Going Off Grid with ONLY SOLAR! - No Battery Needed

It is time to turn a townhome into an off-grid Oasis. HUGE thanks to Solar Wholesale for designing my system. Get a $250 discount on your own DIY Solar kit here: www.solarwhole... Working with electricity is very dangerous. Make sure you know your local regulations and hire a certified electrician where needed. (Like I did here on my project.)
Tesla also has a fairly priced solar setup: ts.la/zack10701 (Tesla does need a battery backup to be 'off grid')
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JerryRigEverything assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. JerryRigEverything recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, expensive electronics, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of JerryRigEverything, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not JerryRigEverything. Only attempt your own repairs if you can accept personal responsibility for the results, whether they are good or bad.

[@pavek]

It's surprising for Italian viewers how US houses are so full of wood and tender material you can easily take apart or drill into. Here everything is either concrete or terracotta bricks and tiles. Plus most of the houses in cities do share walls at each side with another building, except single households in the countryside or very expensive parts of the city.

[@onesujeet]

same here in India . Houses are made of concrete , bricks

[@kikihun9726]

US has a lots of wildfires. So they can rebuild the houses easily. Whenewer a brick house is on fire, mostly it will fall apart and you have to clean everything up.

[@enfeeyano]

What's the secret of America's wood

[@mcasur]

Same here in Brazil. But, among other things, concrete for hot places and wood for cold places.

[@RuhjedVentula]

American houses are the sub standard IMHO

[@Zarod89]

The fluent overlap between voice-over and live audio is very well edited. Great video

[@sirfer6969]

Zac has a real radio / TV voice as well, very professional

[@JerryRigEverything]

Thank you!

[@asdfhun]

@@sirfer6969 yeah, but it's out of sync all the time, the audio is at least 1 frame behind the video in this one during the entire video

[@asdfhun]

@@BFF.Studios you think i wouldn't notice that ALL of the videos i watch on youtube are async? They are not, only his. TBH i don't know if it''s asyn or dubbed, but every single time i open a video from this channel, a few secs in, and i curse, and say, oh, here we go again...

[@asdfhun]

@@BFF.Studios then it's even worse, because if it's impossible to notice a 1 frame delay then it must be at least 2 frames. Or even 3... (though i disagree with the it's pretty much impossible to notice a 1 frame delay statement)

[@stevegeoff]

In Australia, we have about 1/3rd of all houses with solar, and it’s growing. 5 years and it pays for itself.

[@YTN3rd]

There is no way 1/3rd of houses here have solar, it's going to be way less.

[@netmatrix75]

@@YTN3rd What he meant was probably the housing area he is in and not all of Australia. Not everyone can afford solar power for their homes.

[@YTN3rd]

@@netmatrix75 agreed. Forgot to ask if they are in a affluent area.

[@peterryan7340]

Yep approximately 30% of all homes in Australia have solar panels

[@stevegeoff]

@@YTN3rd check the link above. Almost 1/3rd

[@paulroling1781]

One reason solar inverters turn off when the grid goes down is that they need to be synchronous with the phase of the AC grid. When the grid fails, you need something to keep the 50/60 hz going. The most tricky part is what happens when the grid turns back on again and your backup system is out of phase...

[@JerryRigEverything]

I'm glad there are smart people out there who have figured this stuff out.

[@deeperlayer]

@@JerryRigEverything look man you are trying to push this product so bad.. but i have a hybrid installation since 3 years and as soon as i lose power it switches to offgrid mode till power comes back and i paid 2500$ for the inverter which has all the bells and whistles built in with no seperate panel boxes.. not only does it sense loss of power through a small current transformer like u showed it can detect minute changes in frequency and detect the grid is off even runs on ongrid mode on my generator and helps it when putting heavy loads all for 2500$

[@deeperlayer]

you are right main reason they shut off is to prevent out of phase short circuits which can easily blow up the mosfets and or igbts but the thing is most there is a better solution which hybrid inverters have they have a seperate output for offgrid that can internally be coupled to the grid input and frequency matched so when grid goe out it only drops the input grid feed amd keeps output running to your house.

[@Nur__]

@@deeperlayer share a link

[@devocracy1089]

@@deeperlayer Something that cost $2500 3 years ago is likely considerably more expensive today due to inflation increases

[@oneupkoopa4980]

Just installed 6kW of solar. Going to wire it up on Monday. Excited!!

[@JerryRigEverything]

Congrats!

[@ishinfinity3336]

@@JerryRigEverything hey um I noticed you blurred stuff but then the next moment it wasn’t blurred and just concerned if it was missed wasn’t sure how else to more privately tell you (also love your work with the e hummer and product testing

[@flamingkillermc2806]

Stop lying you DO NOT HAVE A TESLA

[@high_voltage603]

@@JerryRigEverything any leak about the ev military humvee plz

[@human_brian]

In Florida, HOAs aren't allowed to prohibit solar panel installation. I'm in the process of designing my solar installation, I don't want it on my roof because that'll cause my insurance to increase dramatically due to hurricane load stress potential. I'm look at around 10-11kW of solar and that should take care of most of my needs during the year, it should average out to net zero.

[@hiteshadhikari]

Hoa should not give a fuck with what u do with ur property

[@ralanham76]

Go Florida

[@tundraskateboarder]

Two things: First, simply adding the feature to power the house from solar during an outage shouldn't cost an extra $7000; you could run your regular solar setup to power your whole breaker box, as long as you have an automatic disconnect for the grid. All that's needed is for the main breaker to be thrown. Second, what purpose do the micro inverters serve, other than the AC voltage being easier to move along wires vs DC? If you put in a battery bank later, you'll be converting DC to AC at the panels, then converting that AC back to DC to charge the batteries, then converting that DC from the batteries back to AC for the house. How is the loss of energy from inverting three times not too wasteful?

[@MrHanichak2]

We've had our Enphase system for about a year now in January. Personally, I love the control in the app that allows you to control the power delivery of the battery backup and or where the power is going. So if you want to and you know it's going to be a bright sunny day, you can always be off-grid or you could be tied to the grid. It's all up to you!

[@MrHanichak2]

@@dtemp132 our system has a cellular 4G 5G connection. I think since they just decommissioned the 3G networks. But from my understanding, yes if the only way you have it connected is through your Wi-Fi or ethernet cable. If the network goes down, there is no connection to it. I believe you have the AP connection which is more for the technician and if you have to contact Enphase they can walk you through other types of connections as well.

[@thomaschek_cz]

Well .... I don't see any reason for app and not being automatic. It is overcomplicated, we had these simple systems here about 20 years ago? OMG, if there is a sun, it will use power to power your entire house, if there is surplus, it will charge battery, if there is not enought from panels, it will draw partially from grid ..... why would I need to say the system to charge battery using some mobile app? It makes no sense at all!

[@MrHanichak2]

@@thomaschek_cz it's a little over complicated for the fact that if you live in a district of the world where they have power restrictions through the day where you can only charge so much or if you're living in a place where like California where you have extra tax on power consumption throughout the day, the changes and that's one of the cool things in the app. You can set up directly through your power company so that you only charge or discharge the battery throughout those times of the day to help offset those types of charges. 🤦 I personally wish they had more settings to control. How and when you use your battery? On top of the fact that if there's an emergency alert for your area that your battery will go to full charge with special features on exactly what emergency alerts you want it to do instead of just generally all of them. why do you think they're so terrible?

[@thehugob77]

I have a miniature version of all of that, and more: with batteries. A single panel can run most of my non-motor appliances and electronics at sunlight hours.

[@Carljouannet]

Awesome! My brother works for Enphase out in Seattle as a field service technician, I told him if he ever sees a service call come up in Utah to jump on that ticket. Nice job explaining all this in a way people can understand 👍😁

[@WHATSINSIDEFAMILY]

We chose to have the backup run to our Golf Simulator if the grid went down. Priorities.

[@cmdrspacecroissant421]

Hi, I’ve worked in the solar industry. In MY opinion, since you don’t have any shadowing problem on your roof you didn’t need to install micro-inverter, a central one would’ve taken way less space AND would’ve been more efficient in every way, plus with a central inverter adding battery is way easier

[@deeperlayer]

exactly, but in US its the norm they are always different than the rest of the world. and always being ripped off

[@Nur__]

100%

[@craftminer3254]

Awesome set up! May I suggest caulking the AC disconnect on the outside of the house so water cannot enter via the hole where the metal flex is. I didn't see it in the video but the siding is still prone to water damage without it. Running bead on the top and sides should do the trick.

[@tusharsuvro8317]

I have been quoting these Enphase's Sunlight Backup, Full Energy Independence & Home essential backups for customers as a remote energy engineer for several months for customers living in ON, Canada. It's very nice to see you get hold of this IQ8+ setup. These are the most reliable grid-forming micros that persist today. Neat installation and commissioning.

[@lachychops2]

The fact you mentioned grid forming tells me you aren't bullshiting about being a power engineer :p

[@owenquinten9198]

As a European I am still amazed that you have the switch for the whole system on the outside of the house. Anyone can access it?! Same goes for the meters. Great video as always, thanks a ton for making! Wanting to make a small system myself for only my fridge but I don’t think it makes sense nor do I have the technical know how:)

[@Tysxno]

As an Australian, all our fuses and metres are in a box on the wall outside, very common here, is simply a trust system

[@NilesHlavacek]

It's not the same everywhere, some areas require switches outside specifically so power can be shutoff without entering in case of something like a fire. My area doesn't require anything in particular, so my switch is inside.

[@tupetsi430]

Anyone can access it, that's the point.The safety switch has to be installed near the electric device with easy access and it's mandatory in the EU as well.

[@ianvanede7466]

@@tupetsi430 that wouldn’t work here in The Netherlands 😂

[@owenquinten9198]

@@ianvanede7466 precies dat dus! Zelfde als in Duitsland. Geloof dat dat lijkt op als ze in Amerika spullen in hun pick-up laten liggen dat dat niet gejat wordt. Bij ons wordt dat sowieso meegenomen…

[@waleedmehmood1681]

We are missing your electric truck Humvee videos!!

[@ollierinko9387]

Why the Micro-inverters though? The obvious use-case of "often partially shaded" doesn't seem to apply in the slightest for that roof. And even then, new panels don't really create a performance hit to the whole string on partial shade anymore.

[@cmdrspacecroissant421]

Not only that but micro inverters are also way less efficient then standard inverter :/

[@ThreeTwentyTech]

Does the town home scratch at a level 6 with *deeper grooves* at a level 7?

[@BloodyXUnit]

No, but the solar panels do. 😂

[@kartik_sinha]

That drywall has no chance at level 6

[@OLBastholm]

No, American houses scratch at a level 2 with deeper grooves at a level 3.

[@fty-ys4ni]

Try level 1 LOL

[@ThreeTwentyTech]

@@fty-ys4ni damn it didn't even survive the durability test

[@acbrunko]

Good work. Enjoyed your professionalism and smile without giving away too much at 4:38.

[@kassemsayed52]

dont you love this guy? I do he ...makes everything easier to understand and makes very useful contents ❤❤❤thank you Jerry

[@JerryRigEverything]

Thank you for watching!

[@peterryan7340]

Lol his name is Zach

[@quietclarence7998]

Zack is one of the most humble guy's out there. Everyone enjoys your content! Cheers to a great 2023!

[@A_Guy_Named_Eric]

$6-7k to add on? I work for Greentech Renewables and we sell the enphase sunlight back up system for around $3k additional to the array lol all in all, a great system for islanding. This is also a great video for our new sales members to watch and learn from. Well done

[@qaassimmahmood548]

We have solar panels from a company called inverex in Pakistan. They have different package aswell and inverters . I saw them install the whole setup in our house . I may have missed a few things but the set up is solar panels an 5kh inverter and betteries . And a ground wire. ( Earth wire) . It was cheap and simple.

[@sirfer6969]

@0:58, wow! That scenery!

[@ianvanede7466]

Lots of junction & breaker boxes in the US, much simpeler with fewer cables here in The Netherlands

[@shtybastard5767]

I am designing PV systems and I can say its pretty impressive that you got to do the installing.

[@AndrewDescalso]

Thats a clean looking set up. You mentioned adding a battery to the system in the future. Do you know or can you calculate how much energy loss will happen from the multiple DC/AC conversions. Panels are DC, micro inverter is AC, then you would have to invert back to DC for a battery backup, if I am understand this correctly. Great Channel, Thanks!

[@BrendanTruter]

You'd all love South Africa, anyone with some spare dosh is getting solar because our power is so interrupted (Loadshedding). It's a common flex/talking point at a braai/barbecue for people to talk about their solar installation.

[@AaronFergFerguson]

That system is similar to the backup battery box we have on our house. We have a 10K system on the house. Charges at night, runs half our house, important things during peak hours. Also when the power goes out, we have about 48 hours of backup power.

[@NextGenEvs]

Enphase is awesome!

[@mathevideos9909]

As a German the quality of US houses never ceases to disappoint me. The roof of my garden shed a more solid construction and (I guess) way better insulated.

[@radix4801]

“Any idiot can build a bridge that stands, but it takes an engineer to build a bridge that barely stands.”

[@areoladan5580]

And this is Utah as well, which does get pretty cold by US standards. That being said, newer houses in Utah generally don’t have an insulated roof, rather the floor of the attic is insulated. So you end up with a very cold or very hot attic most of the time.

[@TimoNoko]

Look at Laura Kampf's new house. It is made of some kind of horse manure, with only few boards supporting it.

[@whoakshdeep]

We here in India people are using Off Grid solar panels from 3-4 years now as they are more efficient but it eventually add up's the totall cost of the project.

[@kikihun9726]

American's: we have to strap ourselves on the roof. Meantime in EU: hehe im, runin on tiles😀

[@swiftarrow9]

Also in EU: free world-class healthcare, great worker protection, and other factors that allow one to take risks knowing you have a safety net. In the US, if your average installer falls off the roof and breaks his back, he’ll have workman’s comp IF he meets a bunch of specific criteria, he’ll have health coverage UNTIL his maximums are reached, and he’ll be out of a job as soon as legally possible, and out of a career as well.

[@danmyers4763]

The inline microinverters are a pretty novel idea. I would think a self-contained battery backup would be a simpler solution for long-term maintenance and actual backup in the event of a prolonged outtage though.

[@leetjn5663]

The $6k to $7k he mentioned could go to 15KW of batteries and a Sol-ark grid-tie string inverter instead of the Enphase. There are pro's and con's to each type of inverter, but I would probably opt for the string inverter myself on an install that small and that open to the sky. For instance, having a fridge without power for 10 hours over night in the winter months is enough for food to go bad. I don't get the appeal of this system without batteries for that reason. Or if all you care about is backup power, again, that extra $7k could have gone to a smaller Standby generator and transfer switch that produces more continuous reliable power and is less complicated than all the extra modules and load shedding gear.

[@danmyers4763]

@@leetjn5663 You obviously know your stuff better than me! Great additional details and very informative.

[@deeperlayer]

@@leetjn5663 sol ark are rebranded deye inverters sold in my country for 1500$ for the 8KW model and New jinko ntype 22% edficient panels go for 180$ for 560watt were u pay triple that for shitty ptype 300watt panels in US... they are obbing u so bad

[@spacescout87]

@@leetjn5663 I agree, this kind of setup makes no sense at all. I was left completely baffled at the end of the video.

[@abdulbaqi6170]

Just get a hybrid inverter instead 😊

[@FarazMazhar]

I live in Pakistan and power outages are common in summer. We get really hot summers so systems (usually with battery backup) like these are getting popular here although they cost a lot. A few years ago, my aunt got a 10KVa system with batteries. It cost them equivalent of around 7K-ish USD at that time.

[@digitalparadigms]

That's about half wholesale price. Here (US) they would want 20-28K USD.

[@hiteshadhikari]

Problem is when in 8 years ur batteries die

[@muawiyasadar]

@@hiteshadhikari by then the system has already paid itself off

[@Rfhdvcgf]

Oommgg don't step on the panels they may seem strong due to the tempered glass but the cells micro crack.

[@sumanchattopadhyay7405]

17:05 you were about to say tweeter right 😁😁

[@MayankJairaj]

why isnt he on twitter?

[@jeffharper6259]

Zach is hilarious. " ... electricity is kind of important for things like running your refrigerator or Grandma's oxygen." LOL

[@timsteinkamp2245]

No, you are funny! Oh wait, side splitting. Computer access is most because grandma has tanks in the front closet.

[@edwardfrench6]

Great job guys! What amazing views they have. Just beautiful! ❤

[@costafilh0]

Shrinking and expansion depending on the climate! I feel you!

[@viper33802]

"It's a lot simpler after you have seen it done once or twice." You can say that again. I got an IQ8 system with sunlight backup installed back in August 2022 from a local company in Southern Oregon. I was the 2nd install of a sunlight backup system that they had ever done. Lucky for me I am an engineer and the type of nerd that got myself certified through Enphase myself as I was ordering the product . The installer's wired the system incorrectly multiple times and I had to have them come out and fix it. I love this system but the wiring is more complicated than traditional grid tide solar and your installer will have to be up to the task. FYI, You can also use local API integration into Home Assistant to track your production data from each inverter locally instead of relying on Enphase cloud.

[@mp455]

$6-7k for off grid power ONLY during sunlight hours seems steep imo. I know batteries are much more expensive than that--but I've heard that some EVs are allowing you to plug in to their batteries to use for house power. Could you do a vid on what that would look like? I firmly believe EVs are the future, and if they could save me an additional $10k on house batteries (or $6k for a setup like you showed here) they'd make even more sense.

[@RbrtWlkr]

You would also need a breaker that allows back flow from EVs. This type of power is different from stored batteries in the home. These breakers and their redundancies are not cheap.

[@stefanvanzyl9090]

$1500 for 5kWh worth of batteries. If what Zack says is true, and this system can only give 25% of peak power for the 'essential loads', then a single 5kWh battery would power those same loads for 4 hours - implying that you could buy 20kWh (or 16 hours' worth) of backup... Pair that up with a DC-coupled inverter, and you can run almost indefinitely...

[@tek1645]

Off-grid systems such as in the video seem more useful in providing backup power rather than saving money, especially in areas where power is unreliable.

[@jeffwoodard]

I like these installation videos. Great job, but that looks to be an expensive nightmare when it comes time to replace the shingles. Having to remove all that and reinstalling.

[@marcalvarado1915]

I just replaced my roof under my solar panel installation. Removing the panels and reinstalling them represented about $3k of a $13.5k job. What was a hassle was finding a company that would do the whole job themselves as most of the roofers I talked to did not want to touch the panels. So, yes it costs a bit more but not astronomically more.

[@WillProwse]

But at night, production goes to zero. The total hours that this system can run loads when the grid is down is 5-7 depending on latitude. Imagine running a fridge for a few hours a day. I don't think this feature is worth the added cost and installation work. I think running an ac coupled battery or UPS w/ traditional micro inverters would be more useful than this system. Especially in the city. Another option is to install traditional grid tie system, then have an electrician install a generator transfer switch for critical loads. Then power generator input with UPS or battery back up. That way you can actually run your fridge all night long when the grid goes down.

[@JerryRigEverything]

Fridges are like a giant cooler. If the door is closed they can stay cold for a long time. But yeah I agree - it's not a perfect solution. Still much cheaper than batteries though. Gas generators are awesome - if you have fuel. I think in a real 'event' fuel will become hard to get very quickly. It'll be gone in days. Where solar would be around as long as your equipment stays functional. Lots of variables as I'm sure you know.

[@WillProwse]

@@JerryRigEverything yeah I agree about the fuel scarcity. People can't just make that stuff in their backyard 😂 love your channel by the way! I watch every video

[@JerryRigEverything]

@@WillProwse I'm a huge fan of yours as well. Been watching for years. Especially back before the hummer project when I was trying to figure out the difference between volts and amps. Keep it up!

[@WillProwse]

@@JerryRigEverything oh man no way!! That's so cool 😁👍🏻 I started watching your videos when you posted the bump stock demonstration. I go shooting a lot and that video was wild. I still haven't used one yet, I'm a bit scared. Same with binary triggers. Fun engineering! Thanks for posting so many cool projects!

[@tisjester]

Yes, we're wearing harnesses.. except for when we're not 3:47 - My roof is at a similar pitch and I get the heebie jeebies close to the edge like that guy lol.

[@yakub3962]

Atrocious cable management 😪😫

[@muhammadazeem1346]

I am surprised that That wasn't the default case, the outgoing power shutting off in an outage

[@RishiKumarPS]

From India here, I'm in process of installing a 3.26 kW rooftop solar system here. The Solar company pushed the Enphase system on me saying it's more efficient since DC over long cabling will have more losses (It's just home cabling, obviously the losses are negligible). I denied and got a normal string inverter system and saved close to US$850 for the system. The string inverter connects to my home Wi-Fi and I can moniter generation. It's a grid tie system. For backup power I already had UPS system at home, so that will just stay as it is, only essential stuff is backed up. The whole solar solution is costing me ₹248000 which is US$3061. It used to be more cheaper before government imposed basic custom duty on Chinese solar cells to cut dependency and support Indian local Solar manufacturing. I'll be using 6 panels of 540W half-cut mono PERC panels. Ideally taking into account future usage like more ACs (due to global warming) and EVs I need to plan for a 5+ kW system. But I don't have enough roof space. For a few years I'll pay a zero electric bill. In future I have to buy power from grid for the extra.

[@Tysxno]

Never heard them called Town Homes before, townhouses over here in Australia, I live in one, and it’s thankfully brick and we don’t share walls!

[@chrisarnone7896]

Why not add batteries for the $6-7K ( or use that money toward batteries), instead of the backup feature. Sure it sounds nice , but for around $10k, you could get at least 1 battery which would do the same. I haven't done the pricing so I may be way off here. Just wondering.

[@kschleic9053]

Same thought. I bet the math is close and depends on the install details... An AC coupled diy battery is certainly less expensive but might not be allowed in a townhouse where community fire risk is a concern.

[@gregcollins3404]

In addition to the battery, you also need $6-7k of equipment to integrate the battery into the system.

[@marcalvarado1915]

You have to pay for the system that regulates the flow of electricity between the grid and your installation. Simply adding a battery will not provide electricity in a blackout as the electric company doesn’t want the risk of your electricity flowing back onto the grid when their crews are working on it. That is what is unique about this new smart system and that is what costs the big bucks.

[@kschleic9053]

@@marcalvarado1915 you could use a manual grid disconnect switch.

[@vgamesx1]

@greg @marc A hybrid inverter doesn't usually cost an additional $6k.... A decent one cost maybe $3k which still leaves 4k for the battery.

[@kingofmonsters7452]

I usually turn off grandma's oxygen to charge up my phone ( to watch your videos ) and grandma also liked your videos as she used to gets excited inside her oxygen mask when i played your videos . RIP grandma 😢 ! btw she was huge fan of yours . Her most favourite video was Hummer Teardown , she was most excited watching that Humvee V8 Engine getting dismounted that she started banging her hand and legs . This was the last time i saw her this exhilarated that i will never forget this moment 😢.

[@realemonful]

Those are trusses or rafters and not joists. Joists are used in the floor, second, you don't get a leak in a roof from running water down a roof, you get a leak when you have a driving rain.

[@Mike-Wisconsin]

The lack of trees just crazy. I’ve got 150 plus foot pine trees all around my house in north central Wisconsin. An your lucky to be able to see a mile or two at a time before another hills blocking your view

[@abdulbaqi6170]

We have hybrid inverters with dual output in Pakistan they do similar job …. 😊

[@cmdrspacecroissant421]

Those inverter do a better job in almost everyway then what the installation in the video does !

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

"Refrigerator... or grandma's oxygen." Priorities.

[@bruhder5854]

Refrigerator of course because you can put your grandma in it for preservation

[@TheGmodUser]

15:20 this technology is as old as electricity itself, its called island running. The smart switch is whats new.

[@Thejakegee]

Solar panels are federally protected even from HOAs. Satellite dishes too. Fun fact.

[@swiftarrow9]

Zach, thanks for sharing. I love your videos. I would like more info (part numbers / product names) for these Enphase components. Also, I have to note that there were a few things sub-optimal in this installation. The wire management had tight curves and tensioned portions (these will degrade faster than unstressed wire). I saw people standing on the modules (mechanically they can take the force, however that induces microcracks in the cells reducing longevity). The overhanging racking was cut too close to where the panel mounting bracket was attached (should be a couple inches so the slot doesn’t deform under bolt tension). I’m looking at getting solar and signed up for a quote; my installation is unique so I hope there will be someone getting in touch with me to explain where the panels go (hard to tell from above).

[@e.lan.s]

I was loking for this comment. No good stepping on the panels

[@SUPREETH.]

Zack brings the best of both worlds ❤️

[@raimundoferreira7626]

Well , what’s below those singles and plywood is NOT a joist , but a ROOF RAFTER , just to be sure you won’t call it joist again

[@ayoni02]

Jerry: electricity is pretty important NEPA: I don't see how that's my problem

[@dannyvfilms]

Could some of that be consolidated if you had a Span panel, which contains the critical load guts in it?

[@delquandrecolter3477]

You load guts?

[@zodiacfml]

isn't that $7k cost too close to having a Tesla Powerwall 2?

[@Hammer1]

That's really interesting. Also no twitter anymore haha 😂

[@giggity4670]

Did you clean the solar panes as i know even the slightest layer of dust or dirt can really hit the profmacmace of what it can power from the sun. What we need next is a self cleaning solar panel that sprays water and a wiper to you know it is always clean and running at full potential

[@howardsimpson489]

I stopped cleaning my sloping panels as it made almost no difference.

[@jfltech]

Is this setup only a backup? can it be also used to offset some grid costs?

[@iBonnieYT]

I love what Jerry dose It’s amazing 🤩

[@Lawless-Texas]

Not sure if it's nation wide but HOAs in Texas can not deny solar panels. I was on the board and even though our bylaws said no solar (written by the builder not by the board). Our management company sent us over the laws stating they must be approved. Even though we (the board) was going to approve them anyway

[@michaelfl122]

In Germany you get 10cent per kwh to the grid. And you have to pay 50-60cent from grid in the night.

[@Midori900]

not all solar panels need a micro inverter, you can just connect a few in series and pull your strings inside to convert them there to ac with one big converter

[@Rickles]

NEC requires Rapid shut off for each module. This requirement is often met with either a micro inverter or an optimizer. There are ways around that (I don't know all the ins and outs) but on roofs you probably want micro inverters or optimizers because they reduce shading losses.

[@Midori900]

@@Rickles if you plan your solar install well, the only shading loss you going to have is from the clouds

[@mindyourownbuisnes8813]

​@@Rickles I am not familiar with the National electrucal code but the entry point into the homes electrical system and later to the grid is always an inverter. What difference does it make if I hit the shut off switch on the big one instead of all the tiny ones?

[@stefanvanzyl9090]

@@mindyourownbuisnes8813 because panel level rapid shut-down is the result of lobbying by SolarEdge and Enphase to keep less expensive systems from Europe out. Their reasoning that panels can individually cause and sustain fires is based on flawed science, but politicians care about who's paying them way more than what the reasonable choice would be.

[@danielfmyers]

Curious: is there a contract coverage to take the system down and put it back up when it’s time to reshingle the roof, or do you have to pay for that yourself?

[@Rickles]

If you self install... You self remove. If you want to hire a company to do this for you make sure to get several quotes and see what they can offer. You will save less but you take on less risk. Still if you are comfortable with tools, DIY is certainly possible.

[@kschleic9053]

When buying the materials directly and doing a diy install (wholesale solar's business model) there wouldn't be any contract... But you would have done the original install, so presumably you would be comfortable doing the removal and reinstall too.

[@zachwak]

Pro tip is to wait until you get a new roof, then add solar. 30 year roof, 30 year panel warranty. Or use metal roofs, asphalt kinda sucks but is cheap around me.

[@brianfackrell4139]

I spent the day installing a 61 panel system only to come home to watch you install solar. I'm hooked. We average about 4 installs a week using the 8+ inverters but cant install them as microgrids yet.

[@freighter1097]

We spend the days throwing up around 1500 panels! We do utility scale though. About to finish up this baby 23mw site in IL. Keep at it friend.

[@TylerOfMO]

In Missouri they put a law in place to prevent HOAs from restricting the use of solar panels. The law takes effect in 2023.

[@dhanylllo]

I always thinks how funny it is that in the US all the houses are made out of cardboard hahaha

[@dhanylllo]

And they have tornado's haha u think that would made them built stronger houses haha

[@riyyannegi7932]

@@dhanylllo it would be much more expensive to build and tornados are pretty powerful, powerful enough to tear down buildings of any kind like cement, bricks and stones.

[@dhanylllo]

@@riyyannegi7932 As for the cost, yes is more expensive to build, but wayyy less expensive to maintain and last exponentially longer, not even considering the the rest of the world do it. As for tornados, not really a comparison, brick houses will take a lot less damage, compared with a house that will literally fly away.

[@lowerleftside]

@@dhanylllo tornadoes will fuck up any building no matter what it’s constructed of. Because of their different manufacturing processes, the use of wood products results in far less carbon emissions than either steel or concrete.

[@dhanylllo]

Key phrase: "brick houses will take a lot less damage" and your second statement is just wrong by itself.

[@JMarswav]

this is an interesting redstone video

[@Sillyzombie666]

any updates on the electric hummer its been 6 months, its the main videos i look forward to on this channel

[@vashstampede4939]

I live in Australia and i've never understood the point of HOA's they seem more throuble than they are worth.

[@singletona082]

I love these videos man, and i love that you mentioned in one of your followups the f150 does car to home power. Having that as a battery backup when... oh... you're going through mandated rolling blackouts is pretty great. More importantly that kind of system would allow you to install a dedicated battery to the house with a standardized plug type. Say Sodium Ion gets practical or some other less dense than lithium thing takes off. Doesn't matter if the battery is the size of a chest freezer it's not going anywhere.

[@jozsefmaczenko1563]

I am an electrical engineer, and I really enjoyed the video. Thanks

[@SATANALEX9]

I work at a company that manufactures the wires,harnesses,and electrical boxes for solar panels it’s a big growing business etc.

[@WANDERER0070]

Shouldve replaced tar shingles w some LIFETIME guaranteed ones to avoid future problems.Polysand unbreakable shingles or some made from Rubber or plastic last forever.

[@shipwreck9146]

This doesn't look like a city, it looks like a suburban sprawl that forces you to drive to get anywhere.

[@iamtheonewhoknocksss]

2:58 sounds exactly like how plumbuses are made in Rick and Morty 🤣

[@MarkRickert]

Cool seeing where I go paragliding at Point Of The Mountain behind you in some of these shots!

[@danielwilliambr]

I live in Brazil and most of the new things in solar energy are only on YT for me. But I still managed to assemble a hybrid system with Growatt inverters. I have a 4kWp string on a grid-tie inverter to generate points with the utility. The other 3kWp string connected to a pair of hybrid inverter also by Growatt, two SPF3500ES, maintains the whole house and also a bank of lead batteries which, in a test, maintained the house for almost 25 hours (with the help of the sun).

[@JimboFarns]

In South Africa, as power cuts are VERY common, we install a "Hybrid Inverter" which will auto switch between, solar, grid and batteries. My personal system is off grid during the day, fed by the solar (if grid is present or not) as solar drops away in the evening, I switch to the batteries until a minimum threshold is reached. (50%). Grid feeds the house through the night until the sun comes back up. First, the sun will charge batteries back up to 100%, then feed the house. If grid is lost at any stage in the cycle, the house is fed by solar and/or batteries. (4.5Kwh solar, 5.5kwh Lithium batteries, 5Kwh inverter.)

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Great video explanation. Crazy more complicated than your home solar setup. I think I'm going to install something similar to what you have on your house(the grid tie system) and then have a emergency panel which will be powered by a smaller solar array and battery bank(connected by a "All-in-one Power System").... during stormy days and if my battery bank gets low I can have the "All-in-one Power System" send power to the emergency panel from grid or generator.. I'll post a video but I'm sure it won't be as well filmed as yours :)

[@ajarivas72]

Why don’t buy battery chargers 🔌 connected to the grid ? In that arrangement the battery chargers 🔌 go online when the battery voltage drops

[@kha0sv4ktor72]

you can literally drill into a roof in the US?^^ not possible here in germany :P our roofs are hella thick and mostly clay tiles

[@ultramb6206]

Old guy standing on those panels possibly crakcked some of the solar cells even before job is done. Bruh.

[@valeenoi2284]

Fortunately for utility companies, when there is a storm of any sort, e.g., hurricane, snow, etc. you don't get sun. Unless you have a massive battery backup that lasts you a week.

[@ajarivas72]

A fossil fuel powered electric generator will help you. Also some wind generators . In a extreme case , the alternator of your cars can charge the batteries. As long as there is gasoline ⛽️ in the tank.

[@ColeBlack2]

Rock Mountain Power takes like 50%! Not even close to 10%.

[@stevenolson5703]

Former roofer here and I couldn't help but notice that at 3:53 the drone shot shows one of the install people on the roof without a rope. Lol.

[@adamsaunders4712]

…..”orrrr grandma’s oxygen” that got dark quick 😂

[@honesty_-no9he]

They can always capture power into portable batteries like BLUETTI etc just plug into a mains socket and leave charging during the day.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

If it's only backup power for during sunlight times, why would you need the bedroom lights as a priority backup....open the curtain.

[@mapimp1]

3:38 the flashing is extending over the shingle line, Micro fractures, weaved wires, no main breaker on any device, I would move that solar breaker to the bottom to avoid over heating

[@ShortyzProductionz]

Seems like it’d be easier to have a transfer switch to turn off the main breaker if you lost power that way you don’t back feed the power grid then when power kicks back on the computer senses that and kicks the main back on

[@peter-hr1gl]

I hope the Enphase software/firmware updates are now current to fully support the full functionality you describe. I have a 2 yr old enphase system with limited battery backup for a similar critical load panel setup (like you have) with additional generator backup upon battery depletion. Unfortunately it took well over a year from the software and firmware to catch up to what I was sold and then had reporting problems and still have consumption reporting challenges they can't seem to address with my hybrid setup. Enphase also has mediocre support (it's hit and miss based on the rep you get). Hindsight is 20/20, but I should have gone with a solar only system pending the smartswitch and backup technologies being more mature (particularly the software and firmware).

[@SkepticCyclist]

A small backup battery is also $6k and you can use it at night

[@MitchOfCanada]

Just calculated $10k CAD less install price for a 5.8kw system with EG4s, 5kw System and 2 Batteries @ 10kw. No transfer switch mess just a sub panel.

[@Eduard.Popa.]

In Romania is pretty common to install "hybrid" style, so is online only for pushing excess in the grid and is off-line - you still have electricity when the grid goes down. And yes, if you don't have enough money are installed only on the south but if you have the money we install the east and west also ;)