Solar Sheds & Other Non-t6 Solar Projects - How We Done It -

[Dellmassive]

Is it right that if I plug batteries in to the socket to feed the house, I will always be limited to 800w.
The only way of getting more is to plug the appliances directly to the battery ?

What would be the way of getting more into the house ? Is this when the DNO extras come into play?to get more power - it needs to be connected by sparks to the house.

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800w is the hard limit for plug in solar in EU & UK,

you wont see higher power than that as you need better cable and fuses etc.

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to get more that the 800w limit - it need to be hardwired to the house by a sparks.

if you plan to export then you need a G98 approval - FYI - these hybrid inverters up to 3.6kw are already G98 approved, above that power you have the G99.

to export you need to get DNO approval and get the meter setup.


i started with a GROWATT, but quickly moved over to the SUNSYNK range.

take a quick look whats involved.

.

 

[Sackmycook]

what Ecoflow are you looking at - Stream AC Pro?

Yes, Stream series batteries......

 

[t0mb0]

++++++++++

800w is the hard limit for plug in solar in EU & UK,

you wont see higher power than that as you need better cable and fuses etc.

++++++++++

to get more that the 800w limit - it need to be hardwired to the house by a sparks.

if you plan to export then you need a G98 approval - FYI - these hybrid inverters up to 3.6kw are already G98 approved, above that power you have the G99.

to export you need to get DNO approval and get the meter setup.


i started with a GROWATT, but quickly moved over to the SUNSYNK range.

take a quick look whats involved.

.

What do you think of the SunSynk @Dellmassive, and were you tempted by the Victron multiplus or similar?

 

[Dellmassive]

What do you think of the SunSynk @Dellmassive, and were you tempted by the Victron multiplus or similar?

i love the Sunsynk, i had the 3.6kw, and quickly upgraded to the 8kw.

i had the Growatt before, that was ok, . . but the APP and web interphase was poor.

..


Victron 100% all day long for camper van etc - but not for me, for Gid-tied applications.

saying that @Grim Reaper & @WeaWar have Victron kit.

the Victron kit seem to convoluted with too many boxes and interconnections for me personaly.

i like the One Box + Battery look.

i researched at the start and see names like Sunnyboy, Growatt, FOX, SMA, Solis come up.

we have a T6Forum - PV Domestic Group going iy anyone wants to join in.


this is the 3.6kw Growatt from 2023 . . . the first upgrade after the Ecoflow Stream 800w.









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@Grim Reaper - Solar Sheds & Other Non-t6 Solar Projects - How We Done It -

 

[Dellmassive]

just realised that i had the Bluetti AC200MAX PPP as well,

with the solar KIT. - ( now sold on long ago)

from 2022

 

[Dellmassive]

@TrevorK

GivEnergy system - Solar Sheds & Other Non-t6 Solar Projects - How We Done It -

.

 

[Dellmassive]

@Mick

has a nice setup - post a few pics?

 

[Dellmassive]

@Martinf

also has a nice setup - post some pics

 

[Dellmassive]

@Wanderlust

has a SUNSYNK setup - post some pics?

 

[Dellmassive]

@czmate1999

has an old FIT system

Feed In Tarriff - so battery - just panels and inverter that feeds into the mains grid with a meter for payment.

got a few pics?

 

[Dellmassive]

@Skyliner33

also has an old FIT system - no battery etc.

post some pics?

 

[Skyliner33]

@Skyliner33

also has an old FIT system - no battery etc.

post some pics?

Pics won’t be very interesting. It’s just a Solax inverter with a couple of isolation switches in the loft.

 

[Sackmycook]

After a morning reading stuff....I'm leaning towards this......



This will give 2 more panels to play with.
I can then have a permanent 800w feed into my home usage, and I can recharge the batteries from excess solar and off-peak from the grid.
My standalone microinverter will then be surplus as the X has one built in

 

[t0mb0]

I'm looking at hybrid inverters currently to use with (probably) Fogstar batteries to take advantage of cheap overnight electric and solar. Currently my wish list is:

1) Home backup functionality - preferably with automatic switching.
2) Changeover switches to effectively bypass the inverter in case of a fault (otherwise I'll lose house electric given 1 above means the whole house supply has to come off the inverter).
3) Strong preference for some kind of open API that I can interface locally with Home Assistant or similar. I'm a bit averse to depending on cloud-based apps only and I'll likely want some higher level automation such that it can sensibly allocate solar excess to (grid/EV/immersion/battery) in a range of scenarios and times of day.

Has anyone researched similar requirements? I think Victron probably covers it but that seems to demand a premium from most installers despite the units themselves not being too expensive. A local installer recommends Solis but that seems to fall down on (3) above and their app doesn't look great. I'll check out SunSynk, not sure about (3) with those.

 

[Dellmassive]

Sunsynk work with home assistant. (Loads of Facebook groups showing it)

G98 spec units stipulate how they can connect to the home, and how they operate..... It's part of there Approval for use in the UK.( Including DNO application for export etc)

You can't have full home backup from a all-in-one hybrid unit..... But you do get a separate UPS output that you can use a dedicated socket for. (I've got a double socket wired in next to the inverter, that can be used with an extension lead..... But TBF we never have power cuts in London, if we do it is back on within an hour)

You can have full home backup using mains transfer contactors..... But that's some heavy duty switch gear needed and full electrician install..... And not very popular in the UK..... But more popular in say the S Africa where then grid is very unstable.

The Fogstar 50v Home batterys.look good and use standard CAN protocol, and can be used with most common inverters.

 

[Dellmassive]

@t0mb0

I looked at HA, but the OEM screen, APP, web interface etc all works great. So didn't bother.


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SUNSYNK APP.....

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[t0mb0]

Sunsynk work with home assistant. (Loads of Facebook groups showing it)

G98 spec units stipulate how they can connect to the home, and how they operate..... It's part of there Approval for use in the UK.( Including DNO application for export etc)

You can't have full home backup from a all-in-one hybrid unit..... But you do get a separate UPS output that you can use a dedicated socket for. (I've got a double socket wired in next to the inverter, that can be used with an extension lead..... But TBF we never have power cuts in London, if we do it is back on within an hour)

You can have full home backup using mains transfer contactors..... But that's some heavy duty switch gear needed and full electrician install..... And not very popular in the UK..... But more popular in say the S Africa where then grid is very unstable.

The Fogstar 50v Home batterys.look good and use standard CAN protocol, and can be used with most common inverters.

Victron definitely provides home backup, they advertise a <20ms cutover time so it should be seamless and Sunsynk appear to advertise something similar? It is definitely a more complicated (i.e. expensive) install this way though as you need dedicated earthing provision and a manual bypass for the inverter. Maybe it's not critical, but it just feels weird to have massive batteries sitting there that can't actually help you out in a power cut.

 

[Dellmassive]

Victron definitely provides home backup, they advertise a <20ms cutover time so it should be seamless and Sunsynk appear to advertise something similar? It is definitely a more complicated (i.e. expensive) install this way though as you need dedicated earthing provision and a manual bypass for the inverter. Maybe it's not critical, but it just feels weird to have massive batteries sitting there that can't actually help you out in a power cut.

How often do you expect power cuts?

Versus the cost of the additional install complexity?

The Sunsynk has a separate UPS output. The idea being that you feed a separate consumer unit with essential loads connected, but the mains in still needs to be connected for G98 approval and changing.... There is a bank of internal relays to deal with the rather switching and anti island mode...... So the UPS output is run on pass-through, but in a power cut it switches to battery mode.... But again relying on extra cabling needed.

Versus just a normal connection to the consumer unit for a regular hybrid inverter.

G98 states that the inverter must monitor the incoming mains and instantly disconnect in the event of a power cut ( to.ensure no power is put back out to the grid)..... BUT, the UPS output can stay live to keep your kit running from battery power.

Fyi on G98 there is a 60sec counter that when the mains comes back on after a power cut..... The 60sec timer starts, if the incoming mains stays stable for 60seconds, the inverter will kick back in.

 

[t0mb0]

How often do you expect power cuts?

Versus the cost of the additional install complexity?

The Sunsynk has a separate UPS output. The idea being that you feed a separate consumer unit with essential loads connected, but the mains in still needs to be connected for G98 approval and changing.... There is a bank of internal relays to deal with the rather switching and anti island mode...... So the UPS output is run on pass-through, but in a power cut it switches to battery mode.... But again relying on extra cabling needed.

Versus just a normal connection to the consumer unit for a regular hybrid inverter.

G98 states that the inverter must monitor the incoming mains and instantly disconnect in the event of a power cut ( to.ensure no power is put back out to the grid)..... BUT, the UPS output can stay live to keep your kit running from battery power.

Fyi on G98 there is a 60sec counter that when the mains comes back on after a power cut..... The 60sec timer starts, if the incoming mains stays stable for 60seconds, the inverter will kick back in.

Yeah, exactly, just a case of deciding whether the extra for home backup is worth it.

 

[Martinf]

@Martinf

also has a nice setup - post some pics

Here we are @Dellmassive
First the Inverter panel then the Batteries, in summer and winter mode. The insulation boxing makes a big difference in the winter and is easily removed when the weather is less cold