No ac coupling. Learn the Enpower. Having PV, storage, generator and all functioning together. Take into account the management software. There’s nothing close to it.
dang, the iq7 plus is only putting out 290 watts ac. my 365 watt panels clip from 11:00-1:00 on sunny days. those 400 watt panels will clip from 10 to 2. That really sucks. I would have specked out the the iQ7A inverters if it was me. You have head room with your downsized main breaker. With 240 amps you could have made it work with the existing panel.
Would you need the chicken wire if that had a short 4 foot fence around it? That code is dumb. I've had my 36 M250's for just over 6 years now. Where I'm at we have what we call a solar club. Six retailers resell my green energy at a higher rate to tree huggers, They pay me premium for my exports. I pay the same high rate when I import, but I export more than import. Right now they owe me $783 Cad. Oct 31st I switch back to the lower winter rate. My higher net goes from Valentines day to Halloween. My solar now off-sets cost of all of my winter methane for heat.
Enphase is top of the line when you want batteries, or have shading and multiple azimuths. But cost-wise, for ground mounts I'd just go straight panels to inverter. Probably SMA. Any more equipment is just driving cost and a potential point of failure. But this guy said he might do encharge so heck yeah 👍🏻
I re-watch your video after I have installed my Solar system with IQ8+ microinverters. You stated that it has 40 x IQ7+ (max continuous 290watts AC) So your system all panels max out should produce max AC kW is about 12kW AC. You stating that is produced 16-20kW AC power. How does it possible? Is that maybe you meant 16-20 kW hour?
I have 23 enphase inverters installed in 2011. 10 have failed so far. Need to go on the roof every time for a replacement. Emphase does a warranty swap, but only for the inverters. Not the installation cost.
why not just leave the breakers on and disable power production through the envoy that way you dont have to go back just to turn on the system when the meter is changed?
Well because I have to go back anyway to commission the system with the customer, answer questions about monitoring, talk about phase 2 ( adding an encharge system) for battery backup and get paid the last 10% of the job.
I have the enphase IQ8 26 panels and the error says I have only 4 panels producing power and my distribution meter is going to the right not to the left. The solar company installed them in July of 2022 and don’t want to help me out. Sad situation
It's nice to see contractors that know electric. Maybe that is not unusual. But between working for a licensed electrician, or a general contractor. The gap of understanding was immense for me sometimes. I feel general contractors should know the theory, at least, of any trades they use. I had to quit a contractor I worked for years with. Because after 7 years, he still knew nothing about electric, even after my explanations and other licensed electricians explaining it to him. He would want things done that couldn't be done that way, because he still didn't understand.
The shipping can be more than the mount these days. send us and email, panel data sheet and how many panels and we can get you a quote. info@practicalpreppers.com
Enphase is Great for a standard grid tied PV system. They're super efficient, especially if shading is a n issue, but for anything to do with batteries I agree that SolArk is the best. You can't beat a DC based system if you're going to use batteries. Having said that I believe that they've got the Best AC coupled system that works with batteries. And yes it's better than the Powerwall. Thanks for your videos Scott.
Curious to how much testing for interference on HF ham bands do you do? A lot of these solar installs in the US has horrible interference and is starting to make communications for hams very difficult. Most hams I know have to turn off the solar in order to talk local.
Most grid-tie inverters don't make a sine wave - They are essentially the first phase in a low-frequency inverter, and just do a pulse with the polarity in sync with the grid, and depend on the grid inductance (transformers) to integrate it into a sine wave. As we know a (true) square wave is actually an infinite series of waveforms, hence, noise.
Its not an issue with Enphase. One of their engineers is a big ham guy. Just signed a ham today and had to take him to an install with his antennas so he could test. Wasnt an issue
Use ground rod and don't integrate the grounds throughout. Electrical code wants grounds comingled to the grids, but apply the electrical grounds lower on the same rods and try to use moisture to ensure good ground drains. I doubt you will read this anyways.
Just having a math flashback. All I remember is that they were supposed to turn differential equations into algebraic equations making them easier to solve. I have not tackled any in 30yrs.
I love Enphase, but a 400 watt solar panel paired with the Enphase IQ 7+ isn't a good combo. The max output of the IQ 7+ is 295 watts. This particular install probably should have used the IQ 7A, which spits out about 360 watts. If the customer wants a battery, instead of SolArk, the better option is to use the Enphase battery. Not sure if SolArk provides a microgrid during power outages, but with Enphase it certainly does. My two cents. - Wholesale Solar Distributor
@@boathemian7694 The IQ7+ and IQ7A will both work, that's not the issue. I'm not saying you'll run into problems using either one. It's a matter of what's a better union. By using a less powerful microinverter (IQ7+), you're essentially capping the panel production to 295 watts, since that's the max output of the IQ7+ microinverter. Down the road it's not a major factor, since degradation comes into play so the panel doesn't produce as much as it will on day one. But for the first 10 or so years, you're not getting as much power as you are producing. In your specific example, the 365 watt panel will produce 330-340 watts the first year. The IQ7+ will only output 295 watts. If you used the IQ7+, that means you're missing out on the extra 35 or so watts that's being generated by your panel. If you used the IQ7A, you'll get to keep those 35 or so watts since the max output of the IQ7A is 366.
@@pauljones8726 I see what you mean, I would have gotten the other one had I known this before I bought them but the Enphase tech support didn’t say anything but that either model would work. My application doesn’t really matter though as the arrays are not aimed perfectly anyway… Otherwise they seem to work flawlessly and I highly recommend
@@boathemian7694 I'm glad you're happy with your system. Mission is a great company, as is Enphase. I actually own Enphase stock. We'll chat next time.
I'm curious why you would remove the enphase system from some of the panels and connect to them to a battery, instead of just AC couple a battery using an inverter, and put the entire system behind a automatic disconnect switch?
@@practicalpreppers7798 (making sure I understand) so in my proposed scenerio, the solark would only be able to charge the battery at 9.6kw even if the panels were producing 11kw?
@@kschleic9053 my understanding is that coupling 11.6Kw to an inverter when the manufacturer's maximum recommendation is 9.6Kw can damage the inverter and probably void your warranty. He's therefore making the best of the extra 2Kw without damaging the inverter.
I really love my enphase system and the individual panel monitoring. My installer did a line side tap so we didn't have to de-rate the panel or lose 2 breaker locations. I'm curious how you would install a battery system to prevent back feeding during a grid down scenario.
When you install the Encharge, you include the Enpower switch which is an MID isolating from the grid in like 20 nanoseconds. It allows the system to continue to not only provide but also produce power. You can also add a generator which the Encharge will happily cooperate with regarding load management
@@guidedbygreen1480 I guess I should have clarified, I am curious how AC coupling would work with a solark system. I'm familiar with the enpower switch.
@@chrisrobey77 i could be wrong but line side tap would not work to ac couple. If using solar you could drop the micro inverters to the smart input/output terminals(GEN terminals). Or you could drop micro inverters to the essential loads panel. Your solark load terminals would also feed the essential loads panel. When grid is down the solark would control the mini grid there. Charging battery when needed. If batteries were full it would raise the frequency on the essential loads panel. The micro inverters would be following the mini grid voltage and frequency. Once frequency was out of spec it would stop producing power. Proper setting is key. And probably more nuanced then that, but those are the key points. Also a benefit of paralleling the micro inverters and solark on the essential loads panel would be increased load support. You could support loads of whatever the micros were producing plus whatever the solark could supply on its own.
@@guidedbygreen1480 is there a specific type of generator that would/wouldn't work? The quality of electricity can be an issue for sensitive electronics with uninverted generator power. It would be terrible to fry the micro inverters while tied to a running generator.
@@derekdeckens2559 RU-vid keeps deleting my comment because I'm trying to post a link to their generator PDF, but they have a list of recommended generators Kohler, Briggs, and Generac.
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I have 17 Enphase microinverters in a rooftop system installed in 2014. In 2021 they started failing and 4 have failed so far, reducing output by about 25%. This is 600 times the failure rate claimed by Enphase. They failed one by one and some of them gradually over a period of several days, so not like they were destroyed by a power surge. Look on Amazon reviews and you will hear many similar stories. Theoretically the inverters are still under warranty, but the outfit that installed them has gone out of business. I'm too old to be climbing up on the roof to replace them, and anyway Enphase won't deal with homeowners, you have to go through an installer, most of whom don't want to service someone else's system. Even if I find a willing installer, just the labor will surely be many hundreds of dollars, easily wiping out a year's worth of power generation at least, and with the seemingly likely prospect of more failures and replacements in the coming years. It's a nightmare really. The advantages of microinverters are greatly overstated. Modern panels and string inverters have bypass diodes and sophisticated MPPT algorithms that deal with shade pretty well. If you look at actual field tests, the difference between micro and string inverters in power production is usually less than 10%.
Practical math is so important. I make my friends kids do all kinds of calculations in their head, like how much does the level of slurry drop for each load removed, how much water is in a pond by counting and estimating the size of rocks used.
I am installing the IQ7A’s paired to Canadian Solar 400W panels, the busbar IQ cable connector will connect facing up or down, will I have issues during commissioning if some of those busbar connectors were facing up and some facing down?
Since you have 400 watts panels and you use IQ7+ micro inverters, how many days does inverter clipping you see in a summer hottest month? And where are you located and array facing South?
@engineer775 I am new to solar. How would you wire this ground mount system to a solark 12v all in one inverter system with your favorite eg4-ll battery rack mount with ac coupling? Since the iq7 micro inverter bring the ac to the combiner box with the envoy, and then it goes into the enphase inverter, how can you intercept the ac to charge the batteries. I hope this question makes senae
I have an enphase grid tied system as well no battery. But I have recently been looking at the enphase IQ8 inverters. They can be used off grid as well and what's different with these is they still produce when the grid is down and utilize what they call a sun battery during daylight. I am thinking of replacing my IQ7's with IQ8s.
From my understanding, in a backfeed situation you can’t exceed the panel bus amps rating by more than 20%. Conceptually you could pull 200amps from the grid and 60amps from the solar and the total 260 would exceed the bus rating of 240(200+20%). Would this realistically ever happen, probably not, but I wouldn’t want a melted bus in the panel. This is why you sometimes see lineside taps, because it uses the main breaker to keep the panel within spec.
I have 62 panels with Enphase inverters on them. I think over the last 5 years, they replaced one panel. Never a problem with the inverters. I just had 33 KW of Enphase batteries installed with their entire Ensemble system. I didn't pay for it (long story) so I did not get to pick the system. After watching a bunch of the Sol-Ark videos, I think there are probably some advantages to the Sol-Ark system. The big one being that the Enphase ensemble is limited to 40 KW of batteries which limit your peak output if you want to run air conditioners. The Enphase system has worked perfectly so far (it was installed 5 months ago).
dumb question: with the 2 arrays like that for grounding do you still need to use a single piece of #6 for both arrays? or can you combine them somewhere down the line, then do a single #6 back to the panel?
Loving the lightweight z perlin frames. Do you have a link or up close photo of the panel clips? I'm assuming they are tekscrewed in place or is it friction clamps?
I have the Enphase Envoy on my house you will not regret it it is one of the best systems out there I don't know about the batteries because I don't have Enphase battery backup I am in the process of putting lithium batteries in switching over from lead-acid what's nice about the envoy is you got it right there on your phone anywhere Anytime Anyplace and iq7 inverters about the best ever especially when you got shading the only thing I don't like is the cost they are expensive cuz you got to have one forever panel keep up the good work
They shut down so that utility workers don't get zapped by electricity backfeeding from solar producers. (Would be easy to add something that prevents that tho.....)
In order to not violate the buss part rating of this panel the main breaker had to be derated to 150 amps. The highest load ever seen at this house was 18 KW. That was Data taken over a year by Duke. energy.
@@gregcollins3404 As Scott stated, the highest load ever utilized on system was 18 KW, that's 75 amps. I know of 100 amp service that has 90 amps of solar input with a line-side tap. Electrical code requires that you never exceed the busbar load with 120%, so 200 amps plus 60 amps from potential solar would exceed that by 20 amps. Derating the main power to 150 amps avoids the grid ever placing more than 150 amps onto busbar with solar producing max of 60 amps, brings total to 210 amps, less than the 240 max with rule of 120%.
@@jdlutz1965 no, no, no - I'm not talking about the backfeed rule. I'm refering to Article 220 in the NEC that calculates what the acceptable load is on a bussbar. Its a whole, detailed process of adding up all the lighting loads, heating and A/C loads and everything else. I suggest you do a video about how to do a loaad analysis. (there are worksheets available online that make it easier to do) I bet 150A is not enough for this house.
@@gregcollins3404 I'll repeat what was stated by Scott, the load analysis from the utility never showed a load higher than 18 kw (75 amps), still 50% less than the 150 amps rating. Worst that'll happen now is if they somehow pull twice as much as their previous maximum load, it'll trip the 150 amp breaker.
I see that 60A circuit breaker is used on main panel which for 240Vac is good for 14.4kW. This is 90% of 16kW stated capacity for panels. Is this because efficiency is 90% on this system? Also, what happens with this system when grid power is down? Will house loose power even with solar power readily available?
When the grid goes down the solar system goes down. The microbes are iq7 pluses so they can only output 290 * 40 /240=48ampsx1.25= 60 amp breaker as the ocpd.
Advice: Question... Putting in a single pole mount to hold 6-260w panels. What size hole should I have? Soil? 18" black silt/Loam dirt, with clay underneath. Common to get 40 to 50+ mph winds....... I can find a 24" auger bit and go 4' down easy. Do I need a bigger cement base? (FYI top mount is a 40 year old Wineguard that used to hold my 10' sat. dish.... actuator still works)
I did an "overkill" matching the original install (bought twelve used 175w Enphase grid tie panels on a single mount) sunk three 5000# cement blocks in a hole then poured concrete around it all. 8" single pipe poured solid to prevent collapse in heavy wind. Taken on several 60 mph straight-line storms. I was nervous at first.. Now I dont even think about it.
QUESTION: What is the best (cost-effective) mounting hardware for a roof-mounted Standing Seam Metal Roof? Seems like the roof mount per panel is almost as expensive as the panel itself!
You are right. The sad fact is that solar panels have never really been designed for roof installation. They are pretty much a picture frame. I was hoping that Tesla would give it a shot but their solar roof tile is Probably worse.
Enphase Encharge battery output is limited to 120 volts in battery mode. It is disclosed in very fine print on the spec sheet. CORRECTION:. updated spec sheet claims 240 Volt capability Verify with manufacturer.
@@practicalpreppers7798 Interesting. Thank you for challenging my assumptions. The spec sheet I took the information from is marked "Preliminary" There the 240 Volt output spec. is footnoted to say:OUTPUT (AC) @240 VAC¹ "1. Not supported in backup/off grid operations" That is still the spec sheet on AEE website, a wholesaler I use. The Enphase company website has updated the spec. sheet for both the 10kWh and 3kWh model, which now reads: OUTPUT (AC) @240 VAC¹ 1. Supported in backup/off-grid operation.
Clearly Enphase has update the spec. sheet. I would get an ironclad guarantee, with some idea of the surge spec. if it has to start a pump against head pressure.
Very nice work Scott, I have an Enphase system going on 2 years now and very happy. It is a grid tied, 40 330 LG panels , in the combiner box are 3 circuits the two arrays are 28 panels facing south on number 1 and 12 facing east on number 2. So the three circuits are 14 panels in the first two and the last one is 12 panels. System performs flawlessly here in hot SE TX. The work you guys do is top notch all the best to you, Abraham and the occasional sighting from Johnny Valentine as well. Good to see you teaching your son some real life match skills too.
The Sol-Ark is more than capable. Sol-ark started as an offrid inverter and worked towards hybrid. Enphase started grid tied and just recently got into storage.
@@practicalpreppers7798 - He asked if the system, which is grid-tied, can still operate if the grid goes down. Enphase is authorized to do it. It turns into a microgrid if there's no power from the grid. Most other grid-tied systems shut off until it gets a balanced power signal from the grid (when the grid comes back up).
@@zinaj9437 There are multiple systems that can power the house when the grid goes down. A simple enphase micro inverter system can not, by its self, without adding the battery and other parts to the system. Sol-Ark is a hybrid inverter/battery system from the get go, so as long as you attach batteries, it can run without the grid with no additional parts. Schneider and Outback also make hybrid systems that sell to the grid and power the house in grid down situations also, and they are all probably cheaper than Enphase. An inverter doesent need to be "authorized" to power the house when the grid is down, but all grid tied inverters have to be specifically UL listed in order to sell back to the grid.
You can't beat the enphase micro inverter system we have a 3ph A/C coupled offgrid system with 92 x 380w LGs and 150kWh battery storage, its been in operation for over 12mths and we swear by the IQ7+ micro's
Based on the information gleaned from the utility, the home never pulled more than 75 amps of power from grid at any time. I know many homes with just 100 amps service (here in Vermont) that have heat pumps, EV chargers, electric dryers, that have no issue. The key to any system is avoiding EVERYTHING running at the same time.
@@jeremycrisp4488 hard to know from a bill but buying a Sense home energy monitor will give you all sorts of data. The most we've ever pulled at one time was just under 15 kw when running the dryer and range along with someone taking a shower.
@@Tro1086 it's related to bussbar restrictions on amount of energy. If you feed in 60 amps of solar onto bussbar and also have 200 amps coming in from grid, it can potentially overload that bussbar with amount of energy. Realistically, it isn't likely that such a large load were being drawn but safety standards have to take in all possibilities.
MC4 connectors from the solar panel (+,-) go into an Enphase Q cable adapter which just plugs into the micro. the q cable is all daisy chained together and goes from one micro to the next, where the same connections take place on every micro. just 2 wires in the q cable trunk line, both 120v hots. those run to an AC disco and then to a 20/40/60 amp DP breaker.
@@007_TheWatcher you can't, there's a limit of 20a for each string. For IQ7 it's 16 per string and with IQ7+ it's 13 per string. So 2 strings would be 40a, 3 strings would be 60a, and so on.
@@SamsDIY THAT is precisely the kind of information missing from the 'plan' included with the pieces of equipment that I purchased as a 'kit'. I had to figure it out as I went along installing it
Modern String inverters don't suffer as much from shading or loss of panel power as older models do. They can be as competitive or outperform micro inverters.
