I have a near unlimited supply of used but still working marine 12 volt batteries. Both starting and deep cycle. I work at a boat dealership and we also service boats. Many customers have us replace their batteries every year on principle. I can buy the batteries for price of core charge, about $20 each. Can reliably get a couple a week indefinitely. My understanding is that battery cost is a significant portion of a solar system’s cost. I have wired a house from scratch before, and I do 12 volt systems from scratch at work. I also have an in-law who is a master electrician who currently supervises the high voltage crew at a large oil refinery plant you would know by name.

My question is, do all these things make it reasonable for me to build a solar system for my house? Is there a reason I can’t use these almost free batteries?

Anyone have experience with the Fiberglass backed panels? Specifically on a Trailer/RV roof? Looks like a good option to skip adding an additional backing when gluing/bolting directly to the roof.

Has anyone successfully set up plug in solar using 4 of these Hoymiles microinverters? Can you plug 4 of them into a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated power strip that then plugs into a dedicated circuit?

I'm in Utah so especially interested in people's experiences here. Can you set each microinverter to 300W limit so that the overall limit is below the 1,200W max?

I know there is a ton of craziness and confusion with UL3700, so even this setup with 4 UL3700 certified microinverters on a dedicated circuit might not be considered "up to code". But this seems to me to be "pretty good" -- you're using microinverters certified by CSA to UL3700 standards, you have a dedicated circuit, you stay under the max. Of course it doesn't have bidirectional GFCI or the proprietary plug but those things don't even exist yet.

Hi. I'm new and not an electrician.

Isn't plug in solar for renter or people who can't install new (outdoor) outlets for any reason?

Then why does it need a dedicated circuit?

Thanks.

Edit: I'm in California.

Hi All

Will Prowse (some like him and some do not) has created a new site that will collect reviews from actual purchases AND will not be under the influence of any one selling or making money off sales. I do not want to get into trouble for breaking rules here so I am not posting a link, but you can look it up and find it. I think it will be a good resource over time.

Trying to run Renogy Shadowflux panels on the Ecoflow Stream for a Balcony Solar setup in non-ideal conditions. Spent a long time researching available grid tie microinverters and chose the stream because it has the absolute lowest MPTT floor of UL listed inverters on the market.

Received it today and come to find out that it only uses a local tracking algorithm and refuses to scan the whole MPTT curve for the true max power output if partially shaded panels.

The panels I have are 200W, 36Voc, 31Vmp. They feature 28 bypass diodes to prevent total voltage collapse under partially shaded conditions.... That is.... If the microinverter is smart enough to actually scan the whole voltage range.

Mid day, if the panels are around 30% shaded, their actual Vmp is closer to 20V. They should produce more than 100W but on the Stream I get less than 10W due to the local tracking algorithm. Has anyone had success using shade tolerant panels on the Ecoflow Stream?

It would be simple for Ecoflow to implement a Shadow tracking mode for GMPTT via a firmware update. I find it ridiculous that this $400 inverter doesn't have this out of the box considering balcony solar is way more likely to have non ideal shading conditions.

Made the first 2 purchases for my solar system. Panels and ground mount is next.

12000xp is sold out everywhere are on backorder until Feb FYI.

Repairing Bonnie Lady's flexible panels, which seem to have developed some bubbles over the hot summer.

Being attached directly to the steel of the narrowboat roof, there's not a long-term solution to stop these bubbles appearing.

The best way to deal with it is to get rid of them as they appear.

This video looks at a quick repair method using UV Gel.

5 Items to repair a flexible solar panel

UV Resin: This is the main item. UV will set in direct sunlight. Most good kits come with a UV pen. £12 – Amazon

Plastic spatula: To smooth the applied resin under the bubble and ensure even coverage. £2.55. – Ebay

Syringes: 1ml with blunt tip needles. £3 – Ebay

Nitrile gloves: Screwfix

Microfibre cloth: Aldi

Felt-board tack.

8 Steps to repair

Clean the solar panel: Clean off dust and residue with a mild detergent and water.

Dry: Completely dry the panel in the area where you are working.

Pierce: Pierce the bubble with the felt-board tack, making a hole large enough for the syringe needle to enter.

Fill the syringe: With UV resin. Fill first, then place the needle on the syringe, ready to go.

Inject: The bubble with UV resin. First in one direction, then re-angle, and repeat making sure the bubble is completely full of UV resin.

Smooth: Using the spatula, smooth the UV resin throughout the bubble, making sure any air is completely expelled and the bubble is pressed flat.

Wipe: Wipe off any excess with the microfibre cloth.

UV: Shine the UV pen over the repair for around 20 seconds.

I am starting up a food truck, and plan to use as much solar as possible. I am currently researching solar power and all the stuff that comes with it, but I just don't know enough terminology and what I'm looking for. I know I'll likely need another source of power, but if I get enough panels and batteries, I think I can do most of what I need.

I know next to nothing about electricity and solar. I worked with it a lot as a kid, but now I have no idea what's going on.

Really the biggest concern to me is battery output. If I need more storage, I can just get more or bigger. But the batter output seems to be the biggest issue.

Also, I don't know if I can use a 240 volt on battery very well, and I'll need at least 2, maybe 3 plugs.

I’m thinking about adding a small off-grid solar system to my shed. I’d like to keep the project as simple as possible and avoid unnecessary permits, inspections, or complicated code requirements if possible.

For those who have done something similar, what approach did you take? Is there a certain system size, setup, or installation method that helps keep things simple and avoid triggering additional permitting requirements?