SolarDIY

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SolarDIY is a vibrant community dedicated to embracing the power of solar energy. Here, we encourage you to showcase your ingenious ideas, innovative projects, and inspiring stories, while also seeking valuable advice, fresh ideas, and fostering meaningful connections.

Our passion lies in witnessing the remarkable achievements of individuals who have harnessed the potential of solar energy. Whether you have successfully wired your entire house with solar panels, created a portable solar-powered generator, or crafted an efficient solar pool heater, we are eager to learn from your experiences and celebrate your accomplishments.

Join us on this empowering journey as we explore the endless possibilities of solar energy and inspire one another to make a positive impact on our environment and our lives. Together, we can unlock the full potential of solar power and shape a sustainable future.

Share your DIY solar projects, exchange knowledge, and let your creativity shine!

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pdavis

Ultra-miniature DIY solar projects? (kbin.social)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/solardiy

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What exists right now for someone who wants to make a very small solar project?

A family member of mine was hoping to put 1 or 2 panels on the roof of their ADU to power maybe just the small window air conditioner in it, or at least offset a lot of its energy use. Is there anything practical for doing this that doesn't cost multiple thousands of dollars?

In my imagined setup, there would be 1-2 panels on the roof connected to a cheap consumer battery (something like a small ecoflow). The appliance would try and run only off the battery, but if the battery charge level dipped to low it would have some controller that would switch it to grid power until the charge level was back up. I would not want to feed any power into the grid, but I wouldn't want the person living in the space to have to manually switch the power source between the battery and a regular outlet.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

That's what I understood, as well.

My utility requires full permitting and prior approval for any kind of grid-tied solar and has to upgrade your meter to support it, as I understand it. I went through the whole process for the (professionally installed) system on my own roof. My family member, obviously, has not.

I don't know what happens if they were to send any amount of energy back through the meter and into the grid, with their current meter. If the energy were to just disappear into the grid, that would be great. It would only be tiny amounts of otherwise-wasted energy, so there's no reason to care about it being accidentally given away. But if there's any possibility it would be detected by the utility or even damage the meter, that could potentially be very bad. And I don't even know how to find out what is likely to happen.

I appreciate all your replies. I've always found frustratingly little information about building any kind of small solar project other than fully off-grid ones. Your posts have been super helpful at seeing what the actual bare minimums are.