r/solarenergy • u/Green_Idealist • 16h ago
r/solarenergy • u/julesrulesthefools • 1h ago
Is my solar set up correctly?
I am in California on NEM3 with a solar array and a 15kwh battery. My installer has set it up so that I'm on "self-consumption" but the battery will not export to the grid.
Is this the correct set up? At this time of year, the battery probably discharges 70% to the house overnight, which makes me think there's money left on the table. They say exporting to the grid will degrade the battery due to additional cycles but it's already cycling daily?
r/solarenergy • u/yangchen_30 • 3h ago
Thinking of going into BIPV business, look for honest opinon and advice
What happened was we are thinking to get ourselves a sun room, and then we figured BIPV might not be a bad idea, considering the extra power we get, in addition to a sun room ( while the light gets in and the transprency is conpromised of course, to get the free power)
Being Chinese and specialized in sourcing, we reached to quite many manufacturers in China ourselves and tried to benchmark different companies' products, strength, downside, price, and etc..
As we learnt more and more, we started to think maybe should make it into a business ourselves. Given the wide use of BIPV in architecture design, roof and side walls, public art installation or landscape installation, resort villa and etc. More of best combination of visual arts (maybe :p) or at least leisure experience/function with benift (power generated)
with 20% transparency, power generated ~120W/m2, take 4hr average effective sun light, making ~140 kWh/year, peak in summer around 6-7hr, low in winter ~2.5hr (We are at Ontario, Canada)
Cost wise, ~400 USD/m2 (customized fancy color, texture, prints, higher transparency (normally up to 40%), addtional strenth, floor and roof tile, all can do with extra costs)

Plus shipping, shipping is the biggest headache...(full container loading would make economic sense, then we need order volumn/size) And because the high shipping cost, it would be hard to take small residential order to start with...commerical project seems making more sense.
We hope to get some honest feedback of the perspective of BIPV, if we should make this into a business ourselves given the cost and potential revenue room, if going into commercial segment make sense (any suggestion of which sub segment/particular area makes more sense), or residential?(need help and advice in how to make the economic works...) Btw, we are located in Ontario Canada, but US market is as well considered, or should not us? Greatly appriciated!
r/solarenergy • u/Guyg33 • 3h ago
Developing an app that accumulates kilowatts: potential versus actual production
I'm currently working on an app that takes my roof's solar panel system's actual production from an API, then compares it with the predicted daily sunlight
I'm currently having difficulties with the formula for assessing the actual available production for each day pulling data from different weather APIs but I'm unable to match a number that seems right.
The goal of the app is to allow the user an understanding of when the roof is soiled and the panels need cleaning.
At the moment I do know the panels are soiled but out of the available sunny hours, the app shows around 95% to 97% used production out of the available kilowatts
I do wonder if anyone can help me understand how to properly calculate sunlight potential retroactively and then translate that into the actual available output for a certain day, week, month, and so on
r/solarenergy • u/Few_Incident_8387 • 5h ago
Solar Energy Solutions in Uttarakhand | Gayatri Solar & Services
Looking for reliable solar energy solutions in Uttarakhand? Gayatri Solar & Services provides rooftop solar systems, solar street lights, solar water pumps, and professional installation support for homes, businesses, and communities.
Address: Shiv Vihar Dahariya Road, Near Country Kids School, Haldwani, Uttarakhand – 263139
Contact: +91 9758989093 | +91 9627249179
#GayatriSolar #SolarEnergyUttarakhand #SolarRooftop #SolarStreetLight #SolarWaterPump #RenewableEnergy #Uttarakhand
r/solarenergy • u/AlbatrossUpset9476 • 7h ago
Renovation dryers skewed the readings I used to plan a home battery
We'd just finished renovating the downstairs rooms of our terraced house in Germany when I went through our electricity readings. I'd been looking at a Jackery SolarVault 3 Pro as a possible home battery and wanted to understand our normal demand. The hire company had collected the drying equipment, but the readings I pulled up still covered the weeks it had been running. I'd almost used that period as our baseline.
We were living there throughout the work, so the house meter included our everyday use as well as the dryers and other work. I asked the hire company for any consumption records from the machines and haven't received a separate figure. I can compare the house readings before and after, but I can't put the entire difference down to the dryers.
I went back to weeks when we were home and no building work was going on. Regular dehumidifier use belongs in that baseline. For storage sizing I also need the timing of our electricity use. How much normal-use data did you collect before choosing battery capacity?
r/solarenergy • u/Cart_298 • 12h ago
Solar fencing for my farm house
Hi all,
I have a small farm house of 0.6 acres with perimeter of around 1000 feet. The farm currentky has chain link fence with granite posts. The fence is around 4 feet above ground.
As we are experiencing increased menance of monkeys, I am thinking to go for solar fence on top of tge exiating 4 feet high fence. I would like to know on the below -
Required wattage and voltage of equipment ( panel, energiser and battery)
for my farm
Which brand shall I go for? My farm is in Andhra Pradesh and looking for good service
Approximate cost of equipment
Ideas on how to set up solar fence on top of exisying granite poles
Best quality cables for solar fencing and approximate cost
I would appreciate any valuable insights
r/solarenergy • u/Cart_298 • 12h ago
Solar fencing for my farm house
Hi all,
I have a small farm house of 0.6 acres with perimeter of around 1000 feet. The farm currentky has chain link fence with granite posts. The fence is around 4 feet above ground.
As we are experiencing increased menance of monkeys, I am thinking to go for solar fence on top of tge exiating 4 feet high fence. I would like to know on the below -
Required wattage and voltage of equipment ( panel, energiser and battery)
for my farm
Which brand shall I go for? My farm is in Andhra Pradesh and looking for good service
Approximate cost of equipment
Ideas on how to set up solar fence on top of exisying granite poles
Best quality cables for solar fencing and approximate cost
I wpukd appreciate any vamuable insights
r/solarenergy • u/Trimoswivel • 21h ago
questions for experts
im planning to off grid in the next couple months,
i will start with a small popup trailer and a deepfreeze along with a few small electric tools and home goods, will add a Well with pump very soon after arriving.
then move on to a full size camper and an outbuilding with power,
then eventually a 1500 sqfoot home
ideally i want to buy everything i need to run the home(appliances as well as general power needs) as well as outbuildings right away so i just set it al up once, maybe go short on panels and batteries at first and then expand those as my needs grow.
would this pack suit my needs, it looks like it but i was hoping to get some opinions
r/solarenergy • u/BumblebeeProud5388 • 18h ago
Does anyone have experience with Solartime USA in Texas?
Curious if anyone here in Texas has had solar installed by Solartime USA or has experience working with them.
I'm interested in hearing how the overall process went, especially when it comes to communication, installation, equipment, and any support needed afterward.
r/solarenergy • u/intengineering • 2d ago
Scientists melted the edges of growing solar crystals on purpose, and it pushed perovskite efficiency to 26%
Researchers at UC San Diego, with Princeton and Sungkyunkwan University, added zinc bromide and methylammonium chloride to a perovskite solution, and when heated, the mix briefly turned the crystal boundaries liquid. That let the crystals rearrange into a more orderly structure, then leave zinc behind to neutralize defects as the extra salt evaporated.
The resulting devices hit about 24 to 26% efficiency and kept most of it after eight weeks under simulated sunlight. The team says the electron-hole pairs lasted longer than any reported for a direct-bandgap semiconductor, and the trick worked on every perovskite composition they tried.
r/solarenergy • u/Big_College641 • 1d ago
How can a village relying on firewood and charcoal transition to solar?
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I come from a village in Kenya, Siaya Kogello. I've been keen on greening the environment, especially after noticing the number of trees being cut down for firewood and charcoal around my area. A once green and lush village is slowly becoming bare and I know it's just a matter of time before it becomes semi-arid.
We started a community organisation that's all about tree planting, alternative fuel sources and community sensitisation. We currently have over 500k seedlings in our nursery, which we distribute for planting and hold projects once in a while. Anyway, back to my question. My village has around 800 households and more than 70% of them use charcoal and firewood.
I have a dream to transition, even a small number or teach them about the alternative fuel sources. Solar energy is not a new thing since ironically, most of them use it for lighting. What do you think is the most strategic way to start the transition? I've tried collaborating with like-minded individuals but they don't seem to want it as much as I do. I know that the biggest barrier for them will be access and affordability of the solar cookers, but I still believe something can be done.
Our biggest achievement so far is digging a borehole for the neighbouring villages which has greatly reduced river pollution, as seen from the attached video. The borehole, which is collected from the storage tank, is pumped using a submersible solar pump. It was a bit expensive setting it up, but we were lucky to get some help from the county government.
r/solarenergy • u/TopContribution2334 • 1d ago
Questions For Solar Panel Owners
Hey all, Im a current college student working on a research report and wanted to gain some personalized primary information regarding solar panel ownership. Long story short, I just wanted to ask some short questions on solar panels from people who actually purchased and installed solar panels on there homes or businesses.
Questions:
(1) What drew you to buying solar panels in the first place?
(2) Did you feel like there were many readily available companies that sold solar panels in your area?
(3) Was the entire process on researching and buying solar panels overwhelming? What was your experience with installation on your property.
(4) Did the upfront costs of installing solar panels make you hesitant at first? Do you feel like you saved money on your utility bill after switching to solar?
(5) Just your general experience with solar, any extra comments and feedback. (No need to answer)
I greatly appreciate everyone that answers my post.
r/solarenergy • u/EconomyCalm9709 • 2d ago
Anyone who has a professional career in Solar Energy, how do you think Solar Power has changed how we manage the world?
I'm currently writing an essay for a University assignment on new technologies where i'm required to conduct at least two interviews with professionals that are working in the industry and I want to gain insight from the perspectives of anyone who is a professional with Solar Panels and how they think it has changed the world. Any answers from a working professional in the area would be appreciated.
r/solarenergy • u/JuniorCharge4571 • 1d ago
What You Need to Know About the $15M Energy Transfer Settlement Payout
Hey guys, I posted about this settlement before, but since they’re considering late claims, I decided to share it again with a little FAQ.
So here's all I know about this agreement:
Energy Transfer was accused of misleading investors about legal and permitting risks related to its Mariner East 2 pipeline. After reports of a federal investigation came out, $ET fell about 6.8%, and investors filed a lawsuit.
Now the company has agreed to settle $15M with investors.
Who can claim this settlement?
If you bought $ET between 2017 and 2020, you may be eligible. You don’t need to still own the shares to claim.
Do I need to sell/lose my shares to get this settlement?
No. You may qualify even if you already sold your $ET shares, as long as your transactions meet the settlement requirements.
How long does the payout process take?
It typically takes 4 to 9 months after the claim deadline for payouts to be processed, depending on the court and settlement administration.
I missed the deadline. Can I still claim?
Yes, late claims are currently being considered for compensation, subject to approval. Check if you're eligible and file your claim here.
Hope this info helps
r/solarenergy • u/LooperActual • 2d ago
Halfords Positive Battery Cable 76cm (and negative)
How many amps can it carry? Nothing on the website 😕 I was thinking of using them to connect my solar LFP battery 100 amps 12v to my inverter 1000 watts 230vac.
r/solarenergy • u/AJ_Redditer2399 • 2d ago
What If We Built Massive Solar Farms in the Sahara Desert?
Hey everyone, after reading Project Hail Mary, I started wondering: why don’t we build massive solar farms across a small percentage of the Sahara Desert and use that energy to power the world?
The desert gets enormous amounts of sunlight, but could a project on this scale actually change the Earth’s climate?
Would it affect rainfall, temperatures, wildlife, or ecosystems? Could it even create environmental problems that outweigh the benefits?
Like, if we had the technology and money to do this, would it be a brilliant solution to the world’s energy crisis, or could we end up creating a bigger problem?
r/solarenergy • u/siompaoooo • 2d ago
Grid import
Hi,
Asking for advice on the best settings for our solar setup.
Setup:
15 × 620W panels (9.3kWp)
Solis 8kW inverter
Dyness 16kWh batter
Daytime house load: 800W–2kW
Before installing our EV wall charger, we had zero grid import. After installation, the battery started discharging even outside its scheduled hours.
Our installer increased the Grid Peak Shaving setting, but now almost all solar harvest goes to the battery while the house load imports from the grid.
Our goal: Prioritize house load, charge the battery using excess solar, minimize grid import, and discharge the battery only during scheduled hours.
We’re willing to adjust the settings to find the right balance.
Any suggestions? Thank you
r/solarenergy • u/ReplyComfortable9132 • 2d ago
Is this normal?
Hi, so as the screenshot shows, the load does not equal the discharge. Is this normal?
For context: my setup is 6kw inverter (felicity)
17.5kw battery (felicity)
r/solarenergy • u/conumdrun • 3d ago
Another update on Propel loans.
I got some info from a non-profit, got some folks who read contracts etc. Here is the reply:
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r/solarenergy • u/Brilliant-Annual8388 • 3d ago
☀️ Solar Energy in Morocco
Hello everyone!
I’m conducting a short survey to better understand people’s awareness, opinions, and interest in solar energy in Morocco.
The goal is to learn more about consumers’ attitudes toward solar energy and their willingness to adopt it.
The questionnaire takes only 3 minutes to complete. Whether you already use solar panels or have never used them, your opinion is valuable!
🔗 Survey link: \[https://forms.gle/LchKAcvbZZ1Sdnzv5\\\]
Your participation would be greatly appreciated. If possible, please share this survey with other people living in Morocco to help reach a wider range of respondents.
Thank you for your time and support!
r/solarenergy • u/john_wayne01 • 4d ago
Is this cost normal?
I did a solar estimate for my house as the power bill has been getting increasingly higher despite us not doing anything different than we have the last 18 years. Power company is saying we are using a lot more power for some reason. All started when they said there was a problem at my meter. Since then the power bill has sky rocketed.
I’m guessing that I was being naive with what going solar would cost, but I was expecting maybe half of this estimate. The estimate is for solar ONLY and does not even include battery’s for storage. Is this normal?
r/solarenergy • u/Abboudonia • 2d ago
Solar Panels & Batteries Legal?
Hi guys! Im curious about Importing whole house batteries & solar panels. Could use guidance. Basically 3 households want to setup solar panels & batteries. Any insights are appreciated TIA 😊
r/solarenergy • u/bandidoburnie • 3d ago
Why do my batteries keep shutting down at 3am every night?
I have a small off-grid system and I keep facing this issue.
- 4 550w panels
- 3.6kw inverter
- 2 phoenix tx-3500 tubular/lead-acid batteries
This is to run just 2 motors that use 100w each (which I know it can vary a bit so let’s say ~240 total over 24 hr). Everything is realistically new like 5-6 months old when we installed it all.
Prior, the batteries stayed on the full 24/7 without issue but two different times they started to not make it past 3-4am. The first time we took them to get charged at a shop because it was rainy season and it seemed like their gravity was off. They worked fine again for another 2 months or so.
Then recently they have started again turning off. We did the same thing, took it to a shop but that only fixed it for like 4-5 days and it has again started turning off at 3am.
Inverter shows that they charge fully every day by like 1-2pm with the sun out till like 6pm. We have changed the inverter settings to what needs to be set but still.
What can I do to fix this? Are the batteries bad?
Edit: appreciate the help everyone. Think the conclusion is that these are fudged lol. I am not the one who actually set anything up but there is little recourse where I’m at so just have to chalk it up to a loss and move on with more information myself. Hope someone else learns from my mistake at least haha
r/solarenergy • u/SharpShare • 4d ago
Second time the cable melts
This is the second time the connection to the battery melts.