DIY solar package

[88V8]

Not that I'm suggesting this American offering for UK members, but is there anything comparable to this package available over here?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/legion-solar-6-permission-free-energy-with-ai/x/27535364

Panels, controller, battery, plug & play.... only 3kw, but still....

V8

[PhaseThree]

Not that I'm suggesting this American offering for UK members, but is there anything comparable to this package available over here?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/legion-solar-6-permission-free-energy-with-ai/x/27535364

Panels, controller, battery, plug & play.... only 3kw, but still....

V8

Take a look at
https://www.pluginsolar.co.uk/

Or use the kit builder on
https://midsummerwholesale.co.uk/

I know people who have used both with success.

[servodude]

Not that I'm suggesting this American offering for UK members, but is there anything comparable to this package available over here?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/legion-solar-6-permission-free-energy-with-ai/x/27535364

Panels, controller, battery, plug & play.... only 3kw, but still....

V8

Take a look at
https://www.pluginsolar.co.uk/

Or use the kit builder on
https://midsummerwholesale.co.uk/

I know people who have used both with success.

Someone needs to have a system that can cope with the anti-islanding regulations in a way that means these can work as a isolated local supply when you need it.

Even just having a socket or two on the inverter would be really useful.

[Mike4]

Even just having a socket or two on the inverter would be really useful.

Like this, you mean?

https://uk.jackery.com/products/jackery ... -generator

[Mike4]

Not that I'm suggesting this American offering for UK members, but is there anything comparable to this package available over here?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/legion-solar-6-permission-free-energy-with-ai/x/27535364

Panels, controller, battery, plug & play.... only 3kw, but still....

V8

In the world of boating Bimble have been in the game for years, probably decades and have a good reputation.

https://bimblesolar.com/

My own experience as a customer is luke warm though. An item I bought from them doesn't match the web page description and they were totally GILLIGAF about it. Five years later I bought the same item again but for a different boat imagining they would have fixed it, but guess what.....

~Everyone else raves about them though, so they must have at least some happy customers!

[Mike4]

Not that I'm suggesting this American offering for UK members, but is there anything comparable to this package available over here?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/legion-solar-6-permission-free-energy-with-ai/x/27535364

Panels, controller, battery, plug & play.... only 3kw, but still....

V8

Take a look at
https://www.pluginsolar.co.uk/

Or use the kit builder on
https://midsummerwholesale.co.uk/

I know people who have used both with success.

Someone needs to have a system that can cope with the anti-islanding regulations in a way that means these can work as a isolated local supply when you need it.

Even just having a socket or two on the inverter would be really useful.

This is the first time I've heard this term. A brief goggle reveals these regulationss are to protect workers on sections of the grid infrastructure turned OFF, from getting back-fed with power from home solar systems supplying power INTO the grid.

I've never really understood how the grid can have the "feed in tariffs" we have here in the UK, I think they must be of little use and a monumental PITA to the grid system designers and managers as you don't have to go far up the grid (often just a few feet!) before the voltage changes to three phase and then steps up. So without thinking too deeply, I'd imagine any solar feed-in happening can actually only power the few houses in the same street on the same phase and voltage.

Basically, feed-in schemes always struck me a political thing rather than a useful thing for the national electricity supply.


(P.S. I think I might have found a bug in the posting system. Replying a second time to this post of yours but with different content resulted in my first reply being edited out, so I'm posting it again! It was probably an error on my part but I'm reasonably - although not 100% - sure I wasn't in 'edit' mode when the post above got 'edited'.)

[AF62]

Someone needs to have a system that can cope with the anti-islanding regulations in a way that means these can work as a isolated local supply when you need it.

Even just having a socket or two on the inverter would be really useful.

Or buy an electric car (which you have charged from the panels) that has an output 3 pin socket - https://thedriven.io/2021/12/11/ioniq-5 ... ll-in-one/

[servodude]

Someone needs to have a system that can cope with the anti-islanding regulations in a way that means these can work as a isolated local supply when you need it.

Even just having a socket or two on the inverter would be really useful.

Or buy an electric car (which you have charged from the panels) that has an output 3 pin socket - https://thedriven.io/2021/12/11/ioniq-5 ... ll-in-one/

Indeed!
It seems like a really good idea - or more that it seems like a waste of opportunity if there's power there that you can't use for the house when there's an outage.

Given that one of the biggest problems for most grids on the planet is coping with peak demand (and they often shut down completely if they can't cope) being able to easily distribute local storage seems an obvious thing to try.

[scotview]

It seems like a really good idea - or more that it seems like a waste of opportunity if there's power there that you can't use for the house when there's an outage.

I've had a look into this for off peak battery charging and as backup supply to primarily run a gas boiler electrics.

One of the big issues with emergency battery supply is providing a suitable earth. I've looked at the "GivEnergy" systems. They do an auto transfer to essential supplies on detection of loss of grid supply. The grid earth is disconnected along with the grid live and neutral. The backup supply requires an earth rod in conjunction with the inverted live and neutral.

The main problem I have currently (pardon the pun) is getting an installer to quote for installation within 10 months.

As regards emergency supply from a BEV, most manufacturers stipulate that the BEV must not be connected to a house distribution board. BEVs also don't have suitable earthing arrangements (yet), as far as I am aware.

[88V8]

BEVs also don't have suitable earthing arrangements (yet), as far as I am aware.

What about these https://alexnld.com/product/yi-285-new-vehicle-car-anti-static-strap-earth-belt-ground-wire-strap-reflective/ been around a while...

V8

[richlist]

A BEV doesn't have an exhaust pipe.
If it had an exhaust pipe how would you attach it ?

[richlist]

At the height of the summer you can use/store all the 5.2kWh of power.
* Run the house.
* Heat the domestic water.
* Charge the electric car.
* Store excess energy in the battery for night time use.

On a good sunny day.....like yesterday my solar panels produce 20kw+ of power.

[scotview]

At the height of the summer you can use/store all the 5.2kWh of power..

Well here's the thing for a punter living in the Tundra.

Battery saves say 4 kWh in December/January in a VERY good day. Now, in a power cut, which there are going see a few more of, here's the calc.

Battery has stored 5 kWh.

To power a normal house and keep you from freezing to death, the battery will keep an average house, well 2 rooms, warm for 6 hours tops.

Now, a battery having stored 4kWh will keep a 150 Watt, gas boiler system running for say 5 Days.

Thing is, Electricity can power the electronics and pump, whereas gas has ten or 20 times the thermal density.

I'll be more than happy if you put up a better argument because a lot of pensioners and low income families with children are depending on your logic.

[richlist]

I'm surprised that this thread has migrated to discussing power cuts. In the past 20 years I don't believe we have had more than 3 short power cuts in that time.

[richlist]

Yes there are always exceptions. With any subject you'll find people somewhere who have experienced an unfortunate event......but it's not the norm is it ?

[GrahamPlatt]

Now, a battery having stored 4kWh will keep a 150 Watt, gas boiler system running for say 5 Days.

Thing is, Electricity can power the electronics and pump, whereas gas has ten or 20 times the thermal density.

Re running the electrics for your gas boiler. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler just to have a small petrol generator as backup?

[scotview]

Re running the electrics for your gas boiler. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler just to have a small petrol generator as backup?

Yes maybe but theoretically, with a battery, you should be able to capitalise on solar, off peak tariffs and emergency standby. The technology is all there but is becoming frustratingly difficult to implement. Its not rocket science.

My wife would cope with a UPS on auto changeover and maybe a reset button. Filling a messy generator tank, getting it to restart without flooding and all that noise and smelly stuff.

[GrahamPlatt]

Re running the electrics for your gas boiler. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler just to have a small petrol generator as backup?

Yes maybe but theoretically, with a battery, you should be able to capitalise on solar, off peak tariffs and emergency standby. The technology is all there but is becoming frustratingly difficult to implement. Its not rocket science.

My wife would cope with a UPS on auto changeover and maybe a reset button. Filling a messy generator tank, getting it to restart without flooding and all that noise and smelly stuff.

It’s not your wife’s job!
Or, speak to Mike4 and get him to show her the charm of a marine diesel.

[9873210]

Now, a battery having stored 4kWh will keep a 150 Watt, gas boiler system running for say 5 Days.

Thing is, Electricity can power the electronics and pump, whereas gas has ten or 20 times the thermal density.

Re running the electrics for your gas boiler. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler just to have a small petrol generator as backup?

It would be simpler* just to have a small gas generator.

Gas burns cleaner than petrol so there is less maintenance and of course no need to store and handle smelly, carcinogenic fuel.

* Simpler than petrol, the merits of gas v. battery are not considered here.

[9873210]

I've never really understood how the grid can have the "feed in tariffs" we have here in the UK, I think they must be of little use and a monumental PITA to the grid system designers and managers as you don't have to go far up the grid (often just a few feet!) before the voltage changes to three phase and then steps up. So without thinking too deeply, I'd imagine any solar feed-in happening can actually only power the few houses in the same street on the same phase and voltage.

Transformers work either way. Feed one side they step down, feed the other they step up.

The one phase to three phase will work if roughly a third of the feed-in is on each phase. (Which is essentially the way the load gets balanced across three phases.)

There are technical details that matter*, but the grid can in principle distribute any feed-in power as far as is needed.

* Some managers and engineers regard this as a monumental PITA, others as an interesting challenge they are being paid to solve.