EP Cube Best Price (affiliate link): signaturesolar.com/kits-bundles/ep-cube-energy-storage-systems/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN Other hybrid inverter options: www.mobile-solarpower.com/grid-tie-systems.html Offgrid Budget Solar Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html *Does off-grid solar confuse you?* Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com *Join our DIY solar community* #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com *Check out my Book* Best-selling and beginner-friendly guide to 12V off-grid solar! amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Energy! They will price out a system and get your house offgrid: ts.la/william57509 *My DIY Solar Equipment Recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):* 12V/48V Lithium Solar Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Complete Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html Plug-N-Play System Recommendations: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete "Add to Cart" 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html *My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:* *Signature Solar* Offgrid One-Stop-Shop. Best Value 48V LiFePO4, Victron and Offgrid Specific Heat Pumps: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Current Connected* SOK, Victron, Mr.Cool Heatpumps and High Quality Components. Fantastic customer support: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp *Litime* My favorite 12V budget battery!: www.litime.com/?ref=XBIA62RFcalHns *Epoch Batteries* My favorite high-quality 12V battery: www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-460ah-lifepo4-battery-ip67-heated-bluetooth-victron-comms?rfsn=7352625.50494d *Renogy* A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! DC to DC Chargers and more! renogy.sjv.io/n1VjXx *Rich Solar* Renogy's biggest competitor! Similar products, but at a better price: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Battery Hookup* Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 5% off code: diysolar *Contact Information:* I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar *FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:* Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Came across your video for the Renogy dc to dc charger. Just to confirm, if the vehicle is off, it will not draw down the vehicle starting battery correct?
Hi, We have a 1500 square foot medical office 1400 in Queens, NY; we can’t install solar panels but are considering installing a battery/inverter system for backup and peak-shaving purposes. At the office we have a commercial three-phase service & we are being penalized for peak usage. Our average monthly bills running over $1000/month; a hefty part of the bills, we believe is related to peak penalty. If we were to send you copy of our billing history, would you be able to determine/recommend the appropriate system and estimated cost for us? Thank you,
So glad to see you reviewing these. Evan from Country View Acres YT channel installed this system on his homestead. While he supplied some information you review is in-depth and more informative. Thanks for this. Two thirty and watching the playoffs and its 67F in Ceres CA. 😁
Always good info.. Living in Vegas too, I can understand the effects of the searing heat has on my little backyard solar. You've inspired this 70 year old dude to start my own U-Tube channel "Tinkering Geezer " I'll be working on my portable solar setup. Keep up the good work....
I installed a micro air soft start on my 5 ton central AC unit it reduced the startup amps from 74 down to 33ish. Then I installed 3 EG4 12k BTU hybrid mini splits and now I never use the central air unit. Maybe I'll just wire it for generator use. But with that said I do highly recommend the Micro Air Soft Start units, very easy to wire and the app is pretty straight forward as well Mr Prowse.
Will, you get all the cool stuff buddy! The gateway seems to have a lot of similarity to a Generac 200amp whole home transfer switch... Us poor folks will need to stay with the 48V stuff I think.
Just got the EP system w/panels here in N. Texas. Appreciate your insight and still getting used to how the system runs as well. Agree that they could use additional info in the app, but I can see it being added as the popularity and footprint grown. Also looking to do the soft start for the hvac. Will return to see when you do yours. ;)
Hey Kingsley, we're out west of Weatherford. I'm still on the fence. It's hybrid system so you need a huge battery for any off grid operations for very long. We avg abt 13-1400kw / mo production. Honestly I could have kept grid and kept a cheaper bill for the foreseeable future. I'll likely be looking to add panels, but I'll also need an additional inverter as we're already capping out the 7.6kw. It's cool and fun and I don't stress abt the ac as much, but it's not gonna save you any money unless you plan for like a 150% system.
@@billmcnatt7464 so with a 7.6 kw system paired with the EP cube you’re getting roughly 1400kw production a month? What is the size of EP cube you have and are you completely off grid? Did you install yourself? I’m having a hard time getting someone to do my install
I think you can power not just your house but most of your street at this stage! EP is actually available in my country but they don’t have this modular unit on their website here yet! Hopefully they will make them available soon!
interesting for that 240V DC. I was theorizing months ago that it should be time to begin 240V DC powered outlets in the house. Getting rid of power conversion and using a step down dc converter for appliances is highly efficient, small and cheap. I also think in the near future is a house that is essentially off-grid where the grid is only used for charging batteries when there is deficit.
I doubt I’m your only subscriber that lives in the opposite environment-in my case NW Wisconsin. I don’t think batteries like living outside in our winters. If you could discuss solar panel and battery planning parameters for cold weather systems sometime, I’d be really interested.
High impact risk. Needs waaay more architectural protection. Plus, thieves will target so much easy money on the outside wall. Sad , but it needs to be considered. This is not for newbies or careless amateurs. Zaaap!.
May i have a question here? Dont you guys worry about a person coming here and shut down everything? Im from Europe and all of our electrical stuff is inside the house and not outside.
Can you do everything a eg4 18k can do? Net metering, whole home 200 amp utility feed through, auto whole house backup? It would be a great comparison video. Thank you Will.
How can we protect our solar power systems/devices from a serious Solar Flare (Coronal Mass Ejection - CME) during Solar Max (now) from a Carrington or much larger Event? Is breaking the circuit enough? Or is building Faraday Cages (grounded metal shed?) of some kind necessary to protect components from being fried.
Will you be testing the new anker system? It’s definitely making some bold claims. I know you said you don’t usually highlight these units but being modular and it’s like the “kits” you talk about.
Would love to see a follow up on this system. I am currently considering this exact setup shown or 40KW of the Pytes V5 with probably 1 SunBeat 12k plus an 8k OR 40KW of Homegrid with the same inverter setup. Some questions I have and have seen other folks ask are How many solar panels can you connect to the inverter(s)? Can a generator be connected to charge the batteries and pass-thru during an extended power outage?
I agree with herhandyman8933 to a point, but it's not that easy to please some neighbors LOL. Perhaps installing modular lightweight aluminum louvers spaced several inches out from the batteries to block direct sunlight while allowing for airflow. They might be designed to attach using the battery mounting frames. I've spent a little time in Vegas and know it can get extremely hot even in the shade, but it would be easy to test the direct sun vs shade difference and see if it's worth the cost. I'm interested in how well the plastics hold up to the UV exposure. As for aesthetics, I think this system looks very sanitary compared to many solar or battery installations I've seen. All structures have one or more large AC units and other utilities entering the building which look far worse than this in my opinion. My concern would be damage (natural or vandalism) or theft. The best solution for both would be to build a secure, walled-in utility area.
I definatly enjoy your videos, and your exetremly informative, thank you for that. Everyone has the Tesla Power walls. Would you consider another power wall instead? the Anker Solix x1? Id love to hear an honest review about it. Thanks again.
Do you have a Las Vegas local resource you'd recommend to have look at a 1960s house with original janky wiring + panel and recommend stuff that could be done to add a modest amount of backup battery for a few circuits (non A/C loads), EV charging, and eventually solar - without just ripping it all out everything and starting from scratch. Some kind of incremental path towards everything without spending $$ on things I don't need up front.
you are the boss. sweet 3/4 million tax deduct on your gigawatt installs . not like the old RV days.. bet you dont miss that much.. best on the net, thanks. ..good to respect those buss bars. trouble shot some first gen 30 Kw commercial stuff.. decent plasma lightning at 200 volt 100 amp DC short as it jumped all the fuses.. i did not need those finger prints anyway.. touch safe? not.. considering my auto dark welders hood next time!
Too funny. You got me into solar with your videos Will and I just purchased an EP Cube on my own and then I see that you have one of their systems as well. Makes me feel better about my choice. Was a lot of money and was a bit scared that I'd done something stupid in going with a platform that I'd never heard of before. System should arrive this week and then I start putting it together.
@@WillProwse Thanks for everything you do. You were a great help to me when I installed by system in my 5th wheel. I’ve been following you since your RV days.
Very interesting product, Will. You mentioned professional installation. Did you have a dealer do it? Companies I have talked to in the Phoenix area will only work on their preferred brands. Thanks!
You might want to paint them white or put something in front of them to prevent direct sun exposure. They could literally be too hot to touch on summer days. I lived in Lost Wages for 20+ years and now live 75 miles south.
Yes, sun shields are common for outdoor electrical/electronic enclosures in those climates. Also insect, reptile and rodent protection, hard to see what measures they have for that protection. Also if they are using fans for cooling will need a maintenance routine. Maybe they are fanless, passive cooled.
Systems like these, one of the first steps in the install manual says do not install in Direct sunlight and gives examples. I would imagine this is not a south facing wall.
Wow. Awesome to see upscale product with that kind of kWhs, at reachable costs. I would bet the higher battery voltage means higher efficiency when converting DC power to AC grid voltage. Thanks for your ongoing informative reviews from Capt Bill watching this one from my hammock in Delicias, Costa Rica. 🐾🐾🎶🌠
Can this system not feedback onto grid??? I don't want my distributor to get my power... I'm greedy that way... Anyways, some electric companies are assholes about connections and exporting...
That's an amazing looking system! We're looking forward to detailed explanations on designing, configuring, and running microgrid systems. It's an intimidating subject for newbies.
Like the video and I live in the south so my greatest concern is the sun and heat as well. My meter base and service entrance is on the most exposed, hottest wall of the house and I am very curious to know how these products (mainly the batteries) hold up to such extreme torture. Love the idea of this one though!
I've read the specs... but don't fully understand the limits as to what is the amount of panels or watts or volts that each mppt can accept... and then each inverter total and does each inverter added increase the total amps that I can use for my whole house backup... including my AC and well pump. I would like to get at least 4 total units... so 80kw storage with obviously the 4 inverters... and would like to know the maximum panels that I can hook up in total and to each inverter and to each mppt.
Can you create a video on how you are integrating the grid tie inverters and your generator with the EP Cube Smart gateway? I'm only seeing the ability of installing a 40amp generator per the installation manual.
These outside systems will just never make sense in northern climates. As an example, a friend of mine who has a stupid f150 lightning had it parked outside over the weekend when it was -28f outside. Came out to run the truck and it had used 90% of its charge to heat the batteries.
Love your channel ! You work ethic is admirable and you provide a great service that i appreciate!! I must say,however, that you make me nervous when you use your bare hands around the energized equipment inside the covers . If it were me (and it's not) i would have to use a wooden pointer even if it seemed nerdy and it also allows more precise inspection. My comment is made only for safety reasons and the fact that some viewers may do the same even though they do not understand the danger as you do. Thanks again for your dedication to the diy culture !!
Welcome Back, Will! Its been a while since youve posted, i was wondering where you went. Im guessing you have been busy with the new building that you mentioned bot to long ago? 🤷♂️ EP Cube is nice, but definitely lacking some features that I would want. Im almost ready to pulle the trigger on EG4's 18KPV! Personally, I feel like thats the system to compete with! More robust build quality, and i just love it! Also, as you already mentioned in this video, im not a fan of the flimsy panel covers. To build such a nice system overall, they really struck out with that, in my opinion. Keep them videos coming! I miss your channel and all the knowledge you share! ✌️✌️
Will, I have watched your channel for years, since and while you were in the vehicle and then the rv. In any event, though you are a "solar guy", as I live in an area of more wind than sunshine, what do you know of wind/turbine energy collection systems?
High voltage? That reminds me of one of the things I’d like my hypothetical future RV to have: high current charging at an EV charging station. But the only way to get maximum power for that is if the battery voltage is over 200V. There aren’t a whole lot of inverters that run at 200V or more. :(
Hi Will, I've seen another guy with this Canadian Solar EP Cube system and he likes his but has only had them about 6 months (not through a summer) and I'm debating between EP Cube and HomeGrid Stack'd that has similar stackable batteries and similar pricing but they stack more flat so the stack of batteries is shorter in height. Have you looked at the HomeGrid Stack'd batteries ?
Watching from Yosemite Kentucky. WOW!!! What an amazing system. Within the next year I plan to build my new home and would like to follow your system designs. Thanks so much for sharing your DIY work here. 😊 ❤
Thanks Will. Greetings from L.A. (Lower Alabama) Been waiting for your take on EP Cube. Now I have a comparison with your other informative videos. Love the price point on your DIY suggestions. I'm personally leaning towards a DIY system, but the EP Cube has very nice aesthetics.
Wow, the EP Cube is more aesthetically pleasing! Installation looks to be tricky, but if you can find someone to install them the whole set up looks neat! Thanks for sharing Will.
Just worked out each battery unit has 12x 3.2v 86.7ah cells in them, so for 20kwh thats 72 cells... Is that normal to be such small cells? I would've thought it better to have large cells... Like 300ah 3.2v cells, 16 of them makes 15kwh... Im personally looking at 280ah cells, and 3 banks of 16, giving me 43kwh, then running either 3x 8kw inverters or 2x 12kw inverters (3 gives me 3 phase in Australia)...
Hi Will. Need an expert on this one. Which lead from a battery box going into an RV would I connect to a battery cutoff switch, negative/positive? It's like 50/50 from RU-vidrs 😕
Only flaw I was thinking about was what happens if you have an issues with the bottom battery. Do you have to de-stack the entire system to get to that battery for replacement? And since the conduit is hard tied in at the top won't that require a lot of disassembly?
Can it be configured to not export to the grid like other hybrids? I don’t have a grid tie agreement but want the option to consume from grid. Connect gen port to grid?
