Go big or go small . . . what’s the smart solar power play?
Small Is Still Beautiful
Carbon is everything. Rooftop solar is more efficient where it really counts—carbon. Because domestic solar panels bolt on to existing roofs, they don’t need the racks and other infrastructure used by ground-mounted utility systems. Nor do they suffer transmission losses moving electricity over long distances.
Mark Harris
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2024/07/go-big-or-go-smallwhats-the-smart-solar-power-play
DC to DC charging. One more step to off grid living!
A US start-up has just started taking orders for a DC to DC 'Solar to Vehicle' battery charger, and one of the worlds largest solar PV brands, Solar Edge, is hot on their heels with their own competitive product. One more step on your off-grid odyssey?
@corlin hmm. Some (a lot?) of new solar panels have micro inverters, so the power is already AC coming off the roof. My house is like that.🤔
@peterquirk @corlin fanciness by Enphase, pretty happy with it. I do sell back but it's not going to pay for itself while I'm breathing. Power company does not favor this.
@b4cks4w @corlin Cool! One of the problems with big battery power systems is that they are generally designed to sync with the grid - i.e. they use grid-following inverters. If the conventional power station goes down, these battery systems can't take over unless there's a reference AC signal for them to follow. When the power station comes back online, it too has to sync with the reference signal. This is a very new infrastructure requirement, absent from most grids.
@peterquirk @corlin Haven't added battery yet, that's good info, thanks