No Permit, No Approval Needed for Solar Expansion in the Suburbs!! w/ EP800 UPDATE
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- čas přidán 13. 04. 2024
- I have been using the EP800 solar generator/UPS/power off set for a few months and while the system has been operating flawlessly the whole time, I was still unhappy and wanted more. I have been thinking about adding a smaller solar array on the ground level for some time and had an idea for a DIY solar pergola project that I thought could work. Rather then invest in expensive materials and complicated construction, I went with off the shelf aluminum shade pergolas from Amazon and modified them to fit the small area on my southern facing sideyard that I use as a dog run. I added some aluminum tubing to mount the panels to and with some easy and temporary wiring got the 2000 watt array going just in time for the sun to clear the neighbor's house for spring/summer/fall.
I will admit this is a more crude system, but even with the used panels I bought from @SanTanSolar connected to the Bluetti EP800, the system is now making 30% of my home use and I never lose power nor do the batteries go dead. The home is also immediately emergency ready for not just power loss but sustained power loss as I could shut off the larger loads and still have lighting, refrigerator, and 120vac outlets for nearly ever.
I am very excited by this project and hope to upgrade the panels to be more powerful next winter. I did check with my city, utility, and HOA and as the pergolas are temporary stuctures and the EP800 does not feed power to the grid, this is really just a large computer battery backup and does not meet any requirements for approval or permitting. Also, should I move I could take the system with me.
I will keep testing the system and updating with my results but I do think these solar pergolas will be a more common solution to DIY solar and off grid cabin builds in the future.
Thanks for watching!!
Bluetti is offering a discount of 5% with the code: "AZEP800" when you order.
shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=236237...
Pergola: amzn.to/4aUcAsE
Circuit breaker: amzn.to/4cVx7yy
Clamps: amzn.to/4cSJiwb
MC4 connection kit: amzn.to/4cWh9nN - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Dang, I like that idea of a pergola turned into a solar array, with access to the solar wiring and a bonus shade area.
Thank you, it's something I've been thinking of for awhile now and thought I'd give it a shot!
I’ve thought about this using my carport for my RV, replacing the sheet metal with PV arrays
An RV inspector who is into solar. Gold!
Had no idea Billy Bob Thornton was such an expert in solar.
Sounds like you are a little behind. this guy is way beyond Thorntan, I do all my own repairs on everything and he is one of the few mechanic/engineers that I would trust to make repairs on anything of mine....
Thanks James. The perfect crossover topic from residential to RV. I want a solar array and battery for a rural RV property that is only a getaway spot.
Impressive solar awning. Thought provoking. ❤❤❤
Very helpful in getting an overview of + and - of solar systems. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Interesting. I like it. Glad to see your experiment a total success. Thank you for the video James. Happy trails!
Great video, James. Nice setup. Keep up the. Great work.
Much appreciated!
Well I am in shock 😳 first you said I am in my house. Never imagined you out if your rvs. Then mentioned your wife Well that actually flipped my head that I have to tell my hubby. So glad you have a family to go home and with dogs too. 🎉🙌🙌🙌 congrats.
For my self I would like to set something up. But it would have to be wife easy. 😊
Years ago step father had friend motor cycle mechanic used to work for Rolls Royce had a shop everything a big house in the country,with an indoor pool he said heating the pool was a big very expensive kettle,never used it to expensive
Cool setup $😎
Thank you!
wall/Vertical solar is super easy to do as well and will add to your shading/cooling on your home. Also much easier to clean as well.
I don't see how, that wall will be in shade from the roof in 4 weeks
👍 Exactly what I wanted to do over my RV parking spot, but prohibitive here at the tip of Baja with hurricanes, everything needs to be hunkered to the ground or bye bye.
Power is usually pretty inexpensive in Mexico I thought?
@@AZExpert It is, even here in Los Cabos, the most expensive place to live in Mx., it just goes down a lot and after large hurricanes it can be a week or more for the power to be restored where I live, Have to use a generator, sparingly. We have mucho sol. You have a cool channel man, enjoy watching, take care.
Point-of-use solar solutions, which obviate the need for permits and have a relatively short ROI, are very cool! I have an OGO (off-grid office) which runs on 4 residential panels, a 350ah, 24v battery array, and a 2024 MPP inverter/charger. It was all DIY, including the battery build. Power is very cheap in my area, so ROI is still going to be at least 5 years, but we've already had half a dozen outages (some very brief) which didn't impact me at all. There is cost...and then there is value. :)
I use the grid as backup and my batteries have to get down to 25% before it switches to grid powering my inverters. This only happens 2 months a year, well during a 60 day period in winter when least amount of sun happens.
How long does this system take to pay for itself? Assuming one had to purchase the Bluetti system and the installation cost. I think the concept and the system looks great, but I am curious about the cost benefit analysis. Nice set up.
I think the buy back would be 10 years, but I am not confident that it should be viewed completely as an investment. I can say there is zero ROI on gas/diesel generator backup. It does allow me to be less concerned about a number of possibilities while saving money in the long run. Thanks!
Nice. I would do a 12’ wide by 45’ deep and 14’ high and park a class-a under it. Less heat hitting the rv and a good amount of electricity production. Some campgrounds could build this also.
I have thought of that too and expect more of these projects and builds in the future too.
For your next solar array consider mounting the panels vertically. That will provide power in the morning and evening.
I'm not convinced that the studies on vertical solar panels was proper or truthful currently as the presentations have been lauded by channels and people known to champion bad data for clicks and views, like gravity batteries or salt batteries
Good Video
Now my question is, Why would you need a Hot Tub in Arizona? Is it not like 120F there?
Winters get pretty chilly. At least compared to summer lol. 65 brrrrrr
It's nice for 7 months, the thing goes into fault mode in summer as the temperature of the water exceeds 115 from the weather in the shade.
@@donaldm2582
Where I live it gets down to -1.4F
Just clean the solar panels……too dirty……And you will get more power.All the best from John.
Very cool. But - 10 o'clock in the afternoon? 😂
I even said it twice
Thank you . Ive been looking at systems like this for my new house.Is that lithium iron phosphate? Also whats the performance with the AC on all night.
Yes, they are LiFePO4, I have mounted the window unit and it runs all night and keeps my bedroom at 68 degrees with 20% remaining in the morning even with the hot tub. My setup has 20kwh of batteries so maybe 3 would work rather than 4. I doubt my central A/C would last 4 hours in summer though, mini split should work nicely though. Thanks!
i can see him doing a ep800 on a rv
Does the subpanel power the whole house, or just select circuits? How do you think it will handle the A/C this summer?
The system is hardwired to the lighting, 120vac outlets, smoke alarms for the house, 12 circuits total, I didn't want any 240vac on it like the range, central a/c, pool or dryer. I'm convinced a summer of central A/C in Arizona would burn out most small components and the others are not vital for emergency or power loss.
Texas
You must have a Gas water heater and dryer.
Yes gas water heater, electric dryer
Gas furnace too
How do you grill under the pergola?
Same way I did under my patio
You keep saying winter.... while wearing short sleeves 😅 poor thing how do you maintain pushing thru what life keeps throwing curves at your 5'10" 😂
With a hot tub like that you have no room for a visitor
it seats 2 :)
And how can gov. entities demand you use grid power those laws are unconstitutional
I'm really tired of government. That's why I have solar.
Sorry ladies he has a wife ( ;
no such thing as a solar generator. those look like power stations that manage solar panels also known as a solar inverter or charge controller.
yet they are called solar generators, I imagine many people feel that without the solar panels and sun they are not a generator, but never have the same energy for LP or gas generators that don't come with fuel cells and fuel yet still call them generators.
@@AZExpert I kind of think of it like "junk". use to be that junk was what was kept in our garage's.... now it is our pants.... things change....
@@AZExpert Webster seems to think:
: one that generates: such as
a
: an apparatus in which vapor or gas is formed
b
: a machine by which mechanical energy is changed into electrical energy
like I mentioned before, meanings of works change over the years... Power stations tend to have the ability to change several diff voltage inputs into several other voltage outputs. Most power stations have some sort of internal battery that is discharged to provide power. generators tend to use a battery only to start the mechanical device and provide no power externally like a power station. I believe solar generator is just a sales invention to get attention. I like the all in one power stations that are being produce now as they protect the consumer from making wiring mistakes. The only down side that I've seen in them is replacing the batt or repairing the inverter, charge controller or electronic switching device.
I don't read dictionaries but I use language to communicate with people. Solar generators generate useable energy from the sun with solar charge controllers. There's no sales gimmic terminology. Unlike most combustion or steam generators, these can also store power. Thanks
@@AZExpert did I mention that this was a great video? well edited too!!! needless to say I'm a huge fan and love all the subjects and how you explain them... thanks for taking the time to make them. How big is your perm grid tie "solar generator"?
Sorry, too much BS with your system.
It would be so much easier if you shit canned the grid. It just makes things undesirable to deal with public utilities.
Dude ur dog in a Cage 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
It's a big cage that connects to a large dog run with their own door.
@@AZExpert i would Never do that to My Best Friend
@@dudleybaggerman9574 does you best friend use your floor as a toilet when youre not around? I suspect you might not let your best friend to roam freely in your house if they did.
@@AZExpert my Best friend "fred the Wondermutt "goes with me , unless im only gone for a hr. Or less ! Yes ur dog loves going with you , try it
@@dudleybaggerman9574 you don't speak for my dogs or their interest only your interests. You are welcome to enjoy your life and dog but you know nothing about mine or my dogs. Do not feel welcome to instruct me with your uninformed ideals or limited knowledge. My dogs are great friends but hardly best friends as I would never feed friends out of a bowl or leash a person. I would recommend you re-evaluate your humanity and consider why you feel confident to tell a stranger how to run their life.