WOW!! 14 kW of Solar Panels for ONLY $300?! ...Will they work?
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- Our next goal on our homestead is to convert our cabin and shop over to solar for net metering, but we didn't want to spend a fortune. I sure hope these work!!! What do you think?
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Just had 36 (14.4KW) 400/500W bifacial panels delivered about a week ago. $4000 bucks. Certainly not $300. Heck of a find! Congrats!
Hey that’s still a pretty good deal though! And delivery is nice too! Jealous about that part
where did you get these from?
Signature Solar. They've got some bang up deals going at the moment. Don't know how long they will last?
Blemishes
Talesuns gone from SS
When I bought 85 panels, I stacked them all on edge. In my van, I set a pallet against the wall of the van for a square surface to trap them to, then in my trailer, I had 3’ sides, so, I stacked them all against the sides. Zero damaged. Drove 350 miles… ended up being too much for my van to haul though… ended up blowing the engine on the trip… my brother met me 100 or so miles from home, and towed the trailer home, and the van was towed on a flatbed. And all panels survived the trip!
If you have some panels that don't work just use meter and check the diodes those are the first thing to go on the panels very simple to replace
You guys are really blessed to get that deal!
For the price I would make another trip or 2 and really stack the trailer! Strap those panels length and width wise or even band them. That will keep them from shifting and damaging each other. Id also see if they let you pick out matching panel groups. I would really rethink breaching your roof! Go with ground mounts DIY! Easier to reach for cleaning, replacing, etc and much easier to develop a tilt system for angle adjustment. Great deal find!!!!
I found nice rolls of what I call "stretch wrap" in my moving supplies. That would work well around panel frames.
I agree. roof mounting is not ideal.
If the electronics in the panels do go bad in the future you can solder new diodes in the box to replace the damaged triacs. they usually only use 2/3 pins on the triacs and they are prone to failure.
gret deal. we've been using retired solar farm panels from california for years and they are great. we want to upgrade soon to increase our solar capture but for starting out on a budget, you can't go wrong. we have mix and match in our string and its just dropped the higher wattage panel down the the lower wattage panel, which in our case in around 30 watts. no big deal!
I’m so glad to hear that!!! That’s great news! Thanks
I built some 2x4 corners for the piles on the truck / trailer worked ok. Just go get another load at that price you never have enough panels.
So tempting!!
At that price you could easily resell them for a profit.... I would buy as many as I could afford.
What a great find. Can't beat the deal you got on those even if they are 2nd hand panels. Looking forward to seeing them setup and watching the process.
Can't wait! We are really excited 😁
A video on repairing solar would be amazing. A friend of mine is adding onto their house and was showing me the new windows that she was returning since she noticed a flaw. I did not see any flaws but even the slightest mark can be considered not acceptable. That was an amazing solar panel deal. I hope the project goes well.
It was an incredible deal! We are so thankful to have found it. I hope they work! Stay tuned on the repair video 💫
Hello thanks for the video … there’s a way you can clean up the good panels , if you have a electric buffer and a buffing compound you buff the scratches out of the glass or you can use a very high grit sand papers to clean the glass 8000 to 10,000 grit sand paper. I have done this before and it works amazingly
You should have used 2x4 blocking around the panels sinching the straps around the blocking...
Whoahh!!! Nucking bananas! Can't wait for the results. Congratulations!
Fingers crossed!
Micro-inverters should solve some issues with the different types of panels; also, check into used car batteries. You might be surprised by the low prices compared to branded systems.
Nice! You should still consider a battery system at some point, perhaps DIY. If the grid goes down, your solar system is down too, and you're dark, unless your inverter has some special provision for that eventuality.
Wow what a deal! In case you haven't, make sure to read your electrical companies net metering contract so you know what to expect. Some electrical companies require you to have extra insurance on your system, and may need to inspect it. and the amount they pay per kwh may be as low as just a few cents per kwh. Normally, they won't actually pay you for the power at all, They will just give you a credit, so you will still have a bill every month, It will just be lower. Ask the power company what the average credit is for a system similar to what yours will be. Most companies rate the sizes from something like 1-5kw, 5-10kw and up. If your total is 14kw, once you get them up and working, hopefully you can get like 8-10kw on a sunny day. You'll never really get what the panel is rated for. But for the price you guys got the panels, you wont have nearly as much startup cost as most people! Oh. And dont forget the tax credit for next year! Enjoy!
Thanks for the info! We talked to the power company already and they are excited about it! In Minnesota, they have to pay the going rate and our power company said they’ll write checks 💫.
@thehomesteadingrd oh wow that's a great power company!
HOWdy T-H-Rd, ...
THANKS ... for taking us along for the RIDE ...
COOP
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA
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Stumbled in here via YT recommendations - glad I did, too. Excellent video; it's helping me get my wife on board the solar method, & your video was exactly what I needed. Subbed, too -- you guys earned it.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for subscribing ☺️
I have purchased panels from santan solar out of Arizona. Their used panels are a good deal, tested, and shipped professionally. I can break even on an off grid system after only 3 years of operation.
I wish I could find a deal like that. I'm happy for you guys. Guess I should really keep an eye on the second hand market. My house is only 1000 sq ft so I don't even need that many panels.
You could use optimizers like the Tigo TS4-A-O for mismatched panels, which could also monitor each panels performance.
Great suggestion! We’ll look into those. Thanks!
With all the shading it looked like they have, I would use optimizers.
Agreed. When they were unloading and first mentioned they had mismatched panels, I thought: "I guess they'll be needing to buy individual panel optimizers"
Downside is that each optimizer will cost more than they paid for each panel.
you can put tigo otimizers on them and install mix match panels with no issues
OMG FOR REAL?
Practically free!
I would want to test each panel for both Open Circuit Voltage and Short Circuit Current. I use a Sharpie to write those two numbers on the back of each panel near the sticker. These tests need to be done on a sunny day for each panel, so yours would take a while. Good luck with your build!
Great idea!! This is helpful, thank you!!
What is the Voc of them? As a VERY casual "rule" of thumb, commercial panels are over 50 Voc and often 60+Voc and residential are 50 Voc or less. So residential inverters are often maxed out at 50Voc.
❤️👍Looks like fun!! good luck, should be nice when done.
Thanks so much!!
Pro tip, store them on their side unless perfectly factory packed. Reduces the chance of them smashing each other.
Good morning from Forest lake Minnesota! Great episode!
Hi Pat!!! Thank you!!!
@2:50 This is why you strap your panels into a unit like a tight sandwich (wrap the strap ALL THE WAY AROUND 360deg)
You should always carry a roll of shrink wrap and a dispenser when hauling panels. Always.
Subscribed! 14kw in panels...WoW!!
Whwre did you find these? Im in NE minnesota and want more panels.
Great find! Started my North woods homestead in 2003 in the Itasca Park area. 11k panels, 8k inverter, 56k battery.
Power company makes it hard to sell back where I am at.
i can sell for a ok price some days..
but some days the price is not that good..
thats why i got crypto miners, they give heat and make money when the grid doesent make anything
some nights i heat the house for free, but only when the grid price at night allows it...
the rest of the time they just gives heats cheap
If you have a couple of odd balls left over give me a shout our farm is just south of Fairmont MN!
2.1 c/W is an amazing deal. Installed systems tend to cost $2/W for panels. New panels for DIY cost $1/W. I recently bought 7.7 kW (14 panels) for 18 c/W new but w/ slight shipping damage. Mine look like yours, industrial size, 550 W, 50 VDC. Most of mine serve double-duty as a carport roof. You might use your spare panels to run things like a mini-split heat pump since some now run directly off panels.
As long as the voltage and amps are within 2% of each other there is no issue mixing and matching, especially on big string of 9-12
Great find!
I hear people say solar is so expensive, but I think how much is one more car? It depends on your need and your choice of car (or truck), but if it's important, then cost need not kill the deal. Same with solar.
Don’t forget to account for voltage going up the colder a panel is. When you’re planning out your strings.
And watch out for voltage leaking to the frame on those cracked ones.
I have 100 watt solar panel on my van. Love to see repairs invade i need to. I got got mine 80 each new but once on van they are now used😎👍
Most OnGrind or hybrid inverters do an insulation test and on a humid day your's due to the cracks won't pass
I have 33Kw AC diy next metered system that I sell power to 5 other homes.
All materials costs were recovered within two years. You can have different watt panels on 1 inverter as long as panels on each string are the same. Any cracked glass will not work for long if at all. Good luck
This is the perfect scenario to use microinverters.
stack two side by side, rotate, stack side by side, rotate.
Excellent find, BTW.
It will be interesting to see this all set up. My Dad was salesman and installer of solar way before it became popular.
How cool!
Since your panels are damaged, the damage won't be uniform. You might want to look into microinverters. 12 on a string is NOT a good idea for damaged panels as you will get something like 12x the performance of your worst panel. For the money though, it might be more efficient, money wise, to just get more panels.
Panels most fragile orientation is horizontal, so vertical orientation is preferable and they come vertically when new.
Wish I was younger I would come and help you keep me posted thanks again hope you knock it out of the park lol
Wow!!! At the price you paid for these solar panels, you can really call this, " Free Energy ".
Pretty much! 🙌🏼
You sure That's true
I need the same this project
I would go back and get another load of panels. At that price you surely cannot get hurt! You never have too many. You can store them anywhere until you need them. The price you are paying makes the effort worth it. Don't disregard the idea of the batteries. Check signature solar in TX. They have 5000 watt EG4 batteries for about $1500. What I see with most of the net metering is they buy back and pay you next to nothing. You make out buying the batteries over time. Good luck! PS I don't think doing the panel repairs are going to be worth it. Since you are getting them so cheap, I would just buy more panels and save the effort. Clip the wires and connectors off the broken ones and save them!
We are debating going back to grab more before they are gone! I know in most states, it’s not worth it to do net metering. We’re thankful that in Minnesota they have good laws around it. We should be making $300 per month from this 🙏🏼. We’ll see!
very perfect idea.
I’ve worked for multiple Chinese solar power plant construction sites, A typical 550watt panel costs usually only $70😂
This is so cool. I thought I was getting a bargain for my 11kw (36 x 310w) for $1350-.
I hope you test those ones you put in the "ugly" pile. I bought a couple of $15 "uglies" and they pulled the same as their non ugly peers.
The local used panel guy is getting $35 ea for Trina 250w panels. Lived in Minnesnowta for 42 cold years. Happy to be in the SW now.
A lot of us would like to know how to score a similar deal. If youd be willing to share, thatd be great.
As for miss-matching, it sounds like you guys have it figured out. You need to make sure the volatage is close. Thats what the mppt uses to maximize the amps. If you have the same volatage, but different amps, the panels will work 100% of their rating.
Anything that doesn't natch right, put on a different mppt.
Being in Minnesota, winter will be a bear for production. Setup 45° south. Anything else and youll take a major energy hit. You should be able to average 50kwh per day which should easily cover your needs.
Dang, even if half of them don't work at all and the other half have 75% rated output still a crazy good deal.
Score! Good luck on your build.
Thanks so much!!
You don't need to exactly match solar panels in series but in parallel them then you have some issues. very great deal for 300$ actually now in Iraq new panels 580w 18busbar are about 100$ each.
When the panels are mounted, there is very little torque applied to the frames by the clips or bolts. That means you cannot tightly strap them down to the trailer.
Can you say where you got the panels? Thanks.
You can find blemish panels in bundles for not very much. 25 x 250w for $625 if ya look around. ONE will handle my needs for my cabin.
My state had net metering. And technically it still does. The power companies and politicians pushed through the idea that solar producers were also responsible for the maintenance on the grid. So they neutralized the net metering by applying a grid maintenance fee. I respect your choice but I would never put my solar system on the grid. There are many good reasons. One you invest all the time and money and what do you get in return. A discount on your energy bill. And in the event of a grid failure you get absolutely nothing. As grid tied solar can not be used during a power failure unless you have an isolator switch to prevent back feeding and of course battery backup.
If you have the system, it makes no sense to not sell excess production to the grid. As for battery backup and backfeeding, if you have the correct inverter setup, when the grid goes offline, there are no islanding concerns as the inverter will stop selling to the grid and you'll still have power to your house. If and when the power is restored, an excess solar production is sold to the grid. The only reason one would never connect their solar PV system to the grid is either because it's not approved or because the fees for being connected to the grid exceed its value which in that case you go off-grid entirely. I have battery backup + solar PV, excess production is sold to grid, when grid goes offline, I still have power to my house and the solar charges the battery so I could go months while the grid is still offline.
If you use solar panel Optimizers, you can mix-n-match panels, as long as the panels are similar power and voltage. Optimizers also help of you have shading on some panels but not others... and it looks like you're going to have shading.
The inverter needs to be made for Optimizer use though, like the Solaredge Se7600a-us, which also allows you to power critical circuits when the grid drops out. Without batteries or one of these inverters, Grid Tie inverters MUST shut down completely. This means you'd have to have another power generation system for blackout conditions, or lose food.
Also, many solar panels have a silicone layer between the active layer, and the front glass... so that they don't instantly fail from a hail stone strike. They can survive a while with the cracks... sometimes for years... but at a reduced efficiency since the sun light gets a bit diverted.
Use plastic stretch wrap around the panels to prevent slipping and sheets of cardboard between panels but at that price kinda hard to complain.
In your place I would be thinking about using several smaller inverters so that you don't waste too much power when your panels do not fit into strings of identical specs/condition.
A hybrid inverter would solve the mismatched voltage. Run them in series. Add up the voltages and it will smooth out the wattage.
Enphase Inverters don't care what panel you have. Also you can't repair broken glass panels, expansion is why. you can cover them with plexiglas.
Depending on how these are made, you might be able to replace the glass pretty easily.
I just bought a dozen panels with shattered glass, they all tested good, over 35 volts each. I was hoping that you were going test them in this episode so I could learn how to test for amperage output. In your last video with the solar wall, I'm thinking you could use PV panels mounted vertical for the south wall, I recently saw a video where there was decent output in the vertical position and cooled better. I'm in the 34th parallel so cooling is helpful, they would cool great with air moving past them in that wall.
The way to "bench test" a solar panel is to test for Short circuit Amperage. You use a clamp meter on Amp setting, and hook the positive and negative wires from the panel to each other. Run the test in full sun, then make sure to seperate the wires!
In Pakistan 585watts solar panel cost 83 dollars all thanks to America Europe and India. For putting import duty on Chinese solar companies. The electricity is super expensive in Pakistan it is 0.14 dollar per unit or at least monthly bill is 35$ while having 1474 is per capita income.
if one watches its insane the deals u can find for panels
Absolutely!! They are out there!
@@thehomesteadingrd yea few years back score 2500watts 24v 250watt pannels for 500 2yrs old
simple cardboard between layers would have kept them not only in place but from damaging each other
As an electrician of 23 years, I can assure you, that you CAN string solar cells of differing types in series, provided they all have suitable maximum voltage capabilities that exceed the rating of the lowest such capable module. What you want to avoid is building strings and then tie them together that produce different Vout and Iout. Your individual strings should be as close to identical as possible. Also, if you are not using solar tracking mounting systems on your modules, consider the time you will be using the system the most, and aim your strings accordingly. (Summer azimuth and elevation coordinates are different from winter)
I heard you say you had the following quantity of each panel (module)
2x of type (A)
3x of type (B)
4x of type (C)
5x of type (D)
And
16x of type (E)
I recommend using the following modules in type and quantity as follows
(Try to use the best quality / least damaged of all the modules you have obtained.)
2x A - keep these for other projects
3xB - use 1 per string, no spares
4xC - use 3 of these, 1 on each string + 1 spare
5xD - use 3 of these, 1 on each string + 2 spares
16xE - use 15 of these, 5 on each string + 1 spare
So an individual string should be wired as follows:
+OCPD/disconnect to inverter__+B-_+C-_+D-_+E-_+E-_+E-_+E-_+E-__-OCPD/disconnect to inverter
Something else to be VERY careful with solar, cover the panels with opaque blankets (multiple layers) to prevent them putting out voltage BEFORE you are going to work on plugging them into or disconnecting them from each other and into your chosen OCPD! The modules strung in series are able to put out upwards of 400volts, and with DC power, the human body cannot let go like with AC, so death and serious injury potential is much more severe!!! Be careful even at night, even moonlight can be enough to produce lethal power in your arrays!
Great deal on the panels, Next time see if they will let you choose them in the yard instead of getting what they give you, that way you can get all the same type/mfr. and avoid obvious physical damage. Build cribbing corners (48" 2x4's screwed through the face of one into the edge of the other - should look like a tall letter "L" as viewed from the end, to go around your stacks of modules, (1 crib at each corner) on the trailer, then ratchet strap them horizontally to the top and bottom of the stack in place before you strap the stack down.
Good stuff, can't wait to see your installation video! Subscribed!👍
Thanks for taking the time to share all of that - great information and much appreciated. We’ll try the cribbing method next time 🙏🏼
I was gutted when I saw you stacking the panels horizontally. If you place them vertically each one only has to support its own weight and the frame structure can do so.
There were a lot of panels at the place you picked them up from. Was there a specific reason you didn't choose all identical panels to avoid the string matching issues later?
Can't wait to see the follow up videos on how your installation goes. I hope you don't have to fell too many trees to get direct sunlight and avoid any partial shading issues too.
If it wasn't so 'blasted' cold in the Northwoods, I might be a neighbor. Love Northern Minnesota, but dislike the cold enough to live in the Tropics 🙂
I totally get it! 😆
I work at a solar company and any used solar panels from removals or disasters are basically garbage too us you could probably go to any solar company and find them by the dumpster
The panels were not strapped down enough. I moved 40 panels. No breaks. Strap them down so they do not bounce or shift.
They need to be tested in the sun for volts and amps to match them properly. Any case you 100% got your money's worth, could easily cashin on some you dont need and have net zero invested in them too.❤.
Where u find them?
I am in central Minnesota, where did you find the score on the panels?
I hope your utility is stable. If the grid power goes down, your solar inverter will stop working and you'll be in the dark!
For sure! Thankfully this will just be an accessory cabin. Our house build will be fully off-grid
Least in TN the pay back from utility is really not worth it. Going with EQ 18 Inverter, with grid optional. Yep batteries do cost, but I save 200+ per month, and its a matter of shopping. And less paperwork due to no gridtie.
Need one those too jejejjee
I couldn't hear you in the truck on the way down. What happens at night if the grid goes down?
In California, I am being charged a Connection fee. was $5, then $10, I think it is going to $20. My mother just got solar, her fee is $40.....
Yikes!
I suggest adding enough batteries to get you through couple days of power outages. How often does your grid go down where you are building? You will always have a bill since most still charge you fees. Fees for giving them electricity and fee for them giving you electricity. Power companies are in business to make money. The more you give them the less they pay you. You will find that out and then install batteries.
I live in MN. Any chance you can share your source for the solar panels? I'd be willing to drive nearly anywhere in MN for those prices! 🙂
How did you find the deal on the solar panels ? What resource or where to look ?
Hi, Good job How can I get ? like these solar panels do you have a link for the vender ?
I wish I can get solar panels for a hood cost.
Uv cure glue works ok, I think screeding silicone in the cracks, even just a miniscule amount may help more. Idk, I have some panels myself needing repair, got a great deal on them, they test well, they just need a bit of tlc. I might even try vacuum bagging the crack area with uv glue to get back structure, The smashed corner ones will repair nicely this way, but the long hairline cracks will not do well I am thinking with this process. I might just have the uv glue soak or penetrate into the cracks, while inside out of the sun, then After getting into the cracks, cure the glue outside, Time helps with any process, and force, too, but I dont really know yet if vacuuming large areas of the panels to get the glue to penetrate will work. It doesn't take much more than the vacuum canning machines to get the glue in.
I am doing this with glass thin film panels, but the silicon panels should be the same procedure.
I wish panels were not made from glass though. It would be best if they were plastic, they would not ever break. Its also more lightweight and flexible. All it would take is a polishing every decade, and they would be as good as new.
Make sure you guys go with midnite solar mppt controllers, They are the best imo.
Sounds like we’re thinking about doing the same thing! We’ll see how they turn out! 🙌🏼
Buy IQ-8s! Micro converters! Why be difficult?
Did you guys test each panel and series before you purchased? I would love to find panels for that price! Blessings!
How did you source the incredible deal for solar panels?
You seem resourceful so you have probably already thought of this, but when it comes time for batteries don’t overlook Gel batteries that have exceeded spec for hospitals, data backup systems and microwave towers. These can be had for cents on the dollar and have years of life. A recent FB post on DIY Offgrid Solar has a good analysis of these batteries.
Tower batteries are awsome because they usually replace the entire string when 1 or two go bad.❤
You should have done wooden slats between each panel. But still you had a very good price #GoedWerk #NL
modern panels compensate if one panel produce less then the others on the string
optimizers (does kind of the same as a a microinverter, just without converting to 110/220V) can be used but it is often not that usefull as it sounds...
its not like the system will preform 50% because of 1 panel is oreforming at 50%
the more bypass dioedes they have the less loss
a system with micro inverters/optimizers will in most cases only preform a few % better then a string inverter without optimizers (not worth the cost as repair)
but sometimess there is no difference
i have a string with mixed east and west panels and it preforms fine...
the panel preforms pretty much the same ass the 3 other strings i hav whre they are all directed the same way and angle
im not sure where you get new panels from but if i buy 15kw i pay 2000€, not 15000 dollars
Only trouble I find selling it too the grid that you got to sell it dirt cheap and pay income tax and buy it back at their prices
The problem. You as the owner, having those panels, and because the power company needs the power, they gave you, what they needed you to have to control your system. You then will not have backup, when the power company deems it necessary. You must have full control, and batteries. How you do it, is with switch gear. That way, your system can come on when the power companies goes off automatically. You can feed the power company at your discretion.