Tangentially related to EVs - Residential solar systems

[turbobrick240]

I saw some Jinko Solar panels on Alibaba for $.25/watt the other day. Probably requires at least an entire pallet order. There are deals out there for those not necessarily looking for a turnkey package.

 

[tikal]

Oh yes, DIY. If I can find the time to learn and apply without falling off the roof

 

[Daemon64]

Oh yes, DIY. If I can find the time to learn and apply without falling off the roof

Hahahaha that exactly statement is why I am looking into ground mount solutions... also because my roof is asphalt and I don't want holes in it... hahhha

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Our town has been talking about prohibiting ground mounted panels. Some folks have put up arrays that neighbors think are ugly.

 

[turbobrick240]

I grew up in a town that had some pretty heinous "historic district" restrictions. They practically wanted you to get approval to put a pumpkin on your porch. Ridiculous. So glad to be away from that BS.

 

[tikal]

This would do the trick for my desired set up but not available in my area:

dcbel 16 Home Energy Station - dcbel

Charge your electric vehicle with solar energy and transform its battery into a backup power source with dcbel r16.

www.dcbel.energy

It would probably take another year or so to be available I suppose.

 

[tikal]

This is the only thing available right now but very pricey ($4K) for just an EV charger:

Wallbox Quasar bidirectional home DC charger will turn EVs into a huge Tesla Powerwall

Here's why Quasar, a bidirectional DC charger for homes that is expected to retail for around $4,000, should be in every EV owner's home in a few years

electrek.co

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I think that item faces a cultural obstacle. It's a running joke in New England that every time a winter storm is predicted, lines form at filling stations because people want their cars to be full of fuel. It has always struck me as funny because if you're snowed in, why do you need gasoline? But the idea of draining your car's fuel supply during a storm may make these same people very uncomfortable. Seriously.

 

[turbobrick240]

Vehicle to grid is an area where LFP battery cycle life will really shine. It's interesting that the only EV I know of that currently supports vehicle to home/grid flow (Leaf) also has the worst battery/battery management. I've heard that the next generation Powerwalls will have a built in grid disconnect feature. They should use LFP also, imo.

 

[tikal]

I think that item faces a cultural obstacle. It's a running joke in New England that every time a winter storm is predicted, lines form at filling stations because people want their cars to be full of fuel. It has always struck me as funny because if you're snowed in, why do you need gasoline? But the idea of draining your car's fuel supply during a storm may make these same people very uncomfortable. Seriously.

Yes I can understand the 'culture obstacle'.

My thinking is that if I am going to buy an EV for mostly city use (average no more than 40 miles a day), then using it as a extra battery for emergency purposes (for maybe 24 to 48 hours max of a blackout) integrated into my solar panel system makes more financial sense than buying a dedicated external battery costing me thousands of dollars with very occasional use (we have net metering in our area).

Buying a 2019 used Nissan Leaf with a 40.0 kWh battery next year for like $17K it could a nice win-win situation. It could probably run our AC for an emergency situation.

 

[tikal]

So picking up where we left:

1) Anyone made any progress on the whole vehicle to home (V2H) system?

2) As a start I was looking at something like this to get backup power for the house and turn on the solar panels during an emergency: https://www.evextend.com/240V-Backup-Power-System.php
Would a power surge of 18 kW for 20 seconds be enough to start my 5-ton AC and the Solaredge solar inverter in a safe manner?

 

[turbobrick240]

It would be pretty close. A typical 5 ton AC unit draws about 15KW at start and 6KW while running. Should be a fairly negligible amount for the solar inverter. Some newer AC units may have a soft start feature to reduce load at startup. Or you could buy one of these(but I don't think it would be necessary):

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www.amazon.com

 

[tikal]

Thanks turbobrick240, I will have to look at my AC plate with the specs and go from there.

 

[tikal]

Ok, here are the specs for my Bosch outside unit:

LRA = 58.1 amps
Max fuse or max CKT.BKR = 60 amps

Based on the above, for the emergency power surge scenario, will this suffice? 240 v x 75 amps = 18,000 watts