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If you have the setup where you've got that connected and make it work, that's a great idea. The neighbors next to my building have some on their roof--it's no
by mbg721 4y ago
If you have the setup where you've got that connected and make it work, that's a great idea. The neighbors next to my building have some on their roof--it's not too different from having batteries for your radio.
- ceejayoz 4y agoYou can get 100-ish watt solar panels on Amazon surprisingly cheaply, and they're small enough to take car-camping. https://www.amazon.com/PROGENY-Portable-Kickstand-Flashfish-Generator/dp/B0969Y2KLW/ https://www.amazon.com/PROGENY-Portable-Kickstand-Flashfish-... https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-SolarSaga-Portable-Explorer-Foldable/dp/B07Q71LX84/ https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-SolarSaga-Portable-Explorer-F...
- psd1 4y agoI've just specced up a system to deliver 1-2 KWh per day off-grid, and there are a lot more parts in the system than just the panels. Apart from anything else, if you save on costs by sticking at 12v, you run quite high current. That 100w panel can fuck you up.
- ceejayoz 4y agoSure, but the parent poster just wanted 50-100 watts to charge a phone. This just has a USB hub on the back you plug into.
- Scoundreller 4y agoA lot of the grid tied systems don’t even support off-line use, but you could always bodge something together during prolonged outages.
- TaylorAlexander 4y agoI was just researching this and the new Enphase IQ8 microinverters will run without grid power. You are correct though it is common for microinverters to require grid power to operate, which seems pretty surprising!
- lazide 4y agoIt's usually a safety feature. If there is a downed power line and you lose grid connection, energizing your (otherwise dead) side of the downed lines could easily kill the lineman who comes to fix it.
- TaylorAlexander 4y agoOh certainly it is important to have some kind of cut-off to prevent back-feeding the power lines, but I thought that would just be part of the system design.
- lazide 4y agoIt is! The easiest design is to require existing grid stable power and supplement it. :) Anything else is difficult to do reliably, and would generally require some kind of smart monitoring system, electrically actuated mains rated switch (not easy, cheap or durable it turns out), additional sensors, etc. The design we're talking about just doesn't output power unless there is an existing sine wave to follow. Pretty foolproof, since anything that provided it would also be the one responsible for electrocuting the worker.
- TaylorAlexander 4y agoThat makes sense! I guess being new to this it is just counter intuitive to think that you could install a big solar panel system and still suffer power outages. But I see what you mean.
- fragmede 4y agoI’m typing this from a computer I’m holding in my hand that’s more powerful than the ones used to put men on the moon. A box with three connections - grid, solar, and house (four if you have a battery) with sensors and disconnects and the smarts to not backfeed and electrocute linemen just doesn’t seem impossibly complex. Especially when we’re talking about home solar installs, which cost several thousand dollars to begin with. There’s got to be some other force at play here preventing this device, which is the most obvious way of implementing a supplementary power system connection, from being widespread.