Hurricane ready solar array! Off grid modular storm ready solar array!

I build a DIY off grid solar array that's modular and ready for the worst of storms with a quick take down.
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[@CloudHindlen]

Finally the answer i have been looking for. You would not believe how many people make videos of this setup and skip right over the information i have been looking for. Thanks for sharing. 😂👍

[@TKCL]

Glad it was helpful, a lot of solar content on the channel.

[@snowguy2954]

Dude, you are a genius. Let you wife do the narration and you show us your genius.

[@DrGuy118]

I am watching his process in 8x speed... The moment he took the solar panel off of the frame, I knew he was a genius... I downloaded the video just to make sure I don't lose it.

[@astikennel]

I love solar, this video was extremely easy to follow and encouraging for those of us that have no idea on how to get started, you are becoming my favorite channel to stalk!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for stalking!

[@st8kout961]

All it takes is money😁 But seriously, today's solar generators are as plug and play as it gets. Mount some solar panels outside, plug them into your solar generator and it takes care of the rest. Battery storage is the heart of any off grid system. They power your gadgets, and the solar panels keep them charged up. Or you can go with those rooftop solar panel companies with a grid-tie system, where your power company becomes the "battery." You sell any excess power to them during the day, and get power from them at night. There's no battery backup though when the grid goes down, no matter how many solar panels you have on your roof. You'll be without power like everyone else. Now if you spend a LOT of money, you can have both. Some companies will have an adapter to use your rooftop panels with your solar generator. Or you can buy a Tesla Powerwall for about $12K. Just as there's no such thing as a free lunch, there's no such thing as free power from the sun. It takes money to get it.😳😝

[@nmskc68]

i mean overkill, one bag of concrete 50lbs for each post would work, he aint playin ! and the posts dont need to be level, solar doesnt care, way overkill, but awesome ! if you got way extra time and money $$, go for it !

[@SayWhuuut]

​@nmskc68 if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right..

[@andrewdarbyshire9108]

Amazon has electric actuators to move the array up and down. Also to help with hail get armoflex rubber insulation sheets for quick protection.

[@Flash1857]

Good idea. Put the flex stuff rolled up at the top. Then some kind of release, with a switch inside the house to instantly unroll in case of hailstorms

[@arkansasoffgrid6077]

Now that's a job you can be proud of.

[@TKCL]

Thank you

[@brianjones2891]

A quick cheap suggestion for adjusting the panels if you decide to go full off grid and move them each month is to just use some ACME all thread with a nut welded to the frame and that you can turn with your cordless impact. I used this setup all the time for lifting hoods on industrial food prep equipment. Real fun DYI project after that setup is to bye a Raspberry Pie and a step motor and program the Pie to move the step motor which turns the all thread, and you could have a simple sun tracking system. Absolutely love the whole Home series. You are already doing what I have been planning. Keep up the great content.

[@TKCL]

I considered that too, but found a easy solution with a resse hitch mounted winch I already own.

[@bigswede7241]

Im here thanks to Evan at country view acres.

[@TKCL]

Welcome to the channel! Evan is a great guy.

[@floridadadvader]

Thanks for sharing 👍 very nice build.

[@TKCL]

Thanks for watching!

[@drmosfet]

It's nice to see someone taking extreme weather into consideration when designing there solar panels system 👍

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@matej.m.rejsek8537]

Nice nice nice. Clear instruction, great craftsmanship, slick design. Thanks for the inspiration and ideas.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@chingusfoot]

Recommended by Country View Acres…. Nice video… great job.

[@TKCL]

Thank you jumping over, Evan is a great guy!

[@jacksmith3951]

nice set up solar panel best i see on here cool

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@jterry0510]

Love hearing the progress and volume of the roosters.

[@TKCL]

He can't make his mind up if he wants to crow or cut it short lol.

[@htnowpro]

That is the best build I have seen. Congratulations on your great build.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@fischersgadgets4936]

Good stuff man! Thank you!

[@TKCL]

You bet!

[@bobcole3852]

Nice job, good plan!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@lawrencedavidson6195]

For hail damage prevention, you could build a plyboard cover for the panels and store it behind the panels for fast installation. Very nice build and greetings from Jamaica.

[@TKCL]

That was my original design, a slip in plywood protection measure.

[@ferencszabo3504]

Or some sort of quickly unfolding bird net

[@tedk2814]

This was a great video, you are a natural and explained everything so well. I've been looking at those Renege panels. I live in Florida so we have an 8000watt gasoline generator wired to the power meter box with a transfer switch but I bought the ANKER 767 package for clean quiet emergency use. I can charge the Anker with my gas generator on those cloudy days. At beginning of every hurricane season, I purchase five 5 gallon cans of gasoline. My Anker came with a 200 watt foldable panel. Its easy to put up and down but I want rigid panels for a permanent install. In full afternoon I get 170 watts out of the one 200 watt panel. Again, thanks for making this video, great job welding also and design you came up with works great. I wish you would bring a dog toy the next time for that beautiful dog. When you were cutting those 6x6 posts, the dog would wait till you turned your back, then come over and pick up chunks of wood than run out into the yard, so funny. Thanks again, Ted in Sebastian, Fl.

[@TKCL]

Lol he's got toys everywhere in the yard, but for some reason he prefers sticks and wood. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@boblupart862]

My goodness....fantatic!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@georgepatterson5885]

post setting explanation was very accurate and helpful for those that may not be in the know! Thxs for showing how top do this correctly without breaking the bank!

[@TKCL]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@townsville69]

You have the best site supervisor too :) Labs rule !

[@TKCL]

Yes they do

[@martienstofmeel2192]

Nice video mate thanks.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@scott6252]

That looks like a great diy solar panel system, I suppose you could incorporate some simple trailer turn Jack's for the angle adjustment part.

[@arieveloo9808]

Great system!

[@TKCL]

Thanks for watching

[@lg3053]

Heck of a build.. It's cool to watch people completely fabricate something new. I've had to create my own solar stands also. Great job.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching, part 2 is on the channel. I doubled the size.

[@ChrisEpler]

@@TKCL WARNING: Solar is addictive! Does it feel like withcraft for you too? I picked up 2 100W panels and a little 50Ah battery to play with. I was kinda surprised how much I can do with just that. Ran the pool robot and cleaned the pool, mowed the entire yard and blew grass with the leaf blower (Electric mower/blower), etc. It's amazing how much energy is pouring down on us and being wasted. I think the used panel market is going to be very interesting. Can pickup various used full-size panels by the pallet at $40-75 each for 250+ watt panels... Off-grid applications for these are going to explode I think.

[@longwildernesswalks]

Wow. That's awesome! My wife and I just bought 38 acres in NW Arkansas and the southern side of the property has a nice slope to it. Perfect solar spot. We're just waiting for our daughter to graduate, then it's into the RV and off to start our build. Thank you so much for sharing. This stuff has always been voodoo to me, but I feel confident in trying this now. Again, thanks!

[@davidedwards3468]

We are also in NWA. What town are you near

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@longwildernesswalks]

@@davidedwards3468 Harrison! :)

[@sharimctiver8952]

Great build - thank you for sharing. Hard to beat those $85 panels from Renogy. I have a similar goal of setting up a system to power a small shop & MIL suite. I'll be using a Bluetti AC300 that is capable of connecting to 4 modular battery units - up to 12KWHr capacity.

[@TKCL]

Those are nice units! It's hard to beat these panels for the price, especially new.

[@sharimctiver8952]

@@TKCL I just wish that I had your metal working skills - especially the welding!

[@yorgdridgeblern3550]

I love the wattage displays. I'm so silly. Great job.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@GoatZilla]

That is a really nice setup. For some reason it seems kind of rare for welders to think ahead about designing things to be modular/taken down.

[@floridaguy1133]

As a suggestion take a paint pen and write the socket size needed on the frame that way you know what you need at a glance and it makes it that much easier

[@LatitudeSky]

Just make it 10MM. Everything is 10MM these days. They should sell 10MM sockets in a six-pack.

[@TKCL]

Lol 10mm isn't beefy enough for me. Most hardware on this is 1/2 bolts with 3/4 heads. A few 3/8 bolts. Your definitely right about 10mm being popular.

[@jasongrinnell1986]

Who honestly can find a 10mm when you need it? 😂

[@TKCL]

Me, I went to cheap ol Harbor freight and loaded up on their 1/4 sockets. Lol

[@juliatodhunter6454]

When he said they brought the wrong tool, I thought a good idea would be to attach a ratchet and socket to the side of the Ecoflow or the wall space where the panels will store. Dedicated tool.

[@paulob5153]

If thàt is all your property I would have a massive field of panels ..thanks for the video

[@TKCL]

50 acres, got plans for more self sufficient means.

[@1sysop198]

Nice work...

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@JamesBabb]

Great build! Thanks for sharing. Make sure you connect to the EcoFlow with an XT60i connector. Without the extra pin, EcoFlow thinks it's car charging, so it limits to 8 amps. You seem to have great output, so it's probably correct.

[@sleeper7]

Great Video! Thx

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@stephanstocker3717]

Great video, great content, excellent idea!!!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching, more coming soon!

[@jasongrinnell1986]

Liked your video. Lots of good information.

[@TKCL]

Glad you liked it

[@michaeljavert4635]

Your dog is adorable. Watching everything you do, supervising.

[@byronholmes2496]

Thanks for the "known how".

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@byronholmes2496]

@@TKCL Your channel is an educational one, hay, can we get you a SHOP CLASS to teach? We' ll all be better of.

[@TKCL]

I do have a shop class, your watching it 😉

[@johnrockenbach7241]

Great job explaining ever step and repeating information so I don’t have to stop and go back.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@cmsgtgoose6334]

Old school level. Love it.

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

HOWdy T-K-C-L, ... Thanks for Sharing COOP the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA ...

[@TheVaga9]

Man, I enjoyed that immensely, that SIR is built like a brick SH^* House!!! Amazing job!! You may never need to move that.

[@TKCL]

Thank you, there's a second episode where I doubled it up.

[@jeremiahs45]

Nice set up. Really like the simplicity of it

[@Kingramze]

Brilliant design. I especially like that the panels have an air gap between them for cooling and to allow wind through so it doesn't turn into a sail or a kite. So many installs have no gaps - and many are on a hot roof w/ no airflow.

[@TKCL]

The hot roof is why I think a lot of people see reduction in output.

[@evgenyonishkevich8494]

Totally agree on post setting

[@reempire888]

Such a beautiful property. what a blessing.

[@TKCL]

We agree!

[@deadonleprechaun]

Hell yeah brother keep slaying

[@patriciamuskevitsch8359]

Great setup, well built and easy to understand. Thanks Andrew

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@mikerichard-FOPA3]

Andrew another great video very interesting. It’s nice to see Tiffany, Ruger and Bullet helping you.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching!

[@Lanaiescapade]

Awesome design thanks for sharing

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching, see part 2 for the upgrade.

[@katrinaassoumou6400]

That is great. Thank you.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@livinginthelight4002]

You will only need a total of SIX holes. During spring and fall (or every six months) the same hole will be used.

[@TKCL]

Valid point

[@Flash1857]

Believe it’s easier to just add a few panels, and set for spring/ fall angles. A 12v winch pulling a heavy canvas tarp up ( from a roll mounted at the bottom) with a remote or something to shield tome from hail. I have a 4 panel setup, planning on moving it and adding a few more. You do nice work, Thanks

[@ericballard74]

Another awesome build and great info shared! We’ll done!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@awbean5254]

WOW! GREAT INGENUITY!

[@TKCL]

Thank you

[@stevensaxon8888]

Great job Andrew, really appreciate this video.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@davidkarath6549]

Real clean build and install...👍

[@TKCL]

Thank you

[@jeffreylowes]

Tack wheels on the bottom, thinking big cotter pins, but overall pretty sweet!

[@cameronwatson5863]

as always great job

[@TKCL]

Thank you

[@carlosmora4908]

👏 awesome, thanks for sharing

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@benny7617]

Thank you for making this DIY video you definitely gave me some ideas.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@MartinP1214]

Another great project. Hope to do the same thing soon. Thanks!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@ryanzynda5114]

Thats going to come in really handy for you guys. I am happy for you.😀

[@TKCL]

Thank you

[@larrybell4599]

You have built a very nice solar array. Thank you for sharing this great video.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@photorealm]

Great job, you got a lot of detail in with out making it hard to follow. Thanks for sharing

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@stephenreese5921]

Expertly produced video and a wealth of information about construction, solar, batteries and use. Thank you!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching, glad you enjoyed it.

[@meme-yc4ks]

Hell of a project Andrew. Nice work.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@michaelbaumgardner9493]

Good evening. You've got my attention on the 240 volt idea. Thanks for vlogging this, it actually shows me how it can work out. Appreciate your time spent on this.

[@TKCL]

240 volt is the ultimate way to go for true backup or independency.

[@christopherpridmore]

Love the videos.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@4428314]

I just had to subscribe! Absolutely the best described video for solar. Claborne

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@rongray4847]

Great job Andrew, very interesting. Love your creations. 👍👍❤️❤️🇨🇦

[@TKCL]

Thank you

[@st8kout961]

Nice. I just bought 8 of those Renogy panels. Amazon has a great price on them. I've got two 600 watt solar arrays in the backyard and it's just not enough because I'm in the Vegas valley. Although we get mostly sunny skies, there's just not enough hours of daylight, (starts getting dark at 4:30 pm in Winter.) I'm just going to start lining my south facing block wall with those 100 watt panels until I have enough power, (we often get high winds so the wall helps protect them.) My Bluetti can accept up to 3000 watts from solar. Mo' power, Scotty.

[@TKCL]

I'm about to build an additional 1200 watt array starting soon. I'll test the 2400 watts and add more panels as needed. Luckily I get a lot of sunlight in Florida.

[@unionse7en]

could also make a hinged frame with cattle panel and hardware cloth for debris protection when needed... would still collect some solar in adverse conditions.

[@garywilkinson5887]

What a great video. I’m thinking of doing exactly this, except I’d be inclined to fit bifacial panels and fill the raised bed with white gravel to reflect the light back against the panels to increase their generation. Thanks for uploading this!

[@RC11759]

Awesome, I will try some of your ideas. Thank you for taking the time to help others.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@RC11759]

I am located in Puerto Rico, retired from the States, and am trying to be self dependent on energy due to the hurricane in the Caribbean. Your video will definitely be very helpful for me. Thanks again.

[@greyfyreshelties260]

As usual, your design impresses my socks off. You are the only designer of a solar arry that is designed to be broken down and protected from storm damage. Remembering the tornado when you were alone on the homestead, I'd build a collapsable 3/4" wooden cabinet to protect it. Just pull down the lid and unfold the sides and front panels. Use tractor hitch pins on the degree adjustment braces so no socket is needed = that'll make your tear down/degree change even quicker

[@TKCL]

My original design was wood protected and permanent. I figured a quick breakdown was the best choice. If we start getting those tornado preparedness warnings come spring (normally 24 hours in advance), we will just move it inside.

[@PlantDaddyK]

This is awesome! We think a lot a like. I do commercial plumbing but I love little projects like this. I can't wait to get back to developing my land with my lady love like you and your wife. God bless!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching, God bless!

[@HanDrolo]

If you could get another set of hinges on just one of the poles and make the other pole swing in a semi circle to face the sun you could get max input sunup to sundown. That would only be needed if you stay with this array and if you lost power. Just an idea. Nice build

[@Re5ist_ance]

Very helpful video .. cool solar setup .. thanks for making the video 👍

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@jgallo600]

Thats a really nice design i think alot of people wouls like to replicate or buy. Great video

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@Theoppositeofchaos]

Nice touch on the ground..I like what you have done rectangle like for controlling the grass..

[@TKCL]

Yeah I knew I didn't want to be in there weed eating or trying to mow.

[@RobertKohut]

Nice job! 🙂

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@MsEnzoh]

It will be interesting to see what your numbers are between winter , spring & summer…video on dude !

[@TKCL]

So far I'm extremely impressed for my winter numbers, I'm getting at and above rated output. Now with it being a little cooler that is helping me, but this is also Florida so it's quite warm here even in winter.

[@FelonyVideos]

OK, so I know I know, everyone's a critic, but here's a handy tip - the solar cells are fine in any orientation. Because of this, you could mount the top cells with their junction boxes at the bottom, and the bottom cells with their junction boxes at the top. This puts everything right in the middle of the array and makes working on it a breeze, without a ladder and without bending down. It uses a little less wire, too, but the big thing is how much neater and cleaner it is, and how much easier it is to work on. I figured I'd share this with you since you just schooled me on how to set a post, which I was just about to F-up at my place in a few weeks. Edit: If you put a 2 or 3 foot hood over the top of the top panels (makes an upside down L shape with the panels), then putting the panels in a vertical position will protect it from hail (damaging hail is almost vertical, and wind-driven hail doesn't have much lateral velocity anyway). You can get a cheap anemometer and an electric thrust actuator, and have the panels automatically slew to vertical when the wind kicks up. This can also be combined with a super-cheap electronics ($50) gadget you can get off the internet that can set the panels to the best angle every single day. This is the way I am designing and building mine at the moment, but since I am an electrical engineer, mine are also going to slew the azimuth angle to track the sun all day. I had to design the electronics and software for doing this anyway, since I also have a parabolic solar collector for charging the greenhouse earth battery. Edit 2: Beautiful design, beautiful craftsmanship, and very nice flower bed!

[@TKCL]

Thank you, I almost flipped the panels, but I can easily reach the top and wire everything together. I decided to leave them all in the same direction to help my OCD 😬.

[@PaulOfPeace54]

Since I'm spending your money, I'd install something like a standard garage door that would when commanded to close, come down and protect your solar panels. Now that I've added more weight to the assembly, I'd design a way for your tractor to lift it to store in your garage.

[@TKCL]

That is expensive 😬

[@kathrynck]

Nice build. And impressive results. I had a notion to get a roll-up industrial garage door, and mount it at an angle so that it could be sheathed down over & on top of roof solar panels to protect them in rough weather.

[@TKCL]

Interesting idea.

[@gamemaster7650]

Great video as always Andrew. Yes sometimes your videos can be long like this one, but how you do your videos makes them very interesting and the time flies by watching them. Great job and keep up the amazing work. I'm actually looking to put solar on a cargo trailer. Just figuring what I need for panels and batteries right now.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@Subgunman]

Great video! Many individuals will install 3 arrays. In with your SE facing system, add one array to the west to capture late afternoon as well as one to the East to capture maximum morning sun while your current array will catch mid day sun. No need for expensive trackers and you can take them all down in inclement weather. My plan is for three arrays, East facing roof, west facing roof and a wall mounted array on the south side with the south being an adjustable array. Trying for total off grid so we can also add wind power for winter months when it’s really blowing hard from north or the south.

[@mirtamatias3361]

Saludos tremendo espero copiarlo

[@jdmann9551]

I enjoy your channel and the vids. Keep doing what you do!

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@GianlucaTuscano95]

Good setup man! You shuld buy 2 external batteries for this setup, so you can have more power for the days with less sun!

[@dougdavis4439]

Great video, Andrew. The array came out great, and I can't believe those results! When doubled, the electric company may be buying power back from you!

[@TKCL]

Lol, sadly that program is dieing. Not many companies buying back anymore.

[@dougdavis4439]

@@TKCL Wow, that is sad. I would think they'd offer something for power coming in... any way you may not need them in the future anyway! Lol!

[@IMJUSTBILLUNO]

Really nice job. If only I had the time and money to do something like this.

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@my1little2pony]

this guy had me in the first half then busted out the 100w renogy panels hahahah

[@JimmyHensley36]

I’m 95th , working overtime the last couple weeks I catch the video late and get to read all the comments to . Great job Andrew looks sweet , I like your idea of how you mounted it . I just hope the bed under it isn’t Rugers new go to place to … well you know . 😂😂😂

[@TKCL]

Lol he's already been playing in there chewing mulch. Luckily he doesn't mess with wiring and he prefers to do #2 in the grass.

[@HalfPintsStumpGrinding]

Well done! Thats good good stuff Bro

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching

[@wwflguy]

I would suggest grind a bit of a point onto the hinge pins for easier mounting. I'd also suggest greasing the hinges as you assemble to prevent rust and binding

[@TKCL]

They are already greased and have grease fittings.

[@scrapironprepper]

In the last two months I have watched at least 25 videos on ground mount solar panels. Your system is one of my favs. I had already decided on the Eco Flo Delta. Btw, there is a Valentine special 30% off right now. TFS

[@TKCL]

Thank you for watching. What's your intended use for the Delta?

[@johnjensen5540]

Awesome video, I'd love to see how you'd go about taking your whole house solar. Love your channel!

[@TKCL]

It's coming eventually, not exactly sure what it will be. We will have fun experimenting and learning along the way.

[@davidcramb5793]

I'm in the UK, so our electricity is 240 volts. This is the 1st video I've seen that shows a system that is actually UK compatible without me having to be an electrician 👍

[@TKCL]

I am adding a second inverter soon to get me to 240 volts split phase. This allows us to power our main panels. 120 volts per side.

[@Captainpaulbtyhtr]

Treat your posts with Boracare , stuff is great !

[@TKCL]

I treated my entire house with that while building it.