First time you use those large panels, it's like: what the f#@k did I get myself into :)

Thanks Andy, great stuff as always. (We’re still away in our van in central NSW, and still making nearly enough solar to do everything. We’ve barely used any LPG - only for the oven- and only a few litres of diesel in the heater- mostly reverse cycle A/C heating.)

I love your channel!...Projects project and more projects...I can't wait to replicate some of them for my off grid power use! Thanks, Andy!

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Perfect! Motivating others, showing ideas and solutions is one of the main goals of this channel. So thank you for your feedback.

Im happy to see that everything is went well

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

So far, yes, but....

No solar panels are enough,so addictive i keep on buying them every other time😂

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

I fully understand you brother!

Andy, you're a solar beast! I need to get more business so I can buy more panels. Love it, keep up the great show.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Todd, Yeah, get more solar...!

Great Andy! i wish i would have such nice graphs in Wintertime too😊

what an active guy you are! I have watched almost all of your video's

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot. I didn't even watch all of them yet 😂

Wow these are huge modules 😮

Thanks for the video, we need plenty here in SA

Those panels look great!

Great channel. Most ive made on 6600w split 2 sides of roof. Max kwh in 1 day was around 44.5-45kwh

Hey Andy, A pm Vlog, cool I love it, you are full of surprises. Perfect time of the year to set your tilt panels up. 2 hints, prop up a panel on your roof at the approx angle you want and measure your shadow a few times during the day so you know the spacing. Maybe use something like 40 x 25 x 3 aluminum channel with 1 hole drilled across and 3 or 4 in the bottom. less mucking around than with the aluminum flat. Really appreciate that you stay current with your videos. Six pack of S.P.A.Ts on the way for all the hard work!!!!🍺🍺🍺

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much, Glen. That is a crazy amount of S.P.A.T. Thanks heaps, love you man!

Hihi Andy, you were complainig about the outside temperature in winter. We here, in "summer", have 9drgC in the morning - Welcome to sunny, not so hot, Austria! I know, we are missing the "al"...🤣

Thanks Andy

Nice work Andy, I have recently installed the same panels and racking, they are beasts of panels and hard work to get up on the roof on a 2 story house. They are performing beautifully, good luck with the new install !!! 🤠😎

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

I hope Andy2 is coming to help. I like them as well and will do a review and test soon.

@AndyM...

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Gladly...if I was living a bit closer...you won't remember but I had an Outlander PHEV same as you, traded it the a couple of months ago for a Kia EV6, so now I am fully electric too (I was getting a dismal 25 to 30km per charge in the Outlander in the end 😟) but am around 500km now in the EV6 😎😃 Plus also being totally off grid 100% of my driving is freshly produced electrons from daylight ! 👍 Watch your back with those heavy panels !!!

@showme360

Жыл бұрын

@@AndyM... Excellent we test drove the EV6 and the Polestar and favoured the EV6! have you got the V2L onboard?

@AndyM...

Жыл бұрын

Hi Ken, Yes came with V2L and L1 charger.....loving the car, a dream to drive and feed with electrons 😆👍😎

LOOOOVE all youre projects.....keep´em comming

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

INCOMING!

Stay well!😊

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

You too, Clarence.

Andy u hit the solar panel on the fence my heart was in the mouth thought u damaged the glass. Also u need to buy corrugated mounting feet. Its the best way to do it.

I like how Simba said hi. Im voting for Simba in the next election 😺

I really enjoy your chanel and you knowledge i am also living off grid on 20kw of batterys so with zero sun i get about 3.5 days with my limited usage Been struugling with minimal panels till my new aray is set up

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Hey, great. 3.5 days is awesome. What do you do afterwards? Genset?

@borichards978

Жыл бұрын

Yeah I have a generator that can charge the system at just over 75amps

Last week I upgradedy Panels with these mounting, but on the wall of my House. I used 10mm by 70mm "Schlossschrauben" and 2 screws for each "arm". So I think that would be more than enough.

TRIM THAT TREE BRANCH ???? LOVE THE VIDEO !!!!!!

OMW... I was always wondering what's with putting the bear can on the panel?? Now I get it hahaha... Brilliant!

You ever consider some strategic tree trimming? Would be interesting to see the huge difference that could make! 👍

Make a plate up, mate for the win. Bloody cold down here. My roof vlog will be up this week. Not want you think.

You've got so many solar panels now you could probably set a bunch up nearly horizontal (as clear a view of the sky as possible) to generate during cloudy weather where the angle doesn't matter as much. Just don't make them exactly horizontal, you don't want standing water accumulating on the panel, it will destroy the seals after a few years. Basically a ground mount out of thte way somewhere (just not directly under a tree) at 5-10 degrees. And since the angle would be so small, you could really pack them in without worrying too much about shadowing. I'd do a real ground-mount though, maybe 2-3 feet off the ground (since no major angles to worry about).

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I thought about that on the roof actually, just mounting them on the angle the roof provides. I really need a winter booster when it is sunny as the garage is in full shade then. A ground mount system is a pain the the arse with the concrete foundations. It is so permanent...

Any chance of getting a 2023 video on what you would setup if you wanted to make a small ( 2kw) gird tied solar inverter with solar and battery system? What inverter, battery and battery charger you would pick. Looking to make a small system here in Melbourne to get our home more off grid. Love your videos.

Well done

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Thank you.

Andy , You should try to find an old retired polar mounted sat dish that is at least a 12ft in size. " get the entire thing don't leave anything behind. pole too....the movers on them will move in upwards of 2000 lbs. When the tubing is re-worked they make great polar mounted solar Trackers...Here in the states people sometimes will give them away for free just to get them out of there yard and out of there sight. maybe you can find a free one and have a free polar solar Tracker? They are triple axial adjustable. inclin declin and polar...in one.

I have four 550w panels (adjustable for seasons) and I can get an easy 8kW in a day with a Pmax1895 and Vmax44.72 You're going to be just fine

Heeeee??? I saw that Video already this morning. Now KZread shows it again.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I stuffed up and it was online already after uploading. Had forgotten to set the scheduler...

Congrats! There is not only a "Felix Autria" but also a "Felix Australia". You have enough space and sun for PV.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, enough space but it is all far away from the garage...

@klassichd10

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Luxusprobleme, Jammern auf hohem Niveau 🙂 better a few meter cable than no more unshaded space. Felix Australia...

🦦 The last thing is the river in the garage when this storms are coming as long as you havn‘t a batteryboat😂 But you still can build a tree 😂 especially for the 2 panels 😉

Don't forget Andy the corrugated roof might not be supported underneath the ridge, so add some support under the ridge as well as above, otherwise your roof might crack! me old mate!! Not good!!!!!!

Back pedaling in flip flops! Not as easy as it looks. Well done, Andy I can't believe you purchased MORE panels. Does your wife think you have lost your mind?

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

My wife purchased more coloured pencils for her art studio work. We have a deal 😉 Approved Australian Work Slippers 😂

My first impression is that they need a center cross member. But that was because I thought you were going to stand them up on the fence. I think investing in the best quality panels to last more than 20 years is a good idea. I also am not sure how long those cheap Chinese micro inverters will last, I am interested in seeing.

@pulith5220

Жыл бұрын

There is a spammer again.

7:44 maybe your neighbors think the same as my neighbors think about me: They think I'm a romantic nutcase 🙈

Andy, a fellow sailor and I have been talking BMSs recently and we both came to the conclusion that we need another test from you....we are wondering after a complete BMS over current "blowup" of all fets etc, will current continue to flow through the BMS and continue to charge the battery to its detriment?

I just ordered Six 200w bi-facials for my Eco Worthy tracker. 1 400w panel on it get's just over 1kw a day..

Wish my wife was half as tolerant and accomodating as yours

Andy what's that silver wireless box behind the panels on ur solar farm ? Do u have a video on it ?

Andy buy yourself a jockey wheel for your trailer, they are cheaper than a crook back!😂

Wasnt soooo far away with my estimation regarding the pv modules from trina 😊

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Spot on...

@sl6891

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia S.P.A.T on

Just a quick question…. Would it be possible to drill holes in the bottom of the panel support arms and rotate the mounting brackets 90 degrees ?

6:30pm is the new 5am 🤔🤔🙄

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yes, exactly!

Melbourne is very cloudy in these days, battery stays 10% SOC.

I find it very intriguing how much your panels yield during the winter compared to eg Europe in the winter. If we have clouds during that period, the yield is very low. The sky is only (dark) gray and we hope for a ray of sun. Is this because the elevation of the sun in your region is still (relatively) high during winter and/or a lack of complete cloud cover? Thank you for looking ahead to upcoming projects. Sounds promising. 👍

@chrisroyle4813

Жыл бұрын

By way of comparison, Dec 22nd in London UK has a day length of 7h50 and Perth June 22nd has a day length of 10h03 - a massive difference. Melbourne is a mere 9h32. I'm going to be playing around with some south facing garden panels this year, with a view to having them near vertical in winter to eek out a little bit more power.

Andy, as the panels are so large do you think they will be more susceptible to damage (hail or branches falling)

Lots of shades from trees.

Either you're short, or those panels are massive! 🤭🤭 I've got 2 x Trina 385w panels, bought last year, still doing well 👍 Tho I also have 2 x JA solar 385w panels, and they do produce more power, regularly going over their stated power rating 😁 Looking forward to joining you next time Andy 🍻🍻

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

These panels are huge!!!! Hence my sparky refuses to use them for any of his installations. Very hard to handle, so I hope ANdy2 comes along and gives me a hand... The Trina were the only ones I could get relatively easy. Everything else would have been an import form oversees. Until they arrive, the winter is long over...

Andy, assembling a new LFP kit now would you be compressing or not?? P.S. Appreciate what you do :)

How do u have the solar farm actually connected to the multiples ac input like that

"Crazy neighbour" is reserved for Steve Wallis only! 🖖

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Who is Steve Wallis?

@a__133

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Steve Wallis is a Canadian KZreadr. He makes camping under "special" circumstances. 🖖 And calibrates many stuff in a step2 😉, too.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

@@a__133 ah right, just looked him up. He said crazy neibor though, not neighbour. Camping behind a fake billboard😁 classic

You should have grid meter for consumption

Andy, do you have any spot in your property that is not shaded? (not saying to cut the trees)

I need more solar, I have a really problem with the growatt invertor number one. Very seen a system draw 9 Volts from two banks? 😢 Had to use the charger to start. Long story. Was full clouds too. I need a victon which can take 400 Volts. I think the Dutch/German is calling me.

You can connect entirely different solar panels together without there being a problem?

How do you set that bottom section in the VRM @10:59 to show there?

What does Mrs Off-Grid say about panels everywhere in the Garden??? My Mrs cracks when I test just one in the driveway. Even though I am elec engineer, she thinks only sparkies know what they are doing.

when you test new victron multi hs19 15kva ?

Andy are you building another Frankenstein battery???

Also a great demonstrator for the benefits of such microinverter each supplying 2 panels with 2 mppt if I got it right and their different individual performance in more or less shadow cause many do not get it that a usual inverter would have gone for the lowest production module, so at 11:57 you are talking about 426 + 419 + 328 + 180 = 1353 watt while a usual inverter would have an output of 4 x 180 W = 720 W or roughly 630 Watt lost or 630 W gained by the microinverter at that particular moment. The more clouds coming through the more gains by the microinverters. Might need some more explanations in a shorter videos for those who are new to the topic and have to deal with tricky shading situations like in your case. And I guess you have the same fun as I have with that ELEjoy EY800W I also had to get last june when I had bought the first big 500 Wp panels. But you have to be carefull to not burn the tester through if you measure too often one after the other like a buddy did till he had blown his circuit board. Luckily he was greatly supported cause he had gotten a replacement pcb for cheap, I think 15€ incl. vat and shipping to fix his 90€ tester if I remember right. Better to get a spare pcb for 15€ then to throw it away. Astonishing support by the vendor and the manufacturer we had not expected.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

The inverter has 4 MPPTs, so handles all panels individually which is perfect for this partly shading in the afternoon. I think I have shown this in the other video recently when we installed the inverter... Yeah, the old solar panel tester went up in smoke with the 400W Hyundai panels. Not worth repairing as I needed the larger one anyway. The new one keeps testing less frequently when it gets too hot I have noticed. Hey, I have seen, they make 1000W panels now! I would like two of them for testing😁

@typxxilps

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Really, I have seen the 660 Wp panels in germany on a solar agriculture farm with 2 levels for plants and solar power but that needs a massive metal construction. Those 660 Wp panels were 1,10 m x 2,5 m so they do not get wider than 1,15m I guess for handling reasons.

First time I've seen the current above 10 amps on a panel...

How can you register those qr codes in case of warranty claim?

How much Solar do you want? YES!

Precision setup equals german engineering. Let's being proud of it! 🖖

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I am. Hence all the projects take 3 times as long 😁

I wish I had a pool as well. Then I could also build a pool fence system. And a pool farm. But without a pool 🤷

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Not possible without pool, sorry😑

Ho andy..greetings from italy

Amp source nr 1

You need to join a support group, or something. :D

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

The one I recently wanted to join was already full 😂 I have so many therapists here on the channel...

You can install a grid meter on the PV inverter output and this will report the value to VRM.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yes, the problem is to get the data over to the garage... I have two EM112 here but need either RS485 or Zigbee connection to the garage. Neither exists. I'm using a Shelly 1 Plus and integrate this in Venus OS. The Shelly will just use my wifi.

@ShaneFromSA

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia we use Cat5e and run RS485 over one of the pairs. Can go like 500m+ like that. Victron sells the ZigBee option which should give you over 100m . I built a system to integrate my Enphase micro-inverters directly. It isn't too hard but has to be redone every time you update the GX.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

@@ShaneFromSA Yeah, cabling is not an option my case. I would need to trench under the driveway from the pool to the garage. That is far too much, especially if there are options to use wireless.

You need some reddot tilt kits for those panels so it will work for the orientation you are planning in your roof. Those brackets you have are meant to go 90 deg different.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

I'll make it work. Even if the foot was 90° turned it would not fit the roof profile. They have used these kits for my car port as well on corrugated roof but had more mounting points, so one middle screw was enough.

@alltron66

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia seriously these tilt kits are far better for only a little bit more than the legs you are using but oh so much stronger and flexible in mounting positions. I am using on an angle even and works well.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

@@alltron66 looking at the Reddot Racking now...

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, looks good but won't fit my rails I already have. I guess it's just another possible solution for a tilt mount... Good to know though...

@alltron66

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia I sent you email with pix

Where can I purchase?

Crazy solar neighbour with a SPAT ? PS You want movable tilts that track the sun ???

i Am also in the proses of replacing my 250w panels with 550w ones. It seems that no one is importing 250w mono panels and it is a waste to mix 250w and 550w panels on my system (hybrid inverter/charger) as the 250w panels will reduce the 550w panels power to match the lower watts of the smaller ones. i Have not tested it myself but was so informed by the solar retailer.

I tried one of the cheap WVC-1600 grid-tie inverters with Hyundai shingle panels and I'm in the process of returning the inverter. I found it overheated and shut down periodically to cool down, which is not ideal. This is in the UK summer, so it's not massively warm. Your inverter appears to have better cooling provision and is more expensive. It'll be interesting to see how it manages your summer. I'll use a Solax X1 instead as I don't have shading issues - it was more for convenience.

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it has no fan but the cooler is massive and the whole inverter is pretty heavy. It will sit upright behind one of the tilt mounts under a panel, well ventilated. At least, I hope so.

@chrisroyle4813

Жыл бұрын

Mine was also behind the panel and ventilated too - I just think that it is 'not good' quality. The panels do get reasonably warm on the underside.

@MiranPayman

Жыл бұрын

Ip,65 inverters like dyee sol ark are abour 2500 to 3500 usd for the 12kw. 8kw ip22 run about 900 to 1200

@sang3Eta

Жыл бұрын

Make sure your solar panels do not exceed the amp rating of the inverter. 12.5A I believe for this one. Trina solar panels have very low amps for their size compared to most brands.

Got some of those french panels I see.. "Fra-gee-lay"

Overkill is always best when anchoring solar!! I lost 3 of 5 panels myself from a sudden and random wind storm before I could mount my panels a couple years ago. Definitely NOT GOOD!!

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Every screw counts!

Why didn't you get a bifacial module? So you can compare?

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

None available in this 500W+ size...

🦦 10 pm 22 degrees 🤔 just that we talked about that 🐬 so we enjoy the last 10 Days 😂

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Yes, enjoy! 9 days and counting...

😎

I bet that you are like me and counting down to the shortest day...

Solarpanels machen süchtig..... ;-)

The question on if solar is sufficient for winter would be to test the panel output on cloudy rainy weather over 4 to 5 days. We are actually getting around 10 such crappy days now already in a row. Let us know how your new panels perform 😊

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Clouds are not a problem as the garage system will perform very well due to its size. Yesterday, I made 17kWh just from the garage with cloudy rainy weather. Plus 3.5kWh from the solar farm. It's a win-win, one performs in cloudy, the other one in sunny weather.

@damianhla4940

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Yes, larger high output panels does continue to perform in poor and less than ideal conditions. Perhaps for the benefit of readers and the good of promoting solar as a sustainable energy solution for the public, you can gather some solar yield stats and present this in another video, not just in terms of the absolute figure, but a relative percentage of output one can expect in typical Australia winter conditions, eg worst conditions vs typical cloudy overcast day vs winter partly cloudy vs winter sunny vs summer sunny day. As a lot of politicians are sending out the wrong message that solar is impractical and doesn't work for cloudy days and winter 😂 Me too, i find as long as sufficient redundancy is made with the latest high efficiency panels, solar works well for winter as well. I am deploying Sunpower Maxeon 3 400w panels and they work extremely well in poor weather conditions as well 😁👌

You can spend all day drinking beer and checking the panels

Andy please tell me what bms I can configure to work with nissan leaf modules. They are a different chemistry and are in modules of 2s2p but I have the batteries built with the modules in 4s3p2p. So it's actually 2s2p4s3p2s l. I think I need 8 bms that are 6s. What do you recommend please you are the most educated in the matter of batteries and all that kinda stuff

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Send me a drawing. I'm confused with this 2s2p4s3p2s...😁

@matthewknight5641

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia I don't know how to send you a drawing. But each module has 4 cells inside of them in a 2s2p configuration. That's each module. Then there are 4 modules in parallel. Then there are 3 groups of 4 in series to make up a total of 12 modules. Then there are 2 sets of 12 modules. It's a total of 24 modules all together. It's very complicated I know lol. It takes 3 modules at 8.2 volts per module to equal the 25 volts I max charge to so by arranging the modules in this way was the best way to use them with the 24 volt inverters I have. I'm needing a 6s bms that is capable of being adjusted to 4.1 volts or so per cell. I will need several bms to do this crazy set up. I've been using the 24 modules for a year with almost no cell drift that I've noticed. I'd need several bms to do this properly and at best each balance lead would still be responsible for 2 cells because of the way there are 4 cells per module with 3 terminals on each module to hook wires to. If you get a minute take a look at the way a nissan leaf module is built. Once you see one you will understand how 24 modules can be arranged in the configuration I've explained. The leaf modules are so under rated its ridiculous and the ones I have came from a nearly new car so they are still about 100 percent capacity. They are supposed to be a dangerous chemistry but to this point they have been awesome. If you ever buy a few to mess around with you will be impressed with the performance as long as you get fairly good cells to begin with. I've never owned a bms so I'm not familiar with the settings and don't know if they are adjustable to top balance at say 3.9 volts and cut off at 4.1or 4.2 volts per cell but that's what I need the bms to do. Maybe I should just place them in a metal box and hope for the best but I'd actually like to have a bms and make them more safe. Thanks for doing all you do and I've started watching a lot of your videos

Kommt alles noch bei mir,allerdings nur 400-425W muss das noch ausrechnen was in den Strings zusammen passt mit dem Rs450/100 davon brauche ich noch 3 fürs Süddach.Deine Panels sind ja größer als du 😅

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

These panels are huge!. Yeah, I cannot use the RS450 due to the shading. It only makes sense when you have no shadows at all. The strings are getting too long with this...

do you think we can put two inverters to one array of panels ?

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

No, that never works! They will fight.

@reoproedros

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridGarageAustralia cant they just share peacefully ? maybe with some kind of limiter to one , or just both inverters have a three quarters specifications from what the array can produce

Andy recallculate.... 8*510=4080 Watts of solar, not four thousand and forty (4040) :)

almost frozen far from ha ha ha 😂😂😂

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

I thought it was frozen. Further down in the valley, they get frost but up here thanks to the trees... 5° in the morning. That's it.

🐸🐸🐸

trina panels exceeds their max power rating during cloud edge effect

make a flat plat under the foot

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

But where do I screw the plate to? The roof structure goes only in this one direction.

Andy, has anyone accused you of having a solar power addiction?

It would be less cold, if you wore long jeans and a pullover. I never go out without a longsleeve shirt or jumper below 20 Centigrade!

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

Well, that's not an option in sunny hot Australia 😂

Yeej

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

👋

I can give you a call when I need a trailer moved.. who needs a stinken vehicle to move a trailer anyway? ... 🙂

"winter" in shorts..... Andy....

@OffGridGarageAustralia

Жыл бұрын

I know... sorry 🙃

1200 W/qm ... wer hat das wieder erlaubt