DIY solar launches in US – no installers or permits needed | Hacker News Reader

DIY solar launches in US – no installers or permits needed

zdnet.com

6 pointsjakestein9 comments

Worth noting that despite the relatively impressive battery / storage capacity, I believe there is still an 800W* max limit into the home's AC system from the EcoFlow inverter using this supply method.

Therefore you can forget completely supplying electricity for an oven, kettle or microwave in most cases.

*Due to local regulations: 800W UK, 600W in some parts of Europe - I believe it's 800W in the US but please DYOR.

Having said all that, their existing PowerStream inverter + battery Power Stations work really well and are literally plug & play. I've been running a setup in the UK and it's drastically reduced our electricity consumption from the grid whilst still being a simple plug & play self-install.

Can you share your before and after bills? How long til you break even? What happens if you push 800w but your home is only using 300w? Without a clamp on main panel I don’t think it’s smart enough to know to push only 300 so does 500 go to the grid?

I like the idea of this product. Simple, safe, plug and play solar should be a thing.

I was looking at this product last week. I remember seeing a photo with a current transformer (CT) in it. Maybe they have the user install a CT on the upstream breaker to ensure the total load for the branch circuit isn’t exceeded. Without that they run into an issue where it could overload the branch circuit wiring.

So, this is feeding electricity back into the grid ... from a wall socket without any other modifications? How is that even possible?

What other modifications are needed? The controller can sense the phase using the same socket and sync its output accordingly.

You need a way to turn off the power. Normally there's a fuse/switch where the power enters the building, and that's it.

This kind of PV is popular in the city where I live. I feel queasy about there being sources of power that don't pass the main fuse. I'm sure there are ways to make it safe, but I like the simplicity of having one fuse between power supply and power users.

> You need a way to turn off the power.

Right. This is my concern, too and it's why you shouldn't _just pipe your generator into the dryer's outlet_ when the power goes out. The electricity will continue to feed back out into the grid and can hurt/kill line workers who aren't expecting power.

Reading between the lines here, though. Maybe the device has a buffer and some mechanism to detect when the grid goes down and will only send it back into the outlet if things are operating normally? This is very clever if it somehow works and is safe but, yeah, it also makes me queasy and is the reason it's only available for sale in Utah.

Grid-tied inverters only push power if it senses the grid. It’s a standard feature and has been around for years. Off grid inverters push no matter what. The situation you fear is somebody not knowing what kind they have and just plugging it in.

> Grid-tied inverters

Thanks. I didn't know these existed and worked out of the box. Now I'm very curious to know _how_ they work.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com