I don't think you are finished here, most folk who start on solar have a thirst for more.....and you have already planned for this with an extra circuit. I'm sure one day you'll have a 48v system and mostly everything will be fueled by solar and batteries. i'm hearing you re the power outages and the ability to keep a little cooler and power some stuff. I live just outside Chiang Mai city and we just had the worst ever recorded floods.......my place was all good .......and not one power outage during that whole time!!!! But since the floods have subsides we have had at least three outages ranging from an hour to around 8 hours....go figure!!!!! great video, look fwd to seeing more of your solar journey :)
Thanks for watching, I like the 1st system so simple and rewarding when the power goes out, it has come in handy a few times. The 2 nd system is to take the load during the day of every day items such as tv computer and fans and charge the battery for the night time consumption I plan that this system will cope running all the devices on Solar 1st then battery then the last option Mains. Your correct one day I will extend this system. 🙏
Les! You're in Thailand, first thing before using an angle grinder here is removing the guard. I'm joking but have you ever seen a Thai with a guard on his angle grinder?
The price of solar panels has dropped by over 90% recently so it is a great time to invest in solar power. I love your small installation and the "Howto" guide is really friendly and helpful. You already have the idea of having separate AC outputs and you have fitted an expansion AC breaker. If I were doing this, I would go a little further: more panels and a larger 48/51.2 16 LiFePO4 batteries often come with a nice circuit breaker and BMS computer menu showing SOC and each individual cell voltage etc. so they are bigger, better value and simpler but bloody heavy (30KG for 5KWhr battery). I would also add a new consumer unit next to your existing consumer unit and then switch over to your solar powered consumer unit all the loads in your house which use much electricity but have low peak loads like pool pumps, 1KW air-conditioners, fridges etc. so they get cheap solar power and battery backup at all times. I would avoid putting any water heaters onto solar power because they often only run for less than 10 minutes per day but can peak at over 6KW which is a huge power spike. Also avoid any commercial air-conditioners around 4KW because they have peak current at compressor start times, of over 65 Amps which can destroy most electronics without soft-starters. By the way, your cells are -not- Li-Po (Lithium Polymer) which is the most dangerous chemistry, your cells are LiFePO4 which is the safest and longest lasting chemistry. Also, be careful how you combine your solar panels in series and in parallel. If in series, then the weakest smallest panel might get hot and limit current for the whole array, If in parallel, then it is best if the panels are similar voltages and you combine the outputs with y-combiners or in a combiner box where you can selectively turn panels on or off to see how much they add or subtract from your power. A great start- thanks for sharing !
Will Prowse has a really helpful TH-cam channel and a DIY solar Forum which you may know already ? Everyday Dave is also helpful with real-life solar panel tests and he built his own 15 KWhr battery but one can buy large LiFePO4 batteries ready built cheaply now as battery prices fell 40% this year too. A really great time to invest in solar power in Thailand: I had 4 power outages on Koh Samui in just one day 2-days ago: two at home: one in the morning and a longer 3-hour one in the evening and two more eating at Tesco Lotus.. On-grid solar turns off when the grid goes down, only off-grid solar keeps working when the PEA grid goes down. Your split half-on, half off system gets the best of both Worlds.
Just wondering Les why you didn't mount them on a slight angle for the rain /water to run off. Are they self cleaning? What about installing a solar water heater like they have in the Southern european countries like Spain /Greece/Cyprus etc. All you need after that is a wind turbine and you'll really be cooking.🤣 Nice wiring job👍.
Hi thanks for your comment, they are on a slight incline via the installed brackets so rain does run away. We hardly use hot water here only showers so therefore it is something were not concerned about we never miss hot water. Only in winter we use the hot water from the shower.
very cool system, I am planning to retire to Thailand next year and very much want to have a solar system in place, for me its not just a cost saving I just think its sensible long term planning and allows for the more frequent outages that occur. What has been your total cost for this system, and do you think its scalable to allow full off grid use?
Hi John thanks for the question. The 200 amp fuse for the battery was calculated by the max output of the inverter 4,500 watts / 24 the voltage = 187.5 Amps so the next one available is the 200 Amp Yes the DC Fuse is different to the AC. Hope this is ok
Looks good Les...couple hundred AH batts fully charged should get you through the nights for sure...I am interested to know as you say the one breaker (I think u said inverter by mistake...lol) is set up to be wired to the sockets you'll use in the house...will that be a single unit with 4x sockets or a series perhaps?...how many are you thinking? So TV, computer, fan, microwave maybe?... currently I have a single 450w panel and only a 50AH batt (hopefully buy more later) I use it to run the outside lights (11 of them) for up to 3hrs at night on a full charge...daytime I run the fan while working in my shop...
Hi and thanks for the question, I have ran one circuit to provide one socket in the bedroom, two sockets in the Living room and the 2nd circuit will provide a socket at the Microwave. A future video soon. This is more than half the house needs. All will be ran from the inverter. Fans will be ran in the bedroom on the night time. No aircon. Lets see if my calculations work. Thanks for watching.
very nice job, very professional installation
Thanks Mark one C**k up but will make another video about this one 450 watt panel is not the same as another 450 watt panel. But resolved now. Learning curve this soler thing. 👌😀
I would put diagonals along the back & sides to stop it folding in on itself
8 post would take a bit of bending that’s if the posts are heavy gauge
They are heavy gauge posts thanks for the advice. No bending going on if I added more panels then I'd add more supports.
Interesting video Les.
Cheers, I can turn my hands to many things.
Very interesting. My impression was that you were a fireman previously, without schooling and professional experience as an electrician, but this complex system, especially the inclusion of 220v into a 24v system, which sounds dangerous, looks very involved. I am looking forward to more vids on this project explaining everything. I would really like to hear your thinking about the design of the system: why 24 volt, why the breakers and fuses where you placed them, how you did the connection from 220 into your system, all of that. Just excellent work!
Thanks so much for the comment, a detailed description will be given in another video. As well as being a Firefighter I was an Electrician so yes I do have a bit of Electrical background but I enjoy tinkering around, writing this reply is from the solar providing free energy. Thanks for watching.
Loverly job,love a bit of DIY,I am sure it will pay dividends in time.
The inverter was 10,500 THB all other components were also bought from Lazada, I will be doing a video on the total cost and setup. Thanks for the comment.
Good job Les!
Thanks so much for watching, very much appreciated.
I enjoyed your solar vlog Les (I watched it twice), looking forward to more
Thanks for watching, I love solar and typing this reply on the computer which is getting free Electric from this set up fantastic. 🙏
Way to go Les 👍👍
Love it, Switched it on and the clouds came and plenty of rain. Overcast today but it will get better. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the share Les ! Well worth the effort and expense to install.
A lovely install Les, did you make a trip to screwfix whilst you were in the UK. Where did you buy the main components from? I’m always doing bits around the house like you in Thailand. Flex is quite dear here I normally buy a small drum of 1mm or similar flex from the UK plus other bits etc! Love your DIY projects🙏🇹🇭👍🍺
No did not go to Screwfix but B& Q got a few visits. Lazada provided everything needed. Great service. Thanks for watching.
Nice one Les👍!
Thanks so much.
Your well prepared for the unexpected! Good to know that the battery's are maintained even if the sun is insufficient to charge the battery's. Take Care
Thanks for the comment, I like the options this inverter gives, eg Solar first then battery and lastly Mains. great little piece of kit, hope it gives good service.
Thanks for sharing!. Enjoyed learning...
Very interesting Les and looks like you have room to add more panels and batteries if you need later.
Yep just extend the rail and space for more batteries. Thanks or watching.
Your first system was nice, but this is even better. I know your main goal is to have back up for those all too many outages we have here in the kingdom, but because you have dedicated circuits off grid you will see the top being taken off your power bill and your system paying for itself in maybe 4 or 5 years, less if power prices keep rising.
But I don't think you are finished here, most folk who start on solar have a thirst for more.....and you have already planned for this with an extra circuit. I'm sure one day you'll have a 48v system and mostly everything will be fueled by solar and batteries.
i'm hearing you re the power outages and the ability to keep a little cooler and power some stuff. I live just outside Chiang Mai city and we just had the worst ever recorded floods.......my place was all good .......and not one power outage during that whole time!!!! But since the floods have subsides we have had at least three outages ranging from an hour to around 8 hours....go figure!!!!!
great video, look fwd to seeing more of your solar journey :)
Thanks for watching, I like the 1st system so simple and rewarding when the power goes out, it has come in handy a few times. The 2 nd system is to take the load during the day of every day items such as tv computer and fans and charge the battery for the night time consumption I plan that this system will cope running all the devices on Solar 1st then battery then the last option Mains.
Your correct one day I will extend this system. 🙏
Les!
You're in Thailand, first thing before using an angle grinder here is removing the guard.
I'm joking but have you ever seen a Thai with a guard on his angle grinder?
Don't you mean remove the guard, take the protective glasses off and wear a pair of flip flops? 555
Steel toecap flip flops. Always take h & s as a good step. I like to keep what I have got lol.
The price of solar panels has dropped by over 90% recently so it is a great time to invest in solar power. I love your small installation and the "Howto" guide is really friendly and helpful. You already have the idea of having separate AC outputs and you have fitted an expansion AC breaker.
If I were doing this, I would go a little further: more panels and a larger 48/51.2 16 LiFePO4 batteries often come with a nice circuit breaker and BMS computer menu showing SOC and each individual cell voltage etc. so they are bigger, better value and simpler but bloody heavy (30KG for 5KWhr battery). I would also add a new consumer unit next to your existing consumer unit and then switch over to your solar powered consumer unit all the loads in your house which use much electricity but have low peak loads like pool pumps, 1KW air-conditioners, fridges etc. so they get cheap solar power and battery backup at all times. I would avoid putting any water heaters onto solar power because they often only run for less than 10 minutes per day but can peak at over 6KW which is a huge power spike. Also avoid any commercial air-conditioners around 4KW because they have peak current at compressor start times, of over 65 Amps which can destroy most electronics without soft-starters.
By the way, your cells are -not- Li-Po (Lithium Polymer) which is the most dangerous chemistry, your cells are LiFePO4 which is the safest and longest lasting chemistry. Also, be careful how you combine your solar panels in series and in parallel. If in series, then the weakest smallest panel might get hot and limit current for the whole array, If in parallel, then it is best if the panels are similar voltages and you combine the outputs with y-combiners or in a combiner box where you can selectively turn panels on or off to see how much they add or subtract from your power.
A great start- thanks for sharing !
Will Prowse has a really helpful TH-cam channel and a DIY solar Forum which you may know already ? Everyday Dave is also helpful with real-life solar panel tests and he built his own 15 KWhr battery but one can buy large LiFePO4 batteries ready built cheaply now as battery prices fell 40% this year too. A really great time to invest in solar power in Thailand: I had 4 power outages on Koh Samui in just one day 2-days ago: two at home: one in the morning and a longer 3-hour one in the evening and two more eating at Tesco Lotus.. On-grid solar turns off when the grid goes down, only off-grid solar keeps working when the PEA grid goes down. Your split half-on, half off system gets the best of both Worlds.
I have watched many TH-cam video's about Solar. Many thanks for the recommendation Ill have a look for sure. Thanks for watching.
Beautiful wiring job Les. That’s becoming a very lost art here in USA.
Most youtube vids the cable is a mess, I was determined not to have the cables all over the place. Thanks for the comment, very much appreciated.🙏
A great job, Les.
But me being lazy and not trained in electrical installation, I would buy a small generator as backup.
A few people I know have done this a small generator is worth it's weight in gold when the power goes out.
Wow, fab job Khun Les. I could never do that!
GSI. ‘Get Someone In!’ That would be me. Best wishes. 😀
Thanks for watching and for taking time to comment.
Just wondering Les why you didn't mount them on a slight angle for the rain /water to run off.
Are they self cleaning? What about installing a solar water heater like they have in the Southern european countries like Spain /Greece/Cyprus etc.
All you need after that is a wind turbine and you'll really be cooking.🤣
Nice wiring job👍.
Hi thanks for your comment, they are on a slight incline via the installed brackets so rain does run away. We hardly use hot water here only showers so therefore it is something were not concerned about we never miss hot water. Only in winter we use the hot water from the shower.
Wind Turbine ,, basically USELESS in 90% of areas
Some days not a breath of wind here.
I hope it’s worth it every one is doing they bit to help the planet 🌏 but wars r killing our work ur a handy man to know 😊
Thanks for watching, I have always done it myself if possible.
very cool system, I am planning to retire to Thailand next year and very much want to have a solar system in place, for me its not just a cost saving I just think its sensible long term planning and allows for the more frequent outages that occur. What has been your total cost for this system, and do you think its scalable to allow full off grid use?
I'm🙏 lucky I am buying the system slowly as funds appear and now reap the rewards from the system. Hopefully for years to come. Thanks for watching.
Interesting.
What I noticed is that MCBs for DC are different to AC.
How did you decide on a 200 amp fuse on the solar panels?
Hi John thanks for the question. The 200 amp fuse for the battery was calculated by the max output of the inverter 4,500 watts / 24 the voltage = 187.5 Amps so the next one available is the 200 Amp Yes the DC Fuse is different to the AC. Hope this is ok
How much did the inverter cost, do you buy it as a complete kit?
Looks good Les...couple hundred AH batts fully charged should get you through the nights for sure...I am interested to know as you say the one breaker (I think u said inverter by mistake...lol) is set up to be wired to the sockets you'll use in the house...will that be a single unit with 4x sockets or a series perhaps?...how many are you thinking? So TV, computer, fan, microwave maybe?... currently I have a single 450w panel and only a 50AH batt (hopefully buy more later) I use it to run the outside lights (11 of them) for up to 3hrs at night on a full charge...daytime I run the fan while working in my shop...
Hi and thanks for the question, I have ran one circuit to provide one socket in the bedroom, two sockets in the Living room and the 2nd circuit will provide a socket at the Microwave. A future video soon. This is more than half the house needs. All will be ran from the inverter. Fans will be ran in the bedroom on the night time. No aircon. Lets see if my calculations work. Thanks for watching.
Very interesting, thank you, are you an electrician by trade
I did have my own Electrical business in the UK so it helps. Solar is somewhat different and can be more dangerous. Thanks for watching.
I can just about wire a plug , lol 😅
Lol then call a professional thanks for watching.
You'll not get a dog pissing on them, Les 😊
Lol hope not. Thanks for watching.
Nah. My electricy bill is $20/month.
Same as us always less than 1,000 Baht but I enjoy tinkering around. Thanks for the comment.