r/solar Jan 14 '24

Mod Message Please report solicitation via DMs

58 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that rule #2 of the sub disallows solicitation, not only in the sub itself but also via DM. If someone DMs you to solicit business, please message the mods and attach the text and source of the DM!

Rule #2 is the most common rule broken on r/solar, and the mods spend considerable time trying to stay on top of it in the sub itself. However we don’t have visibility into DMs, so need your help to control it there.

Thanks!


r/solar Apr 21 '26

Classifieds New /r/SolarClassifieds section,

8 Upvotes

Testing out a new sub that lets us all post items for sale or offer sales quotes for a given location tied to the /r/solar world. If you want a quote from random internet sales guys, post it in the classifieds section. The mods do not vet any seller or offer so use care, you are on the internet. Feel free to post your sales quote requests. Or your offers to provide quotes. Please no nation wide sales whores. /r/SolarClassifieds


r/solar 12h ago

News / Blog New Jersey just made plug-in solar panels legal

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234 Upvotes

r/solar 10m ago

News / Blog A Texas rancher grazes more than 8,000 sheep across solar farms, and the solar companies pay him to do it — the sheep keep the vegetation off the panels, and grazing under glass is now the entire ranching operation

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Upvotes

r/solar 3h ago

Advice Wtd / Project Trying to save the grid

3 Upvotes

In Ohio, I am endeavoring to persuade my family that solar energy presents the most viable alternative. I acknowledge the potential devastation that a single storm can inflict upon a month’s worth of sustenance. I have been informed of programs that facilitate the integration of solar energy with a reasonable return on investment (ROI). Nevertheless, my family exhibits a degree of resistance to change. We possess a southwest-facing roof with ample space. How can I effectively persuade them to contemplate the adoption of solar energy?


r/solar 45m ago

News / Blog Vertical rooftop PV arrives in Ireland

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Upvotes

r/solar 20h ago

News / Blog Nigeria’s renewable energy agency to boost 200 MW of locally manufactured solar. Nigeria is seeking to build up domestic solar manufacturing, which could boost solar deployment while capturing more economic value for the country.

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35 Upvotes

r/solar 2h ago

Advice Wtd / Project Price for system of 37 panels

1 Upvotes

So I got a price to do 37 iq8mc inverters with 37 JA Solar 440w Panels. It's a standard install nothing fancy easy access to the panel and roof is a 10/12 pitch. House is now with underground utilities.

What's a fair price in New England


r/solar 22h ago

News / Blog Africa’s Solar Boom Is Showing Up On Rooftops Before It Shows Up In The Statistics

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28 Upvotes

r/solar 1d ago

Image / Video Solar in conjuction with mini splits has eliminated our electric bill

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119 Upvotes

Just installed a 1.5 ton mini split in the master. We have had solar for a year or so, and have averaged around $100 a month electric. The mini split is efficient enough, it can run off the battery all night, and still have a charge in the morning. We leave it set to 70 during the day and 65 at night, and with door open it cools the rest of the house enough that theres no need to use central ac. We are usually breaking even, or exporting more than we use from the grid.


r/solar 8h ago

Advice Wtd / Project NJ PSEG residential pv system requirements?

1 Upvotes

I read through the pdf manual they supply for service/transformer/metering requirements. They have a single photo example with caption in like page 300+ for net metering but no specifics.

Has anyone installed or designed a system in NJ and can point me to information regarding specifics pseg is looking for? Or if I follow the latest adopted nec code I'll be fine?

They tend to be real specific in their meter locations, meter installation details, etc and are really specific for commercial metering cabinets.

I am attempting to design my own system.


r/solar 18h ago

Discussion Help understanding mini splits run off of solar/battery

6 Upvotes

Hello Solar friends. Our 1500sq ft home uses mini splits alone to heat and cool our place.
We have started investigating adding solar to the house, but are very budget conscious and looking to make sure we leave no stone unturned.
Our mini splits, by far, utilize the major amount of electric in our place. Currently, those mini splits are on our electric panel. Question is: how would we take those off of our panel and have them run solely off of solar/battery?
Is this even possible?
Thanks for any information and/or education.

UPDATE: I want to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this post with your knowledge. In the end, I don’t want to be at the whim of the utility for the foreseeable future and trying to figure out the most economical way to get there.
Much appreciated.


r/solar 9h ago

Advice Wtd / Project Please tell me if this is a dumb idea

1 Upvotes

I have the opportunity to pick up a couple LG355NC1 panels for relatively cheap. My idea is to use them to power my window AC unit during the day to reduce my cooling costs. The AC has a max power draw of 700w but more typically runs around .

My plan in my head is to use the panels to charge a battery/power station which is then connected to the AC. I know I will need a charge controller, safety equipment (and maybe an inverter) but beyond that I'm not sure what else. I did just get PV Systems for Dummies as part of a Humble Bundle, so I plan to read that.

I have a little experience working with electrical systems in my house.

Is this a dumb idea?


r/solar 11h ago

Image / Video Does this seem right?

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1 Upvotes

This is my latest electric bill for my 1000sqft home with central AC. I have 28 solar panels on my roof. Called the solar company and they told me Im actually over producing every month for the panels I have. They also told me that my panels produced about 674kwh in August.

Ill admit I get a little confused by the way this works with the billing and the solar panels but it really seems excessive. Is it possible im not being credited properly by the electric company or that something isnt hooked up right?

All my appliances are natural gas except for my central air unit. I really dont understand how Im using this much electricity. I know rates have gone up but this isnt sustainable.


r/solar 22h ago

Solar Quote Planning a 5kW/8kW Hybrid Solar System – Inverter Pricing & Adding Battery Later

3 Upvotes

I’m planning to install a 5kW or 8kW hybrid solar system at my home in Kerala. I have a budget limitation initially, so I’m considering installing the solar panels + hybrid inverter first and adding the battery later, possibly after around 1 year.

I have a couple of questions:
What is the current market price in India/Kerala for the hybrid inverter alone (excluding panels, battery, installation, etc.) for:
5kW
8kW

I’m mainly considering Sungrow, GoodWe and Deye. If anyone has recently purchased one of these, could you share the actual inverter-only price you paid?

Can I install the hybrid inverter + solar panels initially without a battery and add the battery after 1 year?

Also mention the individual cost per battery unit
Thank you!!


r/solar 2d ago

News / Blog Tesla killing Solar Roof is leaving installers with six-figure losses

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323 Upvotes

r/solar 1d ago

News / Blog Solar Power Is Booming in Emerging Markets

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44 Upvotes

r/solar 1d ago

Advice Wtd / Project Northern MI solar project

7 Upvotes

If you read my last post I asked Gemini to help me start the process of getting what I need to run my new house fully off grid. But after more research and people's suggestions here's my new setup.

House 2300 sq ft plus a basement.

• Solar panels 30 atles 550 watt panels

• 2 eg4 powerpro wall batteries

• eg4 18k inverter

heat sources:

•wood pellet stove (can't get natural gas or I would go with that) with the electric furnace set to fan only mode to help with circulation

• mini splits for AC in the summer

any suggestions? I think this is a lot better than my last post. thanks!


r/solar 23h ago

Discussion Shine WiLan X2 with SPH6000

0 Upvotes

Hi all I'm trying to upgrade from an old RS232 wifi dongle to a new WiLan X2 on my Growatt SPH6000 inverter, but struggling.

I've got the new logger connected via LAN and have even managed to trigger a firmware update on it, so I know it's connected to the Growatt cloud, but it doesn't seem to collect any data from my inverter. I also can't get any data out of it via Homeassistant SolaX Inverter Modbus integration.
This suggests to me that the new dongle doesn't seem to be connecting to the inverter properly.

I added the new logger to the plant and it all seemed to work as per the guides, but just no data gets collected.

Any ideas?

I noticed that the new dongle has a blue USB 3.0 connector, but my Inverter has a white USB 2.0 connector. It's also oriented in the opposite direction to the tutorial videos, so when the dongle is installed, the reset button and LED are facing away from me towards the wall.

I am beginning to suspect that the new dongle is not compatible with my Inverter, which is a few years old now...


r/solar 1d ago

Discussion Contactor based rapid shutdown

2 Upvotes

Has anyone used any rapid shutdown modules that are just a contactor in a weatherproof box, and once coil power is lost the panel gets disconnected?
I'm not very interested in the power line communication type that I see reports of catching fire. (And no surprise, the solid state modules aren't rated to a very high voltage, so if one opens accidentally or opens earlier than the others it will get fried by the string voltage).
I'm still looking to see if I can make them myself using UL rated contactors but it seems like the answer is no.


r/solar 1d ago

Image / Video Replacing broken Solaredge inverter with newer hub model

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9 Upvotes

My 6 year old solaredge inverter gave up the ghost randomly and through Palmetto (my installer) they sent a replacement inverter, but its the newer hub model which is huge so literally nothing lines up with the old model except for the mounting bracket, they moved all the connections to the bottom so nothing reaches with my old setup. Instead of paying $1500 to have my in-warranty replacement installed I decided to do it myself (have been rewiring my entire house so this is like the final boss for me).

Found some worrying stuff with the original install I am correcting (like siemens breakers in a GE panel, a lot of rotting rubber seals and badly stripped wires). Because the original install used EMT for the AC connections I had to remove it and run new liquidtight to the panel. Here is what I have so far! Planning to put a junction box at the intersection of the two EMT runs and then run the splices to the inverters. That way if there are ever different or newer inverters in the future I shouldnt have to worry about the wires being too short.


r/solar 1d ago

Advice Wtd / Project What I should do to increase my chances in pv solar engineering jobs ?

1 Upvotes

Hi how are you…I have been maintenance engineer in off grid solar system for 4 years and because of that I have low level technical experience
I tried to compensate that and I took CMRP
what I can do also to compensate my low level and increase my chances in solar engineer jobs
Even with myself as there is low opportunities right now ?

Someone advised me to take pv design course..
Is that will help ?
Is there a freelance solar tasks or work that can consume little time of day so I can target it and add to my cv ?


r/solar 1d ago

Advice Wtd / Project Net import at night

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1 Upvotes

I don't know if this can be solved easily. If my load is too low the battery shuts off and I'm importing from the net. While this is not a huge problem, it's still something I didn't think about it in advance. And to be completely honest it would feel nicer to be totally off grid. I guess that the converter is inefficient at low loads and jumps on above around 200 watt. The only solution to me is to create a higher baseload during the night.


r/solar 1d ago

News / Blog New Solar Incentive Program Coming To Delaware

21 Upvotes

I realize that Delaware is "small potatoes" compared to even the United States, and to the world in general, but if you are in Delaware and are considering solar, battery storage or both, you might want to wait for the details of this program before doing a new system or expansion. It will be interesting to see what they claim "the country's most comprehensive solar storage program" looks like.

https://news.delaware.gov/2026/09/01/governor-meyer-announces-delaware-shines-the-states-first-and-countrys-most-comprehensive-solar-storage-program/

Apparently some time today there will be a new website which will provide additional information, but solar.delaware.gov isn't working currently.


r/solar 1d ago

Advice Wtd / Project What should I do with the neutral in this system?

2 Upvotes

Hello, I'm currently making plans to install an inverter on only 2 circuits (split phase) of the house and leaving the rest on grid power since my inverter is a 3kw model that can only run the essentials, the thing is I don't know what to do with the neutral, the inverter has an internal ats (it has pass through option) should I switch the 3 wires? Or can I just connect the neutral of the output of the inverter to the neutral bar and just switch the 220v phase? Edit: there is no bonded neutral/ground on the inverter.