4 Solar panels to wire for grid tie with no batteries

[acimag]

my first port to the board im a no0b so be gentle. I read a bunch of post on this topic but most have to do with a battery based system and solutions are based on battery voltage. Im soley looking to produce the most power to supplement my home electric use.

i watched some videos on youtube. i saw mention of series vs Parallel. im hooking up four of Renogy 100watt 12v panels to a 500 watt grid tie inverter that plugs right into an outlet. what is the best way to wire the panels.

i know how to mount them and where on my roof but idk if i should do 2 sets of 2 panels in Parallel.

what is the best way to wire for grid tie systems.

do i need an inline fuse, how many
what size wire should i use.
do i need mc4 connectors, how many. Do i need these or can i just put a twist cap on it with some electric tape.
does it matter where the breaker is in the fuse box that im plugging the inverter into

[SunEagle]

my first port to the board im a no0b so be gentle. I read a bunch of post on this topic but most have to do with a battery based system and solutions are based on battery voltage. Im soley looking to produce the most power to supplement my home electric use.

i watched some videos on youtube. i saw mention of series vs Parallel. im hooking up four of Renogy 100watt 12v panels to a 500 watt grid tie inverter that plugs right into an outlet. what is the best way to wire the panels.

i know how to mount them and where on my roof but idk if i should do 2 sets of 2 panels in Parallel.

what is the best way to wire for grid tie systems.

do i need an inline fuse, how many
what size wire should i use.
do i need mc4 connectors, how many. Do i need these or can i just put a twist cap on it with some electric tape.
does it matter where the breaker is in the fuse box that im plugging the inverter into

Hello acimag and Welcome to Solar Panel Talk

I am going to be gently as I can and first raise a red flag and tell you that grid tie inverters that plug into an outlet are illegal in the US and other countries.

Main reason is that they are not built to our safety standards. Next reason is they are not built to quality standards and can fail in the worst way causing a fire.

So please stop what you plan on doing before you get you or others hurt.

A grid tie system requires the approval of both your POCO and local code enforcers. You are not allowed to just plug in a system yourself without getting permission and approval first.

Next since you have specific questions about wiring the panels and equipment that tell me you have no electrical experience, I would say please stop because you can get hurt from an electrical shock.

Finally forget what you see on Youtube. Most of those are not true and can lead someone to doing the wrong thing.

We can help you with a grid tie system but you have to first understand what is involved and how to keep the installation safe.

[Mike90250]

what size wire should i use.
do i need mc4 connectors, how many. Do i need these or can i just put a twist cap on it with some electric tape.
does it matter where the breaker is in the fuse box that im plugging the inverter into

Sadly, the only advice I can give you, is that this is way over your head for a DIY project. You need some understanding of electricity, electrical code, and safe practices.
Until you have that under your belt, please leave the Grid connected Wiring alone.

[Sunking]

what is the best way to wire for grid tie systems.

By someone who knows and understand what they are doing. This is the end of your solar adventure. What you want to do is financially foolish and illegal. You will get no help here other than how to do it correctly, and you have nothing to work with.

I will tel you it can be done, but that is where financial foolishness comes in, an drisk of legal action taken upon you.

Fist you will never save a dime on your bill and thus never pay for itself. Money thrown in a fire. Secondly with no contract from the utility any excess you generate will be billed to you as used. You pay the POCO for what you generate.

Last the POCO is smart and why they use Smart Meters. They will detect your illegal connection and can take legal action upon you.

So your treatment here is gentle and free. You will take a beating and learn a very expensive and embarrassing lesson if you try it your way.

The End

[acimag]

job well done fella's

so now i say to myself. i do not want to hurt my family. next plan.

I have 4 solar panels. id like to put them to use. the kit i got from amazon '100 watt mono starter kit' came with a basic battery charger.

i want to get into solar. so i also have the killawatt outlet as well.


id like to hook up to batteries. is there a place online to get them that is recommended and not at a premium price.

id like to run my father in laws room off the grid.

does this sound like a better plan

[SunEagle]

so now i say to myself. i do not want to hurt my family. next plan.

I have 4 solar panels. id like to put them to use. the kit i got from amazon '100 watt mono starter kit' came with a basic battery charger.

i want to get into solar. so i also have the killawatt outlet as well.


id like to hook up to batteries. is there a place online to get them that is recommended and not at a premium price.

id like to run my father in laws room off the grid.

does this sound like a better plan

You can build a solar / battery system to run small loads or large loads depending on what you want to spend. What you really can't do is run power to just a single room in a house that is already connected to the grid. You would have to rewire all of the outlets and other loads that are connected to the house main power panel first.

Now if you want to provide AC power from an inverter connected to a battery bank then you will have to run a correctly sized wire or extension cord from the inverter to the electrical loads you want to power.

To properly size a battery bank you need to first know what your daily watt hour usage will be. That kill a watt meter will be a great help getting that information.

Once your battery system is sized you will be able to determine if 400 watts of solar panels is enough to recharge them. I will tell you that the charge controller that comes with most of those kits are not MPPT but are less efficient PWM type which tends to reduce the total amount of charging capacity and will basically turn that 400 watts into about 260 watts.

So what is the make and model number of your charge controller and where do you live. Knowing that will help determine the minimal insolation time (smallest usable sun light) that you get all year.

And a final note. While learning about solar technology can be fun it is not cheap. Compared to the cost of power from the grid (~$0.12/kWh) using batteries will increase the cost of that 5 to 10 times as much.

[radareclipse]

This might take more money than your aspirations can afford.

[Mike90250]

....id like to run my father in laws room off the grid. ....

You won't save a penny with batteries in the system. battery replacement costs will eat up any electrical charges you save.

The only way to save/make $ with solar, is selling it to someone.

OK, a 2nd way is installing batteryless Grid Tie system with all the proper agreements with the Power Company and building dept electrical inspections.

[acimag]

a little more about me

live in New York. Don't know the load yet but cablebox, 25in led tv, cisco ip phone, computer tower/led monitor,fan, occasional ac use.

is there a way to hook up the panels to a switch that would allow the current that comes in during the day goto the room and when there ien't enough go back to the grid.

i could see me doing that for any room in the house.

solars pretty discouraging

[SunEagle]

live in New York. Don't know the load yet but cablebox, 25in led tv, cisco ip phone, computer tower/led monitor,fan, occasional ac use.

is there a way to hook up the panels to a switch that would allow the current that comes in during the day goto the room and when there ien't enough go back to the grid.

i could see me doing that for any room in the house.

solars pretty discouraging

There is no safe way to send power from a solar/battery system into your home grid tied power panel unless it has been properly engineered and approved even if you use more than what it generates. There will come a time that the grid may go down (even for a brief period) but you will still be generating power from the solar pv system. That can cause circuit issues at least and at worse electrocute someone working on the grid. Please do not do this.

Unless you rewire the "room" to only get power from your solar/battery system and not the grid or use a properly sized extension cord from the inverter to power a load (like a TV & cable box) then you can't do what you want.

Yes solar might be discouraging because of the cost and requirements for a safely installed system but in the long run a Grid Tie solar pv system approved by your POCO can save you money and pay for itself.