How to get this setup installed?

[sgt101]

Hi there,

I want to put solar and a battery on an outbuilding, but the meter and mainboard are 65m away.

There is a new (2020) 45 amp cable for the car charger to the outbuilding, but folks quoting for the installation have told me that I need a data cable back to the meter as well.

I am keen to avoid all this and would like to find a setup that would work on the existing infrastructure - there is wifi to the whole site.

Any thoughts?

[sgt101]

bump? Any thoughts?

[bcroe]

If you want a battery, are you building an off grid backup system? Or
tying into the 45A line with a Net Metering contract with the PoCo? Is
the line 240VAC or 120VAC?

Solar is about managing power and energy. What are you trying to
accomplish, numbers? WIFI is not a necessity for solar, I have no
such connection for a hundred panels, though my data line does run
right past the string inverters.

Power cables may be rquired to be buried 2 feet deep, but Cat 5E
can run up to 300' and only needs to be deep enough to avoid your
lawn mower. I keep track of my solar with this $20 ultra dependable
surplus meter. Bruce Roe

BiDirMtr.JPG

[Mike 134]

The meter might have been $20 but the socket set you back at least $60.

BTW I did the same thing, since I need to prove MWHs for the SRECs I wanted a "hard backup" not relying on some vendor's "cloud".

[bcroe]

Mine goes forward (up to 30 rpm) and backward, in keeping track of
annual energy reserve. I put glue on the reversing gear, so the
counter tracks the disc in either direction. Bruce Roe