How To? Adding more capacity to my current system: Grid Tie Inverter questions

[steve.shaffer]

Good Morning All!

Always appreciate reading the great ideas and conversations in the forums, and now actually have a chance to ask a question!

We’ve got an existing PV system for our house which was installed by a local Solar company. System today looks like:

• 34x LG335 Panels
• Enphase iQ7 Micro Inverters
• Tesla Energy Gateway
• 2x Tesla Powerwall2s

At its best, the system generates about 45-50kwh per day. We have a pretty large house (with 6 kids) and the system gets us to about 65% self-powered in the Summer and Winter…and maybe 80% in the Spring and Fall.

I’ve been pretty happy with the investment…there are days when we put stuff back on the grid, and the Off Grid capabilities have saved our bacon several times. But I really have never thought about adding capacity.

Well, my brother-in-law ended up getting a pallet of 25 new panels in a barter exchange (he is a construction contractor) but ultimately can’t use them. (His house is so deep in the woods, I don’t think they ever see the sun.) So he offered them to me, and I am going to oblige by taking them off his hands!

I don’t want to put these on the roof, but want to mount them in the yard on a frame. And ultimately I am looking for some recommendations on how to get these integrated into my existing system with minimal support from the solar company, etc.

Based on everything I’ve managed to digest thus far, am I correct in that the best path of least resistance (at a high level) is:

• Build me a frame
• Mount the Panels
• Get a solar grid tie invertor (because the existing stuff is that way)
• Add the output from the solar grid tie invertor as another “input” to the Tesla Energy Gateway

And then boom – more PV power?

All thoughts, corrections, and recommendations are welcome…including the “you know, if you really want this to be awesome you should…” For example, if I did this a certain way I could easily plug in Wind someday...

Thanks!

Steve

[sabersix]

In my area, adding that much capacity will trigger a new connection agreement with the power company. This would require permits, drawings, inspections. Basically redoing the whole process over again with the county and power company.