Simple 800 watt Backyard Solar Panel System

Here's a quick overview of my simple, 800 watt DIY solar panel system. In this video, I walk you through the backyard installation, solar panel mount, wiring into the home, and the inverter and battery backup system. I also cover how much money it can save on electricity and the peace of mind that comes from having a backup power source in the event of a power outage. The solar panels are Spartan Solar 200 watt, the battery backup and inverter is the Bluetti AC300 and Bluetti B300.

[@scatman8403]

I am very interested in doing this. But I MUST say that I kept watching because of the background music. Well done video! Thank you for your posting!

[@suvari225]

It is all about power independence and self capability. 800w is not shabby, and there is a room for expansion.

[@Electronzap]

Nice. If you have a wooden fence, then I think that's one of the best places to mount panels on. Lots of people don't think it's worth spending money on preparing for a power outage until they have been through a long one. The solar installers I watch often mention that they get a lot of business after a disaster.

[@boblatkey7160]

I bought all of my own equipment for about $13,000 and I use my battery and my solar system in "non-export mode" so I have never told the local building department or my electric utility about my equipment. Screw them and all their permitting hassles. I did however claim the 30% tax credit and the IRS never checks. This system saves me about $3000 per year so do the math! Not too bad! As long as I have good sunny weather I use no power at all from the grid.

[@WMulanBTN]

sst, in Indonesia, you only allowed to power 13% of your daily power consumption using solar energy and the permit to have and build solar panel on top of your rooft is complicated and take a longggg time to get it, also expensive because the government only work if we give them money. I did, however, have 800w solar panel, almost the same as in the video, and i am totally free of electricty but i need to pay at least Rp. 100.000 (around $8)/month just for undercover.

[@cryengine_x]

13000 cost at my avg bill of 150 a month means i'd pay it off in 86 months or about 7 yrs. thats if my bill went to zero which by your own admission it does not. not even accounting the time value of money (aka i could invest that 13k now and have potentially double in 7 years at ~10% return in the sp500). no thank you.

[@p.b.9428]

⁠@@cryengine_xHe made it clear in the video that he spent the money for peace of mind in case the grid goes down. Which is to say, most people with the same concern would do the same …it’s not about the cost.

[@cryengine_x]

@@p.b.9428 true. kind of cool project. i just like to crap on green stuff if done for environmental reasons since i believe climate change is fake, but if done for other reasons its cool

[@2000megan]

@@cryengine_x if you are in Texas, having an off grid solar system is a game changer, especially with all of the power outtage that's been happening recently. The grid can't handle heat nor freeze nor wind... Imagine having no power for over a week after a storm during the summer in Houston humidity.... yeah... and all your groceries are gone.

[@rogerhargreaves2272]

Thanks for sharing your great setup.

[@johndahl6651]

I have my littel system here to with only 300 watt solar panel and I use it for my amatuer radio now 3 years with 400 amp lead battery work perfekt

[@Mgamerz]

Nice setup. I have something kind of similar. Delta 2 + 800W (to get it to 500w max earlier). Powers my grow tent i use for gardening and my entertainment center. Also charges my smaller portable battery i use to power my usb charging pretty much 100% of the time including my laptop and power tool batteries.

[@BackyardSolarProject]

Cool setup, the Delta 2 seems like a pretty efficient unit as well. Take a look at my video on choosing an efficient solar generator and let me know if you’ve done a similar test with your Ecoflow.

[@BackyardSolarProject]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4DCpGaOeZipjdksi=JuvpLjIt2_MFqrIL

[@ggggg4030]

Nice setup. When you are only drawing power for your frig, what is your state of charge in the morning before the panels start generating significant wattage?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

@@ggggg4030 Because you can set the Bluetti to PV Priority mode and have it charge from AC if the State of Charge hits below a specified level, I never saw it drop below 25% because it pulled from the house AC at that point. I've since changed my system a bit to use the more efficient AC200L. With the AC200L and B300 (5kwh of battery), the lowest I saw in the morning was 64% state of charge in July. If we had many days of clouds, or winter weather, I do expect that number could drop much lower. Check out my video on max runtime for details.

[@007alztruli]

I just bought a portable solar generator and want to buy solar panels to charge it. I would like to have at least 2 charging points coming from the same solar panels. Are there are any "distribution boxes" or something of the sort that will allow me run cables from the solar panels to different rooms and allow me change which charging point is active at any given time?

[@karronlaneNOLA]

nice. thanks for sharing.

[@BackyardSolarProject]

Thanks for watching!

[@drewx10]

Nice easy setup. This runs parallel to an idea I've had of setting up cells in my back yard and doing a car cover with the panels. Question for you is what gauge is the wires coming from the panels?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

10ga

[@Michael-Joseph123]

I always thought a car port would be the best idea.

[@streetracer2586]

Super Smart setup, you saved a lot of space and time not dealing with wiring a bunch of extra batteries and separate D.I.Y. inverter/charger components. Can't beat simple and safe. Question about the disconnect switch, I have almost 1,200 watts of ground mounted solar I have not yet plugged into my AC200L. Is the disconnect switch required for permit reasons, or just an extra safety step? Also, is there any type of permits required that you know of for this type of ground/fence setup?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

Thank you! I put the disconnect in for two reasons: 1 - Ease of working with and around the panels. I just have to flip the switch and they are no longer under load. 2 - To be cautious and provide a way for anyone around the house to easily disconnect them in an emergency. Permits are definitely going to vary by location - so please check for your area. I talked to my local jurisdiction and confirmed that for my community, a permit was only needed if the panels were on the roof of the house and/or grid-tied.

[@chumark54]

Thanks for the clip. I have 2 questions: 1. The disconnect switch is to cut off the electricity from the panel for safety reason, correct? 2. Does your battery have the stop charging function when it's full?

[@Firephosure]

What he has is a power station. It does everything for you and yes, it will shut off at 100%.

[@chumark54]

@@Firephosure by power station, you mean generator, right?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

@@chumark54 Some people will debate the use of the term "generator", but when you add solar panels to a power station, it definitely becomes a generator. Instead of liquid fuel, it uses solar power and battery reserves. Solar panels on their own are basically DC generators.

[@carick235]

​@@BackyardSolarProject exactly

[@TheDavjoe]

not sure if it is good idea to have gland on the top of outside fuse enclosure

[@allen35315]

How did you run the wire from the panels to your shutoff switch?

[@dane947]

0:18 shows it's just fished up to the fence top and run in between the slats over to the shutoff. At 0:46 verifies that.

[@Sjrick]

I want to do this exact setup on my fence. However, i would most likely keep the panels laying flat on my fence. I hadn't thought of angling them however. Now i am guessing i wouldnt need an inverter since the Eco Flow battery already has them built it. Do you have your system tied into your home electric ?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

It is not grid tied. However, my home AC can recharge the Bluetti if the State of Charge drops below a specified level. This is adjustable in the PV Priority mode.

[@sharpenrightservicesllc]

How long does it take with your 800w of solar to charge the Bluetti to 100%? Approximate is fine. How did you run the solar cables across your yard?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

It really depends on the time of year and state of charge when the sun starting hitting the panels. Plus, I'm using energy during the day when it is charging. Watch my video on Choosing an efficient Generator for more details on why the AC300 may be a bit overpowered for my needs and how the AC200L is more efficient for small loads, especially with only 800W of panels. Rough math, less than 2 days if the sun is strong. *Note: my solar panel placement is not perfectly ideal. I cover this in the video "Choosing a location for backyard solar". Cables are run along the fence line for now, which runs directly into my house.

[@allenbaxley8412]

What gauge wires are you running from the array to inside your house to the Bluetti?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

10ga

[@theoriginaljabootee]

Was this setup simply for the fridge or more? how many devices can you backup and for howlong?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

My original goal was just the fridge and cable modem. I've been using it to charge the batteries for my lawn mower and power tools - which is cool to use the sun to cut the grass! I also power various items around the basement. The AC300 can provide up to 3000W of power, so it can power pretty much anything 120V and under 20amp. Length of time depends on how much battery capacity that you have. Check out my video about "Choosing a Solar Generator for Maximum runtime" for more details on how long it can power items.

[@OWK000]

I wonder how you came up with the math of saving $90 a year: that included costs for setting up the system? The other thing is I noticed that exposed coil of wiring next to the house. You would think that conduit would be more important outdoors where UV light WILL breakdown your wiring insulation rather quickly especially if it isn't rated for UV exposure, but even then. Whatever you do, hide that wiring from the sun.

[@BackyardSolarProject]

Thanks for the questions and suggestion. I used the calculator at pvwatts.nrel.gov/ to determine the annual energy production in kwh, then muliplied by 10.1cents per Kwh (that's the electrical rate here ... I know, its low) to get the annual value. Basically 900kwh x .10 = $90. Someone recently commented that they were getting something like four times that value out of a similar array ... their local rate for electricity must be north of 50cents/kwh! As for the cables, they are outdoor rated, sun resistant as most PV wiring is. Agree that it won't last forever, though. I'm not finished with the solar array, so the final cable placement is still TBD, and extra slack in the cable will likely be used up in the future.

[@user-ni9ny6ei6w]

WHEN THE ELECTRIC GRID GOES DOWN ANY ELECTRICITY WILL BE A GOD SENT !!!. JUST THINK ABOUT A MONTH WITH NO POWER !!!.

[@MrPrplhaze1]

I also have an 800 watt solar array. With 2.5kwh battery, whole system was less than $1400. so far it has saved me around $200 in electricity in 3 months. For those people laughing about the cost, spending 2k on a battery was his big mistake. You can get 48v 50ah batteries now for just over $400. so for $800, he could have gotten 5kwh of battery, instead of paying 2k$ for a 3kwh battery. I'm averaging between .8kwh, and 2.8kwh per day with my system. I run my mini fridge, daily coffee, and other misc stuff on it. :)

[@BackyardSolarProject]

Thanks for sharing your system details and investment. I went back and forth on a build-your-own kit, but wanted to keep this first one as simple as possible. Luckily, though, I did not spend $2k on just the battery. (Including the AC300 inverter, it was less than $1800 on a very good sale on eBay, direct from Bluetti. There's also a 30% federal tax credit on batteries over 3Kwh, but ask your tax professional about that.) Now, as you suggested, I've been looking into an all-in-one and stand alone or server rack batteries for my next project. I'm curious, what is the electricity cost where you live? Even in the most ideal conditions, 800W of panels only produces 354KwH in the best three months here. At 10.1c per kwH that would be around $36. US average is 15cents a kwH or $53. Your electricity would have to be more than 50 cents (USD) a kwh to save 200.

[@davidbreeden9070]

Your utility must be crazy expensive.

[@TPG1977]

90 bucks a year savings. Can you share cost of the system?

[@Firephosure]

The AC300+battery is ~$2000 give or take. 200w solar panel is around $150x4. You're talking about $2600+ wiring and misc. The AC300 is expensive but it's portable. You can take this camping.

[@robertolang9684]

@@Firephosure 5000 BUCKS FOR 90 BUCKS A YEAR HA HA HA

[@Youtuberkt]

@@robertolang9684 it's $600-$800 not including AC300. AC300 is rather useful this way when not going camping, if already purchased and lying around.

[@robertolang9684]

@@KZbinrkt steam power generation is the best , free fuel in the forest to make compressed pelets and to feed the boilers and it is eco friendly , because is a controlled burn to clean our forests of fire azards , way to go for humans lets build more boilers and less solar panels that are a poluting kinda thing and do not work long term like boilers

[@Firephosure]

@@robertolang9684 How did you get $5k. What I posted is less than $3k. I don't think the intention is to make money back from investment. It's a hobby that returns some money plus it's a life saver when the power goes out.

[@tabauknight]

We all have to start some where. :)

[@jhonwayne1003]

No step by step guide?

[@BackyardSolarProject]

Not at this time. What there a specific step that you had a question about?

[@jhonwayne1003]

Well the entire thing lol. I mean setting up the panels is easy. The wiring and such a lot of us have no clue. I think a lot more people would move to solar if it was broken down step by step. I just need a setup to run 350 watts for 8 hours.

[@BackyardSolarProject]

One of the nice things about most current solar panels is that they use MC4 connectors. These snap into each other securely, and have push connectors to take them apart. One of the benefits to the all-in-one units like the Bluetti AC200L, is that you don't have to connect the charge controller to the battery, the battery to invertor, add monitoring equipment, etc. From what people say, it is a more expensive way to go, but it makes the first project that much easier because all you have to do is connect the solar panels to the all-in-one Solar Generator (Sogen) unit via MC4 cables. (And possibly connect extra batteries, but the manufacture usually includes those cables.) As you know, 350W continuous for 8 hours is 2,800Wh. However, I'd recommending starting with a wattmeter to see how much your devices actually pulls for that time period. It may be lower on average, but it may peak well above 350W. You can find watt meters like the kill-o-watt brand, or generic ones, for $10-$30.

[@jhonwayne1003]

@@BackyardSolarProject Thanks very much. The light is continuous 320 watt when the dimmer is turned on max. What would you recommend the simplest way to go?

[@msdevel]

Sorry but that music in this type of video is terrible ide :(

[@BackyardSolarProject]

Yeah - I can understand how some people might not like the music. Initially, it seemed kind of boring without it, though.

[@andalercom]

​@@BackyardSolarProjectI think if the volume of music is a little bit lower the people will like it

[@RobertSilva-lc3yf]

Another bad video because of dumb music. They never learn.

[@KingTheRat]

@@BackyardSolarProject I liked the music. I was about to get off my chair and start dancing.

[@maketaco6683]

$90 savings per year but the equipment cost thousands. Hmmm...

[@orionred2489]

If ONLY he talked about why. If ONLY...

[@maketaco6683]

@@orionred2489 not worth the $$ despite being a backup.

[@BackyardSolarProject]

@@maketaco6683 The key reason for the low payback is that electricity is 10.1cents per KwH where this system is located. In New York or California, where electricity is over 25cents/kwh, you can get more than double that amount ($200 vs $90) in annual value. Also, the panels are only 800w in total. The system can handle more panels (up to 2400W) and those are not very expensive compared to batteries. I could easily see a similar system that incorporated 2400 watts of used panels ($50-80 each) in a high electricity cost state, generating $500-700 or more in electricity annually. You'd likely have to add a second battery if you wanted to use the system continuously overnight, but that all depends on your usage and time of day needs. If you really wanted to get strategic, and your utility had very very low off-peak rates, you could potentially recharge a bit using AC at night to save a bit more money.

[@cryengine_x]

cool this seems totally worth it, a huge expensive monstrosity in my back yard for almost no relevant power. hail our green future. said noone ever.

[@VirtueSignals]

That music is awful! Really annoying, distracting and totally unnecessary!