*Old Design Issues* - Limited to 600 watts, excess power goes to the grid without compensation. - No energy storage system (ESS) to store excess solar power. *New Design Improvements* - Installed solar panels on the roof for better efficiency. - Added energy meters to monitor power flow. - Created a 48V battery pack using four 12V LiFePO4 batteries. - Used Victron MultiPlus II for energy storage and management. - Configured the system to use the battery pack as a 600W power source. *Performance Metrics* - Reduced grid power consumption to around 50 watts. - Battery pack charges with excess solar power. *Future Improvements* - Need more solar panels for better utilization of the battery pack. - Approval from local grid provider is required. *Positive Points (Sorted by Importance)* 1. *Modularity:* The system is easily extendable and customizable. 2. *Energy Storage:* The new design includes a battery pack to store excess solar power. 3. *Monitoring:* Added energy meters for real-time monitoring of power flow. 4. *Safety Measures:* Included circuit breakers and surge protection devices. 5. *Software Configuration:* Allows fine-tuning of power usage and storage. *Negative Points (Sorted by Importance)* 1. *Cost-Effectiveness:* The system is not yet cost-effective due to underutilization of the battery pack. 2. *Complexity:* The system requires a good understanding of electrical systems and may not be suitable for complete beginners. 3. *Approval Required:* The system needs approval from the local grid provider. 4. *Installation Challenges:* Difficulty in installing solar panels on the roof.

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

What an awesome summary. I might pin this comment :-)

@JoseOliveira-lz1up

9 ай бұрын

This man came out of nowhere and just translated everything in a easy way, lol @@greatscottlab

@mystery_1101

9 ай бұрын

Nice

@eugeneputin1858

9 ай бұрын

AI generated, you should try it scott!@@greatscottlab

@mystery_1101

9 ай бұрын

​@@eugeneputin1858what?

The easiest way to actually get your solar panels on the roof, is to simply slide them on your ladder (with shorter side resting on your biceps as you climb up) and another person already up on the roof will grab the opossite side, you won't damage them that way and it is pretty safe. Personally, I've gotten thousands of PV modules on the roofs that way.

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback :-)

@gugusse55840

9 ай бұрын

@@greatscottlab The first time my wife and I installed panels on our roof, we use almost this method. The beginning of the roof wasn't super high (3m). The ladder (single straight piece) was laying at about 45°, my wife would put the panels flat on the ladder, I would pull them up with a rope while she would make sure they don't go side ways. Once on the roof, for the time I needed to secure them, she was on the other side of the house, on the ground, with the same rope. Just pulling slighly on it to "block" them. I had a little piece of scrap metal bend to make a hook to grab the panel at the end of the rope. I hope I explained it well enough.

@wobblysauce

9 ай бұрын

Yep just take up the slack

@albin6382

6 ай бұрын

Normally i use scaffolding. For small number of panels or if scaffolding is not possible you can use a handle with suction cups for glass and just climb the ladder with the panel.

Everybody wants to have a house like Scott with all the latest tech installed.

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

It certainly is fun :-)

@MohitSharmaxp

9 ай бұрын

@@greatscottlab yes I can tell after seeing everything you've installed so far.

@FlammableElectronics

9 ай бұрын

Yea

@tarakivu8861

9 ай бұрын

Certainly when you are paid to promote such super expensive products.. Have you seen what they charge for a Serial cable??

@MohitSharmaxp

9 ай бұрын

@@tarakivu8861 i literally cannot afford that TBH. It's just a daydream.

Here in the Netherlands we have a thing called "saldering", where anything that you push back to the grid will be deducted from your monthly bill, but that's going to be abolished in the next few years, so I was looking into a system like this as well, and you did exactly what I was planning to do, so thanks for saving me some time figuring everything out!

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Happy to help :-)

@duncyy7471

9 ай бұрын

take a look at some video's from Harold Halewijn. He explains a lot (in dutch) and his company places Victron installations (hetslimmehuis)

@theboz1419

9 ай бұрын

Here in the US, we also have a buyback system.

@ManuKrishnanmagz

9 ай бұрын

Same here.. the essent guys were pushing us with the salding and they told it won't be put off. I will go for the LiFePO4 back up system like his! Houdoe!

@impmeister1

9 ай бұрын

Was also looking into a this system. Now that energy companies hate people with solar panels here in the netherlands. Was reading the victron catalogue for system ideas but Scott made the base plan already for me.

Very nice installation! A 45° tile roof is very tough for panel installation. (Former rooftop installer)

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for confirming this :-)

@tiltedbrim83

9 ай бұрын

Why do the tile seams line up? doesn't that allow for leaks. Just curious, I don't know anything about the tiles.

@RTFManuel

5 ай бұрын

They ovelrap and hold each other in place@@tiltedbrim83

I'm jealous of your electrical panel. Here in the US ours are so last century.

@AgentOffice

9 ай бұрын

We have Leviton and Span panels

@literallycanadian

9 ай бұрын

How though? Those panels are bigger for less circuit capacity (neglecting voltage differences), more time consuming to wire, and easier to mess up. In the US/Canada we use those kind of panels in industrial all time, because they are more modular, allowing things like those power meters to be intsalled easily, or relays and PLCs, but he could have easily installed it in a sub box like the surge protector, heck even put it in the surge protector box. There is a reason in industrial facilities we still have both these style of panels and typical NA panels. Because if all you need is power the NA style panels are super cheap, compact, and easy to wire.

All those breakers and shunts and zigby adapters and yadda yadda is really going to add up. cost wise. I did 20kw of solar for around $12k US, $15k if you count mistakes made along the way, and some unfortunate equipment failures. I have two small "microgrid" systems like in the video, and about 10kw worth of micro and string inverters that backfeeds the grid. I did it all myself and then had it inspected. I am lucky in several ways, I had land available to mount most panels on the ground. I also have one grid connection that goes to four households, so I have an absolutely huge base load compared to my usage. I send about 8-10% power back to the grid, the rest gets used up or stored in batteries. If I were in a high cost of electricity, it would pay for itself much faster, but 2 years in and it'll be paid off in ~3 more years. One drawback is it was kind of a hobby, I started with the microinverters... I added a 5kw string inverter, then two hybrid inverters and batteries. But now everything just works, and it isn't much of a hobby. Adding on to what I currently have will have drastically reduced ROI, as whatever I add will largely go back to the grid and they only pay 1/3 of what they charge me. I need to improve the temperatures that my hybrid inverters see.... everything is outdoors but dry. They experienced temperatures this summer that this area has never seen before. Not sure how to best go about this.

@orangeflavoredmf

9 ай бұрын

When you say it pays itself off in 5 years, you mean if everything goes perfectly. What if you get hail, parts of the system blow out, etc. then it becomes a nuisance. Power from the grid probably never will be more expensive than any other source.

@ur_quainmaster7901

9 ай бұрын

@@orangeflavoredmf After a month of running on generators after a pair of hurricanes hit a few years ago, I resolved to never go through that again. I was driving over all creation looking for gas, changing oil every 100 hours and resetting the breakers when clueless family members overloaded things. I just wanted to keep my grandmother alive with her o2 generator, refrigerated meds, and air conditioning. All that to say, I will lose power again, and the spice must flow... 15 days without power and I'll be at break even. Odds say that'll happen before I have a major equipment loss. There is no one super expensive component. I can take down all my panels by myself in about 6 hours, and with help, about 2. Solar is way, WAY cheaper than gasoline or even propane. I've never seen hail bad enough to damage my solar panels where I live, but then again I've never seen a solid month of 106F+ temperatures before last month so... who knows and fingers crossed.

@junkerzn7312

9 ай бұрын

@@orangeflavoredmf For these sorts of systems, all the costs are front-loaded. Once the system is running properly you are basically done and your break-even calculation on cost (already spent so you know what it was)... is now guaranteed. In anycase, if it is DIY it will definitely break-even in a reasonable period of time. If it is professionally installed it may take a lot longer to break-even because professional installs are about twice the expense. The other take-away for people doing DIY systems like 7901, and myself, and others making postings about their systems, is that small DIY hobby systems inevitably turn into large not-so-hobby systems. So it is a really good idea to design the system such that it can be scaled-up piecemeal without having to replace any equipment already purchased.

@eDoc2020

9 ай бұрын

@@orangeflavoredmf Solar panels are actually _really_ resistant to hail. If something blows out after five years then you get it repaired under warranty. It may be a bit of a nuisance to handle claims but it won't significantly affect your payback period.

@orangeflavoredmf

9 ай бұрын

@@eDoc2020 You guys might be partially right, I heard Nick Rochefort talking about selling a house with not diy solar on it.

I really like your videos. I a electrician in the US and I love seeing how you guys do your electrical systems for your house and solar system

Just wanna let you know you are big inspiration to young technicians such as me

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Awesome. Happy to hear it :-)

@tomasotreasaigh111

9 ай бұрын

Take that thing out of your mouth, who knows where it's been!

Cool. Would be interesting to have an overview about the costs.

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Maybe with a future video I can do this. Was super hard to get everything done for this video in 2 weeks. Was really running out of time.

@AK90

9 ай бұрын

Well considering the Victron MultiPlus-II @8:18 ALONE is $3000., Its not gonna be cheap.

@mknm1349

9 ай бұрын

Those LiFePO4 batteries are $350 each (with tax) - so, thats another $1400

@Timbo_tango

8 ай бұрын

@@greatscottlab We dont need to know your cost but rather the general market price of the components would be good to know.

I'm so envious of how modular your distribution box is. Here in North America, industrial electrical systems tend to use more of the DIN rail mounted stuff, whereas at home we typically have a large, steel panel with rigid buses and a fixed number of slots for circuit breakers to plug into the buses. After adding new circuits, I'm running out of space, which means I can either install a larger panel with more slots, or add a second panel fed off of the first one. I don't know if our electrical code allows us to install DIN rail breakers, but it's a more practical setup in my opinion.

@bosstowndynamics5488

9 ай бұрын

Living in a country that uses DIN mount breakers, and having seen more videos about US electrical breakers than I have any right to have, it occurs to me that this might be a deliberate choice - DIN mount systems are more customisable, which means more ways to get it wrong. Not a big deal in countries where you need training to install them anyway, but in the US as far as I'm aware any rando is allowed to install their own mains wiring, so the more idiot proof setup with only one way to do things is probably a good thing.

@jaymzx0

9 ай бұрын

@@bosstowndynamics5488 The US is 50 countries and over 3,000 local counties in a trenchcoat, so I can't speak for all of them, but it's generally required that you need to get a permit from the local municipality before beginning electrical work that involves running new circuits, after which it may need to be inspected to confirm it meets the local and national electrical safety codes before being energized. I'm sure there are many folks that don't follow the law, but you will find those people everywhere. If your home burns down from an electrical hazard of your own creation, I wouldn't expect the insurance company to be OK with it, so it's worth doing it the legal way.

@bosstowndynamics5488

9 ай бұрын

@@jaymzx0 That's still very different from needing an electrician to actually do the installing though - not all aspects of an install are going to be immediately apparent on an inspection (eg are the wire nuts actually done up properly), and because it's expected that amateurs can do the install there's a much smaller gap between that and deciding to go rogue

@TushhsuT

9 ай бұрын

AFAIK, in Germany you are basically allowed to do all circuitry in your home yourself. Only the connection to a city grid should be done by an electrician. I have recently redone my distribution box (main purpose was to add the RCD breaker) and I first time taking a plastic cover off I was in shock seeing how "a professional electrician" did it before. It was a cable salad... and some breakers were from different companies, but still connected with a rail, that barely fit different breakers. Disgusting and dangerous. So I just watched several youtube videos and did everything myself. costed me 70 Euros probably for new breakers and the RCD. Not a high-tech, right? Cables, their right positions and total understanding of 3 phases current. As a physicist myself, I doubt that sort of "a professional" could do better then me.

@Fernando_S

9 ай бұрын

Here in Brazil, the North American standard was mainly used until the 1980's. After that, new installations began to move towards European standards. Nowadays most new houses will have breaker panels like the one in this video, with all the stuff mounted over DIN rails.

Good video, just from a safety side, you should probably have DC isolators coming from the batteries, something like the blue sea bs6006 is pretty good, also an AC disconnect nearby to the inverter would also be good, a simple MCB can facilitate this if you want to go simple

Very impressive setup! However, I noticed you don't appear to be using a battery management system (BMS) for the four LiFePO4 batteries. Are you not worried they might become unbalanced over time, leading to one or more of them getting overcharged / overdischarged? Edit: I see they are self managed, since each contains 3 or 4 such batteries wired in series, so that should protect them, however they can still get unbalanced, which means the battery will just disconnect in such scenarios :/

@jhonny44444

9 ай бұрын

I was thinking the same, it wont go boom but it will stop working in the future due to a lack of balancing.

@redwrym

9 ай бұрын

Guess each bank has its BMS inside, that's why he shouldn't connect them in series. Correct me if I'm wrong?

@peaps

8 ай бұрын

These batteries are designed to be daisy chained up to 4S maximum. I have been doing it for over 1 year will no problem

Nice to see some real safety gear for the roof.

My previous job was installing PV systems nearly 20 years ago. As I can see your roof is the "areated type" so, probably you have some roof tiles that have a little "bulk" with a net to have airflow under the tiles. We used them as cable passages so you don't have to modify tiles. And we always have blocked the tiles underneath the panels with some PE foam to prevent them from moving (once the panels are installed is quite difficult to reposition the tiles). Hope this helps.

I love that this channel has content for everybody.

Note that some electric companies in Europe strictly prohibit customers feeding any power into the grid without a permit from them. You can get fined and have your power disconnected for unauthorized backfeeding. So be careful and read your local laws and the contract!

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Yep. Said that at the end as well. Always check back with your grid provider.

@chansheunglong

9 ай бұрын

@@greatscottlab You should put a very very big warning in the front of the video as it is not a minor "note" but a series safety and legal problem if the people seeing the video without understanding what they do

@mateuszzimon8216

9 ай бұрын

In Poland u need permission to install any back feed system and get 2 way meter, also auto disconnect if grid isn't live (eg.when they connect new clients on your street or maintenance). Also u back feed 23W with 230V, but u need remember transformers work both ways. That's still 23W but when u put that in version 1kV or 10kV hurt a lot.

@junkerzn7312

9 ай бұрын

@@greatscottlab You can arrange the topology in a way that never backfeeds (my mainline comment describes how)... and in fact, in a way that isn't even grid-tied and does not require permission from the utility at all.

If you install the right assistant,you can run the PV inverter on the output and use it off grid too. There is documentation for "AC coupling" an inverter on the victron site

Great to see your new adventures in the Solar world :) It would be interesting to have more details on the Victron ESS configuration with micro-inverters. I did not go this way, I built a 'Custom ESS' using a Hoymiles micro-inverter connected to a battery, a battery charger, and a Raspberry for the brain of the system.

Hey Scott, we run a complete Victron system off grid on our yacht. 3kW of solar and the Quattro inverter chargers as well as other things. Because you’re using Lithium. Each battery should be independently fused. Normally you’d fuse the run to a battery bus bar. We also use a battery protect from Victron to make sure they don’t over discharge. It’ll cut providing output if they get too low, (2.8 volts per cell) - so they don’t get damaged.

Nobody has to approve anything, if you go off-grid.

Hi, thanks for this overview of your upcoming solar system! No complaint meant, but I can't resist to ask: "What limit did this push...?" From the title, I would have expected something about how to get a maximum of energy while still abiding to the legal limits. Btw, it's announced that the limit will be raised to 800W output from the inverter next year. When building a system now, one could already have this target in mind. And since the solar modules seem to be some of your less costly devices, some overpaneling would be expected. Tilting modules could use more of the daylight than fixed ones, of course that would be quite complex, mechanically, and if this is too much hassle, one might consider to let them face into different directions to have a more even energy production during the day. Which, of course, only makes sense, as a way of maximizing immediate usage of the engergy, to reduce battery costs... I also had the impression, that you have bifacial modules. So mounting them in a way that allows significant light to hit the backsides would be another option. Maybe even reflectors... Of course you will be aware of all of this (and other things) much more than I am. Looking forward to the coming upgrades and follow-ups...

Brilliant work, dude! Really well done!!! 😃 I just installed solar panels at home this week! 10 550w panels and inverter. (Well, I didn't, the company I hired did it. 😬) No batteries, the energy goes to the grid, but the electricity company installed a 2 way measuring... thingy... I don't know the name in English. 😬 So, the little clock runs both ways and it generates credits that we can use up to 50 months after. You know? I think about putting another 5 panels and batteries... But it was a heck of expensive already, so I'm going to have to wait. 😂 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

Excellent! I'm about to launch into this in my apartment in Barcelona. I do have to say that in the US, it's against electrical code to run data cables in the same conduit/tray as high power DC or AC. You might want to get a smaller cable tray to run the data cables only.

also a friendly warning to read the manual and to make sure your batteries support series connections, some BMS systems will immediately fry itself if you make a mistake

A lot of places in the US require that the electric company credit you for generated electricity. Also I think there is more electric magic that requires certification before it can be used.

This video helped clear up somethings and give some deep insight about House solar power generator, always happy with how detailed your videos are!! Would be awesome to have such a detailed tutorial for usage of bench power supplies as I am going to buy one and would like how to use it like a pro!! Thank you for the good quality and keep up the great work!!

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Impressive electrical panel that wouldn't feel out of place in a small factory 😀 The project is not a balcony project anymore... The beauty of staying under 800W is that no permission from the grid operator is required and its simplicity. Victron products are high quality and well designed, but not cheap. You should make a follow up video to find out what is payback time with 10kWp PV system and bigger ESS :)

In the UK at least (of course your mileage will vary) you mustn't put mains voltage in the same conduit as low (data) voltage. I was also slightly concerned about your comment of just plugging solar into your mains, it's critically important to have an automatic isolator, so that if the mains fails, you are not supplying the grid with power and potentially endangering someone working on power lines they think are powered down.

@mikebarry229

9 ай бұрын

If in the UK you cant mix data and power in the same conduit how do Doncaster cables do it legally in their evultra cable?

@DirkEibach

9 ай бұрын

That's what the microinverter does.

@metrikmechanik

9 ай бұрын

The microinverter has anti islanding protection built in

@dusinnhht

8 ай бұрын

@@metrikmechanik Jeah, but the Victron inverter doesn't care as long there's juice in the batteries, I'm affraid.

@inothome

8 ай бұрын

@@dusinnhht Are you sure it's not a grid-tied inverter, which it is in this instance and they need to detect mains power or they shut down. Not to mention, if that little inverter did try to backfeed the neighborhood it doesn't have enough ass to do it and will trip itself off or the 50A breaker will trip. Unless the outage is just one or two houses, but yes generally it is still a bad idea to just plug in random inverters and backfeed through them. But, the good thing is most outlets and associated breakers couldn't actually handle the load anyway.

Sunsink hybrid inverter combines all you have their in one unit. It has a ct clamp you put around the mains that measures and assures you not feeding back to the grid. It has a mppt input, but also a aux input to wire the micro inverter into it. That combined with one or two 50 volt batteries is very popular here in south Africa where we have daily grid interruptions.

@nerdsmith_uk

9 ай бұрын

The victron multiplus-ii has an internal clamp, as well as options to add more

Awesome work! Really cool that your power utility allows all this!

Thank you i just needed to watch this especially that part of a shunt resistor from the battery pack

Your Distribution panel is the biggest one I’ve ever seen for a normal home that’s crazy

In Ukraine we have "green tariff", it's what you call "Feed-in tariff", the electric grid company actually pays you for the electricity you give back to the grid from your renewable sources like solar panel.

@Alan.livingston

9 ай бұрын

I think his issue is there is no smart meter for the utility company to measure his feed in.

@96Lauriz

9 ай бұрын

​​@@Alan.livingstonexactly, gernany is years behind in smart meter implementation, so the general conditions domestic customer experiences are not very optimal and workarounds as this are done.

@4kays160

9 ай бұрын

We have the same in australia, they buy the electricity off us, but charge us more per kw than they pay us for it if we use from the grid.. its called a grid tie inverter..

Would be good to have a follow-up video with a deep dive into the configuration you have used to do the power management, including the mod bus setup.

Your attic and utility room seem like the cleanest ones Ive ever seen. :)

I built a 900W setup for $500 with used panels, lead batteries and a UPS for the inverter. It's not nearly as elegant but it produces 2.5-4kwh a day independent of the grid

@killua_148

9 ай бұрын

Was it 500$ total?

@hankr3603

9 ай бұрын

@@killua_148 Yes, full disclosure the batteries were salvaged. The 230W panels were $90ea, 60a controller $50, cables were about $30, the smart shunt was only $12

@G_handle

9 ай бұрын

Can you elaborate? I have a 20-Amp rackmount APC UPS, just replaced the internal batteries, and was thinking about exactly this. Where’d you go for used panels? I’m in Los Angeles btw, plenty of unused daylight.

@hankr3603

9 ай бұрын

@@G_handle I bet there's a ton of used panels in your area, I've seen some killer deals on Facebook marketplace. I ran cables from the rack mount 900W sinewave UPS to 3 100ah batteries which is undersized but I run a window AC in the afternoon.

@junkerzn7312

9 ай бұрын

One of the really bright spots on people doing DIY systems is being able to cobble together something like that on the cheap. Using lead-acid does require some care, though. Actually a lot of care for people not used to dealing with lead-acid. Even though LiFePO4 is a significant expense over lead-acid, it is usually worth the price. No outgassing, huge cycle life, no maintenance, no memory, and partial cycling does not cause extra wear. As an alternative, there are tons of "power stations" on the market. For example, a small one with a UPS function would be something like the ECOFLOW River 2 (256Wh, LiFePO4 battery), with UPS function, 300W output (600W surge), and solar MPPT input.. Power stations require virtually no work to set up with a few solar panels. Brands like ECOFLOW, Bluetti, Oukitel, and others. Quite generic stuff these days.

If you don't mind the suggestion to offset the small panels for the batteries you could wire a separate charger for the batteries that charges them on your valley electrical rate (normally around 11pm-12am to 4am-5am) so you start the day with mostly topped of batteries into your solar day, where you use the power you need and keep the batteries topped off, so you can use them at peak rate (normally 5pm-6pm to 10-11pm). This is still not optimal power wise as you will end with 100% charged batteries many days, which you could tune. but it will minimize electrical bill as it reduces the most expensive tier consumption to almost 0 (and at a time the panels are almost useless)

@wyattutz

9 ай бұрын

I'd be surprised if his inverter can't do so already, I know of a few Chinese(not ethnically, just made in China) inverters that can be programmed to charge the batteries from the grid with a great deal of flexibility and freedom.

@junkerzn7312

9 ай бұрын

@@wyattutz There are hybrid inverters, inverter-chargers, and just plain old inverters. Hybrid inverters generally have everything. Solar inputs, battery connectors, built-in charger, AC outputs, and usually also AC inputs (generator or grid). Some have three sets of AC connections. Generator, Grid, AC out. They also usually integrate necessary breakers (but battery cabling still needs appropriate fusing)... and can greatly simplify wiring. But at a price. Inverter-chargers have AC input, AC output, and battery connections with a built-in charger and inverter but no solar inputs and generally very little in the way of protective breakers. Normal inverters are just inverters. DC in, AC out.

@junkerzn7312

9 ай бұрын

Generally speaking the best way to handle load support from the grid is to buy a battery charger that has a "power supply" mode. You can then simply set the output voltage to the mostly-empty SOC voltage of the battery so the charger provides load-support up to its rated amperage when the battery gets low. That is, the charger would NOT charge the battery, it would simply provide load support. That way you aren't wasting grid consumption unnecessarily. This mechanism usually has all the desired characteristics. The solar will power the equipment and charge the battery during the day. When night falls, the inverter will run from the battery. This will usually last all the way through the utility's peak pricing period. When the battery becomes depleted, typically much later in the evening, like 10pm or midnight, the charger will step in and start providing load support. Usually the charger's current ramp takes a few hours to go from 0A to full support of the load, because as the charger takes load away from the battery, the battery voltage actually recovers a bit. So the battery will continue to supply most of the load at the beginning and slowly ramp up from there, usually taking a few hours as the battery supports less and less load before the charger is supporting the full load. This does have to be a battery charger, such as a Victron battery charger, that has a "power supply mode". It cannot be a normal DC power supply because normal DC power supplies do not generally have sufficient reverse-voltage tolerance on their outputs. A charger does. That is, if you unplug a normal power supply from the grid or turn it off, there is now reverse voltage (the battery voltage) on its outputs verses the 0V on its inputs. This can burn out a normal power supply. Battery chargers are designed for this condition and don't have a problem with reverse voltage.

Hello, I worked in the ventilation installation, with aluminum ducts, all our supports were either insulated from the ducts or made of aluminum to prevent electrolysis from eating away the aluminum. (according to my boss at the time)

I have a similar Victron ESS system installed. The setting you have to limit is the feed-in power to 600w (it's on the ESS menú). No need to limit the inverter power. This way during blackouts, your multiplus will do it's rating... You only need to limit the inverter to the max current your battery bank can provide.

What keeps power from entering the grid from your panels in case of a grid outage? That is a major problem we have to deal with here with solar on homes.

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

There is a disconnect switch in the MultiPlus 2

@mateuszzimon8216

9 ай бұрын

And that part should be checked regularly, u don't want backfeed if grid is dead.

@junkerzn7312

9 ай бұрын

@@mateuszzimon8216 The micro-inverters will shut-down on their own, even if the MultiPlus doesn't disconnect the grid. Microinverters do not try to run the grid. Basically this is governed by the UL1741 and UL1741SA standards.

@mateuszzimon8216

9 ай бұрын

@@junkerzn7312 yes, but u can get certified device and by neglecting u can hurt someone. That's why RCDs have test button and text test once a year. It's like "not used muscle disappear"

Next up Scott is gonna push a mini nuclear bomb to its limit

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Don't tempt me

Brilliant. Videos like this are well worth viewing.

This is a really good video which has made me think more about what provision I could do/get for my home. Thank you ☺

Nice setup! Good for you! Surprised though you didn't choose to make the solar panel follow the sun since that would be way more efficient than to mount them on the roof... I know you've made a video about it few years ago. And I think is better to put panels horizontally on the ground than on a 45º incllined roof.

Wow! amazing how much do you think it takes for the current setup to be financially cost effective or at least cover its own costs? and how much do you estimate the total cost of such a system?

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Total cost. Maybe around 4500€. But you will have to add around 600€ more for maybe 1.6kW solar more and MPPT charger. Then this system could pay for itself in maybe 5 to 15 years depending on electricity prices. But truth be told, for me this is not all about ROI on such a system. I just love solar and creating my own power :-)

@navidmafi

9 ай бұрын

@@greatscottlab great attitude!

Your "Super Powers are Formidable!" As only a "mere mortal", I find your passion, skill and knowledge astounding!

Nice idea! I am also using a multiplus and smart shunt in my camper van. If some of you guys are into DIY, the Victron Venus OS, running on the cerbo is available to run on a Pi3/4. (By Victron) So I could save some € and still have nearly the same functionality compared to 60€ versus 250€. You also need some adapters to connnect the Victron Bus. works for me for 2 years now.

There is a big concern with the old design, the "leaking" energy that goes into the grid can be dangerous for the technicians working on the grid because they can disconnect the power input but they don't know that you are sending electricity and so they could be electrocuted so be careful guys

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

The MultiPlus 2 has a disconnection relay that disconnects from the grid if the power goes down. Prevents this.

@Outroduce1

9 ай бұрын

Pretty much every on-grid PV inverter has anti-islanding protection and will de-energize its AC output once there's no feedback from the grid.

The hardest part of this tutorial is owning a house.

I'm also hoping to start a solar project this year, thanks for the info

0:49 just wanted to say that in such systems you MUST have a way to make sure you are not sending power back to the grid, (unless requested) NOT because you don't get money, because if there is a downed line, it could be assumed dead if its not.

@DavidHalko

9 ай бұрын

The whole house inverter takes care of this problem. Properly wired: 1. if the panels/micro-inverters and/or batteries are enough, they supply the A/C to the home 2. if the panels/micro-inverters supply too much power, extra power is sent to the batteries via the whole house inverter 3. if the panels/micro-inverters supply too much power, if the batteries are full, then the whole house inverter shuts off the micro-inverter, and supplies energy to the home. 4. If the panels & micro-inverter power is too little, if the battery is too little, then the whole house inverter enables the A/C mains.

Scott please don't put the batteries on the floor. For now atleast put them on a piece of wood. And later put them into a fireproof box.

@otm646

9 ай бұрын

For the millionth time batteries on the floor do not discharge. Second of all those are LiFe with an integrated BMS, there's zero fire risk.

Your attic and electrical panel are so neat and tidy 👍

Man I am not a technician by any means but I still love watching all your videos for some reason 😄

You did an excellent job, Scott. Hope you manage to expand it soon, you may not need grid power. Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful drawings and penmanship! So easy to understand the way you drew it all out and labeled so clearly!

Nice work! I have taught about buying some batteries for building something like a power station. One nice feature would indeed be to have the possibility to use solar panels to charge them, so this gave some inspiration

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Glad I could help :-)

I've just finished a project to install a 48/5000/70 multiplus-ii in my garage along with 12KWh of storage (16x230AH LiFePO4 cells) - I don't have solar, but I can now buy energy when it's cheap and use it when it's expensive. I'm going to add another track of cells to my project and then add solar/wind on the DC side

Happy to see all my customers' brands in this video

👍 @7:22, admiring toroidal core current transformer. 🤓

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Such a thing is awesome to see in such devices. It certainly says quality product.

You got a sponsorship from Victron??? Haha that’s amazing! They are the best!

Been to Europe really like the clay tile roofs. In Canada majority of roofs are asphalt tiles, lucky to get 15 years out of them, one big con game. When I built my house installed a steal roof 30 years ago, it will out last me. When I installed my solar panels it was easy to attach the the tall ribs, never a leak.

Dude, sponsored by Victron? That's so awesome! They have the nicest power systems.

Some Recomendations: - put Balancer between the Battery‘s - use cerbo build in node red to stop the inverter working if battery is empty or at night, to Safe energy Good choice, i using vitron for over 4 years in different application, its great

I enjoy watching your work, Scott.

Nice job! The only direct tie (to the grid) inverters I've seen will not produce power unless the grid is actively working, does the direct tie inverter you use work with and without the grid being live?

@DavidHalko

9 ай бұрын

The whole house inverter should be able to create an a/c supply when the mains are not active, so grid ties should function. A Genetry Solar Inverter will sink extra power provided by the grid ties on the A/C outs to batteries, and will turn off the grid tie inverters once the batteries are full (without all those other sensors required by this setup.) I am finishing the construction of my system, to try to go off-grid, with a grid backup on my whole house inverter.

@dean5263

9 ай бұрын

@@DavidHalko Thank you for the information, solar may be a bit pricy, but the independence it provides is satisfying.

This is a great overview of the complexities involved in combining solar and grid power. Backfeeding is not only a waste of your your energy, but is illegal in many (most?) places without the proper equipment and the cost to buy and install such equipment can be more than the cost of a small solar setup. The system we see in this video is not inexpensive and it will take many years to recoup such an investment. Backfeeding is *dangerous* as it could power the grid during an outage or when technicians are otherwise working on the line. DO NOT backfeed into your own electric system without disconnecting your main breaker or installing an approved disconnect system. I have used an ad hoc system with a gasoline generator during multi-week power outages, *but* I always turn off the main breaker and feed a garage sub-panel through dedicated breakers with all 220V (U.S.) equipment breakers switched off. Electrician experience or advice is helpful and you must make sure that no one in your household will ever turn on the main breaker before uninstalling all power sources. I suggest starting with a solar system that's separated from grid power entirely to avoid these issues until you decide to, or can afford to, properly integrate the solar. Such a setup can consist of just a couple of solar panels and a portable power station, which is much less cost than the full setup shown in this video. Many people will be perfectly happy with a "workshop" system that runs lights and small equipment separately from the house wiring, but which can be used in emergencies to run a refrigerator or gas/oil furnace from extension cords. Yes, you sacrifice the daily solar contribution to your house power, but you can power your lab, workshop, or garage while learning what to expect from a larger, more expensive system. PV systems are easily expandable and advancing technologies make it smart to start small and expand over time as cost efficiencies continue to improve with solar panels, batteries, and equipment.

Great Video! Thanks for always giving us awesome content! What software did you use for the diagram 07:59 ?

Just a little Note here in Canada and I think in the USA too if you dont have a Propper Hydro Meter, the power you put in does NOT reverse the Meter it will charge you for giving them free power ... it see the power flow and add it as power used.. the meter replacement cost $2700.00 from the Hydro company.

I guarantee that if I did a DIY install like this on my place the comments section would be filled with so many "That's illegal!" and other regulatory compliance comments that you wouldn't be able to see anything else.

Awesome project. Well done

Awesome Projekt! 👍

ESS is a nice trick. Given the size of the Multiplus 2, the logical upgrade is to put (at least) one large PV Array with a Victron MPPT Battery Controller directly charging the battery. Of course, the next ugprade is to put a slightly bigger battery 😁

Sweet construction green crocs!

Hi GreatScotts, awesome video btw, love the new lab. However, in this system when you're connecting multiple 12V LiFePO4 batteries in series, don't you think a battery management system (BMS) is needed?

I looked into doing something similar, although at a slightly smaller scale, and here in Australia you can have a maximum of 500W without having to get the system inspected by a certified inspector (and pay them for it, of course). And that's without the grid tie-in. It has to be completely stand-alone, and if you want to connect any system to the grid, irrespective of its size, it needs to be inspected and certified to meet all electrical and safety standards. Personally, I did the cakeulations and I could run my network gear off a 500W system with a modest battery. However my NAS would use too much energy, which cause the battery to run out overnight sometimes, so it would have to be run off mains (with an IUPS, of course). But the cost of the system probably isn't worth it because it only saved me a little money from my electricity bill. Although that was years ago, before energy prices started skyrocketing, so perhaps that equation has changed now.

2015 Victron was Only company to offer LFP battery system but were always sold out - I purchased Victron solar controllers and built my own battery - Victron makes quality gear

In the Netherlands we have smart meters, those contain a so-called P1 port which spits out the energy consumption every second. Unfortunately our meter has that port hidden behind a panel with a seal on it (business installation), opening up that port means a tech from the metering company has to show up. Since we also do not yet have a battery storage we keep it this way. During day time the whole company runs on 100% solar power, delivering some energy back into the grid for just 7 cents per kWh. As soon as we get a battery system and/or EV charging solutions, we have to look into getting our P1 metering readout to work. Adding an extra metering solution will be a bit tricky with a 400V, 100A installation.

Very cool project... Victron can fill my workshop with batteries to :)

When I saw the grinder...thirst thing that popped into my head...use corldess tools with a soler setup, same voltages less waste energy. A fast charger that can charge 2 or more batteries at a time can be powered by a small dc to ac inverter. At a time on big site I kept 2 impact drills, 2 cordless drills and one impact drills batteries charged during the day by keeping the car on, and a small soler panels on the cars roof.

I was just looking at making one of these and was thinking of using stuff from this compoany so perfect timing for me

There used to be a term 'guerrilla solar' for unlicensed solar installs... To be honest if you are looking for ths simplest solution, take your 600w of solar+batteries and use this to power your fridge freezer. Add a relay so that it connects fridge back to mains power when battery is empty.... You won't be paid for power, but fridge/freezer is likely the largest electrical load (appart from heat/water heat) and will easily consume all that 600w panel can produce. Side benefit is that you are better protected for grid outage.

Here in Brazil i work as a solar system installer, some roofs are really dangeours, but i like it

this is awesome! I wish I could have a system like this!

What software is the wiring diagram created with? Looks really clean

You probably could find a Leiteraufzug rent service to get panels up there, though a bit expensive if there's only two panels, but definitely something to take into account when DYIng a solar panel

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

True

Victron are great, I work in the solar industry and we rely on their products for off-grid and smaller installations, they're pricy, but they're worth it. That said even in the context of the system shown here it can be done for a lot less money while still using Victron.

Kind of outside of the scope of the video, but those roof tiles look really nice!

there are some nice Automatic Transfer Switches for your 120AC for when your battery goes below certain voltage in the 10ms range instead of doing the Victron Route as well.

Props to you for getting on the roof. That is when I call someone.

Kabel in der Holzkonstruktion im Dach mach ich nur in zusätzlichen Metallrohren, weil das Holz in der Sommerhitze so trocken wird, dass auch ein kleiner Kabelschmorer einen dicken Balken entzünden kann.

Very cool idea, I was not aware such battery solutions exists. If I understood it correctly you could have make the battery and it's inverter connect to the house's main via a normal AC plug, just like with the balcony power generator, since it's essentially doing the same, just with a different kind of power source. Too bad these self-installable balcony solar generators are not allowed in Hungary. (actually all additional solar request are on hold indefinitely, because the grid is in such a bad state that it can't accept more..)

could add some wind funnels to cool the backside of the panels, helps power production, funnel should stick out above the roof and catch from any direction ?

I love this house projects, keep it up

Wow you made awesome project again.

That's a pretty neat looking storage setup you have on your wall! I wonder, is it anything specific or just generic stuff you added your own touches to.

Hey @GreatScott! Love this Video ! Do you know how much the whole Victron stuff iteslf on Energy Konsumes ?

Just watched the beginning and love it already :D

@greatscottlab

9 ай бұрын

Haha awesome :-)

1:01 Now that's what I call Free Energy!