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These battery + solar controller + inverter all-in-one things are very overpriced. You can DIY one for 1/4th of the price, with better components, and learn som

These battery + solar controller + inverter all-in-one things are very overpriced. You can DIY one for 1/4th of the price, with better components, and learn something along the way. I will say the software/apps they come with can be nice.

post_break 3y ago
These also store a lot of energy and can burn your house down. If you know what you're doing sure, but your home owners insurance might have something to say if it is the cause of a fire.
- falcolas 3y ago
  Using batteries which don't fail in a self-perpetuating fire (like lead-acid) is a good first step towards a safe DIY battery solution.
- Eumenes 3y ago
  LiFePO4 batteries can help in that respect - they also have superior cycle life. I wouldn't jump into an entire home solar setup as a noob, but a simple 100w panel with a small battery can be fun and accessible.
- Scoundreller 3y ago
  Maybe Europe is different, but in Canada (and maybe US), you often don’t own your condo balcony. You get exclusive use of it, which means the HOA/condo corp/strata gets a lot of say in what you can or can’t have on it.
  - zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
    That's weird and I don't understand why anyone would be ok with that
    - Scoundreller 3y ago
      scarcity creates all kinds of unfortunate decisions.
- Riffz 3y ago
  We need as many options so that this market can get jump started. My risk adverse brain wins out over my nerd brain on this one. I love the idea but want a professional product that isn’t priced by space karen so affordability can increase.
- dghughes 3y ago
  My Canadian province doesn't allow battery storage in homes. At best if you have a garage you can put one there but other than that no other choice. Outside is not an option since it gets to -20C here in the winter. One local person spent thousands of dollars only to find that out. The electrician and province should be sued by the homeowner for lack of info and lost money.
  - hedora 3y ago
    Couldn’t they put the batteries in a heated shed?
    - dghughes 3y ago
      Heated sheds are not common here. Most if not all don't have any power. I guess if batteries were in it then it could heat using the same batteries. But you'd still need to run a line from the shed to the house anyway to distribute the power. Minimum three feet deep the correct gauge and encased in the appropriate conduit sent to a subpanel then the main panel. That's a lot of time work and effort.
whitej125 3y ago
I'm in this camp and looking into DIY. I'm in MA. I get installers stopping by all the time because I have great roof space... but the orientation is horrible for solar so it ends up being a super expensive system that is losing half of its effectiveness because of roof orientation. So I've been looking into DIY my own "small system" on a spot that is oriented perfectly. Problem is I can only get like 2KW worth of panels. Too small of a job for an installer but even more perfectly suited for a DIY project. I know reddit is a dicey topic these days but found the r/DIYSolar to be a useful sub to ask questions and get great answers and/or clarification as to where to look for answers.
hedora 3y ago
Honestly, if you can do this, you should start a lifestyle business. You could undercut the incumbents by 25% and still have a 66% profit margin, which is insanely good.

post_break 3y ago

These also store a lot of energy and can burn your house down. If you know what you're doing sure, but your home owners insurance might have something to say if it is the cause of a fire.

falcolas 3y ago
Using batteries which don't fail in a self-perpetuating fire (like lead-acid) is a good first step towards a safe DIY battery solution.
Eumenes 3y ago
LiFePO4 batteries can help in that respect - they also have superior cycle life. I wouldn't jump into an entire home solar setup as a noob, but a simple 100w panel with a small battery can be fun and accessible.
Scoundreller 3y ago
Maybe Europe is different, but in Canada (and maybe US), you often don’t own your condo balcony. You get exclusive use of it, which means the HOA/condo corp/strata gets a lot of say in what you can or can’t have on it.
- zoklet-enjoyer 3y ago
  That's weird and I don't understand why anyone would be ok with that
  - Scoundreller 3y ago
    scarcity creates all kinds of unfortunate decisions.
Riffz 3y ago
We need as many options so that this market can get jump started. My risk adverse brain wins out over my nerd brain on this one. I love the idea but want a professional product that isn’t priced by space karen so affordability can increase.
dghughes 3y ago
My Canadian province doesn't allow battery storage in homes. At best if you have a garage you can put one there but other than that no other choice. Outside is not an option since it gets to -20C here in the winter. One local person spent thousands of dollars only to find that out. The electrician and province should be sued by the homeowner for lack of info and lost money.
- hedora 3y ago
  Couldn’t they put the batteries in a heated shed?
  - dghughes 3y ago
    Heated sheds are not common here. Most if not all don't have any power. I guess if batteries were in it then it could heat using the same batteries. But you'd still need to run a line from the shed to the house anyway to distribute the power. Minimum three feet deep the correct gauge and encased in the appropriate conduit sent to a subpanel then the main panel. That's a lot of time work and effort.

whitej125 3y ago

I'm in this camp and looking into DIY. I'm in MA. I get installers stopping by all the time because I have great roof space... but the orientation is horrible for solar so it ends up being a super expensive system that is losing half of its effectiveness because of roof orientation. So I've been looking into DIY my own "small system" on a spot that is oriented perfectly. Problem is I can only get like 2KW worth of panels. Too small of a job for an installer but even more perfectly suited for a DIY project. I know reddit is a dicey topic these days but found the r/DIYSolar to be a useful sub to ask questions and get great answers and/or clarification as to where to look for answers.

hedora 3y ago

Honestly, if you can do this, you should start a lifestyle business. You could undercut the incumbents by 25% and still have a 66% profit margin, which is insanely good.