The Greg's Grid Tie Solar Project

[Gregski]

[wipes coffee off his monitor screen] as I pointed out in one of my recent videos, we just started converting to the metric system 50 years ago, give us time bro! plus it's so much more easier to remember water freezes at 32° Fahrvergnügens than 0°Caesars

[arber333]

..... it's so much more easier to remember water freezes at 32° Fahrvergnügens than 0°Caesars

Especialy since ancient latin doesnt know the vocal for C ... therefore you are stuck with K .... as in 0°Kaiser = 273° Kelvin .

[Gregski]

when the EV conversion world converges with the DIY solar world

[Gregski]

so a bit of an update and a new discovery, I keep pushing the envelope in search of new bottlenecks, also made an arbitrary goal of 10 kWh of energy production per day

so I keep adding solar panels, 200 watt each to be exact, and I add them in pairs because I am connecting them in parallel to up the voltage, so I went from 6 panels and 1,200 watts total, to 8 panels for a total of 1,600 watts, and learned how that effects the 1,000 watt inverter

so my operating input DC voltage is 2 x 37 volts or 64 volts because the panels are in pairs aka parallel

[Gregski]

I know what you are thinking, how can you fit 6 gallons into a 5 gallon bucket, right?

well these inverters aint all that efficient, so you don't use 1,000 watts of solar panels to feed a 1,000 watt inverter like this one cause it will be operating at maybe 70% efficiency

that's why I decided to pump in 1,600 watts of solar panel energy into a 1,000 watt inverter, and here's what happened

FYI, the specs on this SUN grid tie inverter claim 92% efficiency and yes there is a discrepancy of what it claims it is doing on it's little LCD display and what the Emporia smart plug graph shows below

we flattened the bell curve so we hit a limit and are leaving energy on the table sort of speak

don't mind that it says OFFLINE I have it on a sunrise sunset schedule so the Emporia smart plug powers itself off and back on

[Gregski]

so it was time for an upgrade... to a 2,000 watt 240 volt animal

Note that Emporia does not make 240 volt smart plugs so we have to switch to their Vue Monitor and use a hall effect current sensor

[Alibro]

I bought a Solax 5kW hybrid inverter just to use with batteries.
I now have two sensors arguing with each other as to where the power should go.

[johu]

Time to prioritize: let them aim for different targets. So one would allow, say -100W into the grid and the other aims for 0W
Done something similar here: viewtopic.php?t=2571

[Alibro]

Time to prioritize: let them aim for different targets. So one would allow, say -100W into the grid and the other aims for 0W
Done something similar here: viewtopic.php?t=2571

Most of the time they get it right but occasionally there is some confusion, like when a heavy load turns off or the sun suddenly comes out or goes in.
Overall I'm very please with how well it works.

[Gregski]

so here is a first look at a production graph with eight 200 watt solar panels (1,600 watts) feeding into a 2,000 watt 240v inverter

Note: no need to adjust your monitors, Emporia the company who makes the smart plugs and the Vue monitor and software that I use to provide these graphs changed how they display solar production to now be upside down, so blue right side up is consumption and green upside down is solar production, I won't lie to you at first I thought I installed the hall effect current sensor on backwards, but it do the same thing clipped on either way, and I confirmed this with their Tech Support


now we see a nice pointy tip at the top of the upside down bell curve, valley curve? something like that

[Alibro]

Seems a weird way to present the information.
I bet their help desk loves it!

[johu]

How are the prices of solar tech developing in the land of the free? Read some worrying news

[Gregski]

How are the prices of solar tech developing in the land of the free? Read some worrying news

[johu]

That's right!
Little did you know that we found quitting smoking just doesn't work. So now we subsidize cigarettes and teach children in school that smoking is good for you! Also more smoking=more freedom

No seriously, have the prices for panels, inverters etc. changed so far?

[Gregski]

No seriously, have the prices for panels, inverters etc. changed so far?

This is not a simple answer but I will try my best. The short answer is no, not in the last few months, but hell yes over the last few years! I hope that makes sense.

It is not a simple answer because it is impossible for me to compare prices apples to apples as the same products get sold out and show as no longer available to check prices today, but here they are over the years.

for example in May 28, 2020 a 100 watt 12v WindyNation solar panel cost me $77.00 dollars, the same panel in May 15, 2022 was $99.00 dollars.

In August 10, 2022 Renogy 30 foot solar cable was $40 bucks the same cable in April 25, 2023 was $52 bucks

In September 9, 2022 a Rich Solar two pack of 100 watt 12 volt panels cost me $186 dollars the same panels in May 29, 2023 were $205

a pair of Y adapter cables back in August 2, 2022 was $8.00 on October 13, 2023 $9.00

a 5 foot extension cable in April 20, 2023 was $11 dollars and in April 8, 2025 is now $12 dollars

[Gregski]

I usually don't do this, but just came across this on AMAZON while doing some historical price comparisons for Johannes, so blame him, this is a super great buy for anyone looking to get into the sport

https://www.amazon.com/Grid-Tie-Inverte ... B0DP67PCL9

AH SH!ET just learned they get you on the Shipping - $30 bucks !!!