New Evergreen Panels

[Deepsouth]

Here are 2 B grade Evergreen panels that I recently picked up. I ended up building a frame for them out of angle iron. After putting it together I was told that I should paint the angle iron, so I took it all apart painted it and put it back together again. The panels were reading 41 Volts in series today via the volt meter. Is this good for Evergreen Panels? I also had to level them out for my latitude. Here are a few pics.

[Mike90250]

The panels should have a sticker on the backside, which will tell you the Voc (voltage open circuit) and Isc (amps short circuit) Those are the 2 ways you can test at home.

[Deepsouth]

I want to get about 20 more of these guys. I'm thinking that it would redneck the yard up a bit though.

[WildcatSolar]

I have ten total of the evergreen 210w panels on two tracking arrays. I have averaged this spring and summer about 9kw or 174 amphours a day on a 48v system with a high of 12.2 in clear sun and a low of 2.4 in steady rain. Yeah, they still produce in the rain. I built my own tracking systems at a machine shop with a friend and have been experimenting with some electronics to give it brains. Tracking will get you 30-40% more production so you won't need so many panels. My wife and daughter said I was going to hurt the looks of the place, but the panels are 100' away from the house. The neighbor's kids come over and are amazed at the system moving on it own powered by the sun. Made for a good teaching environment about self suffciency and saving money over the long haul. I love my evergreens "B"s.

[Deepsouth]

Do you have them grid tied? If you dont mind me asking. Did you get them online?

[WildcatSolar]

Yeah through a Xantrex XW4548 inverter if I set some of the parameters right. Bought the panels from sunelec.com. The xantrex has "anti-islanding" safety features and is UL listed. Meets all kinds of certifications. Best on the market I could find. I have read some utilities are a pain in the butt and some are not. The system can "save" about a buck a day at current rates. I did it as a backup system for my basics. Works, but expensive. Made no sense except with the tax credits. Also, I did it all myself. Paying others would have added 40% to the cost I am sure.

[Deepsouth]

There wasn't a problem with the 12 volt panels meeting the voltage requirements for that inverter?

[WildcatSolar]

I have 5x2 in series. No issue at all. Everything works well and as designed. My fear is technolgy will makeeverything I have obsolete down the road, but such is life.

[russ]

That whatever you have (especially electronic) becomes obsolete is one of the guarantees in life.

Taxes, death and your goodies becoming obsolete!

[Deepsouth]

Ok good deal. One of the local installers told me that the Evergreen panels didn't have enough voltage for a grid tie inverter. I have the 12 volt 205 watt panels. My dad is an electrician, so I might try and do the entire thing DIY. Panel setups and building racks are easy enough. Wiring in the inverter is what worries me, but he seemed to think there wouldn't be much to it. He has never done one though, but he has wired in Generators to the grid etc.

[Mike90250]

Panels can always be wired in series or paralleled to get the voltage/amps that you need. It takes 11 Sharp panels to get the voltage for my grid tie, and then a 2nd bank paralleled to get to full power (4KW)

[Deepsouth]

Well 10 of the Evergreens in series is only 120 volts or so. Most inverters that are grid tie only start at the 150volt plus mark.

[Deepsouth]

I have 5x2 in series. No issue at all. Everything works well and as designed. My fear is technolgy will makeeverything I have obsolete down the road, but such is life.

If they are in series woudln't it be quite a bit higher than 48volts?

[Sunking]

Well 10 of the Evergreens in series is only 120 volts or so. Most inverters that are grid tie only start at the 150volt plus mark.

That would be incorrect. You have it in your mind a 12 volt panel is 12 volts and that is far from the truth.

What you have are panels made for 12 volt battery systems and not grid tied. A 12 volt panel is actually around 16 to 18 volts @ Vmp and around 24 Voc. A panel for grid tied systems are higher voltages from say 25 up to 100 volt output depending on the type.

Panels and grid tied inverters have to be matched up to work with each other. The biggest mistake you can make is go buy a panel because it fits your budget, and then hope it works with an inverter you select. You may get a nasty expensive surprise. Generally it is not too big of a problem as most grid tied inverters have a fairly large window of operating voltages.

[Deepsouth]

I'm not passing up Evergreen panels for $1.65 per watt. I will just look around and find an inverter to match it. 18 volts x 5 panels in series isn't enough to get a normal grid tie inverter to operate. That grid tie inverter must have a lower voltage requirement. Fronius has low volt inverters. I will pick one of those up. thanks