Appreciate Video clip! Excuse me for the intrusion, I would love your initial thoughts. Have you thought about - Schallingora Computer Reconstruction Scheme (probably on Google)? It is an awesome exclusive guide for saving money on your electric bill using this simple technology minus the headache. Ive heard some amazing things about it and my work buddy at very last got excellent results with it.
I did a similar DIY setup, and my experience was the same - it is MUCH cheaper than what you would get from a commercial solar company. I used an inverter from China, and even though it isn't officially UL approved, it still functions according to the UL 1741 specification. I really believe that people are profiteering from solar, and making it much more expensive than it should be. I don't think people should be setting up solar systems without knowing what they are doing, but setting up solar should be something that any electrician could do without having to charge a lot of money.
the best vid i've ever watched on solar panel! i've been surveying these for couple of months now. the huge initial cost seems ridiculous as u said. grid tied no battery, genius idea!
To shorten your ROI, claim the 30% federal tax credit for the cost of your system. Also, there were a lot of comments about potential issues with connecting to the grid. One alternative is to add a charge controller and battery, and use the output to power a new electrical outlet for your refrigerator. That outlet would only be connected to your small system, not the existing house wiring. That way your fridge runs for free, even if the utility power goes out.
I have that setup - separate off grid solar to battery bank with transfer switches and Wemo timer. Free power from 9-6 in the Summer. The downside to a battery bank system is that they go bad every 2-3 years due to over-draw. A low voltage battery auto-disconnect was installed to mitigate this issue but I still need a fresh batch of batteries every 5 years or so. I'm wondering if those Tesla or Enphase battery banks will last longer since they are made of Lithium cells, but at the same time, don't want to burn down the house with Lithium batteries.
There is no problem connecting to to the grid when using the style of grid converter that he mentions. Don’t seem real smart to buy expensive batteries when you can let the power grid be your battery. Unless you are wanting an off grid system.
Yeah, I have solar system on the van that I live in. 3 100 watt monocrystalline panels. Eventually once my family comes into a bit more money I would like to help my grandma set up solar at her house. DIY is definitely the way to go.
I've been off grid for a year and run everything off solar and lithium batteries. I am developing a product that proportionally diverts excess solar to heat my water, so all my hot water is free. I'm over the moon with my solar.
@@BeatTheBush It works with a standard hot water cylinder, so the thermostat just turns off. Unfortunately nothing else to do with the extra solar after that.
This video inspired me to make my own setup at home. Its been a year so far and i love it! I own many lizards and they need lighting during the day so its been great!
That is awesome! Be sure to follow safety precautions and add a circuit breaker between the output of the grid-tie and the grid. Also, this is not solar installation advice for disclaimer.
You should look into grid tie inverter with limiter. That way you can use more power when needed. It won't send power back to the grid, some electric companies charge for that. The limiter sensor reads how much power your using and supplies that power minus 5 watts so you never feed the grid
I have to add, in order to do this, you need to sign a contract with your power company to tie into their grid. Therefore, this video is just for entertainment, do not try this at home! Do not try this. The danger here is the power company intentionally powering down your part of the grid to work on while your solar panels did not turn off. *edit 7/7/2019: I tested this inverter and if you unplug the output AC cord from the wall, the inverter will also cut off powering it. Hence it will NOT power the grid if it ever goes down so that utility workers will be safe. Therefore, I have put the link back.
BeatTheBush I’m a solar expert in California and am a huge fan of your show. I’d love to help you do another solar video on how people can go solar with or without investment. Will fit the narrative of your show perfectly 👍🏻
BeatTheBush there’s 3 different ways to do solar. Always you’ll end up paying for the system somehow, otherwise the solar business wouldn’t make money. I don’t like to say “free” because it’s not just like you said. It’s more “no investment” or “no upfront cost”. But just the 3 ways to do solar would be a whole video in itself. We could go over the differences and benefits of each one and why Californians get charged almost double anyone else in the country for their electricity. I could easily provide you with 10-15 minutes of free content for a video if you’re interested. Would love to see it! 👍🏻
If I were to get one, I would rather pay for the system and reap the benefits after 7-10 years. That is, I would rather invest and get some returns later on.
Meters typically have two channels one for grid to house and one for house to grid. This is called net metering. If you call your utility they can enable this feature. They’ll also install what is called a solar disconnect which will prevent you from back feeding the grid when utility working are working on lines. This help to keep utility workers safe.
@@CroatianNinja Some utilities do the programming over the air and do not check certificates. Other utilities program the meter manually and double check your electricians permit. You could probably call your utility to inquire. At any rate - i thoroughly enjoy your videos. Please keep them coming :)
I have large solar panels hooked to a grid- tie inverter (1000) watt and just pluged it into a outlet and it really makes a big change on your electric bill, easy to set up and safe, I did not tell the power company but I should so I get money back from them. My meter runs backwards most of the winter, but my AC unit is always running in summer. My summer bills are one third of what my mom pays. One thing about grid-tie inverters when the power goes out they dont work so people working on the power lines dont get electrocuted.
So I just bought two thousand Watts worth of solar panels and I'm going to split it up using a cup low grid-tied inverters my only concern is PG&E knocking on my door asking me where I'm getting all this power phone and is it hooked up properly do you think they would do that? As we speak I only have two panels that are hooked up and it does run into the negative when I have very little load this weekend going to hook up to 2000 Watts can't wait
@@CroatianNinja Depends on where you live, here in New Mexico is OK, but my Sisters in Arizona say they are not allowed or the power company could cut your power. Some Power companies are greedy ass holes. I also have close to 2000 watts with grid tie inverters, our power company does nothing, our state State promotes going green so the power company just increases rates.
Few comments: first, power workers ground the lines when the work on them if they are turning off the power. This would create a line to ground short and instantly blowup your inverter if it doesn’t have self protection. So while the sensing for grid tie power is important safety feature, it will just normally destroy your equipment. Second, a little known fact about smart meters is that they count for electricity in both directions as electricity billed. Such as without the proper “solar meter” from the power company, you will be putting power back into the grid, but you will be charged for the power as if you used it, not generated it. This is a default as many people used to steal power by rewiring the meter socket. So first half of the month run the meter forwards, second half, run it backwards. I suggest a system that charges an off grid battery and runs certain high power appliances consistently, such as your fridge, your washing machine and drier (if it is a gas drier only) with about 300-500 watts and two 6v batteries in your latitude, you should be able to run all of that fairly well. I used to be a design engineer for a solar company who designed commercial installations. I have a similar system at my house. 900w of solar (3-300w panels) 4-6v batts in series. I run my washing machine, drier, deep freezer, fridge, whole house fan, and run everything in my garage. It’s not a true off grid system, as I still can’t run my AC off the solar system entirely. But buying the panels used, and finding good deals, I have about 1500$ into the system. Just another line of thought.
Nathan Polt spot on Nathan! Not sure if he has a Net Meter installed by his local utility because I wouldn’t approve of that DYI set up if I worked at his power utility (I’m an engineer at another power utility) since the inverter is not IEEE 1547 and UL 1741 and no physical disco switch. So if he’s backfeeding into the grid without a Net Meter, his AMI meter will signal a back flow to the utility and if they see he doesn’t have a Net Meter account, they can flag him and disconnect his service until he get the proper permits or tell him to remove his solar.
Be careful about what your power company knows about your system. Most do not allow you to send power back to the grid without a contract. Also; if you install the panels permanently on your roof you will be getting a surprise visit from your local building inspector. If they find you used substandard wiring like speaker wire you will get a hefty fine and have to pull it all down.
I don't pitty the poor lineman who has to work on the distribution lines next time it's sunny... in his area. 120v + transformer == cooked lineman (potentially) :(
@@jamess1787 These small grid tie units can't operate without the sine wave from the line power so if the line goes down they stop putting power back in. I hear ya though, pushing power back into a wall receptacle with a sketchy electrical device that was never UL rated is throwing dice IMHO. There's no way that this unit is made to any US electrical code.
@@geoffreycintron4471 that's what I thought, but thinking about it more: how does it tell if the sine wave it's 'receiving' is not the rectified sine wave that it's producing? I'm thinking this protection is only from cold-start but can't be trusted in the event of an actual outage? There's reasons the prosumers have a separate panel for isolation :). Less sketchy and less risky :D
@@jamess1787 I have experimented with these and they do shut off when the line voltage is removed. However they are still attached to the solar panels so where all that solar power current is going is not certain. I could see one of these going up in smoke with a loss of line current.
This is why residential power systems have warnings near the electrical panel and utility disconnects that linemen can operate while doing work nearby. Warning the power company that you have a system gives linemen the knowledge that there is a PV system on the circuit they they’re working on.
I notice what no one talks about is the life of the existing roofing system. If you have a roof made of asphalt shingle it usually last up to 10- 15 years. Which means when it comes time to re-roof your home it will be more expensive because now the roofers will need to remove the solar panels, conduits, and mounting equipment to re-roof. Your solar system will take 20 years to break even but roofing system will fail before that. Also its not including the add extra cost of re-roofing and continuous maintenance of the solar panels. Dirt gets stuck on the solar panels which you will need a long window washer handle or climb the your roof to clean the solar panel. Blasting it with a water hose and soap won't get the panels truly clean.
I *SUPER* love the idea of this stuff! I've been researching this for the past months and weeks. I do need some batteries. I'm in an area without a huge amount of sun so need a storage (batteries). Please do more videos like this, especially geared for dummies :)
Solar is Terrible honestly. We spent over $20,000 on a full system and I wish I had my $20,000 back. Don't listen to all these liars. Solar is VERY Expensive and NOT Reliable at all.
@@ThomasBomb45 Hi Lily. I agree. Additionally he won’t be able to sell the power at a lower price. You can only make money selling the power 5 times the price during power outages.
BTB OMG! I have been trying to do off grid forever but the cost is crazy (getting cheaper by the day). I never thought to just plug it into my wall *head smack* I will now have more than just my shed using solar. Thank buddy from your friend in who pays through the nose for electricity.
@@BeatTheBush DAAAA. I thought you needed a net meter account. I was thinking/hoping the electricity may take the path of least resistance which would be in the walls rather than from the power lines. I will look into this further
@@tywarkentin Thanks for the offer. I believe you are in the US, I'm in Canada which complicates costs a little bit. I may or may not be selling this house in less than 5 years. My next property will be my coffin house so that will be the off grid project. Appreciated!
I'm already in the process of installing a 500 watt solar panel system. I bought 2 used solar panels off CL, one cost me $20 because the glass was shattered. I just cleaned it and covered it with polyurethane which will keep water out. It worked and the panel is producing the correct amount of electricity. Both panels are around 250 watts each. Total investment in panels $120. I had a 500 watt grid tie inverter that I bought years ago off Ebay, not sure what I paid for it though but it was cheap. I can't wait to test the results. Wish me luck!
Yes, its absolutely water tight. We live where it rains quite often. Another way I believe I could have fixed it was to use clear epoxy. But it's just fine the way it is for now.
Very interesting about solar. I see it greatly reduces you electric bill. Just when i thought beat the bush covered everything, he further reduces his expenses.
I wouldn't install on the roof as there is a significant chance you could fall to your death, in addition to the other problems caused by roof installations. I would just install at an angle on the ground, or better yet, put it on top of a pergola and enjoy some outdoor shade!
@@BeatTheBush Yeah, I was going to say, electricity and roofs don't mix well, see Notre Dame today. Your homeowner's insurance won't cover fire damage to your house or your neighbors. 100Ws is enough to power a tungsten bulb, which is basically a small fire. To be fair, the inverter you bought does seem to stop when the grid goes out completely, but I still wouldn't recommend because many 'outages' are brown outs where the power is somewhere in the mushy middle, and it's not clear what the inverter will do then, because the seller himself says it is not UL-1741 certified: www.amazon.com/conversations/1-ab68756b-812b-a113-5a22-3abd389fa9dc/ref=ask_ql_vc_hdl_hza www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx9ZFLTN0GBKR2/ref=ask_ql_ql_al_hza
Thanks for making this video! I've been wanting to do this. I like that you added that caution about the inverter powering the house even if power to the grid is off.
if the power is off due to a storm, then you should just turn off your main breaker. That way your power doesn't back-feed into the system that's down due to a fault, but you'll still have some daytime power in your house, although with only 2 panels, not enough to run anything besides a few lights, or charge your phone.
Solar is Terrible honestly. We spent over $20,000 on a full system and I wish I had my $20,000 back. Don't listen to all these liars. Solar is VERY Expensive and NOT Reliable at all.
600 watts of solar, 400-500 amp hour batteries system deep cycle (lithium if you can afford them) only draw the batteries down 75% max before recharge, 1000 watt pure sinewave inverter, good quality solar charge controller, or grid no more power bill. Should last 6-10 years. Will more than pay for it self.
@joe 90 renogy panels non flexible are always recommend, a good quality mppt controller with the amp you need for your system or one that allows you to grow your system. Batteries many people wire 6 volt golf carts in series Costco used to have great ones not sure if the do anymore. Litihium ions are the best but pricey, somen swear by battle born. See will prowses channel he is like solar Jesus.
Ehhh, off-grid will generally have the highest cost per kWh. If you want to use solar and the grid is an option then grid tie will be cheaper than off-grid. 600W of panels will generate about 1000kWh per year in California. That would only save most people about $100 a year.
I’m going to give this a try. Since your using a 110 outlet to feed back into your home, is it only powering one side of your panel? So if most of my daily electric usage comes from circuits on the left of my panel and I feed back with the inverter on a circuit on the right would that be a waste?
Your inverter is not UL listed so if a fire starts insurance will pay nothing. Also grid tied systems have to be designed to shut down when the power is out so you don't shock and kill a lineman. if caught you could be fined.
Excellent explanation, but your narration is for a novice who is hardly scratching the surface of the grid-tied residential solar system however at least it is a step in the right direction for a bigger system someday. QuickMount PV videos and its webinars are a great way to understand the installation of a roof mount PV System.
Ok so basically you have the solar panels hooked directly to the inverter? You're using 12 volt panels what voltage is the inverter? Would it be anyway possible for a video of your setup?
12V panels with 2 in series for 24V. Inverter outputs 110V. People keep on asking for the setup. I am surprised because it's exactly I described it. I should make a diagram I guess.
You've described exactly what's been in my mind as an experiment. I had already concluded that battery storage - even if buying used batteries - would run the cost WAY up! At 1000 KWH per month, my rate goes up. Here in the SE USA, we pay some of the highest rates in the country and I've been thinking about how to try to keep the peak usage down and this may do it. Here in Florida, I'm sure I can't match your already-low usage since I HAVE to use air conditioning. Great video!!
Only works when the sun is out though. But then it only gets hotter when the sun is out. Idea is to only have just enough panels to provide what you use. =D
I run batteries. They power yard tools and outdoor lighting. (200w with 300AH batteries.) My latest upgrade will be an additional 1000w with 48v batteries, which will power my workshop and provide backup power to my house. My next project will be a grid tied 3000watt geidntie. All new homes should have some small amount, say 1000w of solar of grid tied.
Tesla Roof $150,000 a comparable Solar System using panels $88,000 so for those of us without the big bucks its nice to see there are alternatives, thanks.
This is a great way to get started! But please be careful - there's a real possibility of overloading power cables in your walls if you're not careful. In theory you could supply more power than the cable is rated for by both drawing from the circuit breaker and the solar panel at the same time. Neither the inverter or the breaker will flip because they're supplying less than the rated amount.
yeah... but generally, any plug can handle a vacuum cleaner load which is over 1kW. This thing is max 150W. A reasonable load I think. Plus, I will surely know if I can taking power from the panels on the same circuit.
@@BeatTheBush fair. Code often also requires a disconnect if you lose power so you don't zap the electrical guys while they are fixing the lines. Either way great video !!
Thanks! Just right after we put in our solar system lol! It won't take 20 years, more like 12 years to break even and you get a pretty big tax credit, about a third of what the system costs so that helps too. I would have loved to do it ourselves but we didn't even think about that. We did it because my husband is getting ready to take early retirement and we wanted to reduce our bills for when we lose his paycheck. Actually I guess how long your ROI will be different for everyone. We felt like we have the money now just sitting in the bank so this was a good use for it.
12 years to break even is with the tax credit or without? Yeah... it's around 10-20 years depending on what you get. I think the installers get a huge amount, same with roof installations, or water heater installations.
I agree about the ROI being too long. By time you start making money, the system starts breaking down. Sounds like you are back feeding the system which the power companies don't like in the case repairs being made. Does the inverter you bought turn off when it doesn't sense power from the grid?
Great Video but a couple of clarifications. #1. When you are generating more electricity than you are using, the excess is going back into the utility. The zero usage on your power utility graph just means the utility smart meter is only reading in one direction - call it the forward direction - into the house. Some power companies program their smart meters to read forward plus reverse (F+R) power usage (reverse direction - into the power grid) to counteract people trying to steal power. If the smart meter is programmed (F+R), any excess power you push back into the utility, the utility will be billing you for the reverse kWhrs just like they are billing your for the forward kWhrs you are using. #2. A grid-tied inverter usually has a UL1741 rating listed on it which means once it senses a loss of power from the utility, the inverter goes into a "standby" mode where it opens up the solar power feed from the panels. The "open" is inside the inverter. If an inverter is not UL1741 compliant, and if your solar panels are generating power, once you unplugged the inverter from the wall outlet it was plugged into, the exposed prongs on the power plug would have 120 volts on them which is a huge shock hazard. #3. A certified utility tied system with a power company interconnection agreement is the proper way to go. Others have commented on overloading the wire feeding the outlet you plug this into - this is true which could lead to a house fire. Using the wrong type of inverter could be a shock hazard to you, someone in your family or an unsuspecting power company employee trying to restore power to your house. There are a lot of regulations with power company approved grid tied systems but safety for everyone is the #1 reason.
Although you are probably not allowed to feed power into the grid when the power goes out, the power company always assumes a line is live, and someone at their home may turn on a generator at any time. They make sure to ground the wire before they work on it. It will however possibly damage your own equipment if they ground the line.
Good timing. The earthquakes occurring in California are all around geothermal electric power generators. If they were damaged or will be in the future, power supply will be lower and OHM will be more frequent.
A piece of advise: If you are feeding back into the system, you're supposed to have something that will cut you off from the grid when the power goes out. If you're feeding directly back in from one of your outlets, you are energizing lines that a linesman should be able to expect are dead while they are trying to restore grid power. Just a word of warning.
You should inform people to see their power utility’s regulations on grid interconnecting using a distribution energy resource (DER) or also known as Distributed Generation (DG) for their Net Meter program. I see a lot of critical mistakes here. First. you don’t have a disconnect switch (lever action or whatever the utility allows) to isolate any fault downstream of the meter if a linemen is working on a fault. Second, I’m glad you’ve caught the inverters you’re using since they are not IEEE 1547 and UL 1741 compliant, thus they don’t shut off during a fault and can backfeed and electrocute a linemen working downstream if he doesn’t have ppe on thinking the line is de-energized. Mainly all utilities require those 2 criteria for inverters. Third, installing the solar on your roof by yourself is risky, not only is a safety concern but also you risk damaging your roof and cracking it. Not sure how PG&E (assuming you’re in CA) was able to approve your set up and installed your Net Meter. Love your videos but this one is rough since I’m an engineer at a power company lol
If you read how GTI works, you will realize your mistake. A GTI (Grid Tie Inverter) will shutdown definitely during power outage, a disconnect switch is not necessary, let me explain it. From Wiki: To inject electrical power efficiently and safely into the grid, grid-tie inverters must accurately match the voltage and phase of the grid sine wave AC waveform. From the product description:Important note: on grid tie inverter, it need to plug into your home grid, CAN'T power your device directly. Conclusion: During power outage, the GTI can not detect the voltage and phase of the AC, so no output will generated, the linemen is safe.
wang wooodhead bruhhhh not sure if you work at a utility or not but please go check your local utility’s net meter program and see their requirement on the single line diagram and I can guarantee you that a disco switch is required lol. If a linemen is working on a fault and see a DG system in mappings, they will manually pull the disco switch down to prevent any backflow if the consumer is over generating and what if the inverter failed to operate? How are you gonna isolate the backflow? How would the linemen know if the inverters operated successfully? That’s where the disco switch comes in to isolate everything.
@@C45PE12 My bachelor's degree is EE, but I am full time software engineer after graduate. Let's move to an IEEE 1547 compliant product: the Enphase IQ7, which is widely used in rooftop solar system. Here is the manual: enphase.com/sites/default/files/downloads/support/IQ7-7plus-7X-Micro-Manual-EN-US.pdf The last page is an sample wiring diagram, there is only standard circuit breaker between the IQ7 and meter. I believe they will clearly show all the safety equipment in their sample diagram. Again, the GTI rely on the AC voltage and phase to work correctly, without input AC, there will no output. I think the chance of GTI failure to output without AC even lower than hits by thunder, just skip it.
wang wooodhead I’m Masters in T&D Engineering lol, but what I’m saying does not require a degree to know. I am aware of endphase micro inverters and how they operate, but like I said, the disco switch is a utility requirement because at the end of the day, if you want to interconnect to their grid, it’s their regs you have to follow. If they want a physical disco switch after every equipment, you’ll have to do that too. I’m speaking from real life experience since I work at a utility. If you’re doing this dyi stuff and not connecting to the grid, then you can do whatever you want. Once you tap into their lines, it’s their regs. Attached is what utilities SLD are mainly composed of. www.sceg.com/docs/librariesprovider5/pdfs/netmeteringsingleline.pdf
@@C45PE12 I watch some video about "legal" solar system, the regulation do need a disconnector (like the one they asked for AC system). But the most interesting part is they need METAL label instead of PVC label. Well, regulation is regulation. lol:
I had a closer look at my cheap grid-tie inverter. Protective ground was not connected to the chassis. Inside the insulation creepage distances were too small (not up to standards). It generated a lot of radio frequency distubances on both connection sides. It also consumed about 15 watts at night when on standby. I do not recommend to use it without modifications (proper grounding, additional RFI filters and a timer).
I learned a lot and have always been interested in solar. I never knew how the inverter tied into the grid, by simply plugging it in makes the whole experiment much easier to give it a try.
You don't need to apply for permit to the city for installing these? I asked because I think permit's required in NJ and you even need to state who's your licensed electrician doing the job. So I can't just "experiment" with it with $300. But I'm not sure, I haven't thoroughly looked at NJ's requirements, newbie at this.
You have to be careful sending power into the grid because if say a power line goes down, and you lose grid power and you are sending power into the grid it can go the wrong way into a step down transformer and someone working to repair the downed wire may get electrocuted .
You can also run those grid tie inverters on batteries so you can produce power at night. $10 for a charge controller and $50 for a small deepcycle battery. Or you can use the micro inverters that attach to the panel ad run the ac output from the roof. These are more efficient better bank for the buck
what @trwsandford said, in places with 240v split phase (Canada/USA) use one inverter in an outlet on each side of the panel (each phase) and your 240v appliances will draw from both. Wouldn't work on true single phase systems like ones on the other side of the pond.
Right at the end you confused me...... You described a Charge Controller algorithm (for charging batteries that are then connected to an inverter to convert the battery/battery bank voltage to house ac.) while explaining why your Grid Tie inverter was special and different than a typical Modified Sine Wave or Pure Sine Wave inverter that is not a grid-tie inverter. That is where you lost me. Are you running your panels direct to the inverter?? I am not sure how that works as panels (assuming they are 12 volt) will put out between around 8-23 volts DC. Does your inverter handle that variation in DC Voltage and still provide 115-120 VAC to your outlet(s) you are back feeding? Please explain how it works more (or maybe that is what the link is for ??). Thank you. Great to have you being so real about it!
i have the 1000w tie inverter like the ones you showed.. what is the best DC circut breaker do you recommand, and the housing for it, and the AC side, how should it be wired? just directly to the plug?
Thanks for posting this. We have wanted to get into solar for a long time, and your setup really opened our eyes! We already bought the linked inverter (what a cool discovery!) and are ready to invest in panels -- 400 watts seems like a good bet. I like your style; you’re doing a good job with your channel. :D
Make sure to install a circuit breaker box for this because the danger is the panels providing electricity to something in the same circuit without the protection of 'breaking' the circuit if there is a short. This is also not approved so attempt at your own risk!
Excellent project/hobby for an electrical engineer. You could start a business installing the system in your area. Like a guy that makes outdoor TV antennas and installs them for people that want free TV and no hassle of making and installing it themselves..
@@BeatTheBush -- I'll repeat myself from an earlier posting because I hope you'll see my idea: "Mr. Beat - please see the comments in the posting by "TheRainHarvester" where the safety issue is discussed and I try to steer you towards a solution. "
Is it possible to do this if i already have a solar system in my house. Just got an ev and was wondering if i can add more pabela to my system using this method.
Do you regard your 500W inverter? Or you wish you have a bigger size, so you can put more panels when you have $$? I am thinking to start this project in next few weeks.
As others have pointed out, there are large legal implications of this type of "guerilla" installation. If you want to save some money with minimal outlay, looking into water heating. Either a SDHW system (using fluid panels), or simply a PV panel directly powering an electric element in hot water tank. Of course your best 'bang for buck' is to unplug all that 'vampire' equipment....
@@khwolter9038 you are 100% correct. I installed a solar tube system just for fun but the payback is basically “never”. The best answer for hot water is a “hybrid” heat pump water heater
So instead of turning off the main breaker in your breaker box, you just turn off the breaker that supplies power to that particular room right when using the solar panels for power?
Got a link to this inverter ? I was just thinking of doing this. Also you should buy a diverter - it prioritises heating the watrr on you boiler and so making the boiler a battery ! Pretty smart and easy since you boiler is on its own fuse
Great job. Would it make a difference if you buy a cheap lead acid battery, and set on a timer where it discharges when Ohm hours are max? Makes sense if it's similar to time of use
I was talking with a friend about a DIY solar system and he, (who is commercial a contractor) discourages them as he said they need to be permitted due to safety reasons. So much for me sticking it to PG&E!! 🙁
How about building a shed / terrace / place to chill with a roof over your head in your backyard and putting the tiles on that? Might be more fun, less dangerous, easy to work on.
I am wondering if this will negatively impact the cashback/rewards you get from ohmConnect.Basically if your expected usage is already closed to zero (based on the historical trends), won't it result in less ohmConnect points/credits.
Depends on how it is connected, if you have batteries to use overnight powering up everything than yeah there will probably be no points. But if there are no batteries you will still use the power companies electric during the night
Im glad you posted this, im getting ready to do my home. I would suggest getting rid of the speaker wire it will burn up fast you would be better off splicing an old extention cord or something of that nature.
@Beatthebush can you do a diy video or a video or the actual setup cause I'm very interested in doing the same thing at my home. Not clear how you tie it into your home
I'm surprised that PG&E is ok with this. A friend who put solar on a motor home told me I could just buy a few panels and have someone who knows what he's doing install them. I thought, "oh sure, too good to be true". We are Edison down here, but I know the power companies are crying foul that you still have to be connected to the grid they are maintaining, but you aren't paying your full share. But I would love to do this. Our bills are so high.
I did this without the grid tie inverter. I made coffee , fan and will try air condititioning if corona don't kill me. The cost of oil just dropped and we are getting charged the same amount from the electric company. That is not fair. My bill went from 240 to 120 a month by being vigilant. When you are retired they take advantage of you.
Hi mate. Just letting you know I had a good mate about 3 weeks ago wired his own solar, and had a reasonably good idea what he was doing worked fine for years. Then about 3 weeks ago he went to maccas for breakfast came home to a smouldering wreck. Lost everything. I wouldn’t risk it unless off grid, even then his was off grid as well.
Was he telling the newspapers or social media about it? Sharing the facts that he doesn't need to pay one of those huge multibillion-dollar monopolies? If so, then I wouldn't doubt if one of those monopolies made sure the place burnt down. I've heard of it happening before through a good friend of mine that it happened to.
Right. If you want to save money. Stick to the power company. Invest the money on better insulation and better energy efficient equipment. Or buy a gas ⛽️ generator and feed power to the electric company
Hey why not show your actual system connections and the cable coming through the house to the outlet? I think it would be easier to imitate your set-up if you show the whole thing. Could you set up the panels on the patio on an angled structure instead of trying to put up on the roof? Does the solar system need to be grounded for lightning? Thunderstorms are not prevalent in the bay area but everywhere else it is a thing. Thanks!
well, when the power goes out, its possible that the inverter power will go to the grid, be stepped up to kv range from the 120 and kill a grid worker. so yeah, not exactly sure who would then be liable.
@@nicksgarage8295 That's good to know! Perhaps with his electronics background Mr. Bush can devise a way to cut the inverter output from reaching the wall outlet whenever the grid is out. I'm thinking some form of 'switch' that is 'fail safe' and opens whenever a power source (grid power) is removed. Maybe he could use a continuously powered solenoid to control a switch: no power to the solenoid it retracts opening the switch. I see a patent coming on. Solenoids like that are commonly used in 'fail safe' electric strikes used in door access control system. Door hardware suppliers would sell replacement parts for their electric strikes.
@@nicksgarage8295 All grid tie units have a safety feature called "Island Protection", to prevent this from happening. And yes the unit he bought has that.
Hello! I have a question. If your street has a power outage, does your inverter send that amperage out to the main line? If the city comes to repair the damage but your house is stil sending enough amps to kill someone; is there something you can add to prevent this?
Yes it will take 5 years to make your money back, then the inverter will blow after a year and you can add another 2 years to break even, just turn devices off that you don't use.
Nice video. I have one question though. On the converter you have can how many 100 watt panels I connect? Also, how would I connect them together? I believe you use the word “tandem”. Thank you and can’t wait for your response
Some grid tie inverters are built for 24V, some 12V. Mine is 24V so it means you wire two in series. It's a 500W inverter. Each panel is 100W so technically, you can use at most 4. Two sets of two in series. And the two sets you connect them in parallel.
I'm very interested and curious about solar but my knowledge is limited as to how to set up a system like this--I would love to see how you go about setting up this system--as always your videos are so interesting!!!
This is very appealing, however I am concerned that without an interlock such as a transfer switch to prevent back feed to the grid, a safety risk exists. I recognize the expense of batteries to store the solar generated power. I will use the batteries in my golf cart for said storage, along with an interlock switch to lockout the electrical panel main breaker. This means that I will not be saving money, however I will have limited standby power during a blackout, and a manual generator to charge my batteries as required. As for saving money, I recommend using the solar generator/inverter with a single battery to plugin a specific appliance like a fridge or freezer. You save money by taking that appliance off of your electrical meter and plugging it into your inverter system.
I built a stand alone system you described. Not to save $, but to power my freezer during power outage. Works well as long as the sun is shining brightly. Cost of my system was about $500. Cost to run freezer from grid is about $6 per month. Not a worth while investment, but saving my frozen food is.
Great video, thanks! Do you think it's possible to plug a grid-tie inverter into a UPS when there is a power outage? This may trick it to think it's plugged into grid. I assume the UPS needs to be plugged into itself as well. And then you can plug devices into it and they will be powered by UPS which is being charged by the solar inverter.
@@BeatTheBush Great videos. I just discovered your videos. From now on, I am your # 1 fan on RU-vid. Regarding the power outage, it is more convenient to get a normal 12 volts inverter and hook it to the car 🚘 battery 🔋 and turn on the engine when needed to recharge the car battery 🔋. He should get a deep-cycle battery for his car.
I love your video and solution! Let me break down my PG&E bill: $54 for PG&E delivery charge, and $25 for power generation. I think PG&E is an evil monopoly company. If you install an solar system, well you still have to pay more $10 more each month for PG&E, and the extra power generated will not pay back by cash, only pay back by so called credit. For example, if your solar system generate 10,000 KWH, while you use only 9,000 KWH, the extra 1,000 KWH is a free gift to PG&E!!! They hate you generate more power than you are using, no matter how big your roof is. The grid tie inverter is what I need. Thanks!
my test system works now: 2 x 175w 2nd hand solar panel from craigslist, each $50, $95 for inverter, totally $195. Meter at AC output shows 230W, when the solar radiation at 800W/m2 this noon. Also I tested the infamous "line man" issue by myself: once I shutdown the grid AC, the whole system have no output, line man is safe!
