Ok my thoughts (and I am brand new to this, so my thoughts may not amount to much):
We were after a backup power supply, and as I looked into solar, I understood that there are two types…
one that feeds the grid, and earns rebates/credits… but when the grid goes down, so does your power, as you technically are using the grid as your surplus.
-the other, one that you yourself have batteries that if the grid goes down, you don’t lose power. (At least that’s my basic understanding), and I understand that Lifepo (lithium iron phosphate is the best to date) so I have purchased:
2 EP500PRO’s
12V/30A aviation cable
12V/24V lead acid charging cable
EP500PRO split phase fusion box
12V/24V Car charging cable
EP500PRO UPS Box
EP500PRO- 500W AC charger
And
24 BougeRv 200w Solar panels
My goal is to achieve two 2,400W arrays that will solar charge the two EP500PRO’s.
While I understand that I will now start having to watch my power usage to get a feel for their capability to support our needs, my immediate thought is I may try to make Saturday/Sunday “Solar usage weekends” and just run off the Bluetti’s in non power outage scenarios, and expand from there?
Anyway, hoping to learn more from others and gain some intelligence as I start this journey🙏🏼
@shawnnn99 good to know. So I assume, you will charge via solar as well, and plan to hook up the 2 units using the sub panel to your main panel. I am new to all of this and have very limited electrical skill knowledge.
My desire is to get my panels on the roof (ground mount may not be an option as wife does not want to see the panels🤣).
When the units arrive, does Bluetti give suggestions on installation partners? Or is this something we seek out at a local level?
I may take on Panel installation, but that sub panel /main panel installation I feel I need a certified electrician with solar knowledge.
You definitely need an electrician to install the sub panel and main panel. Your plan sounds terrific.
If you can manage to charge your EP500Pro’s strictly from solar, you can use the solar tax credit for everything, including cost of installation. I believe the EP500Pro has an app that can monitor your solar input, usage, etc. Take screenshots of that to keep a record to prove you are not using grid power to charge the EP500Pros.
As for your solar array, production is key, so unless your roof is ideally situated for solar potential, a ground mount should be considered.
In my case, roof mounting was not an option due to the house being surrounded by tall trees and the roof orientation. I did have a south facing fence line with no obstructions, and so installed a ground array that is about 125’ from the house. The solar production is going gangbusters, and my array is out of sight. It is, however, grid-tied, and because of the size and the microinverters and the utility co rules and regs, I can’t connect it to my sogens, so I have a separate array for solar charging my sogens (various sizes) used for power outages. I had wanted to get the EP500Pro but discovered this would not work in my case. Right now, my production is between 50kWh and 60+kWh/day! Our power outages are fairly infrequent and fairly short duration, 4 -12 hours, so I went with a more portable/modular system to handle power outages. But if you can build it right from the start, your system sounds awesome!
The “solar usage weekends” sounds like a good idea, to assess your usage and needs and tweak that if necessary before you really need it in a power outage.
Excited for you! Please post photos of your installation once you get your EP500Pros.
@SoulGen thanks🙏🏼 I’m nervous as a cat (as the old saying goes), but anxious to get it going. In high hopes that the B300 increases system capacity💪🏼 Just want the flexibility to grow with the EP500PROx2 set up. Love the solar credit comment. Thanks for the response.
It would help others better understand what you are trying to achieve if you explain more of your needs and how you envision this working. I guess you are on-grid now? What do you need to power? AC? Electric water heater? Electric W/D? Electric heat? Electric range/oven? What is your current usage in Wh? Have you switched all your bulbs out for LED? This can be a huge savings alone. What is your climate like, and how good is your solar potential? How long are your power outages? Are you also trying to lower your electric bill? Answers to these questions would be helpful.
I think you’ll have your answer about the B300s tomorrow. I know you can charge them with external MPPT controller, and I know you can connect them to your Pro(s). And you can use them as stand alone DC power.
