I have an enphase system as well. Enphase has been a pain as far as getting my warranty replacements microinverters in a timely manner. Plus I still have to pay my local enphase affiliate $75 labor.
I recently had a micro inverter replaced, and the exact replacement is underperforming. It’s a pain because my local company said, it would still cost me $75 labor, and I had a new one replaced a month prior.
Microinverters allow for better expandability, but they have their headaches as well.
a fun solar project Vosk. Excited to see your journey.
I have 1200 days of data from my residential mining farm here is Australia.
A quick summary for those that are interested.
Residential limited max inverter size of 5.0kw allowed.
6.6 kw of panels, (22 panels at 300 watts) max input panel size inverter will handle is 7.2kw (24 @ 300w).
Inverter will only generate output peak of 5.0kw.
24% over provisioning panels(5.0/6.6) widens the solar generated curve & cap limits the top.
Goal was to to use 100% of my solar and not export any to the grid & have minimal grid import. Its near impossible with rigs crashing, change of day schedule to the season/weather. I am sitting around 85% and very happy with that.
have a look at the links bellow for some detailed stats. the Fronius web site has awesome data tracking and graphs. Excellent inverter.
Solar output productivity in Southern hemisphere Western Australia.
Hot days impact power generate power. 21st December 2019 hot day 6.6kw of panels were not able to generate peak of 5kw)
Summer 42 units generated / Winter solstice 24 units generated.
considerations of panels on tilt array to track sun to push the bell curve out, Cost verse payoff.
Summer Solstice 42kw units generated Hot and very long day
I have 40 acres in the Arizona desert. I currently have 86 active panels and 6 more in the process of being installed. I am grid tied with netmetering. I produce about 130kWhs this time of year on a clear day. In addition to my household needs I run 22 1070 GPUs mining ETH. I may expand.
My advice to those thinking about installing solar, and especially those considering powering a mining operation of modest size is the selection of location. Abundant sunlight is critical but every bit as important is the solar power policy of your utility company. Different jurisdictions have different policies as to how they pay you for the excess power you return to the grid. I am fortunate to live in an area where we have netmetering. Under my arrangement with my utility company, I get credit for each kWh I return to the grid during the day. At night when I am drawing from the grid, I get a 1 for 1 credit for my daytime over production. This is critical. Most places do not do this anymore. Most places pay you wholesale for your daytime overproduction then charge you retail for your night time usage. If you can find a location with 1 for 1 netmetering then the grid is your battery and there is no need to waste money on your own batteries.
Another thought to share, some rural locations allow the homeowner to do their own installation after taking some classes on electrical codes. No contractor or electrician needed.
I use Enphase microinverters. They are incredibly easy to install as their output is 240v and connects directly to the 2 polarities of any 240v subpanel. No neutral and no ground. I’ve even put an electrical connector on the end of a bank of panels and connected it into my shop 240v welder outlet. It feeds back into the system thru an outlet.
As my post above I also explaing, am also using Enphase micro inverters. I agree they are much more user friendly since you are only dealing with 240VAC. As others have said though placing microinverters under panels for a rooftop install might not be ideal. However Enphase will update your inverters, over the network, if you have any issues, so the possibilility of having one go bad (they have 10 year warranty) is low. All of my panels are easy access since they are part of a large porch.
As an addition for your new house have you thought about having a solar tiled roof on your house? The Tesla v3 solar tiles look promising. Considering this with the power bank for the house.
First great channel dude awesome info .
I have 2 solar installs one installed by pros and one by me which includes a turbine. From trying a few different install options I would definitely recommend micro inverters with the right panels. Your site looks like you will get shading so if so they will pay for themselves in no time. Plus with trees you get birds and with that you get dirty panels. One dirty panel without micro inverters effects all in the series so increases maintenance.
Also if you are truly going off grid then battery’s are a must (for me anyway) you can make your own it isn’t that hard that way cost would be way lower and you can expand as needed. I have a few S17e’s that run between 70/87% of the time from solar or battery and it has kept them profitable and will for some time. Can share more info on stuff I look at and gave looked at if it’s any help.
Also get access to sun stimulation software so you can map out your setup with tress etc. And see the sun rise and set in all seasons which will help production estimates. Architects use um most of the time but shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Love the channel! Two things: First, a request for those of us that run solar and do not want to pull from the grid, I would like to see a miner build based on maximum efficiency (maybe 2.5kW max).
Second, having recently installed my own 40kW solar system and knowing you need stable power 24/7 I would absolutely do batteries! I built my own 220kWh battery from 12 Nissan Leaf battery packs for about $20k. If you can build a miner, you can build your own power wall for far cheaper than commercial alternatives.
One more idea on the new house, get a heat pump water heater and put your miners in the same room. That will make the water heater super efficient and it kicks out cold air to boot. We went with one of these: https://www.hotwater.com/water-heaters/residential/hybrid-electric-heat-pump/
Saves a huge amount of power!
Hey VoskCoin, first post. I had actually started long term planning a solar farm on a large property inspired from your tour of CrazyDanes farm. I too am from Richmond, VA area and a member of VMSC for autocross in my Mustang. I’d love to learn more from you as I have just started my mining adventure in early December and expecting to scale up very quickly. Currently mining 2x3060 ti, 3x3080, and 2x6800 GPU’s. I’ve got more on order and expect to require electrical upgrades soon.
I own and operate a solar company here in Virginia. We serve the Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Augusta County area. I would love to help in any way I can. Please visit our website at www.xgenpower.com
We are offering a 10% discount on all our systems. Since you are a miner, there could be additional discounts as well.
I install for $2.25 a watt in fl look up solar tech
I also live offgrid.
If you just want to buy parts i get better rates from my distributor then you get online.
I have a handful of solar videos on my channel
A couple on ground mounts.
Been in solar for 14 years.
My company wholesales crystal storage batteries that can sustain full power off the grid. We have models with varying capacities and a model that’s customizable for commercial use. These are completely renewable energy units that are cost effective and backed by a 10 year warranty. Any excess energy not used is stored for later use. Please let me know if interested and I will send details.
Hydro power on a creek or river flows power always except when water freezes. Not too expensive but I’d imagine getting permits is like pulling gator teeth without anesthesia. You need a 1.5 meter drop or double for 2 turbines. The drop could be natural or made with a backhoe.
I believe this idea created in a stand alone pool with water flowing down through the turbine and pumped back up to flow continuously. With a big pool the water would flow around but part of the water would have to pumped using some of the power to complete the cycle. Maybe several solar panels could power the pumps to startup without the grid and continue the flow. Fill the water with Epson salt to prevent algae & slime growth and no risk of freezing.
The cost of the generator is given as $4300 USD/kW. FAQ - Turbulent Website. Concrete costs are a lot but dyi cuts labor out so
the real queston who makes chinese knockoff because they steal everything except
death and taxes.
I’ll share 2 nexgen solar technologies, pricey but doable once economies of scale reduce cost as supply demand equilibrium ensues. The 1st is nexgen liquid solar film that I assume could be applied to anything flat so no bulky panels to buy. Great news is liquid solar also collects energy from reflected light and the any light source including man made lighting will produce a lil juice. I see this product becoming popular to place on inside walls to collect energy from interior lighting
2nd solar roof design blends into the community better and are less likely to suffer wind damage plus they can support human weight so that is durability by design but to new to rate. Maybe some cheap vinyl coated plywood to paint and lay down solar film. Solar is gonna go down in price as competition cannibalizes everyone and new tech drops current product prices. All good!!
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