Would you want something like this for your home? Use code UNDECIDED50 to get 50% OFF your first Factor box plus 20% off your next month at bit.ly/3R5fOSk If you liked this, check out Tesla Solar Roof vs Solar Panels: Which is Worth It? kzread.info/dash/bejne/maCb1amjptvcqps.html

@PetraKann

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

@michaelharrison1093

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

2 күн бұрын

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.

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

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

@@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

3 күн бұрын

Especially with bi-directional charging

@ericfrancis7816

3 күн бұрын

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.

All of these battery puns have left me completely drained.

@roseymalino9855

3 күн бұрын

I get a charge out of them.

@jefftemple5235

3 күн бұрын

Watt do you mean?

@jmcguire56

3 күн бұрын

I am shocked by all this!

@danmallery9142

3 күн бұрын

Try to remain positive.

@JohnnyWednesday

3 күн бұрын

They have the potential to keep me grounded

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.

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

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

@@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

3 күн бұрын

Cell costs are dropping, but labor costs are rising.

@robgriffin4801

3 күн бұрын

@@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.

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

3 күн бұрын

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

@ericmaclaurin8525

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

​@@ericmaclaurin8525Brick lol. Way too polite.

@MikrySoft

3 күн бұрын

@@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".

@ckleinheksel

3 күн бұрын

Who said anything about off grid. Oh wait, you did. Never mind.

Lots to think about when I do something like this in a year or two. Thank you Matt I feel informed about what I going to be getting into.

@cameronf3343

3 күн бұрын

If you’re looking down the line instead of now then keep your eyes on sodium ion. They’re coming out of the line, safer, have more temperature range and will rapidly become more affordable than any lithium based one.

@SteveMichaels

3 күн бұрын

@@cameronf3343 Yes I agree Sodium ion has great potential. Materials used is certainly attention getting. let's hope it gets the funding it needs.

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

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.

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

3 күн бұрын

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

@EcoHouseThailand

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

@meikgeik

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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.

We also have a net zero home in south florida. Where typically near 50% of our electrical usage goes to air conditioning. Of course we have a well insulated home, with all energy star appliances and such. We regularly get hurricanes and sometimes lose electric for a couple weeks after. So we designed our system around that need. Some pointers about real electrical consumption. First off you can ignore needing to run tv’s , internet, computers, etc during an outage, because none of that stuff will work anyway, ( because it’s cut off at the source, which we have no control over). Next on the list is washer and dryer, you won’t need those either because there is no water, ( and even if there is, it won’t be drinkable or usable, ( all the pumping stations run off the grid, no grid no water)). Next is lights, it’s much easier to use portable rechargable lights in rooms where you plan to occupy at night. However a few lights and ceiling fans should be included in the mix. Next up is electric oven, forget about it, get a convection microwave, or a toaster oven/ air fryer, ( much more energy efficient, and runs on 120 ac typically. Forget about electric vehicle charging, you won’t need it, all the roads are destroyed, and there are no stores or gas stations open anyway. We do have a 4 wheel drive jeep, which can ford deep water and can get thru some pretty rough stuff, but again there is nowhere to go. We have an in ground pool, where the filter and heating system runs typically 8-10 hrs/day. In an emergency we can get by with higher chlorine contend, and run the filter for a couple hours every 2-3 days, ( basically turn some other stuff off during the time the pool pump is on, so we can use our solar and battery bank, on a sunny day, to keep the pool alive. It’s call time sharing, you only run certain things at the cost of others to not deplete your battery bank. If you think you are going to live normal life, using all the energy you want, you are in for a rude awakening, ( unless you have of course unlimited funds and want to spend $150k on your system, ( we paid around $25k for our whole system complete). Down here our number one priority is air conditioning and dehumidification, as the inside of the house gets over 100f and 90% humidity with no ac. And forget about nighttime cooling with the windows open, ( we don’t do that here). The lows at night are typically in the mid 80’s and the humidity actually goes up at night typically, ( sometimes over 90%). And there is typically no wind in florida anyway, ( especially in cities, where we live). We do live right near the gulf, and that helps moderate temps some, but that’s a double edge sword, ( coastal flooding). Instead of trying to use the central ac system during a a grid outage, ( which uses tremendous amounts of energy, ( 50% of our usage when the grid is up and running). We elected to design and build a water based TES , ( thermal energy storage system). When we have an outage we only use the TES system, and a whole house dehumidifier system. Both of which run off of a secondary solar system we have on a shed in our back yard, ( none of which is connected to the house wiring in the house, ( completely self sufficient). Every car in America has a similar system installed, ( using circulating water, running thru a radiator to transfer heat). During the day, ( when the sun is shining), we circulate the water, ( stored in two large insulated tanks in our garage, ( 100 gallons each, ( home depot, $140 bucks ea)). A small circulating water pump, ( normally used on boiler systems, ($60 bucks)). A radiator for the air to pass thru, ( mounted in a duct box, in the center of our attic, between the air return, and main plenum, with a small inline circulating fan mounted in the duct to circulate the air thru the house). What occurs is hot air rises into the return ducts, runs thru the radiator, ( heat exchanger), get cooled down, then the cool air just fall out of all the register in the ceiling in the house, ( remember cold air falls). Though the system is very small, it keeps the house below 80f and the humidity below 60%, ( via the whole house dehumidifier). Without needing to run the central hvac system at all, ( during the power outage). During the day electric chillers, ( running on sun power) cool the house, and cools the water in the tanks. Once the sun goes down, the chillers go off, and the reserved energy in the water itself keeps the house cool thru the night, ( continuously circulating, taking the warm in from the returns, then expelling the cool air out all the registers in each room. The only power used at night is the water pump, and the solid state inline circulating fan. So we can operate the whole works off of around 400ah of lithium phosphate batteries, then the next day the cycle begins again. For really rainy days we do have a small honda generator, that we can charge the bank up in a couple hours if needed. We found even on partially cloudy days, our solar generates enough to keep everything going, ( without needing the generator). When the grid is up and everything is healthy, we still use the TES system, because it cuts the run time hours on the main hvac system in half, so instead of the main hvac system working 10hrs a day on stage 2, it only needs to run on stage 1, half the runtime, and using much less power, than without the TES system. The result being instead of the ac electrical cost being $5-$6 dollars a day, our main hvac system costs about a buck or two, ( electrical usage). The TES system is always totally free because it’s powered by it’s own solar array and battery bank, ( thru a pair of Growatt all in one inverters, ( not tied to our big grid tied solar system at all). I just don’t understand why people are spending so much trying to do simple tasks. We generate more energy than we use typically. 😂

@fixitpro

Күн бұрын

Good for you. But. There are just not many in our population that understand the actions needed to adapt, to work within their climate to most efficiently solve their issues. And, not a lot of "professionals" can help either. Part of the process includes self-education, some (too many) don't or can't. I read every word and appreciate what you wrote. I live in Indiana, but it gave me some ideas about my own situation.

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

3 күн бұрын

great point!

@wachinpntdry.

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

2 күн бұрын

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

@Babarudra

2 күн бұрын

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

We've had five 5Ps & the Span Remote Meter with that severe 'drift' issue & it took months of discussion, convincing, replacement, diagnostic and internal escalation at Span.. and several weeks back they finally confirmed that their SoC algorithm has wrong assumptions about the 5P's (dis)charge curve and behavior. They said it would be addressed with a firmware update but that one has yet to materialize. I can provide the support ticket no for reference if anyone wants to increase focus on / priority of fixing the issue at Span given the defacto defunc load-shedding capability with these wildly incorrect state-of-charge assumptions. I've stopped recalibrating quasi every 2-3 days for now & the end result is that Span thought i.e. yesterday that we were at 35% even though we had been at a 100% for hours at that time of day. Either way, it's a proper bug in their FW for 5Ps, not just mere compounding CTs measurement inaccuracies.

the thing with modular systems that people probably dont realize is "you can technically use them for long distance bike rides" to explain, you can charge them at home, then turn around, and put one in a backpack and have enough juice to go on an epic that spans america, and then come home and probably still have power left over.

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

3 күн бұрын

"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

3 күн бұрын

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.

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

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

@@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

3 күн бұрын

Actually a genius. Maybe if you compare to yourself.

@PetraKann

3 күн бұрын

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

@esumiwa5583

3 күн бұрын

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

@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

I love how every company and their kid brother is making home backup batteries now. I remember *years* ago thinking it’d be cool to have one of those Anker powerstations with 300 Wh of storage for camping at a convention. Now I can store enough to run my house on solar generation alone. Wild times we live in.

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

2 күн бұрын

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

Thanks for the detail on the SPAN integration it was very helpful.

I like the modular approach because you can move, add or remove them if needed. They’re also portable if we needed to bring power with us or help someone else out

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.

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

Your system is very very similar to the one I had installed. My battery capacity is sufficient to handle 3 days of power outage, including car charging, during peak-AC time. Between the system and the high efficiency heatpumps, the electrical bill went from ~150-450 a month to $19 a month. Getting rid of the inconsistency in our electrical bills is a huge help.

Timely post, I have a telecom with my installer to discuss adding some ESS to my existing PV Enphase system with 31 Q-Cell 405-watt panels > IQ8A Inverters > IQ 4C Combiner Box. I was looking at Tesla PW3s but am now leaning towards the 5P. Being retired I'm on a budget so I'll likely start with an ESSENTIAL LOAD system to start and then ADD in the future. We have a finished basement that never gets warmer than 75F in the summer so in an outage in the summer we can hunker in the Bat Cave. we have gas heat so we are good there given the blower only uses about 500 watts ene running. We also OVERSIZED our PV system as well. Our annual consumption since COVID (when I was working from home) averaged 11,600 kWh, and my PV system produces 14,600 kWh (STC). Great video. Thanks

@tontonn9995

2 күн бұрын

What pricing are you getting to add batteries to your Enphase solar? I also have 13 400 W panels as a second system on my home and ma exploring adding a Enphase battery to provide power during peak rates.

awesome as always Matt

Super well thought out and presented. Excellent

Thanks Matt.

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

I really wait for sodium base ultra-cheap batteries! In a home, i have space, weight is no problem, but money is. Also, they could be saver as well, if I understand correctly.

5KWh storage is equivalent to 1Kg wood in thermal energy. So literary any (fairly small) branch of wood found in the forest has 5-10x (thermal) storage capacity of these expensive batteries, given efficient burning process. To con vert to electric one needs a high efficient thermodynamic transformer - a boundary layer turbine, and a small 2.5-5KW permanent magnet motor/generator.

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.

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

@MM-sf3rl

3 күн бұрын

😂

@cornishcat11

3 күн бұрын

funny comment

@emosasukefan01234

3 күн бұрын

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

@hawkeye2816

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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.

As always interesting video. I went with a Tesla Powerwall 2 when we had the system installed, and sadly the last two storms, the Tesla storm watch was a bust, once it put us in the storm mode less than 15 minutes before the storm hit, and last night it never went in to storm watch mode. But since I have it, I am looking at adding another one to assure there is enough peak output ability to run the heat pump.

After doing a solar deep-dive, we opted for the Enphase micro inverters on each panel. The system redundancy makes sense considering I’ve seen plenitudes of main inverters fail in my career, and the short warranty life seems to only just pass. Manufacturers don’t want anything to do with the customer after this period. The Enphase battery redundancy also makes sense. Apart from price, the system quality, reliability and customer service, makes it a top tier home energy generation product

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

Thank you. This was very timely. We have solar panels and use Enphase and I am really happy with the company so far. We have a local install company here in Denver called Namaste Solar and they give good advice and did a great job installing. We want to get batteries now and a charging station and I like your set up. Thanks again for this video.

Thanks for a great and interesting video Matt

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

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

@@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.

"One throat to choke" is what we called it when we chose a single vendor solution... Time will tell and we all know you WILL tell how it works out in time! Thanks.

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.

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.

Thanks, Matt. I’ve had an Enphase system that I got before CA changed their Net Metering rules, but a year later hasn’t been installed yet. And that’s just the panels and microinverters. My head swims with battery options, but I need to lean toward grid-tie as 1.) I’ve got great rates for my contribution and 2.) I don’t have an electric car to charge yet. A lot to think about, but you’ve helped clarify it for me.

😂 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.

I also live in MA (different utility) and basically went the total opposite approach. DIY 10kw (13kw panel) grid tied string inverter (100% net metering). I looked into batteries, but my utility didn't participate in the smart grid program so they made little sense for my application. Instead I bought a Ford Lightning ER (130kwh) and installed a critical loads panel for grid outage risk mitigation. Just goes to show you there are many ways to skin a cat and "your mileage will vary" is so true in solar. My paperwork for approval took ~3-4wks, but another data point is my employer has been waiting >8 months to get approval to add 4 more EV chargers. I know everybody likes the microinverters, but IMHO this only makes sense with multi-pitch roofs requiring small arrays. Not only does the cost add up quickly, the proposition (relative to string) becomes even worse for large (>10kw) total panel count. By my count your total system has 75 micro inverters between the panels and the batteries. I would be concerned that probability will eventually catch up with you and again.....(your mileage will vary)......there's a good debate on single source of failure vs. redundancy risk tolerance stack up.

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.

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

3 күн бұрын

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

@JBoy340a

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

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

@oliverturner128

2 күн бұрын

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

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!

In Australia I have Enphase microinverters and a Tesla battery and am very happy with them.

😊thank you for the transparency. Also have you considered adding a vertical wind generator to the system?

I am adding an EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra with 2 batteries and smart panel 2 in a couple of weeks. I’m more interested in loss of power and vital services happening to my aging family, me included. I still work at 68 y/o and most outages occur when I am at work. I paid for mine with no financing and installation is very expensive here in CT. You get what you pay for, and the peace of mind that it’s installed and tested by a professional electrician. I can recharge the batteries with my inverter generator if the power stays out for longer periods of time, but it will recharge on its own if the grid comes back on earlier. I will see how the house usage of power will affect the battery backup time. My system will be nothing of the magnitude of the undecided household. Nice electrical planning and for-thought from the video you shot Matt. Enjoy your videos.

Thanks for the info

Good System, well done.

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.

the great thing about having a business making videos about technologies etc, is you can write some amount of projects off as business expenses to create content.

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.

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.

It's true that having several inverters removes a single point of failure - but of course it also means that you increase the probability that one or more inverters fail.

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.

Nice video Matt! I’ve been a long time solar installer and I would have chosen the same approach! Great explanation for the masses. Adding to the permitting nightmare, the sprinkler systems is useless in a battery thermal runaway event anyways! Hopefully laws and mentalities change overtime to help families not add unnecessary roadblocks.

Thanks for coverage on your issues with permitting.

this feel like getting a glimpse into the future. hopefully some day

GREAT VIDEO. I LIKED THE FINANCIAL DETAILS OF THE SYSTEM WHICH IN MY CASE DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE I LIVE IN GREECE

@Tap__Profile__Whasapp__Msg-973

Күн бұрын

Hello

@29TONYHA

Күн бұрын

@@Tap__Profile__Whasapp__Msg-973 HELLO

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

3 күн бұрын

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

@shawnr771

3 күн бұрын

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

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.

love the new intro music, the old one felt very "free downloadable ringtone"

@UndecidedMF

2 күн бұрын

Glad you like it!

As you mentioned, the prices in Europe are significantly cheaper. One such module is offered for 3500 € installed by the company who installed my solar panels 4 years ago, with Enphase inverters, so it will be plug and play.

Thanks for the work that you do. I look forward to your videos. I was wondering if you looked into StorEn’s Vanadium Flow Cell Batteries. They are in the start up phase and haven’t been brought to market yet. I think their supposed safety and reliability seems amazing.

I have powerwalls with enphase solar, but the internal array of microinverters on the enphase battery system for redundancy is pretty cool.

I have a bit of a different approach. I have an Enphase 13.2 KW Solar Systems and my plan is to wait for the EVs with bidirectional charging support (similar to cybertruck powershare, f150 intelligent backup). But these new modular options Eco flow and anker are really enticing.

That's really clever of Enphase to use multiple inverter modules inside that they already make. It's just a parameter adjustment.

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.

Really nice presentation Matt!! I've had an SMA string inverter with just under 7K of Sharp solar panels for about 14 years. I've added 10 additional Sharp panels using Enphase M190s andM250 inverters. The system provides most of my yearly KWH needs. I also have some battery backup, 11 KWH of LifePo4 DIY battery feeding a 6KW inverter for most of the house loads. I've been considering expanding the storage and thought about going all Enphase but the new battery does seem outdated already. I would like to have all Enphase inverters though since I do have morning and afternoon shading. A couple of V3 Tesla power walls may replace my current setup with expandability. I also have a model Y so charging during the day when the utility CO is paying me .08/kwh makes sense . We do have TOU here in SE Michigan so more battery does make sense. Thanks for all your hard work with these productions.

Great you can generate and store your own power and if you have an EV, charge that too. No more gasoline costs or gas stations.

Honest question to ask on solar panels. Better in yard or on roof? Of course you have to remove trees closer to your house for solar which helps with to keep heat off and out of it due to ac needs. I guess it depends on roofing insulation overall really.

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

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.

I am currently using “Time Based Control” to avoid the purchase of expensive energy on TOU. I keep the 2 Tesla’s charged on “Charge on Solar” for excess power to avoid the utility line charges selling and buying back excess power I generate from Spring through Fall. Reasoning is not enough power generation other times of year as to ensure the house battery is full to carry a 5 hour window. I think this is most efficient. I am not sure if a “Virtual Power Plant” would offset any cost or benefit. Thoughts?

I am in contract to install a 14.2 kWh system with two PW3 in the Bay Area for $58K before tax credit. That s much more expensive than your 17.2 kWh and 20 kWh storage. So much more affordable in MA than CA.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

"The best sponsor I can shill for" There I fixed your video title for you Matt.

I can recommend Sigenergy SigenStor with 25kw DC Bi-directional EV charger for those with 3-phase power.

If I could put solar on my roof I would go with a high voltage battery like the LG Enblock S. That would be paired with the dcbel Ara DC/AC power manager/charger/inverter/everything unit. The Ara operatates at a higher voltage so it can charge cars with high voltage DC directly either fom a battery or panels without losses. It also handles V2H and V2G when you have a car that can do that. It's a very cool sytem and I hope it goes on sale in Texas soon. I beleive it is being sold in California and New York currently.

great job.

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

The HHG is best for electricity generation. Amazing it's perpetual motion machine.

Curious about the yellow barrier bars in front of the battery array. Was that your choice or required by local regulations? Cost? Built to be removable for battery maintenance?

When the grid goes down, so does my solar to prevent back-feeding, which makes sense. I'd like to have a small modular system that my solar can still feed into when the grid is down so I have critical needs met. I don't need anything so large as to power my whole house but making sure I have some lights, fridge, and freezer going while I cook outside on the bbq would be nice.

@wachinpntdry.

3 күн бұрын

i get that utilities are worried about solar systems feeding power to lines that utility workers are trying to repair... but requiring all systems to be useless when there's an outage is ridiculous... there is no valid reason why each individual solar system can't easily automatically and seamlessly switch off grid connection, and continue to function safely within the household to provide direct power and battery charge up with no possibility of energizing the grid... it's as simple as switch(s) between the system and the grid tie-in, it/they trip and no power can leave the local household system... the idea that during extended outages like after major hurricanes in FL, 10s of thousands of households with solar systems fully capable of providing all or most of the energy they need, all sit in darkness, .... in the sweltering heat, without refrigeration, or a/c, or power to charge phones or use internet... or for many without city water, the ability to run well water pumps so personal hygiene, use of toilets and cooking all become major issues as well... the entire concept of forcing a system in place that renders hundreds of millions of dollars worth of solar installations completely useless, exactly when they are most needed and useful.. is completely, and incomprehensibly absurd... so easy to make it completely safe... just ridiculous nonsense that this sort of thing was ever even considered

I have recently installed a Powerwall 2 and solar, and have been virtually off-grid for 2 months now, this despite the rubbish weather we have in the UK. Whilst I would like an additional PW2 battery, I'm hoping that the new generation of small EVs from Tesla will be able to act as a battery back-up, and yes, I'm waiting patiently for them to be available! (we do not have the choices you have in America, nor can we export over 5kWh to the grid)

Six months is fast compared to Hawaii. It took 11 months for my recent home PV/battery system to complete all phases of the project.

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.

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

@Snerdles

3 күн бұрын

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

3 күн бұрын

@@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

How does the battery system perform during peak energy demand periods? Curious to know more about its efficiency and reliability.

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.

Imagine if there was an universal interface protocol just so all those components could talk to each other? I agree with you going micro inverters, specially if you plan on growing your system later on.