I'm planning to help several friends with this very thing.
Too often solar companies want to "calculate" how much capacity you should buy. I've learned the hard way that you can't just buy what you want.
For instance, a family member likes having the shade of a tree. Several solar companies say they can't and won't install panels unless the tree gets cut. Forget about the fact that the shade means less A/C is needed in the summer and the extra power is needed more in the winter, when there are no leaves. They don't care.
So instead, it's easier to just install it myself.
Likewise, what if you want to buy all the panels you can afford and an inverter that can handle twice the number, then add more when you've got money? Not a single one of those solar "installers" will do that.
Single or pairs of panels with tie-in inverters are an excellent idea and neatly get around all of the things that "installers" refuse to do.
I'm planning to help several friends with this very thing.
Too often solar companies want to "calculate" how much capacity you should buy. I've learned the hard way that you can't just buy what you want.
For instance, a family member likes having the shade of a tree. Several solar companies say they can't and won't install panels unless the tree gets cut. Forget about the fact that the shade means less A/C is needed in the summer and the extra power is needed more in the winter, when there are no leaves. They don't care.
So instead, it's easier to just install it myself.
Likewise, what if you want to buy all the panels you can afford and an inverter that can handle twice the number, then add more when you've got money? Not a single one of those solar "installers" will do that.
Single or pairs of panels with tie-in inverters are an excellent idea and neatly get around all of the things that "installers" refuse to do.
Have anyone here tried these? Pushing power in the other direction through the jack feels so wrong.
I have thought about getting solar panels for my house but...
I have this feeling most systems are grossly overdimenzioned.
Like, I'd want to meet my avarage standby power consumption of about 100W for the freezer and fridge or something.
Just in the same way most BEVs seem to have wastly overdimenzioned batteries.
Germany installed over 430k of these mini solar setups in 2024 alone. Supermarkets sell them and you can get a 800W package for 200€.
I haven't heard a single anecdote of anything bad happening so far.
They amortize in a few years and are a great project to do with kids.
It definitely should be limited by law to two panels max. There is no https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device monitoring for a drop of production .
2000 USD for 800W is crazy expensive