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Second Solar project mostly finished. #7715187 01/12/20 12:45 PM
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I have a 6.8Kw grid tie system on my house that has been working continuously since August 1, 2016.
The problem with a grid tie system is when the grid goes down, the grid tie system goes down with it.

I have been working on a battery backup system and collecting parts for it since January of 2019.
Have it installed now and working since September of 2019.
The main parts for this system consist of:
10 recycled 245watt 24V solar panels
16 180Ah 3.2V LiFePO4 batteries configured into a 24V 360Ah battery bank
A 2Kw 24v to 120 PureSine inverter for small loads
A Magnum Energy MS4024PAE Hybrid 24v to 120/240v Hybrid inverter
An ElectroDacus SBMS120 charge controller/battery management system
Various breakers, and 24VDC to 12VDC and 5VDC buck transformers for DC loads complete the system.

The battery system is designed to complement and integrate with the existing grid tie system.
Now, if the grid goes down, the MS4024 Hybrid Inverter can back feed the grid tie system and allow it to produce full power.
Right now, the battery system is powering my critical loads 24/7 and taking some of the load off of the grid tie system.
Critical loads include: Refrigerator, Freezer, Internet radio, routers, CCTV security system and some DC loads.
The DC loads include motion sensing LED lights in kitchen, hallway, bathroom, storeroom and bedroom so you can walk thru the house safely anytime!
There is also a 4 position smart USB charging station for cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc.

Basically at this point I could go off grid if needed and still enjoy creature comforts.

Basic Layout:
[Linked Image]

Rack and panels:
[Linked Image]

Charge controller, inverters, etc. with batteries in box underneath:
[Linked Image]

DC load control section(not complete in this photo):
[Linked Image]


Cheers,
Vern1
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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715204 01/12/20 01:02 PM
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flehan

Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715224 01/12/20 01:49 PM
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up up

Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715230 01/12/20 02:04 PM
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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715231 01/12/20 02:07 PM
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Well done....... up


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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715380 01/12/20 04:42 PM
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Would love to be able to do that but, it looks way above my pay grade. Good job! What is your approximate all in cost?

Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: jetdad] #7715420 01/12/20 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by jetdad
Would love to be able to do that but, it looks way above my pay grade. Good job! What is your approximate all in cost?


Just a little over 11K for the 6.8Kw grid tie system and 5.5K for the 2.45Kw battery backup system.
I did all of the install and fabrication myself so I saved a good bit there but I'm retired and have time to burn.

The grid tie system takes care of about 90 percent of my electricity use and the battery system will take up the slack.
Basically, I'm renting the grid as battery backup for the 22.50 service charge - push the Kwhs up to the grid during the day and use those banked hours when the sun doesn't shine.

Here is a screen shot of the charge controller display that I monitor on an old LG tablet via the wireless AP in the charge controller.
The charge controller is designed specifically for LiFePO4 batteries and handles charging and balancing the batteries as well as monitor the loads and inverter.
In this photo, it's a little after 10am and batteries are well on their way to 100 percent while running refrigerator, freezer, all internet radios and routers AND a couple of small space heaters.
After the batteries are charged, I tend to look for ways to use the electricity rather than just let the controller turn off the solar input.
If you look at the charts, you can see the sun coming up about 8 and starting to charge batteries in yellow/dark pink PV1 and PV2 input.
To the right of that, you can see red/green Batp and Batn and can see the red load overnight that goes green as solar takes over load and starts charging the batteries.
The bottom shows the overnight loads then spike up when I turn on the heaters to use excess electricity.
[Linked Image]


Cheers,
Vern1
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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715422 01/12/20 05:35 PM
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Impressive!!!


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[Linked Image]
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715451 01/12/20 06:17 PM
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[Linked Image]
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: dogcatcher] #7715632 01/12/20 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by dogcatcher
Impressive!!!

I'll say!


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Awake - Not Woke!
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7715720 01/12/20 11:17 PM
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That is outstanding! Is wind power worth considering or not worth the cost?


Originally Posted by onlysmith&wesson
I was wrong...on anything technical.

Originally Posted by Sailor
Fitz............. is right, ya know............
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Big Fitz] #7715813 01/13/20 12:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Big Fitz
That is outstanding! Is wind power worth considering or not worth the cost?


It's hard to say with the winds we have in Texas - at least where I am as average is about 5 MPH.
As a stand alone solution, it would be expensive to get a turbine big enough for a full house and there are still plenty of dead days.

I am right on the edge of being able to go off grid now.
The battery bank will handle my critical loads for 4.5 days without any sun but once I have the AC coupling finished I could go longer by turning on the large grid system and taking advantage of that extra 6800 watts.
Usually when it's cold and dark here, the wind is blowing so I am researching integrating a small wind turbine into the system to pick up the slack when it's too overcast to charge the batteries fully.
I can always fall back on the generator we use for our race trailer in an emergency now if I need to buy time between sunshine.
The charge controller/BMS system was designed by a guy from Canada and is pretty efficient and keeps up pretty well on slightly cloudy days.


Cheers,
Vern1
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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: fadetoblack64] #7715882 01/13/20 01:39 AM
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Originally Posted by takewhatyoucan64
flehan

No kidding. I've been wanting to do something similar. I would have to sub it out because I don't have a big old giant brain like you do. Cost benefit analysis wise, how long until it pays for itself?


Life is too short, as is. Don't chance it.
Don't text and drive.
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Erathkid] #7716122 01/13/20 01:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Erathkid
Originally Posted by takewhatyoucan64
flehan

No kidding. I've been wanting to do something similar. I would have to sub it out because I don't have a big old giant brain like you do. Cost benefit analysis wise, how long until it pays for itself?


The ROI on the gridtie system will happen between 9 and 10 years if electricity stays the same price.
Most solar panels have a 20 year warranty so it should be good for a while after it pays for itself.
I went with all commercial grade NEW components on that system so paid a premium price for them.

Hard to say on the battery backup system.
The single most expensive part was the batteries themselves.
They are CALB LiFePO4 prismatic cells with 20-30 year life, 3000+ cycle life, wide usable voltage range and are much safer than Li-Ion and standard lead/acid batteries.
The down side of these cells is they are 3.2VDC nominal so you have to string them together in series of 4 for 12V or 8 for 24V.
When the batteries are in series, the charge comes in at each end and starts filling cells.
They may or may not charge at same rate due to internal resistance of each cell so you have to manage the batteries.

The ElectroDacus SBMS120 (Solar Battery Management System 120A) charge controller was designed from the ground up as a battery management system specifically for these batteries.
The designer lives in Canada and is entirely self sufficient and even heats his house with solar so he's pretty good at wringing watts out of solar panels in less than perfect conditions - I've seen my 2450 watt system make 2580 watts under ideal conditions and even managed to take a picture of the screen.
The BMS part monitors individual 3.2V cells in the string as they charge and can add additional amps to batteries that are slower to charge due to higher resistance and cut back on quicker less resistant cells to keep them in balance.
It can also control your inverters and generator auto start if you want it to.

The second most expensive part was the Hybrid Inverter due to the requirements I had and it produces really clean 120/240V Pure Sine wave output so clocks, computers, and other sensitive stuff runs perfectly.
It does lots of magic stuff and I am very careful with it and want to keep that magic smoke INSIDE.
It does excellent job as simple inverter and has charger built in but it's not optimized for these batteries so I have the charger turned off.
It can act like a UPS with grid feed thru that picks up off of batteries if grid goes down.
It also does lots of other tricks but the main one is AC Coupling.
If the grid goes down, AC Coupling allows me to use the battery back up system to "trick" the grid tie system into thinking the grid is back up and allows it to turn on so I can use that electricity.
That's a very simplified explanation of AC coupling as there are considerable safety interlocks involved to make sure I don't accidentally send power to the grid while linemen are working on it.

For this project, I bought used 24V 245watt solar panels to complement the 24V battery bank.
The panels are 2 year old premium panels that cost $810 for a pallet of 10 delivered or .33 a watt.
Buying used panels over new saved about $1600 and I will probably buy used panels from now on.

At this point in time using data I have so far, it looks like it will take 11-12 years to pay for itself.
On the flip side, if we have a power outtage that lasts more than a couple of days, saving my freezer full of hand raised grass fed beef and refrigerator full of food would be priceless.
Unfortunately, our grid will be taxed more and more as folks shift from fossil fuels to electric.
And it's only a good hacker/bad security guy away from being held hostage.


Cheers,
Vern1
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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7716232 01/13/20 02:49 PM
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Very impressive... I see you've figured out that smoke is what really makes things work. smile

How is there a market for used Solar Panels? I would assume, unless damaged, they would be used for their service life wherever originally deployed?

How did you learn about all the architecture (using a computer word) necessary to get this going and running?

Charlie

Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: CharlieCTx] #7716373 01/13/20 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by CharlieCTx
Very impressive... I see you've figured out that smoke is what really makes things work. smile

How is there a market for used Solar Panels? I would assume, unless damaged, they would be used for their service life wherever originally deployed?

How did you learn about all the architecture (using a computer word) necessary to get this going and running?

Charlie



Yessir, the magic smoke is usually expensive too.

Most solar systems were stand alone based on 12V or 24V systems so that is what was produced.
Generally, a 24V (nominal) panel has 50 cells.
In recent years, there was a move to Grid-Tie with higher voltage panels with 72 cells and then string together 10 more panels for up to 500VDC strings.
You can carry 10 amps at 500VDC with #10 wire and the higher voltage feeds back into the grid easier.
You can still string together 24V panels but you have to have more of them to get the voltage up.
Once Grid-Tie caught on, companies on the West coast started swaping out the older 24v panels of early adaptors for higher voltage ones so the market is presently flooded with 24V 60 cell panels.

I am a terminal tinkerer and love my toys and tend to take a lot of them apart to see how they work.
In doing that, I learned about the magic smoke and the correlation that the most expensive part usually vents first!
I also had some outstanding mentors that taught me a small part of their world and those worlds were far apart so they covered a lot of territory.
30 years in Operations, Quality Engineering and IT for a Big 3 DOD contractor was an education in itself.
I retired in 2011, got a college degree in Computer Networking and Administration more to prove to myself that I could do it than really needed it.
When not chasing cows and fixing fence or hunting pigs, I have plenty of time to study online.
I approach that like a Chinese Buffet - sample most of it and pick what work works or applies to me.
My real weakness is anything motorized...I am a crew chief of an IMCA Alcohol Modified that my son drives and an EcoMod that my granddaughter will drive next season as she is 14 now and transitioning out of karts.
I personally build the motors that go into them and am meeting lifelong friend for lunch today to pick up his SBC heads for a little love.


Cheers,
Vern1
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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7716510 01/13/20 06:26 PM
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You lost me at solar panel.... flehan

Awesome skills....very, very impressive....


Originally Posted by Sneaky
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Originally Posted by beaversnipe
Actually, BBC is pretty damn good

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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7716602 01/13/20 07:35 PM
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Is this thread even in English.....? roflmao

Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7716647 01/13/20 08:24 PM
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Vern what have you determined to be the length of Tim to break even?




LETS GO BRANDON
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: TXHOGSLAYER] #7716700 01/13/20 09:21 PM
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Probably 7 years at his investment.........maybe not exact but pretty close.

Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: HoldPoint] #7716863 01/13/20 11:40 PM
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Originally Posted by HoldPoint
Is this thread even in English.....? roflmao

I used to think the same thing. My oldest son is an Aerospace Electrical Engineer and I looking at some of the things he has worked on I asked the same thing. Well done Vern1.

Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7717481 01/14/20 02:41 PM
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One of my mentors and boss at the time told me "After you associate with the engineers for a while, you will start talking and thinking like them and your brain is going to expand"
He told me this just before he threw me to the dogs and installed this ole country boy into the Advanced Aerospace Quality Engineering group on a major program.

This was the end result of that program:


Cheers,
Vern1
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Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7720213 01/17/20 01:07 AM
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Impressive, Sir. flag


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Don't text and drive.
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Erathkid] #7720472 01/17/20 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Erathkid
Impressive, Sir. flag


That’s an understatement


Originally Posted by Chunky Monkey
Never been to a camping world. I prefer Dick's to be honest.
Re: Second Solar project mostly finished. [Re: Vern1] #7754456 02/23/20 10:06 PM
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Impressive but expensive, are you living off gird? If not how long will it take you to recoop the 16.5K spent to create/install? For 16.5K you can pay a lot of electric bills.

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