I'm always surprised about those higher prices in the States for solar panels. Over here in Finland, I just bought new 410W panels for 99 Euro each, or about 110 USD. That's including VAT and with all the warranties. Shipping for 36 pieces to my door: about 100 Euro.
Thanks for the tip on panels. I live right above you in Fisher County and looking to add to my system. I built the system with batts, split phase charge controller inverter, etc but waited to add more panels. Currently using 6 - 100 watt panels off Amazon. These are such a good deal. So glad I ran across your channel.
Just forget about their "warranty" The panels I got from them claimed to be covered by an in house 1 year warranty. I have problems with 2 of the ones I bought and they won't return my calls, or respond to my emails.
Bought 4 250 watt panels used out of Arizona 2 years ago for 300 bucks delivered. company still selling used panels. Still putting out over 1,000 watts per hour of sunshine .I also put in a 50 amp subpanel next to my Main Panel in the utility room. this panel now has all the 120V Breakers located in it and is fed by 240v/50amp Breaker from the Main and 40 amp service from my solar shed. I have installed a DPDT 50amp 220v contactor in the panel with an on/off push button switch to allow my spouse of 50 years to switch from Grid to Solar at the touch of a button. The Subpanel Solar feed is a 3,500 Watt/ 7,000 Watt surge Pure sine wave Inverter powered by 4 120amp 12v Marine batteries laced in 2x2 24V/240amphr fashion. Solar charger is a MPPT 12/24/36/48/volt 60 amp charger. My 220v wiring is not attached to the Solar. this system runs the frig,Microwave, toaster oven, coffee pot, power cooker, dishwasher, washing machine, hair dryer, tv's, internet, 2 computers, phone chargers, clocks, and FANS. All the 120v circuits. Including our RV. and it's AC unit. which we actually use the backup 3500 Watt AC Inverter Generator to run thru the solar system. Plan to increase the battery bank and panels this Fall. When LIPO batteries drop in price to 10 cents a Watt/Hr I start buying those. Texas
Same place I got my panels, except in New Jersey, drove 2 hours to pick them up..I got the bi facial ones though for about $25 bucks more..I got the MP4 6k all in one inverter/solar charge controller/ ac charger and 2 5kw server rack batteries and a home made 280 AH 48 volt 13kw home made battery made out of Catl prismatic cells..I can run 500 volts in series, no combiner boxes..
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse OK, I may hold you to that. I just need to convince my CFO (aka, Wife) that I new a few more acres of land than originally planned 🙂
Great video and information. Thanks for showing the website. Do you know what 48v inverter you would get? The MPP solars seem popular along with the EG4s. I’m tempted to try my luck with PowMr but to save money but uncertain if it’s worth the risk. Thanks again
If I could afford it, the Victron Multiplus II, it is double everything else on the market in that range, but rock solid. I think if it comes down to it I would get another Growatt, they are well made and have worked well for me. Thanks for watching :)
I found these guys last week. I'm in Florida and there is 2 locations very near me. Now I know they are not a scam. Thank you. Only problem is I have a car only a Ford Fusion. Panels would fit don't know about the pallet. Can you take them off the pallet?
Rent a Uhaul. If the place is close enough then maybe Lowe's or Home Depots 1 ton rent a truck. Still out of your budget, then rent a trailer if you can afford it. When I picked up my car lift I rented a box truck with a lift gate from Enterprise for $85. over night, with unlimited mileage.
Nice setup. I will be running a Bluetti AC 200 Max and two 180 watt BougeRV panels for my first solar set up. Having problems trying to figure how to set up the racks to hold the panels. lol
I also have an AC200p and I am charging right now with two panels in series 21v/100watt through a stepup converter into 58v DC input, I have 10-150watt of input power. I have bought two large ones at 41v/370w it should be enough for mppt input I hope, I will also think about how to set them up, they are a bit ugly on a roof so why not put a garden table with solar cells over it.
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse yeah saw those. I got the tall and narrow 58 inch racks that I can attach wheels to them and move the racks inside the garage at night. Lots of crackheads in my part of Texas. Cant leave anything out. lol
Great video! What is the expected lifetime of your inverters? Contemplating upfront costs to get home lab self sufficient and power redundant. Thanks for your time in this endeavor. Really liked your explosive video while working with battery banks!!! Glad you were not hurt.
Good question! I have no idea, if it were Victron I would say a long time, with this Growatt I have, no idea, but it has worked very well for me, bit of a learning curve to get it programmed, but now I use Solar Assistant to control most of the settings and it works well with my Victron charge controller for those larger voltage panels. Thanks for watching.
I got two BougheRV 180 watt panels on sale for $224. The Bluetti AC 200 Max for $1350 (2048 watts) but the cables were expense and the racks cost a fair amount of money. $1,860 invested so far on a 2048 watt system. Been trying to keep it under $2000 total.
Sorry, you're wrong about the battery kw size. It stays the same whatever your system voltage .So 48v won't give you twice the battery kw. A big advantage of 48v over a 24v system is that there's a lot more components ( Inverters, charge controllers, etc) at a better price available.
It depends on the voltage AND amp/hours. As Unkyjoe mentioned, the main advantage of higher voltage is decreased wire ampacity requirements. Next advantage is as you mention: far greater component availability and lower cost.
You mentioned a warranty so I have to ask. Have you confirmed that there is actually a warranty for A DIY install. One of the reasons I won't pay the new price for solar panels is because I know I'm not getting a warranty honored unless a love sed electrician installs it .
You are absolutely right. I am working at a distributor and bought with deep discount from US solar panel importer but NO warranty because of DIY. I can get 20 years warranty if it is certified solar installer.
They're selling for 285 now I just went to the website to try to find them unless you can give me a direct link and I'm looking up the wrong panel but I matched the serial number model number in the video
just get 1 more 24v battery, and then wire them together for 48 volt, I have four 12v batteries in series with 3 sets,, works fine,, as for panels, put them in pairs and then parallel them together, keeping the voltage down but amps up which the controller will handle,, dont mix panels unless they are same V and amp, otherwise panels will run at the lowest voltage or amperage,
I will eventually be going to 48v, thats why I am building my own batteries, and or buying "slightly used" return batteries from Redodo or Li Time, two brands that make solid batteries. Keeping my eye on sodium batteries as well.
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse batteries are quite an issue on a budget, I have 12 small truck batteries,, they were free, ! however i am only getting about 5kw of usable storage,, however I will just add more batteries,, the two new panels have made a difference, put them up today, just flat not made a frame yet but it still made a difference,, I will run my batteries down tonight and see how the charge goes tomorrow,, at present batteries are full,,
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse I may call the one here in fla and see if they are a little cheaper if I come get them.. thinking of bumping my system up to two inverters so I can go 220.. I'm actually a little over powered right now as far as my needs go but I need another project...
@@upnorthandpersonal that’s a lot less than I paid. Each 280Ah cell was $135. 16 per battery for 48V. Then I splurged for seplos kits at ~$900 each shipped. So I’m at ~$3100 for 13.4kWh. I think that’s closer to $250kWh. The seplos kits are very nice and have heating mats so I can still charge during winter here in ME
@@jeremydumoit4487 I just made my own cases from a 50 Euro shelf (and before that with some left over wood). I use a small polyimide heating pad (4 Euro or so per) to provide heating and insulated the box/shelf. We have cold winters here too in northern Finland :)
Solar panels are cheap to make and barley have any recyclable material. Tons of panels will end up in landfills because recycling them is not idea or profitable . Just wait a year and prices will have dropped drastically .
I'm always surprised about those higher prices in the States for solar panels. Over here in Finland, I just bought new 410W panels for 99 Euro each, or about 110 USD. That's including VAT and with all the warranties. Shipping for 36 pieces to my door: about 100 Euro.
wow
Similar in the UK
You guys are closer to Chyna :)
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse Likely related to the tariffs you guys have there on solar panels from China which we don't have here.
25 cents a watt sounds a lot better than $1.00
Thanks for the tip on panels. I live right above you in Fisher County and looking to add to my system. I built the system with batts, split phase charge controller inverter, etc but waited to add more panels. Currently using 6 - 100 watt panels off Amazon. These are such a good deal. So glad I ran across your channel.
WOW, that's nice. I think I might pick a few up.
SanTan Solar is also a good option for used panels.
I got my Canadian Solar 255 watt panels for $50.00
Just forget about their "warranty"
The panels I got from them claimed to be covered by an in house 1 year warranty. I have problems with 2 of the ones I bought and they won't return my calls, or respond to my emails.
Bought 4 250 watt panels used out of Arizona 2 years ago for 300 bucks delivered. company still selling used panels. Still putting out over 1,000 watts per hour of sunshine .I also put in a 50 amp subpanel next to my Main Panel in the utility room. this panel now has all the 120V Breakers located in it and is fed by 240v/50amp Breaker from the Main and 40 amp service from my solar shed. I have installed a DPDT 50amp 220v contactor in the panel with an on/off push button switch to allow my spouse of 50 years to switch from Grid to Solar at the touch of a button. The Subpanel Solar feed is a 3,500 Watt/ 7,000 Watt surge Pure sine wave Inverter powered by 4 120amp 12v Marine batteries laced in 2x2 24V/240amphr fashion. Solar charger is a MPPT 12/24/36/48/volt 60 amp charger. My 220v wiring is not attached to the Solar. this system runs the frig,Microwave, toaster oven, coffee pot, power cooker, dishwasher, washing machine, hair dryer, tv's, internet, 2 computers, phone chargers, clocks, and FANS. All the 120v circuits. Including our RV. and it's AC unit. which we actually use the backup 3500 Watt AC Inverter Generator to run thru the solar system. Plan to increase the battery bank and panels this Fall. When LIPO batteries drop in price to 10 cents a Watt/Hr I start buying those. Texas
The alert of "high risk of damage" was a little concerning. Did yours come damaged ansld any insurance that can be paid for to protect the order?
Same place I got my panels, except in New Jersey, drove 2 hours to pick them up..I got the bi facial ones though for about $25 bucks more..I got the MP4 6k all in one inverter/solar charge controller/ ac charger and 2 5kw server rack batteries and a home made 280 AH 48 volt 13kw home made battery made out of Catl prismatic cells..I can run 500 volts in series, no combiner boxes..
An 'Excellent' video Unkyjoe 🙂 You now have me planning my electrical situation when I retire nest year.
You should! I will help in any way Ican.
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse OK, I may hold you to that. I just need to convince my CFO (aka, Wife) that I new a few more acres of land than originally planned 🙂
They are right down the street. I can buy them cheap and just pick them up.
so is 400w better then 9.2kw panels? if I understand correctly 400w picks up the sunlight better than a 9.2kw panel
No, 9.2kw panels would be 9000 watts, much more than 400 watts.
as of today 07-31-2023 11:50 am price has increased by $112.27 to $285.77
Same 8-04. bummer! Glad some people got it for super cheap, that was quite a find!
They have canadian solar 400w panels for $241
Also, 370W for $193 and 360W for $174
on clearance, so probably very limited supplies
Great video and information. Thanks for showing the website. Do you know what 48v inverter you would get? The MPP solars seem popular along with the EG4s. I’m tempted to try my luck with PowMr but to save money but uncertain if it’s worth the risk. Thanks again
If I could afford it, the Victron Multiplus II, it is double everything else on the market in that range, but rock solid. I think if it comes down to it I would get another Growatt, they are well made and have worked well for me. Thanks for watching :)
EG4 is the way to go..
I'm a big fan of my LV6548 by MPPSolar
I picked up 2 more 455 watt panels for $300 NZ each today,, once i get them up tomorrow i will have 1820w on the roof,, getting there,,
They look compact for 400w. They seems awesome for van built.
Dont be fooled by the camera they are nearly 4 foot by 7 foot each...
If only there was a referral link so that when we buy you get some kick back so that you can get those last 4 panels 👍
I found these guys last week. I'm in Florida and there is 2 locations very near me. Now I know they are not a scam. Thank you. Only problem is I have a car only a Ford Fusion. Panels would fit don't know about the pallet. Can you take them off the pallet?
You can, but I think the loading dock guy will not be able to help you, they were strapped and shrink wrapped, packaged very well.
Rent a Uhaul. If the place is close enough then maybe Lowe's or Home Depots 1 ton rent a truck. Still out of your budget, then rent a trailer if you can afford it.
When I picked up my car lift I rented a box truck with a lift gate from Enterprise for $85. over night, with unlimited mileage.
@@fauxque5057 Not a bad idea! Thank you!
Gosh, this is a great way to buy panels! I don't mind to drive a bit to get them all!
They were easy to deal with and everything was on the up and up.
Hi all, I’m now on 500+ watt panels 2*1m. They work here in Uk, famed for its rain and help reduce the electric bill.
Take care all M.
Nice setup. I will be running a Bluetti AC 200 Max and two 180 watt BougeRV panels for my first solar set up. Having problems trying to figure how to set up the racks to hold the panels. lol
I got these and I love them, www.amazon.com/dp/B0831DDS9W/?coliid=I2RJKDW0EC2SZ1&colid=8NJJBP6USO17&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
I also have an AC200p and I am charging right now with two panels in series 21v/100watt through a stepup converter into 58v DC input, I have 10-150watt of input power. I have bought two large ones at 41v/370w it should be enough for mppt input I hope, I will also think about how to set them up, they are a bit ugly on a roof so why not put a garden table with solar cells over it.
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse yeah saw those. I got the tall and narrow 58 inch racks that I can attach wheels to them and move the racks inside the garage at night. Lots of crackheads in my part of Texas. Cant leave anything out. lol
Too bad those panels are $285 each now ;~( San Tan used still seems to be the best bargain these days.
Great video! What is the expected lifetime of your inverters? Contemplating upfront costs to get home lab self sufficient and power redundant.
Thanks for your time in this endeavor. Really liked your explosive video while working with battery banks!!! Glad you were not hurt.
Good question! I have no idea, if it were Victron I would say a long time, with this Growatt I have, no idea, but it has worked very well for me, bit of a learning curve to get it programmed, but now I use Solar Assistant to control most of the settings and it works well with my Victron charge controller for those larger voltage panels. Thanks for watching.
I live in Rotterdam.. a mono full black half cut 560w cost 💲 here 170 bucks ☝️new , in town tax free
The dudes cool 😎
Panels produce their rated power at noon on the equator.
There are charts to tell you how much solar you get where you are.
i wonder if there is any company in the UK that does this.
$1 per watt is about the going rate. Anyone paying more is getting ripped off.
I got two BougheRV 180 watt panels on sale for $224. The Bluetti AC 200 Max for $1350 (2048 watts) but the cables were expense and the racks cost a fair amount of money. $1,860 invested so far on a 2048 watt system. Been trying to keep it under $2000 total.
Good video Unky !!
Thanks man.
Sorry, you're wrong about the battery kw size. It stays the same whatever your system voltage .So 48v won't give you twice the battery kw. A big advantage of 48v over a 24v system is that there's a lot more components ( Inverters, charge controllers, etc) at a better price available.
Yes you are correct.
It depends on the voltage AND amp/hours.
As Unkyjoe mentioned, the main advantage of higher voltage is decreased wire ampacity requirements.
Next advantage is as you mention: far greater component availability and lower cost.
There is a bigger range with 48 volt systems also..
FYI YOU WANT TO KEEP THE SOLAR PANELS AS CLOSE TO THE BATTERIES AS POSSIBLE LIKELY UNDER 100 YDS
You mentioned a warranty so I have to ask. Have you confirmed that there is actually a warranty for A DIY install. One of the reasons I won't pay the new price for solar panels is because I know I'm not getting a warranty honored unless a love sed electrician installs it .
More than likely you would need to contact the manufacturer of the panels to see what their warranty requirements are, thanks for watching :)
You are absolutely right. I am working at a distributor and bought with deep discount from US solar panel importer but NO warranty because of DIY. I can get 20 years warranty if it is certified solar installer.
@@user713BlvdWhat does it take to become certified?
They're selling for 285 now I just went to the website to try to find them unless you can give me a direct link and I'm looking up the wrong panel but I matched the serial number model number in the video
These a1solarstore.com/znshine-solar-405w-solar-panel-108-cell-zxm7-sh108-405-m.html
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse I'm also seeing $285 on the both links.
Our 520W flexible panel is $0.22 per watt
@@ryny24 Our 520W flexible panel is $0.22 per watt
just get 1 more 24v battery, and then wire them together for 48 volt, I have four 12v batteries in series with 3 sets,, works fine,, as for panels, put them in pairs and then parallel them together, keeping the voltage down but amps up which the controller will handle,, dont mix panels unless they are same V and amp, otherwise panels will run at the lowest voltage or amperage,
I will eventually be going to 48v, thats why I am building my own batteries, and or buying "slightly used" return batteries from Redodo or Li Time, two brands that make solid batteries. Keeping my eye on sodium batteries as well.
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse batteries are quite an issue on a budget, I have 12 small truck batteries,, they were free, ! however i am only getting about 5kw of usable storage,, however I will just add more batteries,, the two new panels have made a difference, put them up today, just flat not made a frame yet but it still made a difference,, I will run my batteries down tonight and see how the charge goes tomorrow,, at present batteries are full,,
Clicked on your link. It went to panels that are $287 not $179... Just to let you know...
Still $173 in the San Antonio location
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse I may call the one here in fla and see if they are a little cheaper if I come get them.. thinking of bumping my system up to two inverters so I can go 220.. I'm actually a little over powered right now as far as my needs go but I need another project...
Are you still happy with the new panels? I am in San Antonio North around 1604, putting 2 systems in SA and Lake Medina..Thanks George
They are working fine so far, no complaints, same can't be said for my Growatt Invertor
I paid a lot less than $1/watt. Now if the price of lfp batteries would just come down…
Keep an eye on salt batteries.
DIY LFP can be done for around 150USD per kWh.
@@upnorthandpersonal that’s a lot less than I paid. Each 280Ah cell was $135. 16 per battery for 48V. Then I splurged for seplos kits at ~$900 each shipped. So I’m at ~$3100 for 13.4kWh. I think that’s closer to $250kWh. The seplos kits are very nice and have heating mats so I can still charge during winter here in ME
@@jeremydumoit4487 I just made my own cases from a 50 Euro shelf (and before that with some left over wood). I use a small polyimide heating pad (4 Euro or so per) to provide heating and insulated the box/shelf. We have cold winters here too in northern Finland :)
The panels you link to are $285 each.
They are not that price any longer. Lol.
Depends on your market, they actually dropped in price here, they must have quite a few in the warehouse.
Oh well, the panels are now$285 ea.
They aree $275 each now....way too expensive!
They are $285 each
Our 520W flexible panel is $0.22 per watt
They're $279 now
Solar panels are cheap to make and barley have any recyclable material. Tons of panels will end up in landfills because recycling them is not idea or profitable . Just wait a year and prices will have dropped drastically .
They are now $285
Our 520W flexible panel is $0.22 per watt
woo Shocky Monkey