My New Net Zero Home Battery Surprised Me

[@UndecidedMF]

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[@PetraKann]

The packaging waste is enormous for your lazy FACTOR cuisine. It doesn't take long to cook up a healthy meal. And the same meal can be used for several sittings.

[@powerguymark]

I think NCM is correct. You had it right...

[@michaelharrison1093]

One detail that is worth pointing out relates to the frequent misunderstanding regarding the difference in the round trip efficiency difference between the Enphase all AC connected system and the competitive DC connected systems. It is commonly stated that since a PV string produces a DC voltage and the storage battery is also DC that this means that there are zero conversion losses with a DC coupled system. This is clearly not true - if you look at any DC coupled system you will find that the battery voltage is much lower than the PV string voltage and there is a requirement to allow the PV voltage and battery voltage change independently of each other to impliment MPPT control of the PV and charge control of the battery. This voltage difference and independence is achieved through the use of a battery converter in a DC coupled system. The companies who promote DC coupled systems will come back with an unsubstantiated assertion that a DC:DC converter should be more efficient than an equivalent AC:DC converter but this is not a valid argument if they are making a comparison to Enphase on the basis that the Enphase microinverter is more efficient than the DC:DC charge converters that are used in the commercially available DC coupled home energy products.

[@pranavid]

Matt, you missed the grid islanding technology during the power outage which only Enphase offers. The microinverters and tune the power output on the fly in the island grid mode based on the home's demand. That is where the Enphase shines.

[@KeithOlson]

If you *REALLY* want to be energy-efficient, do a deep dive on the 'Jean Pain Compost Heating System'. It can heat your house/greenhouse/pool/driveway & walkways/etc., as well as *drastically* boost your heat pump's efficiency in the winter time, and all while creating a top-notch soil amendment. Not bad.

[@davidkendall2272]

We installed two Tesla PW2's in 2018 for $15k to complement our existing 2012 installed 13.2 kW Solar PV system with microinverters and have been operating as a microgrid for ~8 months of the year in Edmonds, WA, while suppling our energy needs to our all electric home, charging two Tesla's and exporting ~50 percent of our excess energy back to grid via Net Metering. Last year we produced 474 percent (Solar production: 12,197 kW versus Net electric use: 2628 kW). We also have electric heat pump and heat pump water heater, and have done lots of other things to increase our energy efficiency. Our home was certified as being a Net Zero Energy building in 2016 by the International Living Future Institue. Our setup as been exceptionally satisfying for us, and we have weathered many power outages successfully with our system.

[@jamesbrady2156]

What did your system cost and what do you save each year?

[@davidkendall2272]

@@jamesbrady2156 Our 2012 solar PV system was a bit pricey $83k back in the early days, and now would cost around $20-25k. Fortunately WA state had incentives which enabled us to fully pay off the cost in 7 years. Our annual electric bill costs us around $180/year. We also charge our two Tesla's completely off our roof except when on longer trips, when we utilize Tesla's supercharging grid, and we haven't been to a gas station in more than 12 years and am completely done with ICE vehicles.

[@davidkendall2272]

@@jamesbrady2156 Our 2012 solar system with microinverters cost us $83k with incentives in place in Washington State which enabled us to pay off our solar within 7 years. We got a annual $5k check back from our electric utility provider for seven years through Net Metering by buying solar panels and inverters produced in WA. Solar costs have subsequently been reduced by factor of 4 now, and those incentives are no longer in place, but a comparable solar PV system now would cost $20-25k. Our annual electric bill averages $180-200/year.

[@C_R_O_M________]

Net zero my behind! That's a propaganda term all the way. You people have no idea what you are talking about.

[@ariisaac5111]

Nice. But since you don't mention your cost savings I assume you still have not broken even on your initial investment, which is very sad.

[@TJPavey]

We need a standard for interfacing all of this together. So many of these systems are propriety and you are in a walled garden.

[@kiddy1992]

It exists, it's called reading out all the data over modbus and doing it yourself in homeassistant. I have 3 different brand inverters and i just readout the power generation with a 3 phase power meter over modbus, you can do the same with battery systems

[@paul1979uk2000]

We do but it's unlikely the companies will do that as it will give us more options, competition and lower prices, so unless the government regulates so different system are compatible with each other, which I think will happen at some point in many countries, but until then, I don't see the companies themselves offering that yet, and your best option if you have the skills and know-how, is to do your own set-up.

[@meikgeik]

@@kiddy1992 I'm pretty dang tech savvy, and getting home assistant to work reliably can be a hundred+ hours if you have a couple dozen devices to integrate. It's getting better all the time, but it's not quite there yet.

[@ScoobyFermentation]

Especially with bi-directional charging

[@ericfrancis7816]

We've had a solar company tell us they won't install batteries at our location because they won't or can't work with another company's system. Which seems... odd.

[@greenshadow622]

All of these battery puns have left me completely drained.

[@roseymalino9855]

I get a charge out of them.

[@jefftemple5235]

Watt do you mean?

[@jmcguire56]

I am shocked by all this!

[@danmallery9142]

Try to remain positive.

[@JohnnyWednesday]

They have the potential to keep me grounded

[@pathfinderGM]

What I want to see is a center lot in a residential neighborhood turned into a dedicated energy storage center. Something that can turn the a few blocks of residential into a bit of a micro grid. That way the whole neighborhood can get solar and focus in electric for heat and cooking and provide emergency power as an option. I'm thinking like having 2 breakers in people's homes here. A normal 100amp service and then a optional 20/40amp emergency service that people can pay for for direct access to the battery system at all times. Think people with special medical needs kind of thing. The battery center's main goal would be a local place to be a energy buffer to overall lower the cost of electricity for the entire neighborhood. Reducing strain on the main grid acting like an expansion tank. And if it acts as a distributer for electricity then it can become its own net metering system for the local grid even if the state doesn't have one.

[@miriamrobarts]

What would be really nice is if you could also use the same space or building as a community center or park. The energy storage could be in the roof or 2nd floor, & underneath could be a 1st floor or open air pavilion for the community. Unfortunately, there would probably be problems with people who would ruin that sort of space, so it wouldn't be feasible except maybe in some kind of residential community, like an apartment complex, mobile home park, or a neighborhood with an HOA.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Love that impact barrier in front of your wall batteries. Very smart, as well as clean-looking.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

Probably required by Building Code due to the Electrical and Fire damage that would happen if they got hit by a car... HUGE electrical potential discharging in one massive short circuit would kill anyone hit by the arc or touching anything conductive when it was energized by the short...Then the lithium in the battery catches fire and now you have a whole 'nother problem to deal with...once Lithium starts to burn, not even smothering it in nitrogen or drowning it in water will put it out, that's one of the reasons Fire Departments HATE EV's like Tesla's, once they start burning, only time will put them out and lithium burns hot...not as hot as Thermite, but hotter than gas or diesel does so damage to the road/bridge structures is higher in an EV fire than it would be in a gas/diesel fire...

[@jimmurphy5355]

@@HappilyHomicidalHooligan You missed the fact that the battery in the units he installed are low voltage, and use the non-flammable LFP chemistry. Hit them with a car hard enough to create internal shorts in the cells and they will get hot and vent a bunch of smelly and somewhat toxic steam. There won't be any arc or explosion, and no shock hazard. The vented electrolyte is not flammable.

[@johannan572]

I am pretty excited for sodium ion batteries. They are getting more and more close to the energy density of LFP. But even if they stay below it, you don't need high energy density for home storage.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

Nope...I don't really care if I need more batteries to get the storage density I need if that saves me money up front...my basement has the room and if it doesn't, I can always pour a concrete pad in the back yard and build a climate-controlled, insulated shed to stick them in...That would save me money too if I need a Sprinkler System in the structure the batteries are in...smaller area = one sprinkler head, pipe and pressure tank/electric pump...

[@tomas_klouda]

@@HappilyHomicidalHooligan With those batteries you don't even need climate controlled environment. The cool part about sodium ion batteries is their temperature tolerance and also the fact that you can discharge them to 0% and leave them like that without any damage, while for lithium based batteries this is what kills them permanently. Also sodium is much easier to get than lithium so those batteries will be cheaper one day. Unfortunately we already have a huge industry for lithium batteries but none for sodium so right now it won't be any cheaper and will take quite some time before it will get cheaper thanks to economy of scale.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

@@tomas_klouda I'd have the climate control to protect more than the batteries...it would be to keep the sprinkler pressure tank and water lines from freezing as well as keep the temperature and humidity relatively stable to reduce/eliminate condensation in the electronics and electrical connections to reduce corrosion... Also, while the battery chemistry may work at low temperatures, they will likely work better over the long run if their temp range stays stable... It's also to keep the Techs happy if I ever need Maintenance or Repairs done...if you were a Tech, wouldn't you want to work in a space that's 72F/22C even if it's really hot or below freezing outside? I know I'd be far happier with my Customer if they kept the work area comfortable if/when I had to go there...

[@tomas_klouda]

@@HappilyHomicidalHooligan sure, I am the Tech and I like comfortable temperature same as batteries and electronics do 😀 I was just pointing out the advantages of sodium ion batteries including that you don't really need the climate controlled environment. The fact you don't need it doesn't mean it is not beneficial to have it though 😉

[@ninefox344]

I see news articles talking about how cell costs have gone below $100/kWh but then home batteries are selling for over 10x that cost...

[@paul1979uk2000]

I think my brother once told me why that is the case, the cheaper battery are being reserved for EV cars, which if true, then consumer grade batteries for the home are a lot more expensive than they should be and probably will remain so until there is enough capacity for the EV market. Which is ironic, because I have heard some people over the years say that it's actually cheaper to buy a EV car and use the batteries from that for your home then it is to buy the batteries on the market for your home. They really do need to narrow that price gap between the two because the tech is the same but the price difference is massive, and if batteries for the home were as cheap as they are for EV cars, solar energy would be a lot more enticing, especially for the ones that want to go gridless.

[@JustWhits]

If you do some digging you can get buy good all in one batteries for $200-300/kwh... Or even less if you diy the battery build. Eg4, big battery, and others have recently come out with some competitors to the Tesla power wall that are much much cheaper

[@WhoStoleMyAlias]

@@paul1979uk2000 I'm pretty sure that batteries for home use need to pass a lot more tests than those used in cars. Remember that these batteries need to be able to output several Kilowatts if you happen to run a dishwasher machine, or a water cooker, or an induction plate, and possible even several at the same time. Just imagine the speed you must be driving to drain a 60kWh battery in a mere hour. And UK? Forget about going gridless. Your usage graph is shifted six months from your solar production, to bridge that we're not talking kWh but MWh.

[@American_Energy]

Cell costs are dropping, but labor costs are rising.

[@robgriffin4801]

@@WhoStoleMyAlias ? My chevy bolt during city driving is consistently drawing like 10 - 20 kwh and at highway speeds more like 30 kwh. That's like if you had 6 dryers going at once, we'll in excess of typical household consumption.

[@junkerzn7312]

The Enphase stuff is fairly good, I put them on the same bench as the Tesla PW3 (but not the earlier Tesla PW1 or PW2, which didn't have LFP batteries). However, the Enphase batteries and inverter sizing are about 4 years out of date. They don't provide enough storage and the inverter-v-storage ratio is skewed the wrong way. You don't need 24 individual inverters across your four batteries for reliability. That's just nuts. The 20 kWh of storage you have is not a whole lot of storage for doing anything other than load-shifting. Keeping storage margins intact for power failures and for decent load shifting eats up a surprising amount of storage. And while storm-watch style smarts sounds convenient, it is highly non-deterministic relative to actual power failures because not all power failures occur during a storm. Same with "smart" EV chargers set to utilize only excess solar for charging. The lack of determinism makes the reality less useful than it seems on paper, particularly in winter. SOC (state of charge) based automation is also usually a big fail when it comes to LFP batteries. The reason is that SOC cannot be estimated from voltage with LFP batteries, so SOC tracking has to be done by counting electrons (aka amp-hours in and out) and that gets way off over time. I strongly recommend not depending on SOC-based automation. If you intend to anyway, then ensure that your storage system is regularly charged to 100% because that is how the SOC is recalibrated. -Matt

[@tomas_klouda]

@@junkerzn7312 What would you recommend instead of SOC? 🧐 There is no issue with charging EV with excess solar other than the fact that the charger in the car is the most effective at it's designed speed, while you are usually going a lot slower than that. And in winter there is no excess solar at all, so you have to switch to different strategy. My LFP batteries are usually charged to 100% multiple times a week. Basically each sunny day means full charge. And I have an automation checking if there was at least a single full charge in last 7 days which forces the full charge if it doesn't find any.

[@junkerzn7312]

@@tomas_klouda In your case you clearly have enough excess solar to not have to worry about it a whole lot, though that might be different in winter. Generally, though, what I do for my excess solar is have an automation that starts dumping it once the battery voltage hits an obvious 99%+ value (56.8V). For the stop point, I usually use the float voltage (54.0V), which will still be 99% SOC when coming down from a fully charged voltage. Since my dumps are well in excess of my solar generation, what happens is that the main battery bank oscillates between 99% and 100% while the sun is out. You can also combine that with a timer. So, for example, you start the dump at 56.8V and reset the timer whenever the voltage hits 56.8V, then let the dump run for a specific period of time, such as 4 hours. That winds up being "start dumping when the battery is full and don't stop until 4 hours after sunset". Yet another method is to have the dump be a smaller secondary battery system. Store excess energy in the secondary battery system, then exhaust the entire content of the secondary battery system at a more opportune time (such as during the evening peak or overnight), depending on the application... with however much energy the system had collected during the day. -Matt

[@tomas_klouda]

@@junkerzn7312 Yes, I usually have enough energy since April till October. My only dump load is hot water tank and I rather use that electricity more efficiently 🤷‍♂️ In case EV needs charging I send it there but otherwise I have no other big consumer. Voltage is not very useful with LFP if I am not mistaken. Yes, you can detect full battery, but not much else... I rather try to use the energy before it even enters the battery as much as possible, so full battery in my house usually means I have already sent energy everywhere I could and there is no dump load available anymore. For this I need reliable detection of how much energy I already stored in the battery to know whether I have enough in case sun would stop shining and when I have enough (50-60%) I start sending it to opportunistic consumers like EV and then hot water tank.

[@junkerzn7312]

@@tomas_klouda I'm in the same boat excess-energy wise, but I don't spend a lot of time trying to optimize my EV charging beyond (roughly speaking) just plugging it during daytime once or twice a week when I happen to be home. I like the "secondary dump battery" approach the best because I can schedule the loads to run at more opportune times and have smaller loads run longer instead of having to find "large" loads to offset the much larger excess production wattage that occurs in real-time. And it gives me a 24-hour buffer to mess around during which I know the entire excess generation will get soaked up by the secondary battery, before both systems fill up and the solar begins to curtail. -Matt

[@tomas_klouda]

@@junkerzn7312 sounds like a nice toy to play with, but batteries are still pretty expensive => it makes economically no sense to invest in secondary battery system. It only make sense if you need the autonomy.

[@fullyelectric]

@Matt F. Its amazing how far you have come,I have been watching you since you started this channel and a few others since then, yes back in the old OG Tesla phase of our life lol, anyways congratulations on the new house and solar setup. Just a few things to note, many modern solar panels has built-in power optimization tech, and for cheaper new panels you can buy Tigo power optimizer with rapid shutdown, so basically using string or micro inverters does not matter much any more since each panel performance will no longer affects each other, also DIY installation gets full access to the 30% credits as well, and the best solution for me has been a grid-tie systems with critical load and zero export, basically self consumption with TOU schedule charging time etc.. as far as cost EG4’s 14kwh external wall mount batteries cost little over $3k each with free shipping, I don’t really care what it cost others i only care what it cost me, my total setup cost $13.5k after 30% tax credits, (42kWh battery, 28 550w panels 15kPV and a EG4 18Kpv inverter), grid-tie setup with no export (zero export), just basic electrical permit needed as i am not back feeding the grid with a grid-tie setup, all this living in crazy NY, DIY with grid-tie zero export is the only way to go up here

[@trevorksanders]

I wonder if the newer batteries that you showed on wheels would be considered stored vs installed for the purposes of requiring the sprinkler system when over a certain capacity. I wouldn't be surprised if there is some legal loophole to slip through like that.

[@Babarudra]

great point!

[@wachinpntdry.]

yeah... the loophole is, you just don't volunteer info that you have over x capacity... especially easy if you have several small modular units as you can simply remove them from the space in the case of any required inspections... and if they're truly modular, it should be a just a couple minutes of simple plug and play to add them in, no need for an installer or any complicated wiring/connections to integrate the extra units back in... also if claiming tax credits, or getting special low rate loans through the state/county that's requiring the sprinklers or other nonsense makes it an issue, if it's all modular, it shouldn't be all that difficult to just place the system in a small shed/outbuilding where the sprinkler wouldn't be required

[@michaelharrison1093]

This is a big concern in the industry - I suspect that this will ultimately be resolved through the insurance companies adding clauses stating that they are not responsible for pay-out if these portable battery storage systems are present inside the building or within a certain distance from the building.

[@randya9143]

I think a sprinkler system for any type of electrical is a bad idea.

[@Babarudra]

@@randya9143 they DO make fire suppression for electrical that doesn't conduct electricity...

[@Triflixfilms]

If parts are not readily available for consumers to repair or if working on it yourself voids the warranty that is an immediate no-go. Enphase website pricing is not transparent requiring you to hand over personal data to get a rough estimate. This is the same reason I refuse to purchase a Mitsubishi mini split. I'd suggest people keep looking for a product that isn't anticonsumer. I really hope that Right to Repair outlaws these business models.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

"Voiding the warranty" is a jungle of a topic with the Magnusson-Moss Act. Most products the claim you void the warranty by opening a panel or cutting a 'magic sticker' are lying.

[@Warp9pnt9]

The way "Right to Repair" legislation is written in Massachusetts, if you actually read it, forbids and restricts doing repairs while also not requiring any specified level of detail for "repair" guides, turning manufacturers into monopolies for providing documentation, which is as bad of worse than not having the bogus law. I am for the philosophical right to repair. But I warn you against deceptive politicians and election bureaucrats who accept bills that promise one thing but do the exact opposite.

[@SetTheCurve]

to hell with every company that requires a phone call to learn the price of their products

[@Frank_W.]

Mitsubishi Mini splits are incredible. I had a HVAC company install one outside unit and it is taking care of my unfinished basement as well as my 2 car garage. The basement is roughly 2500 sq ft. Zero issues in 6 years. You don’t have to deal with Mitsubishi directly so I don’t understand your reluctance. Every home is different and it takes someone on site to actually figure out what the cost will be. Just my 2 cents.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@SetTheCurve Right? Not listing a price means the person you contact is very likely working on commission and is paid more if they can trick you into paying more.

[@jemezname2259]

20 Kwh isn't remotely enough for an off grid system, particularly if you have an ev to charge. I currently have 60 kWh of batteries with an sol-ark18 kW inverter and a combination of Big Battery which I don't recommend and eg4 batteries. I really need to double this system before getting a cybertruck. You drive your vehicle mostly during the day. You need to be able to charge it at night while you sleep. You can only do that if you have a really large battery at home. But you also need a large battery to get through winter storms without having to run a generator. Of course my situation is quite different to most people. The local coop does not allow solar so I refused to hook up to them. I am truly off grid on a small ranch. I heat and cool with a heat pump and cook on an induction cooktop. I haven't had to use a generator in over two years. I have a separate system at a small farm with an eg4 18K inverter and 30 kWh of eg4 batteries. Again I need more batteries on this system for nighttime operation of hydroponic systems. I currently have to shut them down at night which isn't ideal. The solar energy world is improving but the cost of batteries is still too high. It needs to drop by at least 50%.

[@Robulite]

Just use the output of the cybertruck as the backups backup xD

[@ericmaclaurin8525]

Doesn't the fact that you never use the generator mean that you have too many batteries? You obviously have enough for usage but from a cost basis it seems questionable to buy enough batteries to never need the generator that you already have. When you buy your brick, you'll have two electric cars so one of them can be the extra battery.

[@simonpaine2347]

​@@ericmaclaurin8525Brick lol. Way too polite.

[@MikrySoft]

@@ericmaclaurin8525 There is no such thing as too many batteries. If the battery has an expected lifetime (when the capacity drops to 80% of nominal) of 2500 cycles at 80% DOD (depth of discharge), at 50% DOD it would be closer to 5000 cycles and 10000 cycles at 25% DOD. That doesn't even include how the lifespan is extended since charge/discharge current per cell is smaller - 80% DOD @1C (so 20kW from 20kWh battery) is 2100 cycles, at 0.5C (10kW from same battery) is 2500 cycles and at 0.25C it's 3000 cycles. Obviously, that's only if money (and bureaucracy) are not an issue, but otherwise the answer to the "should I get more capacity" question is almost always "yes".

[@adaminfunkytown]

Don't worry about doubling the system for a cybertruck... they're mostly broken and won't start so you won't need to power it.

[@brucecampbell6133]

We have been very happy with the Enphase system (with a 10P battery) that we installed in our 63 year-old, 1400sf home going on 2-years ago. We also installed 6kW of PV at that time. We pushed forward with our installation schedule to ensure that we qualified for the California NEM-2 (Net Metering Agreement) and qualified for the CA State rebates as well as the Federal tax credits. NEM allows us to bank kWh stored on a one to one basis with a tru-up once a year. There are several additional benefits of NEM-2 over NEM-3.....I had to put the cart before the horse and design /install the new HVAC system based on modeled improvements rather than measured loads ( backwards from the best practice). We are finishing up the energy efficiency upgrade / electrification conversion this coming month and it appears my modeling/calcs were close enough to get us very close to net zero. We went from an old 3-ton forced air furnace /package-unit AC to a 1-ton inverter driven air-to-air heat pump with a mid-static head ducted indoor unit. The foundation of this kind of upgrade is improving the air-tightness and insulation of the envelop. We also have east-west orientation of the of the roof long dimension, 2-foot eaves all around and good late afternoon west facing shade.

[@seanmcguire7532]

You mentioned that your Tesla has a 60 KWH battery. I would love to see more options for using electric vehicles for home backup power. We have solar with a string inverter already and just wish it were easier to tie an electric car into the system rather than buying a home battery. It seems like a no-brainer to me.

[@ericmaclaurin8525]

Amen! The government should also be making electric car subsidies at least partially dependant on the ability to use them for grid management.

[@EcoHouseThailand]

I have a BYD Seal with V2L hooked up to my solar grid connection - I don’t have a meter as I am off-grid. That adds the equivalent of 6 Tesla powerwalls of backup power. I can charge my car back during the day. Videos on my channel

[@airparnes]

Absolutely agree! When that functionality becomes available for my BEV I’m all in.

[@meikgeik]

It's kind of a bad idea to add more cycles to your car's battery since that battery more often goes through big spikes which are harder on the battery than slow gradual drain. Batteries are CHEAP nowadays, so it's not smart to churn through your proprietary pack's cycles on your Tesla/Lightning/Rivian/etc. A replacement pack on a Tesla is like $25k, yeah? You could get server rack batteries for $1100 that have 5kWh each for half that. EG4, SOK, and others make much better bang for the buck batteries that have heaters, communication ports, and apps so you can integrate them with almost any inverter on the market except the ones that lock you into their ecosystem.

[@simonpaine2347]

I​@@meikgeikIt depends on how you setup the system, which obviously depends on the type of system. I want to just connect my car to assist with the loads, rather than take over, so that means a nice steady discharge set at 1.6kw by the car's output. Unfortunately my Sol-Ark is not currently able to accept this (apparently they working on it) so what I've done is to connect the car into my first distribution panel after the inverter and in the event of a power cut or successive low solar days, I can at least run the house overnight. I have also made it possible for the car to charge the hot water tank when needed, which has proved to be a valuable option.

[@davelindgren5245]

I have 33KW of the older Enphase batteries. I wanted to get more this year. I went to get quotes on the newer Enphase batteries and they told me that I could not mix the older batteries and the new batteries. Let's just say I was not happy at all. There are a lot of advantages of the Enphase batteries if you have Enphase inverters but someone has completely dropped the ball by not designing them to work together in the same home. I went with Franklin batteries which was not what I wanted to do. My point is, you better purchase all the Enphase batteries you think you are going to need for the next 20 years because you don't know if the newer batteries will be compatible with what you have. And BTW, you won't be able to purchase the older model anymore when the new ones come out. Now I am worried about replacement parts for my version. For those of you wondering how I'm doing that. I have 2 200 AMP panels. I have 2 separate solar systems connected to each one of the 200 AMP service panels and 1 battery system connected to each of the 200 AMP panels.

[@dlg5485]

I'm a big fan of the EcoFlow modular system because it's so easy to expand as your need and/or budget grows.

[@ToothyFilms]

I've got the Span panel tied into Enphase with their junction box too. Make sure that Span's `Remote Meter Kit-Enphase` circuit is setup in the "Always On Circuits" section specified in the Settings and not just the "Backup" pages between nice to have sections. I learned the hard way when the power went out and the Span panel didn't know it had battery power to tap into. Nice... The only way to resolve was to call Span support which only after they changed something could I then put it into Settings->Always-on circuits.

[@johnfrancis4401]

In UK it’s possible to charge up the batteries during the night (more accurately in the very early morning) using very cheap electricity [£0.07 per kWh or $0.10 per kWh] and use the electricity during the day when electricity costs £0.30 per kWh.

[@edc1569]

get givenvergy or a UK supplier that supports UK tariffs, not anker.

[@JBoy340a]

Some utilities in the US allow that, but unfortunately mine does not. Luckily it is often sunny enough to recharge the batteries from the solar.

[@johnwilson-mr6pw]

I live in the UK and you are wrong about charging batteries up in the early morning. It's from 11pm until 7am and only properties that have a once called 'white meter' installed years ago for night storage heaters have this option. There is an additional standing charge for the extra meter.

[@johnfrancis4401]

@@johnwilson-mr6pw Crumbs. Check out Octopus energy…….

[@oliverturner128]

​@@johnwilson-mr6pw No. Google EDF overnight tarrif. All you need is a smart meter

[@bam111965]

I put in a very similar system by Enphase and had a very similar experience. I love the system. I do wish Enphase would add the ability to plug in extra portable batteries if needed. They have the ability to plug in a generator, and electricity from a generator or a battery should be the same from an input standpoint.

[@chancejensen9324]

😂 I just went through that inspection here in LA County. I had to install and hard wire a smoke/heat detector less than five feet from my Enphase Batteries. And I feel you about the timing. Sometimes I wish I got the delta ultra instead of my Enphase 10T.

[@gamerzieg3211]

delta ultra are garbage

[@chancejensen9324]

@@gamerzieg3211 you’re probably talking about the SHP2.

[@Paul-GrnHil]

Matt, I added the Enphase batteries to my Enphase Solar about 1.5 years ago and about 1.5 years after my solar installation. The decision for Enphase was easy once you start with their solar. The app integrates flawlessly and the utility integration for selling power here in Rhode Island is fantastic. I am getting about $2000 payback each Summer. While I too am on a 5 year program for selling battery capacity to my utility, if they offer a similar program for an additional 5 years, they will have paid for my battery system. I would like to suggest to you that you consider sharing more of your battery capacity with the utility. I let them take my battery down to 10% without issue since they won’t tap my capacity if there is risk of an outage.

[@esumiwa5583]

I bought the Tesla Battery system. I will be paying off a loan for 6 more years. Was it worth it? I live in Hurricane prone area and a city entergy relationship that is toxic. Blackouts happen weekly because of archaic wiring. Then there are the weeks after a hurricane with no grid power. Having the batteries for four years now: WORTH EVERY PENNY. Was it over priced 4 years ago. Yes. Is elon musk a raging idiot: yes. Regrets: none.

[@ehombane]

Did you noticed how much it is lost in storage? I am curious because in all documentaries I have seen batteries praised for efficiency against other systems like hydro. I remember well the loss for hydro, which is about a third. And I believed the myth for electricity being more efficient. But recently I had the idea to test an basic storage I mean an regular powerbank. And surprisingly, there is a 40% loss. This is a little more than the hydro. I assumed that is a cheap and bad designed gizmo. Tested a second one, nice and expensive and was precisely the same loss. OK, maybe small systems are a lot less efficient than big ones. I looked up for real info, and I did not quite found reliable data. But somewhere it was said of 70 percent efficiency. That is not so much better compared with the hydro. So, did you have some personal knowledge in this direction?

[@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket]

@@ehombane Sounds like you're using an inverter with a transformer which has a massive 30% inefficiency, possible other issues. Are you using copper or aluminum wire?

[@chris2884]

Actually a genius. Maybe if you compare to yourself.

[@PetraKann]

So everything is a negative disaster but you are completely satisfied. Well done mate!

[@esumiwa5583]

@@chris2884 your statement makes no sense. but dont really care what you have to say. so whatever gives you joy.

[@williammcdermet6932]

We've had Enphase for more than a year now, and we're very happy. But, a system with the same storage and less generation here in Puerto Rico was $47,000. No regrets.

[@American_Energy]

I’m opposite on most of these decisions. I would’ve gotten two Tesla Powerwall 3s, LFP chemistry, one ecosystem, string inverter (with warranty), for less money with better specs.

[@pmbpmb5416]

Just become available in the Uk and switching from a sigenergy proposal to the 3s .

[@sophiegrisom]

I bought a 5.1 kWh EA Sun wall-mount battery (LFP, 51 VDC, 100 A-hr, $1500 w shipping). Amusing that the shipping box said "Power Wall". It looks slick next to my EG4 6000XP inverter. They suggested twice the battery (200 A-hr), but mine has been working fine, usually dropping no more than 50%. I can set the 6000XP how to charge (only from PV for me) and when to switch from PV to grid input each day (9p - 5a for me in Summer). Don't know if the battery will prove-out it's 6000 cycle claim and that would be ~20 yr life. Much less than the cost of a Tesla battery. Don't expect such high future utility payments. If such a deal, the utility would install their own battery backup.

[@dougsheldon5560]

I'm 75, I just want to outlive my lightbulbs.

[@MM-sf3rl]

😂

[@cornishcat11]

funny comment

[@emosasukefan01234]

Just dont get incandescent unless you plan on dying in less than 3000 hours

[@hawkeye2816]

I miss the old days when bulbs would burn out every couple months. Now that's a system that makes me feel my superior longevity! Honestly, it's the only thing that keeps me going these days. I live through sheer spite, just waiting for the day I can watch my LED bulb die. Damn you LED bulb! Damn you to hell!

[@SymPlayTon]

I think with modern planned obsolescence light bulbs you are safe. You will outlive all of your light bulbs. I hope you much frustration changing light bulbs that go out before you.

[@kdkd693]

I put a similar sized system in my new all electric house. 45x440w panels and 15kW of 3 phase Fronius hybrid inverters (We don’t have net metering like MA in Western Australia so a 20kWh BYD modular LFP battery has been a good size to get through the night) - Apocalypse mode allowing solar to continue when the grid goes down (often here) was essential to me Cost to install is less in Australia than US. And red tape to install solar/battery is much simpler We always have excess, even charging the EV, so it’s a good sized system. Generation averages 60 in winter to 120+kWh per day in summer We run a heated outdoor plunge pool 365days. Rarely do we need grid energy , only during several wet cloudy days

[@davidparker6944]

I installed an Enphase solar PV system last year on my house in Pismo Beach CA consisting of 16 REC modules (6.48 kW dc). This year I installed an Enphase battery system using 3 Enphase 5P batteries as a partial home backup and configured for max Savings mode. I have not gotten PTO yet but it looks like it should work well.

[@johnkincaide7059]

I've been the battery reuse and recycling industry for 14 years. This is a good video showing what is needed. 1) My only complaint about Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LFP) batteries is they cost a lot to recycle. I did an estimate for the Nickel Institute of cost GREATER THAN -17.00/Kwh to recycle NMC batteries in 2023. So years down the road there it will cost you -$255.00 for 15Kwh of LFP, and factoring in inflation it will be higher in 15 years. But the size of the energy storage increases the financial pain gets more burdensome. 100KWH pack will cost -1700.00 in a car or an energy storage system.I predict that no one will be interested in paying that out of pocket. Stick to NMC for the moment. LFP may be cheaper but there is a hidden recycling fee for the consumer. And although LFP is marketed as "safer" it can burn just as well as NMC given the right conditions. . 2) The inconsistencies between evolving fire code standards that are based on Underwriter Labs (UL 1973 (energy storage), UL 9540 (grid connectivity), and UL 9540a (fire propagation). UL safety testing does not apply to EV cars. UL by itself is not law. But in the US state governments reference UL Standards for building codes and fire codes. The Fire code is revised every 5 years. 3) There is a historical basis for this divergence. It was explained to me by a person I respect, that many years ago UL and the Auto Industry made a deal, that each would not try to develop tests and standards for each other's industry. This made sense because UL tests electrical equipment. (i.e toasters) (and many other items). Automotive has electrical components, but they are in a gasoline or diesel car. 3) Now EVs are a stark reality that this deal may not make sense anymore as you said your "energy storage" system is 15Kwh but had to be under 20Kwh to avoid installing a sprinkler system while your car has 60Kwh of Lithium Ion batteries (NMC type). This a product of that old deal. 4) Imagine if you use EV Vehicle-to-Grid technology. You would have 60Kwh of battery, and now powering your home or to the grid. (Estimates are that if all cars NYC were EV's they could power the whole city for hours at a time). Eventually, safety wins, but need to reconcile old industry practices as they merge using the same new technology. John

[@masterchinese28]

I have a plot of land that is waiting for me to build. These videos help me get ideas.

[@vincentbrown4926]

Thank you. This sort of first hand "my experience" information is far more useful than all the performance stats put together.

[@tripflycfi]

That is a very neat and tidy install of top tier products. I appreciate you exposing me to this material. I understand how some folks are concerned about the product promotion part of this but, I feel that most of us can run that through the filter that one should use during information gathering. I’m going through a new home build right now and going through the same process. Thus, I find this video worthwhile. I don’t particularly care for Enphase but am impressed with the end to end interoperability of this system. The Span panel is on my “Nice to have” list. Not sure I could swing this whole system but it’s a nice benchmark

[@ericmaclaurin8525]

If those people had filters we wouldn't hear the incessant squealing every time they wet their pants.

[@bigjonbird1]

I coincidentally installed the EXACT system you have at my house in December 2023. Four Enphase 5p batteries, 60 sixty 400w panels, iq8plus micro inverters. I am way overproducing, by choice though. Enphase actually emailed me and said their calculations show that self consumption is the most cost effective even if on a TOU plan.

[@markg5891]

Regarding the sprinkler bit. They - those that make the regulation - do realize that water + lithium is not gonna be helpful, right? I'd argue that if you have a battery fire of any chemistry that contains lithium that you're house is gone if you try to extinguish it with water.

[@jemezname2259]

I put my solar system along with the batteries in a separate insulated shed away from the house. If it burns, so what. Its far enough from the house to keep the heat from igniting the house.

[@dalleth]

Sprinklers have two goals - Put out the fire is the obvious first. The second, and the arguably more important goal is not letting anything else catch on fire. Batteries will burn and there's very little anyone or anything can counter that energy release. But you can control where it spreads. And that's more important.

[@RowanHawkins]

​@@jemezname2259Then you wouldn't have fallen under that idiotic rule that dumps water on a battery fire. Doesn't matter the chemistry...water + electricity = bad idea.

[@n3m37h]

@@jemezname2259 I don't understand why this isnt a normal thing to do. Most firefighters won't do anything but contain the fire if they see solar pannels

[@Drcraigfreeman9280]

The whole permitting thing is a government run operation, thus it is not a cohesive, intelligent, well oiled start to finish process…In other words, it is a tangle of losers with zero knowledge, making rule for things they haven’t a clue about, stealing your tax dollars to impress the pee ons in the world.

[@ram64man]

the issue with the enphase iq though is they don't cover the watt range of newer pannels with over 120w now of clipping, before convergence, futher more the outlay and max capacity for larger property demands doesn';t meet many requirements, futher more there off grid gateway setup requires significant investment than typical hybrid setups, futher more its not a ups setting meaning up to 4 secs for swap offline

[@luimackjohnson302]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing this video. I have "decided" to use "Redflow" an Australian design flow battery for my proposed off-grid solar photovoltaic power system for my home. Greetings from Madang, Papua New Guinea.

[@BBP_BKK]

I'm interested in their products too. (Not home use though.)

[@shawnr771]

There was some recent unpleasant happenings where you live. Has everything calmed down? Stay safe.

[@XxBloggs]

PNG is endless unpleasantness!

[@MenkoDany]

I think that a few dc power outlets per housing unit should be a norm. Like USB-C PD but with more power. To avoid the loss of converting DC to AC to DC again from solar to batteries etc.

[@valerieewing3306]

Excellent analysis and a thorough breakdown of the options and perils you experienced; we picked up on many practical tips, thanks Matt.

[@PhinAI]

I am incessantly intrigued by the subject matter you present; and you present it well. Thank you.

[@ericmaclaurin8525]

Incessantly?

[@PhinAI]

I know! I can hardly believe it, myself!

[@kentw.england2305]

I'm excited by the "hybrid" inverter systems coming out that allow the inverter and batteries to be installed outside next to my panel. It's a no-brainer when the battery prices drop 50%

[@SnappyWasHere]

I still think buying a used Tesla model 3 and an aftermarket company making the equipment to use it as a backup battery is a better solution. I use my pickup as a battery backup, 212kwh battery would be absurd to buy in power wall batteries.

[@MtnXfreeride]

Yes, I have Subaru Solterra with a 72kw battery pack and unfortunately they don't offer any kind of inverter or reverse power options.. BUT that battery pack would power my house basics for 10 days in an outage and where power comes back in town quicker I could go in town to top off if needed and go another 5+ days. One option I looked at is something like using a 1500 watt inverter on the EV to charge and maintain a Ecoflow Delta 3... that thing only has 4kw on board but it can output 4000 watts and 8000 peak so it can handle my low emergency usage (well, oil boiler for heat and hot water, fridge, and some lights) and the car inverter could top it off throughout the day. I also just saw they make a generator specific for their battery that can generate 20kw off a grill sized propane cylinder... for how little power goes out, I could easily afford 3 propane bottles and have 60kw plus the built in 4kw yet still power a high spike well pump.

[@SnappyWasHere]

@@MtnXfreeride I’m lucky in that my truck has a 220 outlet so I just plug in my generator switch panel and done. All evs should do that

[@SnappyWasHere]

@@ckleinheksel if you can afford a power wall you can afford a garage big enough for a spare car. But using one of your daily driven cars is the goal so you don’t need an extra anything.

[@anthonymalovrh2912]

I have had 2 different systems over the last 16 years. Never had a panel go bad - both systems using string inverters - SMA America models.

[@user-to2rf1rj5v]

Tesla Powerwall is LFP.

[@pmbpmb5416]

For the latest 3 version , not the earlier .

[@rkm237]

This permitting issue (as someone that lived in Mass for 20 years) is a perfect thing to bring up to your state gov... if you have a full description of how the permitting worked, and illogic of the fact that the Tesla can park there no problem... and perhaps an idea of a more logical permitting framework, I bet Mass is interested to make that happen. Big power installations are normally done by big power companies who plan things out decades in advance, so for them, 2 months is mega-expedited, ha! But I feel your pain.

[@M1911jln]

You don’t understand MA if you think bringing up the permitting issue to the MA government could result in the regulatory burden being reduced. As an example, MA has an approved plumbing fixture roster. A plumber in MA cannot install a fixture unless that fixture has been approved by the state and is on the roster. Similarly, a general contractor doing a renovation on your home must have a certified lead tester perform a lead test on everything he installs in your home. MA is regulatory hell. In the view of MA regulators, the regulatory hoops and delays that Matt experienced are a feature, not a bug. Regulations in MA only get worse, never better.

[@rkm237]

@@M1911jln OK, you are on to me, ha!! That is why I live in FLA now, for 3.5 years. :) But seriously, I made my first permit application in MA in 1989, and that was to open a hot air balloon bungee jumping company... believe me, I've known troubles. Yes it only gets worse, but that is because the lawyers are in charge and the politicians are disconnected. They all have office hours... if you don't complain to them they NEVER hear about these problems (believe me - for them there is a different system and they don't have permitting problems). Squeaky wheel gets the oil, etc.

[@scottswf238]

I use Home Assistant with Enphase panels and batteries. Using Home Assistant to do load management I think it’s the way to go.

[@mnhtnman]

Thank you and good morning!!!

[@jonathanteeter9572]

@undecidedmf you didn’t hit on probably the most important reason the enphase batteries are so good, if the power goes out you can still use your maximum solar production where others are limited by what the battery can put out. IE if the power is out in a different system the panels feed the battery and the battery feeds the house but with enphase if your house demand is greater than what your battery can provide it will feed that extra power to your house

[@bman3074]

i like the old intro....bring that back

[@WIImotionmasher]

Those Anker modules look great to me, I'm excited about them. Very affordable and relatively simple to install. I just don't understand how the controller handles power. Like I'd never want to accidentally charge my battery with grid power.

[@sjwright2]

Microinverters are great in theory. In reality, their benefits are marginal compared to the latest inverters. And the downside is you're putting more stuff on the roof, exposing it to harsh weather conditions and being more difficult to service when something goes wrong.

[@JSM-bb80u]

If one panel doesn't work the whole system wouldn't produce electricity though. Also micro inverters have a warranty of 25 years compared to 10 years.

[@torginus]

My inverter comes with a 10 year warranty. I'm not concerned. Also if you want the microinverter thing, you need to wire each panel in parallel as opposed to having strings. Strings are wired separately, so if one of them goes bad, the others will still owrk. Also you cant overprovision your inverter, putting more amperage on it than it can handle, which is useful in low light condition where your system will produce closer to its theoretical limit. Since solar panels are dirt cheap, it's worth it to use a small inverter with more panels, if you've got space to put them up.

[@llN3M3515ll]

While that is all true, google the failure rate of Enphase iq7/8 micro invertors. From what I found it's an exceedingly low rate. If I remember correctly Enphase actually covers labor for warrenty replacement as well. I think the bigger draw back is micros are just more expensive, and are less efficient with batteries. Would definitely go with a central if I was designing for batteries. But if you are going with a grid tie and aren't planning on batteries, Enphase micros are a solid choice.

[@shaggydogsales]

Plus Micros require additional ac to dc conversion which is more inefficient. If you don't have any panel shading, a dc coupled system is more efficient

[@babaluto]

Disappointed the string inverters were discontinued. They were incorporated into the panels and replaced the blocking diodes. Apparently, there were code issues with fast enough grid disconnect. I have 30 kw of these panels, still going strong after seven years.

[@geofrey01]

My biggest hurdle before going off-grid is dealing with the loss of Solar due to winter snow. My system (Enphase) is about the same size as yours and my bill runs about $35-$45/month. I am paid net metering, but only as a banked credit. They pay me $0.056/kWh, but they charge me $0.086/kWh when I use it, plus a distribution fee. How are you dealing with the snow? I am producing more electric than I use in two houses and my Tesla, but I'm still nursing on the grid.

[@jeeukko]

I am Matt Ferrell, welcome to decided. This is cool. See you in the next one.

[@d4mdcykey]

Endless thanks for your hard work and dedication, Matt, your pragmatic, logical approach to emerging tech is a HUGE bonus to many of us out here.

[@o751106]

Gm!

[@NerfThisBoardGames]

New Anker and Evoflow stations seem like the better bang for buck I'm trying to hold out for these eventual sodium batteries

[@Snerdles]

You are going to be waiting many years for competitive sodium batteries. Their energy density is incredibly low so far. If you look at a company like Natron energy that sells a server rack 1U sodium battery for data centers it only has about 0.27kWh of energy available. That means in 4U (like an EG4 server rack battery) it would be 1kWh. The EG4 is 5... For home storage it makes far more sense just to use LiFePo and if you are concerned about fires just put them in an out building if possible.

[@NerfThisBoardGames]

@@Snerdles fair counter point, I wouldn't hate a 3kw system that's refrigerator sized but completely fire "proof" I.. getting fresh battery estimates anyway given I'm also in MA, and that 7 year old is pretty fabulous

[@ryansoo4000]

There's a video from KZbinr Skill Builder called "What's So Special About the Mixergy Hot Water Cylinder" you might find interesting. It has the heating coil at the top of the tank rather than at the bottom so that it only heats the water you need rather than the whole tank. It's featured in the UK but might be coming to NA. It can also run off of a heat pump.

[@sandrahiltz]

I hate how ridiculous Massachusetts regulations make stuff like that, they are all in on being carbon neutral, but make it as hard as possible to actually make any of the changes to to reduce your carbon footprint, it's so counterproductive.

[@billwatkins8227]

Boy you’ve got that right. It took me almost two years to get my system installed. National Grid and the state regulators were tough to deal with.

[@UnknownButlovesFood]

We have 32 REC 640w panels, with micro inverters and 10k Enphase batt. Was $52K for us in Ca.

[@mslotay]

@Matt, thanks for sharing, I went ahead with the same setup as yours minus the battery which I am planning soon. This video helps though 😊

[@aliyada]

I did buy into the Delta Pro Ultra Ecosystem, and expanding to a second 6kWh battery was very easy plug and play. No permits, and it only cost $800 to have the smart home panel installed within a single day. Admittedly, I'm not expecting a return on investment beyond having some emergency power in an outage. Recent winter storms made that requirement very clear. I am also in a condo, so a traditional generator was not an option. Sadly, solar is also not an option. All in all, with TOU rates, I am expecting to save ~$250/year with the setup. Not the priority, but certainly useful!

[@steveneff7334]

Glad you are doing this first.

[@abyss630]

I would love it if you were to do a how to tutorial. How to research and plan your optimal installation.

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

$23,000 in battery costs....that is almost 5 years of electricity cost at a $400 per month utility cost average.... It would be longer if your bills are lower and handing him the tax credit. Add it the solar panel ROI and the total ROI on this is just unfeasible. Why not just pump ALL your extra electricity to the grid and take the credit and scrap the batteries? These whole "zero emission" home settups to me fall in alignment with the same people who buy a CyberTruck.... its all just a status symbol and not about practicality

[@ericmaclaurin8525]

They offer free math classes and medication for ADHD if you ever get tired of being unhappy and confused.

[@marcpym5251]

he mentioned he wanted an emergency backup system for outages in the winter months.

[@paul1979uk2000]

@@marcpym5251 Do power cuts happen enough times for it to be an issue in the US? Where I live in the UK, power cuts are very rare, maybe once every year or two, and in most cases, it's a blink of an eye power cut, which if you have a small battery system, would be more than enough to keep things running, the longest power cut I think I've ever seen over 45 years is around 40 mins, which ironically is around the same time frame I've seen for my internet connection.

[@fieryblazeking639]

@@paul1979uk2000 ya, because in the US there are a lot of suburban or rural communities so there’s a lot of space between homes. The more rural you are, the higher the chance it is you’ll get an outage every year. Also he lives in the north east which is pretty known for big snow and rain storms.

[@johnnyv9024]

​@@paul1979uk2000depends on where you live in the US. Our home is covered by an amazing public utility and outages are rare, but lots of other power companies have issues keeping the lights on. In our neighbor state, the for-profit power company does almost no maintenance, so outages are disturbingly common. They don't do anything till it breaks :'(

[@CerebralOrigami]

I am living in a truck camper and towing a 24'X8-1/2' box trailer. I want to install solar on the roof of the trailer and mount the battery packs under the trailer, between the frame, wial a steel skid plate to protect the batteries. The problem would be finding battery packs that can be submerged for when I drive through high water. The trailer contains a miniature woodshop so there would be period of high draw for 30 amp tools and the 30 amp AC. I am a snow bird so I am always where it is sunny and as I am mobile I can drive to where the prices for solar components/installation would be the cheapest.

[@Suburp212]

Like with the charging infrastucture, we must have stansardised Interfaces. App interchangeability, converter, module, battery, charger compatibility requirements. I have different units from different companies and setup must be done within each environment , this is so time consuming.

[@erniecolussy1705]

Do any of these battery/solar system components use BACnet to communicate with other parts of the system? BACnet is an ASHARE standard used to communicate between pieces of HVAC equipment in commercial buildings. There is electric power monitors and electric panels that also talk BACnet. I kind of assumed / hoping that the solar and battery equipment manufactures would adopt BACnet or some other communication standard. There would still be programming required to use the information.

[@kyesickhead7008]

Is the channel just product propaganda now?

[@boba2783]

Everyone has a price

[@kiddy1992]

It's the American way. When everything is a lease or a loan, free and/or subsediced stuff is super enticing.

[@cp37373]

He’s pretty much lost in all integrity.

[@NazimUdDin-tg8jg]

Yes indeed , everyone has a prize.

[@ShaneMcGrath.]

Most of youtube now, All monetised!

[@WriteInAaronBushnell]

12:21 Massachusetts and Rhode Islander solar installer here and I feel your pain on fire code

[@CPRebels21]

If only it wasn't so cold in winters, outdoor installs would be an easy work around.

[@TonyHiggins]

We have a home on Curacao, where the electrical utility is less than reliable, expensive, and where there is more than enough sunshine. When we move there full-time, we'll be installing a full off-grid capable solar set-up with enough battery to go at least 2 days without drawing from the grid. The hard part right now is researching what is available, since most of the suppliers in NA don't sell into the Caribbean. If anyone reading here has done something like this, I'd be interested in your experience.

[@HLR4th]

Our town in CA has a similar code requirement as yours does regarding batteries, but even more frustrating, requiring a special type of smoke detector that doesn’t exist! We installed our two TESLA2 Powerwalls outside- it was the only solution.

[@Yolleem]

Matt thank you for all your posts. I am super close to you in Maine and have used your Chanel to help purchase 32 Enphase panels. I will say though the Enlighten app is great for Solar production, but sucks hard at calculating usage.

[@davidstewart1153]

My battery installation saga is very similar and costs are the same. In my case, the battery won't ever pay for itself unless my utility kicks everyone out of NEM or makes other dramatic changes to their programs. I think just backup power is worth it.

[@onelilindian7137]

It would be really cool to see a house design integrating all the technologies for what you think is the right net zero cost to ease of maintenance and returns. Your videos are awesome.

[@isaiahusman]

Where is our intro sound

[@tedhamilton2362]

Adding storage to my grid tie system means I either buy a system from the installer or I build my own and put it on an inverter/charger between the service and my home electrical load. I have 200amp service so minimum 120000 watt continuous capacity.

[@samuelfischer736]

I would love to see a video from you on solar panel cleaning and maintenance. As a new solar power person myself I am left wondering how often they need to be cleaned to maintain peak efficiency. Is there a tell tale sign in production that would tip me off or am I just left with eye balling the panels to determine they are dusty enough to need it? That sort of video would be great! Love all your content thus far btw. You were a big help in my planning and implementation of my power solutions.

[@laughingjackaso8163]

getting a replacement system soon. 4+kW & 13+kWh LPF battery. installed for about AU$14k. however my fed-in tariff (earnings) will be dropping from AU$0.66 to AU$0.08

[@ckeilah]

I wish you’d talk about battery management systems. I’m trying to build something that will intelligently manage a hybrid LiFEPO and lead acid storage banks with solar and generator inputs. Not easy.

[@TwoBitDaVinci]

Loving the new visuals and music Matt! Can you make a video on how you rolled your own charge from excess solar using span?

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, Ricky. I should probably make a short on how I rolled my own solution.

[@erfquake1]

Hi Matt, thank you for this episode! Extremely helpful! Some info on the Enphase solar controller you installed in this system would help a lot.

[@jamesbrady2156]

The city I live in AND me HOA are roadblocks for any type of solar cells OR battery storage . For me I must wait for a better time in the future.

[@WalterA-b3d]

Our solar and battery system is 100% Enphase. A rather small system of only 10 panels and two 5P batteries. When the Enphase Bidirectional EV Charger is available we will add it. Then our Nissan Leaf will add another 55kW of battery backup. The main reason we spent the money for adding batteries is to have power during outages. Very pleased with what we had installed. We produce enough extra electric power that under our CA NEM2 program our household has not spent money for electricity in the last 1.5 years. Even get a minor check sent to us at our true up date.

[@danielcarroll3358]

I have 11 panels and no (so far) batteries. I'm also under NEM 2.0 and got a few hundred dollars for the year. But I live near SF Bay so AC isn't needed often. Overproduced 2 MW-hr last year.

[@wighty]

The bidirectional charging is the main reason I haven't purchased a home battery yet... we have solar and 2 EVs that we want to be able to utilize if needed, with a relatively smallish home battery that can run for at least a few hours/cover us for brown outs.

[@Keith80027]

Thanks Matt for your video. I looking into battery backup to my backup generators because my power company is now turning off the power when there is energy shortage and high winds which happens very often in Colorado. The last high wind event took 4 days for power to come back on because Excel must hand inspect every line before the power is turned back on. Note, all the AC power within a mile is underground. The other reason is 256% more for kw from 1pm to 7 pm to limit power usage. My house burnt during the Marshall fire and the city require all electric house except for the furnace. Can't afford to run my AC on hot days anymore nor cook supper. I had an EV that required new batteries after 8 years and am wondering how long will your batteries last with the power company pulling power from your batteries. You are lucky you can charge your EV in your garage as my city made it against the law to charge an EV in the garage, it has to be charged outside. I looking at a battery system to run my O2 machine at night and to run the furnace, refrigerator and freeze during power outages. I recharge with my generators during the day. I am older and the ROIs are not making it worth while to go full Solar and Batteries.

[@paulmasbeth4655]

The compelling case for the Virtual Power Plant only highlights the potential for more vehicle to grid capability. If you take the same math your use for your home battery system and apply it to an EV that is willing to be connected and shed energy to the grid, it could mean a decent return on investment for an asset that would otherwise just be sitting at your home or office most of the time. Would love to see more content on upcoming V2G technologies.,

[@chadmace3355]

Matt - understandable why you went this way. surprised they don't have a pass through mode direct DC to DC.

[@zygmuntkuzminski8312]

what about connecting solar panels directly to water heater ,it will be best storage, and we used a lot, takes a lot energy to warm up, another tank will just keep steady temp. for use

[@simon359]

Nice, but I don’t live in your area so I DIY mine. I added to it when I could afford it and chose to be off grid, so I didn’t have to wait for permitting or permission for anything. I think my favorite system today is the Apollo, if I didn’t know anything about making my own system. These have good battery storage and massive solar potential.

[@captaindunsell8568]

In my area of Florida… zip 34222 … I have only been without power for 12 hours in 10 years … including two hurricanes…

[@davidhuber6251]

Very nice helpful video. I'm not ready to go solar yet, but I want to have enough information to make good decisions when I do.

[@RedBatteryHead]

I've seen the cost against the standard Optimizer system. And that is really some high cost. For just 2-5% gain on kWh from the PV. Simon optimizers you could have had a big save.

[@AerialWaviator]

Great overview of your AC base storage system. It might have been worth noting differences between AC storage and DC storage systems. More as a educational reference to architecture differences, which would be useful for people installing solar or energy storage, but waiting a few years to complete their full solar + energy storage system.

[@a16416]

I have EG4 from Signature Solar for the last year, it’s about $8,500 30KW LFP house battery

[@shreyasdube]

I ended up getting the Enphase 5ps as well. Well, still in permitting hell. Been 3 months already. Thought really hard about EcoFlow but ultimately decided to stay within the Enphase ecosystem. There's a big software component to these systems nowadays and Enphase is a bit more mature in that space (vs say, Anker or Ecoflow who could abandon their app anytime). Also looked into Span. My installer strongly discouraged it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about that, sounds like not getting Span was a good call.

[@samuelpierog135]

Hi Matt, I know I'm mincing words here but you described the batteries with inverters as running at a slightly diminished capacity of a microinverters in the battery fails. It would run at the same CAPACITY, but slightly diminished POWER OUTPUT. I know I'm splitting hairs but just wanted to clarify.

[@michaelburke4048]

Your battery setup looks great. I currently have 2 Tesla powerwall batteries, but my solar panels top those up by mid-morning 10 months of the year. I wish I had gotten 1 or 2 more. As it is, I'm dumping about 2/3rds of the energy I produce back onto the grid, for which PSE gives us "credits" at 1/10th the cost they sell electricity back to us at. There is no program by which they pay us, and even the accumulated credits vanish at the end of the year.

[@evlnte]

My local inspector only cared about a missing junction box on the roof that was supposed to tie all the solar panels together before going down into my home. Tesla spent 2 weeks explaining that that box was a mistake on the plans and was unnecessary for the final layout of my panels. It was another example of ridiculous regulations enforced by ignorant inspectors who loosely follow "rules" that make no impact on the safe use of these products. Four weeks later and nothing was changed for the final inspection except for the removal of a second cut-off breaker in my garage that was not on the original design. Mind you that that second breaker would have made my system infinitely more safe by allowing me to cut the system from the grid faster then having to run outside and flip the utility-accessible cut-off! Maddening.

[@ericmaclaurin8525]

Damn inspectors inspecting and requiring every single thing on the plans is... ...Awesome. Blame Tesla for screwing up instead of the inspector or state for not spending millions training every inspector on every manufacturers system.

[@evlnte]

@@ericmaclaurin8525 The inspector first left the premises because the ladder to the roof was not ready for him to climb. He just up and left even though the Tesla employee was rushing to get it off his truck. Sorry, but these guys are just ego-driven morons.

[@dc1544]

My neighborhood was without power for 2 days. 70mph winds took down a lot of trees which took down a lot of powerlines. I was the only with lights on. No internet as it also took that down also. I just watched movies on my 4k player. Still no power from grid but internet is up and with my solar/battery I have I don't care when the grid is back up. I have plenty of battery storage and its sunny again.

[@billdillard885]

Matt… Great Preso! We’re in the midst of a roof replacement here in Florida. Once I have that under our belt I would like to pick your brain some more. We have a large forever home here in Florida. No Gen and really want Solar backup as investment for our family or the next owner if we decide to downsize in 10 years or so.

[@homewall744]

Planning for utility payback is a gamble. They can change this at any time. In Seattle, PSE will only do usage credits, and they keep them only up to a year, so you'll get no checks and if you produced more than used, you don't get money back, you just know you helped others with your solar.

[@xoxo2008oxox]

I think a turnkey setup from panels to storage, with permitting inclusive, would be the ideal home power/protection plan