DIY Solar Ground Array with Battery Backup - Full Install

[@cgutowski471]

This is clean! One item you need to re-do. On that flex 90 into the back of wire trough, you can’t have that buried behind the trough/drywall/etc, must be fully accessible.

[@DavidGetchel]

Nice! I need to work on my racking next. Got a killer deal on a pallet of new 370w panels. Bifacials would work well here in the desert, but I couldn't find decent prices.

[@Barc7580]

Ray, I really enjoy your videos. Nice job. Appreciate all the extra info you give as you go step by step.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

I appreciate that!

[@benkanobe7500]

The panels look fantastic along the fence like that. Thanks for doing such great work and for the links. Now I have an example of how to do it to code so I can go back and fix all my mistakes. Excellent!

[@jasperthomas8048]

Well done! I am doing about the same but need a bigger inverter. Going to use the 18kpv. Your tips are priceless!

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Thanks, I think I'm going to be graduating to that one shortly.

[@ibenglish]

@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay That would be a must watch for me Ray. Perhaps Signature Solar would supply you with one if you reached out to them to do a review?

[@BigBillFL]

Ray, really enjoy your videos and how they're presented with no fluff, just the facts. Excellent job on this new array. I'm installing the EG4 Brightmounts for 10 450 watt panels, and same battery and electronics you have. You've been an inspiration for me! Thanks for the hard work it takes to put a video together while doing the actual job. All the best!

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Thanks! Glad they're helping. It's been a fun journey for me. This video took forever to make! When you guys use the links, it helps pay for my time... which is nice! Have you purchased your EG4 bright Mount yet? I thought about getting that one.

[@alexrapada]

Super clean install! Bifacial solar near the white fence is great location!

[@norsk54472]

sweet and good looking, also the Wasatch mountains looking good

[@markbrowning4301]

Since panels are bifacial, I was wondering if doing a couple of things differently might get more light on the back side? 1. Elevating just a little, so more light gets in underneath? 2. A tad more distane from the fence, so more light could bounce in behind? 3. White or light colored stone as weght to hold frames down? 4. Something else cheap and reflective on the ground? I've seen cheap 4' x 8' insulation panels, maybe half-inch, that have the very reflective aluminum-foil looking stuff on one side.....

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Very good suggestions. I couldn't raise them any higher because they would be back heavy on these specific frames. The panels are very long. I think I probably should have have them a little further away from the fence if I were to do it again. I didn't want them to encroach on my garden. But that's a good idea with the foam underneath. I might try that.

[@sergtod1352]

Put the foil on the wall behind the panels, so it will reflect more sunlight to the panels.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

I like your thinking

[@eddietee6305]

Reversing diodes are a standard part of the solar panel circuitry and it really doesn't need additional diodes in the circuit.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

It depends on the solar panels. This video from @everydaysolar explains it more: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXTJhH2vdtaXha8 Even though this setup doesn't need to diodes/fuses I like having them there in case something goes wrong and the solar panel circuitry doesn't work right.

[@tlteal]

Nice work Ray! Thank you for sharing this video and all of your technical lessons with us as you learn yourself. Love it!

[@callmebigpapa]

Great video as always! @3:08 you live in a paradise!

[@ww321]

Thanks for the videos. I'm surprised you didn't go ahead and tie in the second inverter.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

That's coming next :)

[@Roll2Videos]

Wow Ray, Great job 👍

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Thanks 👍. This one took a while to make :).

[@drkoontz]

First time to your channel, I enjoyed your full install video!

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@coziii.1829]

I’m glad I don’t need permits

[@mikemcguire5859]

Thanks for the video and links in description. great info video for someone interested in an off-grid system and safe install.

[@bobbyr8071]

Beautiful view of the mountains bro 😮😮

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Thanks ✌️

[@sanpietroprogettista9887]

Nice work, I’m excited for updates.

[@garymiller5132]

Outstanding build with great information. Thanks for this great video.

[@vevenaneathna]

NICE! the rv and extra future array wires is very smart. looking forward to some kind of analysis of power generation wonder if its worth putting down some white rock behind the panels or some black landscaping fabric to prevent weed growth in the future so you dont ever have to go back there. i bet if you bought a big costco roll of aluminium foil and rolled it out from one end to the other and looked at the difference in power generation, that would be the upper limit of what you could hope to gain by putting a bunch of white rock under the bifacials. im guessing its only a couple percent.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Thanks, I will try that. That could be an interesting video

[@vevenaneathna]

@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay didnt realzie you already put down black landscaping cloth. keep up the good videos, youre way under subscribed compared to other channels like average joe

[@lukimy2704]

If you want to take full advantage of the panels you may want to get some crashed white stone behind the panels, it will increase the production by few procent.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Thanks, hauling all that stone by hand might not be worth it to me but maybe I can get some white weed barrier

[@markbrowning4301]

Oooh! I just made a comment that included that idea! Or adding something reflective. Like super cheap 4x8 foam insulation panels I've seen with 1 super reflective side, and really easy to cut to shape with plain scissors (an art teacher I know uses those for projects)

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

@@markbrowning4301 interesting. I like the foam idea. Maybe I'll try that on half the panels. I might need something for the weeds.

[@martinchegewaweru]

wow thats place is beutiful love those mountain caps

[@willhall7777]

Im enjoying the video thank you. Im going to try to go all solar powered. Im a fabricator so plan to fab all my frame. One thing im hoping to do is put a motor on mine with a sensor that will send a signal to the motor to turn to always face the sun and when the su goes down the sensor would tell the motor to go all the way back to the starter position where the sun will go up. This is my plan until i figure out that i cant find the sensor and control box for the sensor. I figured if im thinking of it then somebody has probably done it akready. Out of all the solar videos Im liking yours the best so far.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Cool, let me know how it goes. There are some commercial arrays near my house that do that. I believe they are basically are vertical panels but they face East in the morning and then they follow the sun and face West in the evening.

[@markbrowning4301]

I might be wrong, but I think those vertical panels are a bit different. Bifacial for sure like yours, but the 2 sides are closer to 50/50. If not exactly that, closer to half-half. Yours have to be more drastic.... like maybe 85% on the front, 15%-ish on back? So my understanding is for those vertical ones: 1) both sides are used more, 2) motors that move them can be simpler, and with the ground space saved by not having to lay down, you pack way more into a denser space. So Ithink doing all of that is what makes it all total up better than static laying typical setups. I think. From watching YT.​@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

@@markbrowning4301 yeah mine are all spacing South so I definitely like my setup

[@johnpeter366]

Nice work. How many hours of direct sunlight do the panels get a day? I'm hoping to do the same thing but with 2 rows of panel approx 30ft wide. Thanks

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Depends on the time of year. I also don't have any trees. If I had partial shade condition I would go with optimizer or micro inverter

[@dirkdiggler2052]

2:57 looks like dinner time

[@tjmooney4181]

Great job and great video thanks a lot for sharing 🙏

[@about2088]

Damn. I came right on time, no notification needed! 😅

[@chasefrazion]

If that was an iPhone, the Measure app has that level app capability

[@PleadTheFifth_Racing]

Great video, I've been following you for awhile and setup my XP6000 like you have yours feeding your main panel. My main panel does not have a Neutral from the city like yours appears too, just a neutral ground bond in the panel. I did not pull a neutral to my inverter for the load side and I'm thinking I may need too. I tried to power up my system for the 1st time last night just using the batteries for the 1st test. However after configuring all the settings my inverter still wont communicate with the EG4 LL 100Ah 48vdc batteries. When I updated the firmware per the manual I started getting a fault code 00 on the inverter. Since you have a single inverter here do you have the DIP switches by the communication port set to 11 or something else? I've ordered a 2nd inverter and a 3rd battery to start expanding my system and I'll start adding more panels as we get the system working (right now I only have 6 400w panels.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Where did you purchase your equipment? They should be able to get the communication working. No neutrals? Yeah, That's messed up.

[@thienthan324]

I enjoy your video Ray. If you don’t mind, what do you do for a living? Does it involve some form of electrical or engineering of some sort? Also, I thought the 6000xp is not approved due to not having g certifications like the eg4 12 and 18 kpv

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

I have a degree in computer science. It is funny, they let me decide whether my degree is at software engineering or computer science. The physics and engineering classes in college were great for me. I like them. Regarding certifications, It depends on what state you re in but more importantly what your local inspector says. The 12K and 18K have more certifications than the 6000. I don't think the 6000 XP with fly in California. Some people in Arizona I believe have also have had a hard time. If you run into problems, I believe signature solar will work with you.

[@adityabaradia3675]

Nice video 😎 What about the other inverter and battery?

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Coming next :)

[@adityabaradia3675]

@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay cool , waiting 🔥👍

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

How long is each conduit for the Ground Mount? How many did you use?

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

35 ft. I just used a single pipe my large solar array. It's a inch and a half piece of PVC but I wish I would have went with the 2-inch one

[@Mr_Brown876]

Been watching your content a while and didnt even realize im not subscribe. Shame on me.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Lol, Nice :). Thanks 👍

[@ibenglish]

I was actually looking at those specific panels for my parents shop roof. Those are definitely the way to go. Very nice job. How about swapping in an Eg4 18 kpv? How long does the back up battery last before discharge? Debating on a whether to go with a single large battery or a few individual ones in a rack system later.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

It only lasts a few hours when my air conditioning is running at night. Not very long, If I had a space for it I think I would get a 10 battery rack cabinet and just slowly add batteries as I can afford them. You should be able to start small but give yourself some room to expand.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

I wonder if you can double stack the eg4 server rack cabinets. That might be an option

[@ibenglish]

@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay never seen that done and probably too heavy with those batteries to do that.

[@MrCharlesRoe]

@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay So do you deplete your battery every night and then the system switches to bypass mode and then charge your 14.3Kw battery the next day?

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

@MrCharlesRoe when the AC is running at night...yes. it's dead at about 9:00 p.m. right now. then the battery will charge from solar when the sun comes up

[@lasersbee]

Nice install of the huge panels... 30:16 A good idea to use flush side cutters to cut the ends of Ty-Raps Flush... Will save any future accidental Skin Gashes.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Good idea!

[@lasersbee]

@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay Been there done that..... Painful

[@Robertbush-s7t]

Nice looking job

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Thanks 👍

[@Chilychilz]

How did you achieve 6815w coming from your solar panels if you had 2 strings connected in parallel?

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

I have two strings but they are not connected in parallel. Each string is connected to its own separate mppt in the inverter. There are two of those in this inverter

[@Chilychilz]

@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay oh I get it. Thanks for clearing it up. Good work on the installation.

[@PlantPropagationUSA]

How much did the system cost?

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Coming shortly

[@DennisWintjes2]

Thanks Ray! Like 298.

[@benkanobe7500]

What does NEC consider "High" DC Voltage?

[@norsk54472]

any voltage over 30 volts DC on conductors must be in metal conduit/raceway that is ON or going through the house. I started with 24 volt arrays, then in 2016 I upped to 48v nominal volts, so I still need to replace my PVC conduit with EMT to be compliant

[@benkanobe7500]

@@norsk54472 Thank you, I very much appreciate that.

[@j.badinter988]

Good system. What I don't like is your batttery pack. Way too expensive, much cheaper DIY.

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

It does cost more. I like the look of this battery though. Also my DIY batteries don't have a great safety record :).

[@darrenorange2982]

So much time and money is wasted on over protecting the solar, I don't understand why that's the case it does not make any sense.

[@jounikyy7715]

not green

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

How so?

[@GetReal3327]

I mean no disrespect towards anyone. Why don't people do their homework before installing a solar system? Using a dual-axis solar tracker will produce up to 50% more energy per solar panel than fixed solar systems.

[@xuerian]

The purchase and installation cost of a tracker is generally not competitive with just installing more panels since panel prices have come way down. It's harder to install in most cases for DIY. It's also a moving part that can break down and need repairs, compared to a completely fixed array of more panels. Trackers were more competitive when panels were far more expensive. If you are very handy and can make simple ones yourself and have the tools (and can find used materials to do so), it might be viable, but that's not really the usual case.

[@GetReal3327]

@@xuerian I am a DIY person. I had a ground mounting rack with 12 solar panels for 2-years. Last year I installed the same solar panels to a dual axis solar tracker and I get 39% more energy. I also replaced every light switch and outlet in my house with GFCI. This helps to protect the inverter.

[@markbrowning4301]

I have heard that GFCI outlets should only be 1 per line or they can interfere with each other. So doing every box in your house may be overkill? Or maybe even counterproductive? Not sure, but it might have been more cost effective and safer to put in GFCI circuitbreakers. Maybe. I think I've seen them for $70-ish at Lowe's. Then, with regular switch/outlets, you know you have only 1 GFCI protector per line, and every box is protected. I think. ​@GetReal3327

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

@GetReal3327 do you have a link?

[@eddietee6305]

How many trackers can you install on the ground. What's the cost factor compared to the additional energy generated? Just some pertinent questions.