Overcoming grid tie

[Dr. Bill]

Have a medical practice that withstood Hurricane Michael and need to reopen practice asap. My solar power is grid tied. It's producing plenty of power but it's just flowing out into grid-ville. Any of you sharp enough to suggest how I can divert it all to office so I can open practice up at least while the sun is up?

[ButchDeal]

if the grid is down then your grid tie inverter is also down.

The only way to have power from solar without the grid is with a bimodal system which requires a more costly inverter and batteries.

[Sunking]

My solar power is grid tied. It's producing plenty of power but it's just flowing out into grid-ville.

No Sir that is not how it works. You are not generating any power because there is no place for it to go. If the power could go out on the grid would mean you have grid power, and we would not be having this conversation. The Inverter is designed to shut down if there is no grid available. You may not have any damage to your solar system, and the panels are capable of generating power, but It has no place to go. GT Inverters are designed to work into the very low impedance of the grid, and not the exponentially higher impedance of your office. There is no way to trick your Inverter.

[Dr. Bill]

Thanks. Seems a shame to have all that potential and no way to access it.

[SunEagle]

Thanks. Seems a shame to have all that potential and no way to access it.

The only way to "use" the power generated from a grid tie pv system would be to install a bimodal hardware with batteries. The problem with that is you can just about forget any ROI for what you spend but at least you can "use" your solar if the grid goes down.

[Sunking]

Thanks. Seems a shame to have all that potential and no way to access it.

Kind of like most of us humans huh Doc?

It could be used, but you did not have them configured to do that, and the cost to do so is outrageous and requires a thousand pounds of toxic sulfuric acid or diesel fuel hanging around.

[jflorey2]

Have a medical practice that withstood Hurricane Michael and need to reopen practice asap. My solar power is grid tied. It's producing plenty of power but it's just flowing out into grid-ville. Any of you sharp enough to suggest how I can divert it all to office so I can open practice up at least while the sun is up?

Nope. You have the wrong inverter. The only inverters out there that let you do that today are the SMA inverters with their Secure Power system. Within a year or so there will be an option with Enphase microinverters to do the same thing.

If you want a battery then there are a lot of options out there, but it will be expensive.

After Hurricane Sandy I saw a lot of people with flooded basements, spoiling food in their refrigerators and dead cellphones due to a lack of power - even though they had a solar power system on their roof. Hopefully as hurricanes intensify more people will think about this _before_ they lose power.

[ButchDeal]

Nope. You have the wrong inverter. The only inverters out there that let you do that today are the SMA inverters with their Secure Power system. Within a year or so there will be an option with Enphase microinverters to do the same thing.

If you want a battery then there are a lot of options out there, but it will be expensive.

After Hurricane Sandy I saw a lot of people with flooded basements, spoiling food in their refrigerators and dead cellphones due to a lack of power - even though they had a solar power system on their roof. Hopefully as hurricanes intensify more people will think about this _before_ they lose power.

I doubt a Dr. is going to want his equipment going on and off every time a cloud roles by or that 2kw output is going to be enough power.

A bimodal battery solution would give the reliability needed.

[Mike90250]

And remember, a flock of flying lawn flamingos, can take out a roof full of panels in 10 seconds. So a generator backup, with fuel (propane is nice, a 500 gal tank will last quite some time) is going to be needed. Be sure to have maintenance supplies, filters, oil... because emergency ops will add up 50 hour maintenance intervals quickly.

[jflorey2]

I doubt a Dr. is going to want his equipment going on and off every time a cloud roles by or that 2kw output is going to be enough power.

So get a $200 UPS.

A bimodal battery solution would give the reliability needed.

Yes, that is the 'right' way to do it if you want uninterrupted power. (Cue SK saying that that would result in an apocalyptic toxic nightmare that will bankrupt you, kill your neighbors and give you bad breath. And make you into Al Gore.)

However, if you just need a few hundred watts after a hurricane once every five years, the SMA route (and soon the Enphase route) is an easy one to go.

[SunEagle]

I doubt a Dr. is going to want his equipment going on and off every time a cloud roles by or that 2kw output is going to be enough power.

A bimodal battery solution would give the reliability needed.

I agree. The SMA secure power source is more of a joke to me. It only provides a small % of the total pv wattage and will be intermittent depending on the weather. Certainly not something I would rely on as a good power source.

If you have deep pockets go with a battery system. If not then go with an LP generator and 500 gal tank.

[Sunking]

(Cue SK saying that that would result in an apocalyptic toxic nightmare that will bankrupt you, kill your neighbors and give you bad breath. And make you into Al Gore.)

You want me to mop the floor with your tree huggin butt again? Be careful what you ask for because I am more than happy to engage you.

Doc do you want real power? Not hard to figure out and you know is true in your heart. Do exactly what hospitals, clinics, and the pros do when peoples lives are at stake or a mission critical application. Use a generator for emergency backup. A tree hugger activist like Jflorey will just take your money and get people killed.

[solardreamer]

What do you guys think about the upcoming Enphase iQ8 that will have microgrid support? It looks more practical than the current AC coupling microgrid solutions that are overly complex. I would like a microgrid solution that's battery optional.

In any case, a generator (ideally propane or natural gas one) is must even with microgrid as there is not always enough sun.

[Mike90250]

.....In any case, a generator (ideally propane or natural gas one) is must even with microgrid as there is not always enough sun.

Especially at night after a rainy day But why limit to Nat or LP gas, diesel is the long term energy source. We just harvest it from whale oil.

[solardreamer]

Especially at night after a rainy day But why limit to Nat or LP gas, diesel is the long term energy source. We just harvest it from whale oil.

My main dislike of gasoline and diesel is that they require more work for long term storage. For backup generator not used frequently I would like to avoid the hassle.