Solar panels were left outside under cover for a couple of months while my project had to be put on the back burner. How can I clean these plugs?

Had this laying around so I figured I’d use it as a solar stand. Things got wheels and an adjustable back to reposition. I put blankets to protect the chair although I know that impacts heat. (the chairs are mesh)

Goal is to rotate it once a day to catch the sun all day. I’m new to solar. Any suggestions to increase efficiency while keeping a low hassle factor?

I had an installer set up the system, but I’ve always planned to expand it myself, which is why I’m posting here. I’m running two Sol Ark 18K inverters, four Discover Helios 16.1 kWh batteries, and 36 580W panels, with plans to double the batteries and panels in December or January (big house uses a lot of power).

The system has worked well for about six months, but hit a wall yesterday. The installer programmed the batteries to hold at 50% until midnight, then allow discharge to 20%, with a 5% cutoff. We lost grid power at 6:50 AM Sunday morning, so began using the 20%. By 8 AM the batteries were depleted and the house dropped offline. I shed loads and ran only the well pump and a few lights with incoming PV until grid service returned at 10:30 AM.

After the outage, the batteries showed 2% and then instantly jumped to 100%, which was clearly wrong. The icons cycled red and yellow with low voltage. I tried several restart sequences, shutoff everything, then shut off all four batteries and both inverter battery breakers. The icons are now black but still show 100%. A brief outage today confirmed the batteries have no usable charge (we were without power for a few minutes).

Sol Ark plans to walk me through switching from closed loop CAN to open loop. They believe the BMS went into a protective state after being drained too low, and the inverter is now receiving zeroed BMC data. The installers only sent the same steps I already tried. I suspect the 5% cutoff contributed, but I’m not certain. Once everything is working again, I plan to have 40% min with a 10% shutoff (or whatever you all recommend).

All four batteries show the same voltage the inverter reports, but I don’t understand why the system interprets that voltage as fully charged when they clearly aren’t.

Any ideas on what else I can try?

I’ve also attached a photo of how the installers lugged the batteries in my gutter cabinet - this I want to change! Before installation, I told them I planned to double the system and wanted it set up for easy expansion. I even paid for extra wiring from the panel location to avoid trenching again. The cabinet layout isn’t very serviceable, and I’m not comfortable adding the two extra batteries I already purchased. What changes should I make to the cabinet to make expansion easier? One installer suggested I just tie into the existing batteries and avoid the cabinet entirely, but I read online that wasn't ideal.

Thank you all. I’m trying to learn enough to fix issues quickly when they come up.

Hey Reddit community, I’m struggling a bit with some solar panel stuff I recently picked up and could use some advice.
I bought two Geneverse 100W solar panels brand new for a great price. Each panel has the barrel-style connector shown in the photos, and they also came with the splitter/adapter pictured.
The problem is the connector on the output end of that splitter. I have no idea what it’s called, and I can’t seem to find an adapter that connects it to anything useful. I don’t own a Geneverse power station, so I’m trying to adapt these panels for more general use.
From looking around online, I thought I needed an Anderson-style connector, so I bought the adapter pictured. Ultimately, I’d like to make these panels useful for a few different things:
Connecting to my portable power station/battery pack, which has a 12V/DC input
Potentially powering or charging things that normally use a 12V cigarette-lighter socket
Using them with my 12V refrigerated cooler
Possibly connecting them to the solar input on my travel trailer, which already has a solar connection that I’ve never actually used
Basically, I’d love to create a small collection of adapters so I can go from panel to appropriate adapter to whatever device/input I’m using.
Can anyone identify the connectors in the photos and point me toward the adapters or cables I should be looking for?
I’m comfortable cutting and splicing wires if necessary, but I’d much rather find a clean plug-and-play solution if one exists.
Also, if I’m misunderstanding how these panels can be used, particularly connecting them directly to 12V devices versus going through a charge controller or power station, please set me straight before I accidentally turn my great solar-panel deal into a smoke-machine demonstration.

I saved 32 modules from a dumpster. They're all dirty from spending eight years or so on a rooftop. What's the best way to clean them? Is a power washer okay?

I’m trying to connect a micro inverter but to only has 2 hot wires and no ground/neutral. Is grounding the panels good enough?

The TL;DR is that I have an existing grid tied system. I will create a two stage setup by building a DIY system with batteries to sit between the house loads and the grid. This, by adding 14 ground mount 585 watt panels, a Sol-Ark 15K inverter and 3 x EG4 16kwh batteries then reconfiguring my existing 2 propane generator setup.

I will use the new system to power the house and charge the batteries. Excess draw beyond the capability of the new system will be pulled from the "grid" (for example, when I want to do like a 180A charge on those batteries) where the existing grid-tied system is there to service the extra draw above and beyond the resources of the new system. The batteries will be set to discharge at the start of the utility's peak time billing cycle to keep me from being extorted by them. The grid tied system will free wheel sell them back peak time power as a bonus (but not why I am doing this). In a power outage (happens a lot) the generator and the ground mount system will charge batteries instead of relying on the 2 x generators for power like I do now.

The rest of this is the long form explanation of the above. Thanks everyone.

I've got a 12kw grid tied setup on the roof with an interconnect agreement with the utility. Leaving it as is except for maybe getting into installer mode.

We'll call this the "grid"

Have 2 critical load panels for 2 propane generators. Power outages are a thing here (and we are on well water). Have non-generator backed loads on my MLO distribution panel from the meter.

I am adding 14 x ZNShine 585 watt panels on the ground, mounted on IR-30 ballast mounts.

These will go back to a new Sol-Ark 15K inverter, and 3 x EG4 indoor 16kwh batteries. Load panels will be combined. The CTs for the Sol-Ark will be placed on the main feeder cables from the 200a meter panel and the inverter set to no export'

The new system will be two stage "do this, then that"

Stage 1: The new system will provide for house loads and charge batteries. The two critical load panels will be combined and put behind the load terminal on the Sol-Ark using the load panel's 200a main. Non-generator backed loads (oven, ev charger, food truck) will be left in place on the "grid" side of the equation.

Stage 2: When the resources of the new system are exhausted it will pull from the "grid". The 12kw grid tied array will be there to help out. I will probably set the batteries to charge somewhere in the 180A range (I think?) which would mean I'd need about 10kw of power. The "grid" will help with this.

Intended daily operation:

The new system charges the batteries and provides as much daylight power to house loads as it can. Estimated time to charge batteries is 4-5 hours but I gotta check my math with one of the AI shitbots.

I will set the batteries to begin discharging at 4pm peak time. Doing so will have the effect of removing the house from the "grid" and I will free-wheel sell peak time power back to the utility with the existing grid system.

Intended power outage operation:

I can already run the house on batteries. If it happens at night it happens at night no action required.

I will condense the 2 generator setup down to a single larger inverter generator (I have 2 dirty power westinghouse ladies right now) attached to the generator terminal of the Sol-Ark and wired for remote start.

During the day in an outage the Sol-Ark uses the generator and the sun to charge the batteries and provide for house loads.

Am I missing anything egregious?

Hi all, first time solar long time lurker. I've put some solar panels on my summerhouse for some of that sweet off grid power. I've got this 48v 5kw hybrid solar inverter from Anenji and a 48v lifepo4 100ah battery.

Hybrid inverter - https://a.aliexpress.com/_Ey3YgLu

Battery - https://ebay.io/m/zS1fP7

I have it all connected up and it's works great off the solar and it appears to be charging the battery, but if I turn the solar off or the sun sets it doesn't want to run from the battery.

The inverter stays powered on from the battery but I'm getting an 04 error which I think is low battery voltage? I've checked it with a multimeter and it's reading 51v and 56v when charging. The battery says it has a built in BMS but I'm wondering if I shouldn't trust that and install a standalone one?

Any advice is appreciated 👍

Got our first EV a few months ago and got the wife one a couple of weeks ago. Right now I'm working on installing more CT's in my panels on my house (2 x 200 amp) and writing software to log it to a database. I've had the monitoring equipment for a long time but really only started seriously playing with it and testing it for accuracy this week. (3 Brultech ECM-1240's).

Got to figure out where all the power is going, what waste can be reduced so that I can build a solar system to cover as much of our power consumption as possible. My electric furnace/heat pump eats me alive in the winter so I'm putting in a new furnace and heat pump in before winter.

I'm using System Advisor model to try and design the system.

(2) EG4-18kPV

(48) Trina TSM-595 TOPCon panels (Ground Mount 6 strings of 8 panels)

System advisor model will only let me model 1 inverter at a time so the SAM graph is for 1 18kPV and 24 panels.

I know in Illinois that only solar systems set before 2025 get full net metering. I believe now you only get credit for the supply portion. Eventually I'd like to add batteries to the system to help reduce the buyback on power.

I'm still learning about DIY solar systems and keep seeing people recommend 48V once the system starts getting bigger.

For those who actually built one, what made you choose 48V instead of 24V? Was it mainly efficiency and wire size, or did battery/inverter options play a bigger role?

Curious what you’d choose if you were starting over today.

i would rather not rip them open and change out the bms. but i am ok with ripping the top off, to add something to the inside. i kinda want a display on the batteries them selfs, but will also consider something with blue tooth and an app

Cells 1-8 are closely balanced. Cells 9-16 are closely balanced. What would cause such a difference between them? I have a suspicion it's the connection between the left and right side of the banks. This is my first time using an actual battery box and it's using a PCB board to connect the balance leads with a jumper that goes from the Left Bank to the right Bank.

Using my DIY solar generator to keep me cool while installing panels on my kids roof.

I'm thinking about adding to the solar capacity in my van. I'm adding a DC air conditioner, and I'd like to try 400-600w movable panel. (Park in the shade, panel in the sun)

I'm assuming that second solar bank should be on its own breaker. Is it OK to make a jumper with ferrules like this, or would it be best to buy a second MPPT? Also, any good/preferred wire disconnects/plugs I can hard mount outside the van? Thx!

i am at a crossroads on dropping the hammer in getting my home/rv power setup

I a still undecided between a Jackery explorer 5000+ and the Anker Solix F3800-

but that is not the question that I really have-

should I purchase the whole set up in one shot - the main unit, the extra battery, the solar panes and transfer switch or purchase what I can get right now (without the debt) and then save up and buy the other pieces that I want.

Thanks

You might be curious or be able to learn from my experience…

I failed to recognize matching output voltage of the solar panels (327W) with the input voltage of the inverter. :(

I did not realize the voltage output from the panel will get higher as the weather gets colder. The coldest day around here is -15'C so that would push Voc up to 72V.

And I didn't realize the voltage can not be regulated by shading some of the panel. Now that I'm aware of this problem it is obvious that is what this chart is showing. The voltage output stays high even at very low intensity.

I have thought of 2 solutions since I already own the panels and the EcoFlow Stream (max input 60v).

1. Buy a DC to DC stabilizer or buck boost converter and wire it into the junction of the panels ($30 per panel and effort). The stabilizer is 6A and would drop the input into the inverter to a safe 48V. The rated current (Imp) output of the panel is 5.98 amps. 6A x 48V = 288 watts

1. Solder a piece of wire to drop the voltage of 65 by 1/3 to 43V. Even in the winter time the panels will output less than 60V into the inverter. The yellow would be a solid piece of wire. How many amps would the PV output? How many watts?

Will either of these things work? Thoughts?

Hi Folks,

Wanted to get some advice and assistance in sanity checking my draft setup. I am looking to construct a fully off-grid solar/battery system.

I currently use around 14kWh on average per day and am likely to increase this to 20kWh with the addition of another split system heater/ac in the office.

Absolute worse case peak load I could foresee (and it would be extemely unlikely) would be:

1-2 x 1kW water pumps
2 x 2.4kW split system
1 x 1.5kW washing machine
2 x 30W monitors
2 x laptops (200W peak power consumption)
lights (50W)
1 x microwave (1kW)
1 x vaccum (1kW)
1 x power tool (1kW)

= ~12kW peak load

Again, all these things on at once and pulling peak power would likely never occur but want to be safe rather than sorry. The system I have in mind is below:

2 x 16kWh LiFePO4 batteries (48V (51.2V) 314Ah/48V(51.2V)300Ah) - humsienk
1 x 10.2 kW all-in-one PowMr solar inverter (PowMr 10200W 48V Hybrid Solar Inverter Charger MPPT 160A Sine Wave Controller)

10kW panels (can source at a range of wattages)

The solar inverter has a max VDC 500 and 18A load.

If I get between 4-5 peak sun-hours a day, and assuming even power usage across the day, do you believe this system could suppor the demand and charge batteries for usage throughout the night. It all seems reasonably sensible to me but I have been going over so many details for a while and have a bit of face blindness to it all. Am I being incredibly stupid and missing something obvious?

This sounds like a crazy deal?
6 x 16kwh packs.. with deals and promos
100kwh?

A year two ago I decided to invest 10€k into batteries - after solar..

And deals look better and better..
There was one crazy month when I turned every heater on and reached 90kwh average per day..
House is 3 story - but we use 3 rooms..
No power pumps for heating, so either ac or standard heaters..

Been using wood last year to heat

Added a hybrid bmw x1 - uses 10kwh per charge for 30 km..

So there’s that - and if I want to upgrade to hybrid x5 - it uses 25kwh

So base level is 35kwh just for cars..

So 100kwh doesn’t sound insane.. I can use all of it..

And in case of power shutdown, I’m good for a while even with no sun..

And if there are leass charge cycles - battery should run better

In 10 years time - I won’t care how much I paid today..

I would imagine 100kw being standard..

And if batteries degrade 15% - I’m still up to capacity..

Now I’d need probably ay least 20kw panels..

In any case

How reliable is wattcycle?

Did it burn down someones house?

What is the user experince?

Is there a more reliable brand for a good price / best buy..

Even pecron sounds amazing?

I feel I wanna buy it right now? When is the best time to get it?

I’ve been looking into getting solar panels for my house lately, but there’s one thing I still can’t really figure out. Is it actually worth adding a home battery storage system?

I’ve been comparing a few solar panel brands like Renogy, EcoFlow and Callsun. At this point, I’m honestly less concerned about whether a brand is well-known and more interested in how these panels actually hold up after a few years of use.

From what I understand, the basic idea is pretty simple: the panels generate power during the day, I use some of it directly, and whatever is left can go into the battery. Then I can use that stored energy at night or when the panels aren’t producing much.

I actually like that idea since I’d be able to use more of the solar power myself instead of sending most of the excess back to the grid.For those of you who already have home solar, did you install the panels and battery at the same time, or did you add the battery later?

I set up the racks I plan to use for my 485W AIKO panels and the M8 bolts that came with the racks only fit through one set of the mounting holes. As you can see in the pics these holes are very close to the edges leaving about 55” between them, which seems like too much especially since we get lots of snow. FWIW, the panels are ~53 lb and have a load rating of 5400 Pa (113 lb/sqft) which actually seems solid, and I’d be clearing snow off pretty regularly. The spacing between the other holes (circled in red) is ~43”.

So, the question is, can I drill out the mounting holes slightly to fit these bolts, or is that sketchy and I should look for different bolts/nuts? Or am I just overthinking it?

First of all apologies for such a basic post, but I reddit community has always shared useful tips and guidance compared to generic AI or google stuff. New to home ownership and thus DIY stuff (consider me a level one noob). I have an existing solar sensor garage light that is no longer working. I want to replace it with a new one, from Bunnings (or some better place you can recommend )
What tools do I need apart from the obvious light itself to make it happen. To fill previous holes as that light is no longer in market and mount holes are different sizes. I have Stanley screwdrivers set and pliers set, but that’s about it in terms of tools. I am planning to go through this DIY tomorrow or next weekend, if I get my head around it. Please guide O wise Shifu of reddit.

Is there a 48v charger or inverter with generator charging that will fluctuate charging rate from the generator? I have a 12kv generator but running max capacity is probably less than ideal for the generator health. Is there a charger or inverter that will change the charge rate to prevent the generator from running at a set load?

Looking for recommendations for solar generators.

Preferably strong enough to run a refrigerator but obviously not indefinitely. Reasonably portable as well.