Alex KretzschmarJan 25

This winter storm is making me actually think about installing a whole home backup power source (I know, me and half the US right now).

I already have solar but no battery as my utility company does 1:1 net metering.

Does anyone reading this have any experience in building a grid-tie battery system? Powerwall is an option I guess but I’d like to DIY this thing if I can so I choose when it get charged not an algorithm.

Show threadPete KeenJan 25

@ironicbadger not an answer to the question you asked, but we installed a 26kW Generac after a big ice storm and subsequent 5 day outage in 2023. Hugely beneficial for our peace of mind, especially with electric ground source heat pump heat. We've had several multi-day outages and several more multi-hour outages since then and it's worked every time.

Essay series I wrote at the time: https://www.petekeen.net/backyard-fiber/

Backyard Fiber

I'm installing a generator and a backyard fiberoptic network.

Pete Keen
Show threadAlex KretzschmarJan 25
@zrail this is the info I was hoping for!!! It’s hard to tell yourself when everything is fine and your outages are “just a day or 3” to drop that $ but after running around this week prepping… I will not do that again!
Show threadPete KeenJan 25
@ironicbadger just don't ever try to convince yourself it's a financially sound decision. When I look at it as an investment in mental well being it paid off after the first big outage.
Show threadAlex Kretzschmar
@zrail I feel that way after paying pre-storm gouge prices for a 6500w generator this week. Yes it hurt, but I felt like I had a plan after.
A tangental goal that would be fun would be to charge the car as close to 100% off-grid as possible using a second, smaller solar array or perhaps disconnecting what I have and having that all feed 100% into an "off-grid" side all the time. Then if for any reason that's not enough I can flip it over using a normal breaker to charge from the grid.
What a fun project.
Jan 25 at 3:57pmWeb