The Alternative Energy Thread - Generators, Solar, UPS, Wind

[AkbarGr8]

Just wrapped up my 17KW panels / 15 KW Huawei inverter setup last week MashaAllah. Have to take a final picture of the project / cleaning up, quick summary is as following:

17 KW trinasolar (31 x 550W) + 15KW on-grid Huawei inverter
0 export device installed till processing of net-metering (kind of bittersweet)
Lightning arrestor (copper) installed - not a regulatory requirement by KE for a double storied house.
DC earthing pit
Elevated structure. 10 degree tilt, 220SW (I added a panel to compensate for not being true south)
Location : KHI

Lots of blood sweat and tears involved but am happy with the end result. Currently not able to utilize full capacity as the 0 export device has severely limited output to remove chance of export back to the meter (technically I would be double charged by KE this way).

Happy to answer any questions pertaining to an on-grid setup / solar - have had to do extensive research but am still learning new things with time!

Will share final pictures soon - attaching some interim ones.

[Moderator]

am sorry to see very bad wiring work in the DB box. why the cables are not trimmed to length and correctly routed. ?

an amature DIY PakWheeler can do far better.
@margallar @hassan1991 @agoodfriend

[Moderator]

@raza1 sir please update about the completion and performance of your system, if functional.

[margallar]

i am looking to diy install a 3 kw system with a growatt inverter

I want to know how i can wire it, i have an old ups installed at home, can i use the ups wiring?

does it matter what technology of solar panel i use, or does it only care about volts and amps?

any pre fab frames i can put together to install the panels?

[AbbasJin]

Hey guys,

I used the pylon tool to get an idea of the capacity/design of my solar setup. Are the default solar panel angle/tilt by this app accurate for Rawalpindi? Or would my panels go in a different orientation?

Panels will go on 3rd storey so i think shade isn't a problem year-round. I want to start with a 12KW system which I think should suffice for 2 fridges and 4 ACs?

Also is there any risk in installing the panels 10 Feet elevated on 3rd storey (if there's a wind storm etc?) I wish to keep the roof under the panels a walkable area so its better to have these elevated.

[AkbarGr8]

The DB box pic is before it was finalized - I believe the extra wires (blue) you're referring to belong to the zero export device, will be removed after installation of net meter. For now these were tucked in the corner.

[mrdeejay]

20220612_185114.jpg3468x4624 2.48 MB

Did you earth Lighting arrestor separately from panels?

[mrdeejay]

I used the pylon tool to get an idea of the capacity/design of my solar setup.

Which tool is that?

[Hassan1991]

Solar does came with its own inverter. Other then that you're good.

[AkbarGr8]

I was told that it is connected to the DC earthing pit - not sure if that helps.

[mrdeejay]

No. It's supposed to be separate, so that it will create a cone of protection around panels etc against lighting strikes. Otherwise a lighting strike will go straight into your panels and inverter.

[saqibhassan95]

No. It's supposed to be separate,

yes
do both separately

[AkbarGr8]

Sounds good - I will take this up with my installer. How deep should the pit for this be? Should I remove it altogether till I get the other pit made?

[mrdeejay]

e a lighting strike will go straight into your panels and inverter.

Also, lightning arrestor needs to be mounted separately, away from the panels and structure. Btw, I still haven't installed arrestor near my panels because like you said 2-story homes don't need it. Unless you're out in open land and your house sticks out alone. In typical neighbourhoods that we see in lahore, karachi etc the chances of strike are negligible. But if you're investing in it, better to do it right.

[AkbarGr8]

Sounds good, thank you. Does removal seem to be a better option for me then? I read that the lightening arrestor needs to be higher than the panels themselves, unfortunately there's no other way or place for me to mount it higher as it's an elevated structure.

[mrdeejay]

It's won't attract lighting so doesn't matter if you remove it or not, but if you're unluck enough to have a lightning strike it won't make much difference either way.

You could isolate arrestor from structure using some sort of an insulator. I would go with a beefier insulator than the one in pic though.

Alternatively, you can fix a pole on top of water tank, a regular steel pole and attach arrestor to it using some insulator. That way arrestor will be in the middle of your array

[mrdeejay]

I just did some more research and seems like there are mixed opinions about having separate earthing pits for lightning arrestors. But whether you go with separate pits or not, the two earthing systems should be bonded/connected together to have same potential difference.
My suggestion, run a separate wire down from arrestor to where your existing earthing pit for solar is and join it there with the existing pit. That way lightning arrestor will bypass household earthing but will still be at same potential difference with rest of the electrical stuff in your house.

Good Read: https://blog.nvent.com/erico-the-difference-between-lightning-protection-and-surge-protection/

[AkbarGr8]

Sounds good will research this further! Adding another wire to the existing pit is a much simpler solution.

[AbbasJin]

It’s called pylon. They have a trial version on their website.

[mrdeejay]

Nice tool. How do you increase height of the panels? E.g. if panel is mounted 3 ft above the roof, how do I set that?