Solar array starting to look good.

[philipma1957]

buysolar and philipma1957  (thats me)  are building and setting up a solar array.

I went to his place today.  I am posting a few photos.

General info etc.

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my knowledge of solar is meh  buysolar has the brains here so I do not know what every photo is



this meter is for kwatts earned  with the array
43,870 kwatts



a wall of various solar + power equipment



sma converters etc



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outside shots more to come but dinner calls

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[cavaliersrus]

this is going to be interesting i bet phil

[philipma1957]

and now the array the row on the left uses the low end mounting method more photos later
the row on the right uses a corkscrew method thus round poles



this cement base method below is the most costly



here are shots of us installing the low cost posts  there are reasons of all types of install maybe buysolar will chime in as to the why.

Note I am taking the photos



a paving tamper a ladder and buysolar in a hard hat using a level  we knocked off  this work in 1 hour -2 hours



panels waiting install



a few rows are done



we hope to use

one 2880                  finksy j4bbrwock    psu --------------- 2880 watts  ------- gold/silver
three 2980                finksy j4bbrwock  psu's -------------- 8940 watts --------plat
one dual 2000/4000  finksy j4bbrwock  psu ---------------- 4000 watts --------gold/silver  just under 16kwatts

2 x 30 amp pdu's

1 x 20 amp pdu

5 avalon 6's

1 s-7

the gear above is all in hand .

this should use 6kwatts

leaves us 10 kwatts for a sidehack and team   bitfury miner farm to be added see this link

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1368507.0

10 kwatts at .1 watts is 100th would be an impressive farm.

[cavaliersrus]

i would love to know how much a 2 killawatt setup would run i dont know much about solar

what i have is a 45 watt solar array from harber fright (spelling)

[philipma1957]

i would love to know how much a 2 killawatt setup would run i dont know much about solar

what i have is a 45 watt solar array from harber fright (spelling)

not my knowledge base,but a lot depends on buy back rules in your area.

this array is mixed use with the power grid..

There is a meter that counts the kwatts you over produce. and the power company pays for that power.

so a 60kwatt array  uses up to 16 kwatts for mining. 4 kwatts for home and sells back 40kwatts.  the goal is to zero out the power bill.

[HerbPean]

Thanks for sharing Phil,

I will follow this thread with most interest !

[cavaliersrus]

thanks i wish i knew who to talk to here in missouri or knew what to do to get a solar setup here at my house cause my electric bill is almost freaking 500 dollars - 600 a month

mind you my home is full electric no gas at all

[philipma1957]

thanks i wish i knew who to talk to here in missouri or knew what to do to get a solar setup here at my house cause my electric bill is almost freaking 500 dollars - 600 a month

mind you my home is full electric no gas at all

yeah the mixed use grid is nice if you get a good pay back  from the power company.

this array is not typical for a home owner  as buysolar has some land to build it on.  He was able to go beyond his power needs and setup a good sell back deal in a state that is good about power companies buying excess.

of course he is in the business so all gear is self installed and purchased wholesale.

he may have contacts in your state send him a pm and ask.

[rockyforever]

how much was the initial cost for that set-up?

[valkir]

Wow nice setup! Yeah curious to know the initial price of all that.

[helipotte]

What type of panels are those.  They look just like mine!

[kilo17]

Beautiful, he definitely does good work.  I can only wish for something like that 

[hawkfish007]

i would love to know how much a 2 killawatt setup would run i dont know much about solar

what i have is a 45 watt solar array from harber fright (spelling)

Here is a good calculator for estimated system output in kWh and $ wise.

http://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php

For example, my 10.65 kW rooftop solar system will produce anywhere between 18,112 to 19,237 kWh per year. S7 consuming 1400 W will need 12,264 kWh/year, so my system will be able to power 1.5 S7s for free. Installation is the biggest portion of the initial cost, you can look up eBay for solar panels. Good panels w/ 25 year warranty runs anywhere from $.55-$.85 per watt depending on density (higher wattage ones are more expensive). Here in SoCal, the requirement is a C-10 electrician and someone with roofing license for rooftop installation.  You may want to contact your County or City building and safety department for specific requirements. and don't forget 30% federal tax credit.

phil, very nice system, anxious to see pictures of completed project.

[buysolar]

This is a good link for people in the US trying to find out about incentives that might be available in their area: http://www.dsireusa.org/

[notlist3d]

Beautiful setup the solar does look amazing.   What is timeframe you think till you get all solar gear paid off and running on complete profit?

Best of luck with it would love to see you guys doing great on this.

[gregyoung14]

Very cool! People should really take such things seriously. This would be a worth investment for the government, if only they have realized this.

[OgNasty]

[RodeoX]

I love it! Wow I wish I had that on my home. You are the man. 

[philipma1957]

Beautiful setup the solar does look amazing.   What is timeframe you think till you get all solar gear paid off and running on complete profit?

Best of luck with it would love to see you guys doing great on this.

The warm weather helps as you see the photos of driving in the posts.  We also had a big time rain a few days ago.  Ground is softer.

Buysolar thinks we will be able to move all the miners from my house to the array in under 2 weeks.

We will be under capacity  once we do this as the   5 avalon6's and 1 s-7 = about 6 kwatts.  We can do 16 kwatts.  So we are going to have to decide on how to ramp up from the 21-22th or so.

I really would love to get a bitfury or 2.  
Maybe a bw,  but we simply may add used avalon6's. Kilo17 does have some avalon6's

When we hook up the miners short term over heating is not an issue, but summer comes we need to get a few fans for the barn that will house the gear.

The ideal setup would be 6 to 8 kwatts of .3 watt gear and 6 to 8 kwatts of .1 watt gear

[Entropize]

That is one really nice setup. Can't wait to own land so I can set something up like this. How long will it take to break even or even start seeing ROI?

[philipma1957]

That is one really nice setup. Can't wait to own land so I can set something up like this. How long will it take to break even or even start seeing ROI?

There in lies the question.

It is all up front money and then no expenses to speak of.


 Below is hypothetical and does not represent what we did. Since buysolar is a solar contractor and this install is far lower cost then if you hire someone to do it.


But pretend you buy 60kwatts in solar panels + kit  from this dealer on ebay


http://www.ebay.com/itm/SolarWorld-10kW-CR-Solar-Kit-with-Enphase-Inverters-Shingle-Roof-/151972428611?

that would be 6 of these kits or  over 125k usd    more then 2 usd a watt. Even if you do all the install the price is too high


 So at retail it just won't work out.

But if you are in the business or you find a deal on panels and are really good at diy .  the numbers can work.

The key is a mixed  use grid no battery setup.   

 if you put in 10kwatts  ¼  for miners ¾  for sell back 

you get 2 s-7's on free power.

 

A pair of s-7s right now cost 1500 usd

they would mine for 135 days and the ½ ing would hit  .

Say July 3rd   you would be 200 usd in the hole   on the miners.  We just do not know what diff will be, but the miners won't cost anything to run.

So you could sell one  get 250   to be ahead 50 bucks and mine the other.  Just one of many possible things.  You can still use the solar to lower your home power costs. Just say fuck it to mining.

[notlist3d]

I think we all agree look amazing.  Do you mind sharing cost of getting up  and running on solar?

Also how  long do you have to run till the solar gear has paid for it's self

[cryptotore]

Amazing man, good job! Wish I could do someting like this! 

[GenTarkin]

[...]

So you could sell one  get 250   to be ahead 50 bucks and mine the other.  Just one of many possible things.  You can still use the solar to lower your home power costs. Just say fuck it to mining.

Depending on the state u are in in the USA, if u generate more elec than ur home uses ... the elec company has to pay you.
Guess thats a nice lil perk if you decide to stop mining.

[philipma1957]

I think we all agree look amazing.  Do you mind sharing cost of getting up  and running on solar?

Also how  long do you have to run till the solar gear has paid for it's self

That is buysolar's field  to talk about.

Remember each and every USA power company has different payback rates on excess power.

Here in NJ most companies pay back 5 cents a kwatt

so a 60kwatt setup using 20kwatts  and selling 40 kwatts back ends up at 0 cost for power.  see note 1:

Some states won't pay back at that rate  and you may need a 15kwatt used and sell 45kwatts to end up at 0 power cost.


So if you can install diy at 1 usd   a kwatt in NJ you may do okay, but if you install at 1 usd a kwatt in Ohio you may not do okay.

You need to know what you can sell the power excess for to determine if it is worth doing.


note 1:   average sunlight in NJ year round is on this map

 http://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-information/sun-hours-us-map

[hawkfish007]

Depending on the state u are in in the USA, if u generate more elec than ur home uses ... the elec company has to pay you.
Guess thats a nice lil perk if you decide to stop mining.

Also in some states (usually where solar installation is widespread and popular) utility companies wouldn't let you install more than your last year's usage. They don't want any consumer to be a producer. In my case in SoCal, I had to certify that my projected usage will more than double to install 10.65 kW worth of panels. And Edison agreed to pay for any excess production at a wholesale rate of $.03/kW.

[philipma1957]

Also in some states (usually where solar installation is widespread and popular) utility companies wouldn't let you install more than your last year's usage. They don't want any consumer to be a producer. In my case in SoCal, I had to certify that my projected usage will more than double to install 10.65 kW worth of panels. And Edison agreed to pay for any excess production at a wholesale rate of $.03/kW.

It can be complex set of rules and regs to follow to know the payback.

But with the correct set of circumstances a solar setup can really help out mining coin.

I cant wait to fully move the gear in and then decide how to expand for 6 kwatts of mining gear to 16 kwatts of mining gear.

[Finksy]

Looking really good guys, very excited for you!

This is a question for buysolar, if one were to do a PV setup that wasn't grid tied (I guess you would need batteries to buffer) and mining continuously with it, would it be possible to keep voltage produced in DC and regulate to 12V to prevent inefficiencies from inverters and then again from power supplies?

[philipma1957]

Looking really good guys, very excited for you!

This is a question for buysolar, if one were to do a PV setup that wasn't grid tied (I guess you would need batteries to buffer) and mining continuously with it, would it be possible to keep voltage produced in DC and regulate to 12V to prevent inefficiencies from inverters and then again from power supplies?

Batteries = $$  they don't last long. They can be dangerous just think of the energy stored in them.

But I am interested in the answer.

The ibm 2980 server is a real platinum psu say 91-92%  I do not think the best inverters   are more then 98%

this article claims 97%

http://www.electronicproducts.com/Power_Products/Invertors/High-efficiency_solar_inverters_in_North_America.aspx

so 91 x 95 = 86 to 88%  from panel to miner would be best case.

so would batteries and a regulator be better?

I do not know .

[jstefanop]

Looks awesome...but even building it from scratch with no labor/overhead costs you'd be hard pressed to ROI on this anytime soon. Even if you paid 60k for this setup that would be able to power 20kw worth of miners for free it would take over 4 years to ROI. Guess its worth it if your paying 15 or 20 cent power in jersey, since this will essentially let you mine for the long term and compete with the big players paying near zero cent power.

[jstefanop]

Looking really good guys, very excited for you!

This is a question for buysolar, if one were to do a PV setup that wasn't grid tied (I guess you would need batteries to buffer) and mining continuously with it, would it be possible to keep voltage produced in DC and regulate to 12V to prevent inefficiencies from inverters and then again from power supplies?

No, the wire losses would be greater than any inverter inefficiencies, plus you would need ALOT of copper. You have to remember even in a 150w 12v panel you looking at 12.5 Amps of current. 60kw would need copper that can support 5 THOUSAND AMPS of current lol...ill let you do the math on the copper thickness you need for that

This is why most solar setups are wired in series, and some have muti kilovolts running into their main inverters, or simply have an 120v inverter directly on the panel.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

No, the wire losses would be greater than any inverter inefficiencies, plus you would need ALOT of copper. You have to remember even in a 150w 12v panel you looking at 12.5 Amps of current. 60kw would need copper that can support 5 THOUSAND AMPS of current lol...ill let you do the math on the copper thickness you need for that

This is why most solar setups are wired in series, and some have muti kilovolts running into their main inverters, or simply have an 120v inverter directly on the panel.

So very true.  But assuming part of the idea is to allow it to run at night there are of course well established commercial ways around it.
Disclaimer: I cannot say I've delved into this subject deeply. Only have good knowledge of how current large power systems work overall.

To me the easiest is to first ask: What commercial power storage devices are being used for small (yes, even 16kw is still 'small') setups to allow running after dark when one is fully off the grid? Look to there for ideas.

My guess is that it is a DC storage system be it batteries (bulky, insanely heavy, maint & lifetime issues), supercaps (very good but high initial expense), or whatnot rated at what the inverter/panels combo runs at be it 12, 48, or 600v. All involve robbing Peter to pay Paul. Can't forget that the power used to charge up for the night time comes from the daytime power budget.

[philipma1957]

Looks awesome...but even building it from scratch with no labor/overhead costs you'd be hard pressed to ROI on this anytime soon. Even if you paid 60k for this setup that would be able to power 20kw worth of miners for free it would take over 4 years to ROI. Guess its worth it if your paying 15 or 20 cent power in jersey, since this will essentially let you mine for the long term and compete with the big players paying near zero cent power.

NJ power is 13 cents in the winter and 17 cents in the summer.

So solar or no mining.  Plus the excess power can be sold back at 5 cents rather then mine.  Note NJ is very good this way we are one of the better states with goverment subsidies for solar.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

NJ power is 13 cents in the winter and 17 cents in the summer.

So solar or no mining.  Plus the excess power can be sold back at 5 cents rather then mine.  Note NJ is very good this way we are one of the better states with goverment subsidies for solar.

Well I'm sure you've though of this but for now just figure overall daily miner kwh usage and subtract how much of that the solar provided each day. Use that figure against the daily kWh rate to see what you pay the electric company each day of mining 24x7x365. No matter what the contribution made by the solar should be substantial.

[kanazawa]

This is top notch project.

I'm inside the photovoltaic universe too. With "all of my love". We got lot of work to do man. But in the end it's always amazing.

I can't sell electricity to anybody nor any company, but it's the reason I'm alive. Long life to solar photovoltaics and bitcoin mining.

your project is very, very, veryyyyyyyyyyyyy nice bro. Congratulations with an A+++ label.

 

[AJRGale]

looking at this thread, it got me looking at solar panels, kits and cells(diy ftw!) the most expensive is 0.9W/$1au to the cheapest 2W/$1au for diy.

if I can get a setup to get 1KW off-grid I think I'd be a happy camper.. but I never properly worked out the math to get the 1000W draw to needed cell power (KWh) and battery storage.

If anything, I want to setup my aircon to off-grid by modding it to run on DC and generated solar/wind/thermopile/steam..

Anyway, good luck with getting that solar setup running nicely!

[RadekG]

Batteries = $$  they don't last long. They can be dangerous just think of the energy stored in them.

But I am interested in the answer.

The ibm 2980 server is a real platinum psu say 91-92%  I do not think the best inverters   are more then 98%

this article claims 97%

http://www.electronicproducts.com/Power_Products/Invertors/High-efficiency_solar_inverters_in_North_America.aspx

so 91 x 95 = 86 to 88%  from panel to miner would be best case.

so would batteries and a regulator be better?

I do not know .

Forget about batteries. Lead acid are not usable (only 30-50% capacity can be used for better lifetime, so price per kWh is at least doubled), Lithium batteries have much better cycle life, but they are higher cost. Typical costs for stored 1kWh are about $1USD, etither Pb or Li.

I can suggest you much better and easy solution for your miners to save a lot on efficiency. It need direct connection to your solar array which should have maximum power point between 100 and 400V and already connected MPPT inverter (you have it already).

Solution:

1) If your MPP string voltage is around 400V, you can connect DC voltage directly to PSU DC input line just after PFC. You will have direct path from solar DC to miner PSU and you will eliminate some very small loses of PSU's PFC circuit. If RMS input voltage is higher than PFC set voltage (usually 380-400VDC), PFC controller just switch itself off and let voltage pass through. We have DC line, so RMS=DC voltage, so if you do not care about 3x 0.7V voltage drop across forward diode, you can connect DC line directly to AC main input.

2) If your MPP voltage is less than 350V, you sould connect DC line directly to AC input or inside just after diode bridge (2x 0.7V drop).

3) set your 12V output very little higher than your AC line PSU, so if your AC line PSU has 12.0V, your DC line PSU should be about 12.2 or higher.

You will feed your miners primary from direct DC-DC path, if DC line PSU has not enough power, it will switch itself off and your miners will be fed by your AC line. Your MPPT controller always keeps your solar grid at maximum power point, so you do not care what is your voltage within 300-400V range. In case of 100-400V range, your PFC can go less than 60V, so it will not switch off immediatelly when cloud comes on the sky.

This is general description. Some PSU's like Fortron Raiders, IBM 2980 or Bitmain's needs higher voltage to work and start-up, so your solar grid DC voltage range will be narrowed to 230-400V DC. Maximum DC voltage accepted by PSU is limited by input DC capacitor voltage (the bigges one in PSU).

You need to answer yourselves some questions here.

1) buying batteries: does it have ROI, when every kWh stored is about $1USD and needs additional charge controllers? Can your miners survive voltage variance between discharged and charged battery (11.5-14.5V) or need another DC-DC controller?

2) is it enough to save 5-10% efficiency to buy another high power PSU (MPPT AC inverters are not 97%, they are less depending on actual MPP votage set)?

3) there is NO SOLUTION to connect PV panels directly to miners without power losses. The best way is to use MPPT controlles for 12V or any MPPT combination as shown above. You will always lose some power at conversion.

Buying cheap panels and cheap inverters may do better ROI than thinking about batteries and direct connections... There are 1200W on-grid outdoor micro inverters at $280, so if you have $0.55/W panels, it is $940USD per 1200W complete on grid system with super easy installation and unlimited stackability.

[philipma1957]

This is some good info as to why we are not using batteries.

Like I mentioned before I was interested if a solution was available  other then what we are doing.  You have pointed one out. Thanks.

Since this array is being built by forum member buysolar and solar installs are his business it has advantages in price most people can not do.

He uses 3 sets of footings for the rows of panels for demonstration purposes.  If I own a superfund site   in NJ >

Pretend I own a polluted dumping ground maybe an old factory did the pollution. I purchased the ground on spec.  The feds may approve a solar array since the land is ruined for just about anything else.  I could get clean up funds.

That may allow me to build this type of array.

this cement base method below is the most costly but it does not penetrate the ground so it could be used on a super fund site.  Useless polluted land can serve a clean purpose.  So his solar array is also advertising for his business.

[generalt]

Awesome project Phil!  Best of luck to you on it.  I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more about it.

Looks awesome...but even building it from scratch with no labor/overhead costs you'd be hard pressed to ROI on this anytime soon. Even if you paid 60k for this setup that would be able to power 20kw worth of miners for free it would take over 4 years to ROI. Guess its worth it if your paying 15 or 20 cent power in jersey, since this will essentially let you mine for the long term and compete with the big players paying near zero cent power.

You have to think of the solar setup more like power supplies in mining.  Even if he stops mining the solar setup will still generate money for him and still have many other uses.

[willi9974]

Very cool  Respect!

[notlist3d]

This is a good link for people in the US trying to find out about incentives that might be available in their area: http://www.dsireusa.org/

If you ever have time buysolar I still would love to hear the cost of the project for expert like you in this area.   And also what you estimate to be timeline till it is paid off.

Those are two big things I would still love to know.

[philipma1957]

Very very awesome.  I wish I have some land in Massachusetts where my family live to do this. 

The State is offering incredible incentives.

yeah some east coast states are very good.  NJ ,MA  a few more.

[VirosaGITS]

yeah some east coast states are very good.  NJ ,MA  a few more.

So for your setup, if you pay (i think you said) 0.13-0.17$/kWh, how much does the electric company pay you back for what you sell off to them? I assume they do it at profit?

[philipma1957]

So for your setup, if you pay (i think you said) 0.13-0.17$/kWh, how much does the electric company pay you back for what you sell off to them? I assume they do it at profit?

oh yeah of course they do.   NJ rates in winter are 12.7-13 cents>   so when I/buysolar sells excess to power company I would get paid 5 cents.

So the spread is 13 to 5 in the winter  the spread is 17 to 5 in the summer.

This means a 60kwatt array can spend 16kwatts in house and sell  44kwatts.

16 x 13 = 208  
44 x   5 = 220        winter mining  Oct 1 to Jun 1

13 x 17 =  221       summer mining Jun 1 to Oct 1
47 x 5  =   235  

so when it gets dark  you buy back at  13 cents

when it is light you sell at                     5 cents

as you can see  you basically 0 out the power bill this way.

now 5 cent vs 13 cents seems really fucking unfair  but  

the 13 cent number is really 9.9 cents + 3.1 cents.
9.9 cents is power cost   3.1 cents is transport cost.
So  the 3.1 number is the cost of wires/transformers/ required to get the power to you.

Remember these buy back rules are NJ,USA  

It is different everywhere and some places pay  you  as low as 1 cent .

In the case of this setup.  The monthly power  bill after setup is close to  0 dollars.

Mining with avalon6s and s-7's  pays higher then 5 cents an hour  so it pays to mine rather then sell power back at 5 cents.

The beauty of this is if mining gets bad (under 5 cents) stop spending the 16kwatts on mining and just sell  the power.

So if the ½ ing fucks stuff up so what stop mining and sell power to the grid.

[VirosaGITS]

Thanks for the reply, this is actually pretty interesting.

For instance electricity in residences here is typically 0.06$/kWh, which is rather profitable for mining. And industrial setups here can get a bit cheaper.
This means that with your solar setup, you're able to more or less sell its electricity at a rate close to what i would pay for mine.

This sound rather fantastic because if your setup last, you can simply stop mining and earn money back from the electricity company. 0.05$/kWh is pretty cool, even though they might make up to 0.1$/kWh profit on you.

Maybe you could connect your neighbors to you and sell at 0.1$/kWh yourself?

[philipma1957]

Thanks for the reply, this is actually pretty interesting.

For instance electricity in residences here is typically 0.06$/kWh, which is rather profitable for mining. And industrial setups here can get a bit cheaper.
This means that with your solar setup, you're able to more or less sell its electricity at a rate close to what i would pay for mine.

This sound rather fantastic because if your setup last, you can simply stop mining and earn money back from the electricity company. 0.05$/kWh is pretty cool, even though they might make up to 0.1$/kWh profit on you.

Maybe you could connect your neighbors to you and sell at 0.1$/kWh yourself?

Nah they would regulate against it.

Kind of the same as having a tall tv antenna and letting your neighbors hook into it.  You need a license as they would say you are a cable provider.

[VirosaGITS]

Nah they would regulate against it.

Kind of the same as having a tall tv antenna and letting your neighbors hook into it.  You need a license as they would say you are a cable provider.

...of course. Regulations to avoid undermining the big bois. That completely did not enter my mind at the time. Ah well. Its not too bad that you can get 0.05$. Though i hope in the near future, things get a bit better for motivating "green power" production.

[World]

"wizkid057" has a similar project
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/34531-Plan-Off-grid-solar-with-a-Model-S-battery-pack-at-the-heart
https://plus.google.com/photos/+wizkid057/albums/6191209366653704273

[fr4nkthetank]

wow man, this project is awesome.  Would be nice to know (roughly) the cost to install panels like that for a normal consumer (not what he paid for).  I have neighbors who have some pannels, but somehow I don't think it will ROI in this lifetime, my electric is under 0.05cents CAD, and when its really cold its more expensive though.  normal rates are below 9cents CAD.

[bronxnua]

wow man, this project is awesome.  Would be nice to know (roughly) the cost to install panels like that for a normal consumer (not what he paid for).  I have neighbors who have some pannels, but somehow I don't think it will ROI in this lifetime, my electric is under 0.05cents CAD, and when its really cold its more expensive though.  normal rates are below 9cents CAD.

I have installed 35 Sunpower 327  panels on my roof.

in NYC  con crooks  charge this.. use $100 of power you get $350 bill.

Phil  I was charged fixed  8.9 per kw from my esco.. con crooks was charging me 13.3 transportation and taxes and all came out to about .40 per kw.

[bctmke]

You've mentioned this project for a while now and I'm glad to see it coming to fruition!  I'll keep an eye on this as it's very intriguing

[nhando]

Philip,

Is there a per KW bonus NJ gives back to you each month like MA does?  The deal for MA is just incredible and the payback period is less than 6yrs, pretty wild.  My brother in law wants to do it but his house have too many tall pine trees blocking the sun.  This is a very cool project.  Can't wait to see when it's complete and you start seeing the bills / credits.

[wishxy]

And here is kind a more magic is about to come, very soon
http://www.innovationtoronto.com/2016/02/engineering-material-magic-could-allow-devices-to-run-100-times-faster/

[buysolar]

Philip,

Is there a per KW bonus NJ gives back to you each month like MA does?  The deal for MA is just incredible and the payback period is less than 6yrs, pretty wild.  My brother in law wants to do it but his house have too many tall pine trees blocking the sun.  This is a very cool project.  Can't wait to see when it's complete and you start seeing the bills / credits.

Yes NJ has a performance incentive in place for solar and other non polluting energy technologies. It's about $250/mgh right now.

Residential roof mount solar systems are about $3/watt installed in NJ. And typically pay for themselves in about 6 years. Businesses get additional tax incentives and have about a 4 year pay back right now in NJ.

Core components using tier one generic product that is certified to high standards and come with substantial performance warranties:
Solar Panels (25yr warranty) ~$0.70/watt
Inverters (10 yr warranty)    ~$0.40/watt
Rack (5yr warranty)             ~$0.38/watt

Core components using top tier name branded product with highest standards and efficiencies:
Solar Panels (25yr warranty)  ~$1.18/watt
Inverters (20yr warranty)      ~$0.48/watt
Rack  (10yr warranty)           ~$0.45/watt  

There are cheaper products available, but everything I use falls into those 2 categories because I only use products that have been tested and certified to very high standards and are compatible for connection with the public utility grid. These days panels with performance irregularities and esthetic defects can be purchased for ~$0.25/watt. I've also seen a few auctions for used high quality modules ~$0.38/watt. But the incentives in my area only apply to new product.  

[Raimonn]

Nice project, the problem of solar energy is always the battery cost, in your case you don't need that because your company buys back the excendent of kw. I would like this system for my country, here the legislation is against new technologies and clean energy the electric lobby is working hard against this system.

[philipma1957]

Nice project, the problem of solar energy is always the battery cost, in your case you don't need that because your company buys back the excendent of kw. I would like this system for my country, here the legislation is against new technologies and clean energy the electric lobby is working hard against this system.

yeah USA is on a state to state basis.

NJ is for it as our location suffers from coal powered power plants.

If you look at NJ on the  maps

Highway 195 runs east to west across the state.

follow that  highway west  and 23 of the 40 worst polluting power plants (in usa) are directly on that line.

SO winds in USA blow west to east and most of the pollution travels from the midwest to the Atlantic Ocean, but when ever NJ gets Ocean breezes east to west all the coal pollution drops on us. So NJ tries to not have any dirty power plants within its borders. Thus better solar subsidies.

[notlist3d]

Yes NJ has a performance incentive in place for solar and other non polluting energy technologies. It's about $250/mgh right now.

Residential roof mount solar systems are about $3/watt installed in NJ. And typically pay for themselves in about 6 years. Businesses get additional tax incentives and have about a 4 year pay back right now in NJ.

Core components using tier one generic product that is certified to high standards and come with substantial performance warranties:
Solar Panels (25yr warranty) ~$0.70/watt
Inverters (10 yr warranty)    ~$0.40/watt
Rack (5yr warranty)             ~$0.38/watt

Core components using top tier name branded product with highest standards and efficiencies:
Solar Panels (25yr warranty)  ~$1.18/watt
Inverters (20yr warranty)      ~$0.48/watt
Rack  (10yr warranty)           ~$0.45/watt  

There are cheaper products available, but everything I use falls into those 2 categories because I only use products that have been tested and certified to very high standards and are compatible for connection with the public utility grid. These days panels with performance irregularities and esthetic defects can be purchased for ~$0.25/watt. I've also seen a few auctions for used high quality modules ~$0.38/watt. But the incentives in my area only apply to new product.  

Thanks for putting together such a good list on price.  What do you calculate on time to ROI  on your setup?

It's super impressive just curious with you being a expert in the area what your time is till it's paid off from usage.

[nhando]

OMG - He said Business pay back period is like 4yrs.  That is just too too sick!  6 yrs for residential seems to match MA which is also outstanding.  I'm sure Philip's ROI period is even shorter as they installed it themselves vs pay big cost for installation.

I had mine priced out and it will take over 10 yrs for payback so I backed out.  Love Solar.

[hawkfish007]

OMG - He said Business pay back period is like 4yrs.  That is just too too sick!  6 yrs for residential seems to match MA which is also outstanding.  I'm sure Philip's ROI period is even shorter as they installed it themselves vs pay big cost for installation.

I had mine priced out and it will take over 10 yrs for payback so I backed out.  Love Solar.

nhando,

if you buy your own panels (from eBay wholesaler) and hire your own C-10 contractor, you can lower your ROI period to 4-5 years. I lowered mine to 5 years compared to 10+ years for Solar City, Verengo etc., Grape Solar on Costco was a little shorter.  You can find a local installer at www.solarreviews.com .

Edit: with 30% Federal Tax Credit and selling excess production back to utilities, ROI is even shorter.

[buysolar]

Thanks for putting together such a good list on price.  What do you calculate on time to ROI  on your setup?

It's super impressive just curious with you being a expert in the area what your time is till it's paid off from usage.

I financed the whole thing (with low interest financing) so ROI is immediate. I actually am cash flow positive from day 1 with this size system using a 10yr low interest loan.

[philipma1957]

I financed the whole thing (with low interest financing) so ROI is immediate. I actually am cash flow positive from day 1 with this size system using a 10yr low interest loan.

Not bad.  I will keep an eye out for avalon6's and s-7's on resales,but I really hope to get  some bitfuries.

[ADFGen]

First time poster.
Have read this thread closely and would like to know your total AC kW output or your DC kW input that will be installed with this new system?
Also will the new system be tied to the existing system? Whats the size of existing system that generated the 43870kW since mid 2013? I'm guessing 10kW AC.

[mavericklm]

Idem for me!

Congratz!!!

[Legacy2005]

definitely a very nice set up keep the pics/info coming will be nice to see when its all up and running and what the farm ends up looking like.

do the panels auto rotate with the sun or are they static?

[philipma1957]

definitely a very nice set up keep the pics/info coming will be nice to see when its all up and running and what the farm ends up looking like.

do the panels auto rotate with the sun or are they static?

He may do this  later but for now no.


We will be moving avalon6's out of my garage this week.

I hope that I can have a few photos showing the avalon6's installed by the end of the week.

[valkir]

I need to find the video of it, but I remember that a university evaluated the difference between static panel vs rotating panel and they determined that the power to rotate the panel is bigger than the power you get from doing it. So not sure if you should go that way.

Will try to find the video. 

[NotFuzzyWarm]

I need to find the video of it, but I remember that a university evaluated the difference between static panel vs rotating panel and they determined that the power to rotate the panel is bigger than the power you get from doing it. So not sure if you should go that way.

Will try to find the video. 

don't see why it would eat much power. Just google 'solar tracker add DIY to that and you will fnd dozens of ways to do it. Simplest is 2 photo cells with a diffuse image of the sun shining them feeding a comparator. When image is centered between the cells the comp is in balance and motors are off. If the image favors 1 cell or the other the motor is powered on to move the right way to center the image. All in all depending what you set the in-balance window to, very little power is expended. The at-dusk/nighttime rewind to morning position is just as easy.

[philipma1957]

don't see why it would eat much power. Just google 'solar tracker add DIY to that and you will fnd dozens of ways to do it. Simplest is 2 photo cells with a diffuse image of the sun shining them feeding a comparator. When image is centered between the cells the comp is in balance and motors are off. If the image favors 1 cell or the other the motor is powered on to move the right way to center the image. All in all depending what you set the in-balance window to, very little power is expended. The at-dusk/nighttime rewind to morning position is just as easy.

buysolar has told me he may add sun tracker in the summer.  

we want to be sure all other things are working well.

[VirosaGITS]

buysolar has told me he may add sun tracker in the summer.  

we want to be sure all other things are working well.

Considering you're not running a motor continuously, just doing adjustments, it should not take much energy to do the couple of adjustment during the day. Worse case scenario, you could always do it with a crank, but i can't really imagine saving the power and doing it manually is really worth the effort.

[philipma1957]

Considering you're not running a motor continuously, just doing adjustments, it should not take much energy to do the couple of adjustment during the day. Worse case scenario, you could always do it with a crank, but i can't really imagine saving the power and doing it manually is really worth the effort.

maybe he will post info about pros and cons of suntracking.

I know he will do what is best when the time comes.

[buysolar]

maybe he will post info about pros and cons of suntracking.

I know he will do what is best when the time comes.

The array style I went with can be converted to a tracking system. As it is currently installed, it can be adjusted seasonally to maximize the yield. I have 4 preset tilt angles built into the array, 10degrees, 20degrees, 30degrees and 40degrees. The issue with solar tracking systems is the extra expense. Trackers cost more per watt than solar panels do. If you're tight for space then spending the extra money on trackers could be appropriate. But at the present time, you get more yield for less expense by buying more solar panels if you have the space for them. If the cost of tracker to solar panels changes in the future I'll consider it again.
My analysis is based on a large number of factors, that are not the same for every project. So just because there is no way to justify the cost of a solar tracker on this project, does not mean that projects do not exist which trackers would be appropriate for.

[philipma1957]

The array style I went with can be converted to a tracking system. As it is currently installed, it can be adjusted seasonally to maximize the yield. I have 4 preset tilt angles built into the array, 10degrees, 20degrees, 30degrees and 40degrees. The issue with solar tracking systems is the extra expense. Trackers cost more per watt than solar panels do. If you're tight for space then spending the extra money on trackers could be appropriate. But at the present time, you get more yield for less expense by buying more solar panels if you have the space for them. If the cost of tracker to solar panels changes in the future I'll consider it again.
My analysis is based on a large number of factors, that are not the same for every project. So just because there is no way to justify the cost of a solar tracker on this project, does not mean that projects do not exist which trackers would be appropriate for.

this photo shows slots to adjust tilt angle.

so 1 row has 8 posts or so

four rows = 32 posts may take a bit of time but only need to do it 4 times a year.

[cavaliersrus]

that looks really good sofar guys cant wait to see a finished version

[philipma1957]

that looks really good sofar guys cant wait to see a finished version

Hoping to do some more photos on tues.

I have some avalon6's due to my home today. Will test them and get ready to bring to buysolar's place.

[Meech]

Enjoying the progress...  Drool.....
Too bad the weather doesn't permit this every where in the U.S. to make it worth it.
What is worth it.... The inevitable move!

Look forward for more.

[philipma1957]

Enjoying the progress...  Drool.....
Too bad the weather doesn't permit this every where in the U.S. to make it worth it.
What is worth it.... The inevitable move!

Look forward for more.

yeah actually NJ is fairly sunny which helps.  But the real key is if the state you are in gives good incentives. We are a good state that way.

[vapourminer]

really gonna spend time in this thread. we are going solar soonish (well we hope anyway), all ground mount, and have room for a lot of panels.

[gregyoung14]

really gonna spend time in this thread. we are going solar soonish (well we hope anyway), all ground mount, and have room for a lot of panels.

Wow, how about you sir where are you located exactly. Are you going for a bigger setup?

[vapourminer]

Wow, how about you sir where are you located exactly. Are you going for a bigger setup?

northeast USA. i doubt bigger.

[philipma1957]

more progress outside.



six rows all posts and mounting ready



next some inside work shots.

This is a reclaimed horse barn which is why there is a pasture for the solar panels

This is going to be buysolar's office space.
tile floor and  plenty of power with ethernet jacks.
most likely this will not host miners, but  we may test before we place in back end of barn



first two avalon 6's running on kano.is

I will post more shots of miners setup in the barn later

[cavaliersrus]

very very cool phil you and buy solar keep up the good work man

[philipma1957]

very very cool phil you and buy solar keep up the good work man

thanks some shots inside the barn

1 avalon6  in the rafters



miner is in rafters above buysolar



barn is nice and big   we would have room for a lot more miners then the array will be able to  power.  our goal is 12k to 16k in gear.

we have 2 avalon6's running right now.  I am running the other 4 in my garage.

total of 6 avalon6's to start.  We hope to have them all in place some time in march.

this will be about  7kwatts giving us 9kwatts  for bitfury gear.  the nice thing about bitfury gear is .1 watts would allow us to run 90th plus the 20 th in avalon = 110th farm  fingers crossed.

[TheYankeesWin!]

Do You have any More Photos.  I see the miner on a shelf ,but no Hookups.

[cavaliersrus]

it is hooked up you can see the fan spinning and also the ethernet hooked up to it as well

[philipma1957]

Do You have any More Photos.  I see the miner on a shelf ,but no Hookups.

Yes.  Here is a shot from up by the miners.
we put in rafters and we may go with plywood
but for now I have some of these

http://www.target.com/p/adjustable-3-tier-wire-shelving-black-room-essentials/-/A-13892292?

I laid them across the rafters,  nice air circulation see below:



@ theyankeeswin!

thanks for asking , as looking at this photo has given me a good venting idea for the summer.

it is funny as room for gear is not an issue I figure we could put in 24 avalon6's where the rafters are located.

the 60kwatt array can do 12 to 16kwatts of gear at little or no cost for power.

that would be  12 to 16 avalon 6's.

So fitting  the gear should be easy enough.

[cavaliersrus]

phil i would leave it with the metal grates for more air surface to hit the miner ...

wood would act like a heat absorber + if they get to hot maybe wood catch fire but the metal would just get warm ?

i like the idea of the metal better just for better air flow

[philipma1957]

phil i would leave it with the metal grates for more air surface to hit the miner ...

wood would act like a heat absorber + if they get to hot maybe wood catch fire but the metal would just get warm ?

i like the idea of the metal better just for better air flow

yes I am going to make the  platform half wood so I can access it and half wire shelf  .

I have to message buysolar.

 what makes the easy is  we have a lot of room for the miners.

the limiting factor is not the barn it is the solar array.  but the horse pasture is only big enough to make 6 rows of 11kwatts each.

maybe down the road panels will improve and the same size can do 2x what it can do now.

That is down the road quite a bit.

For now buysolar will keep doing the install on the solar side.

I will look to see if we can get more miners.

I want bitfury but may end up getting s-7's or avalon 6's

[hedgy73]

Looking good my man great work from you and buysolar .

Just wondering will the miners only work during daylight hours?

[philipma1957]

Looking good my man great work from you and buysolar .

Just wondering will the miners only work during daylight hours?

USA has a hybrid on grid setup.

so during the sunlight  you mine with 15k of your 60k  and sell 45k to power company  then at night you buy back from power company

[hedgy73]

USA has a hybrid on grid setup.

so during the sunlight  you mine with 15k of your 60k  and sell 45k to power company  then at night you buy back from power company

Ah okay thank you sounds good

[philipma1957]

Ah okay thank you sounds good

The nice thing is if mining tanks  you can just sell to the power grid.

I have a few more photos.

that is a 30 amp l6- 30 r
I plugged in a cheater plug for testing
I used a 3 receptacle extension cut the plug off and added a  l6-30p  to join the receptacle .
This is a temporary setup for testing



here is a 20 amp pdu which we will use



lastly here is the rasp pi and a 7 port usb hub that hub  will be able to power 3 rasp pi's

we will run 2 rasp pi's  and keep a third one for break downs

[hedgy73]

Yes very true .

I'm glad to see this venture and that you're excited about it, I would be too if I could afford it and lived in a sunnier part of the world . Unfortunately the UK isn't great for solar power generation .

Good luck to you I hope it pays off .

[Mikestang]

Wow, what a great project!  Especially that you guys are doing the work yourselves, to me that's what a hobby is all about.  I'm going to be moving pretty soon and really, really want a solar set up at my new place.  My current home has too many trees for an effective solar layout.  Subscribed to this thread and following!

[Finksy]

Hey Phil looking good! Do you think heat will be an issue on the barn, especially with the miners elevated?

[philipma1957]

Hey Phil looking good! Do you think heat will be an issue on the barn, especially with the miners elevated?

so far no as  the feed air gets pulled from below due to the grate mounted miners.


they then can send  the hot air more then 60 feet the length of the barn.

I just put in 1 1/2 more

we are doing 5 ½ miners in the barn and will top out at   8 ½ in a month

Was hot as fuck in front of the 5 ½ when doing the install.  but that air can go far and the room is very large.

we will find out if we need a few vents and fans in late june.

[hurricandave]

The cool thing about using a metal roof like you have is that it's reasonable to switch to a ridge vent as well.

[Mikestang]

I just put in 1 1/2 more

we are doing 5 ½ miners in the barn and will top out at   8 ½ in a month

Was hot as fuck in front of the 5 ½ when doing the install.  but that air can go far and the room is very large.

What does 1/2 a miner look like, do you just run it 12 hours a day?

Why is the reasoning for putting the miners up high, just to get them out of the way?  They'll run cooler if they are pulling in cool air down at the bottom of the barn, the hot air will naturally rise to fill in the head space at the top and then you can vent it via a ridge vent or some gable vents, or vents at each end of the barn up high.  You say that the "air can go far", but warm air travels vertically, not horizontally.

[VirosaGITS]

What does 1/2 a miner look like, do you just run it 12 hours a day?

Why is the reasoning for putting the miners up high, just to get them out of the way?  They'll run cooler if they are pulling in cool air down at the bottom of the barn, the hot air will naturally rise to fill in the head space at the top and then you can vent it via a ridge vent or some gable vents, or vents at each end of the barn up high.  You say that the "air can go far", but warm air travels vertically, not horizontally.

The heat on my setup do spread high but also wide, but maybe only after the hot air filled the above area. And he mean a miner with a dead blade. So half an Avalon6.

[philipma1957]

What does 1/2 a miner look like, do you just run it 12 hours a day?

Why is the reasoning for putting the miners up high, just to get them out of the way?  They'll run cooler if they are pulling in cool air down at the bottom of the barn, the hot air will naturally rise to fill in the head space at the top and then you can vent it via a ridge vent or some gable vents, or vents at each end of the barn up high.  You say that the "air can go far", but warm air travels vertically, not horizontally.

well the miners are pulling air in a way that works fairly well.

hot air does rise but the fans push it forwards so  the real heat moves out  and up.

next time I go I will bring the infra red gun and show that intake is far cooler then it looks.

the goal is passive cooling at 0 cost.

the full setup will be 8 ½  miners  the ½ is a full case with a dead board.

I have an idea which may provide passive cool air  or  1 fan drawing in cool air

[philipma1957]

I have been talking with bitmaintech's Yoshi.

I may finally get compensation on my  batch 1  s-7.

If so I would set it up here.

[generalt]

I have been talking with bitmaintech's Yoshi.

I may finally get compensation on my  batch 1  s-7.

If so I would set it up here.

Wow awesome!  Glad to hear that.

[ShrykeZ]

Woah, looks a really cool setup, is this going to be entirely used for mining purposes?

[philipma1957]

Woah, looks a really cool setup, is this going to be entirely used for mining purposes?

no it is buysolar 's  place.  he has about 3 acres  his home his business (solar installs)

so the array runs his home his office and about 10 kwatts for the miners.

most of them belong to me and we have an arrangement which frees him from miner risk and me from power cost risk.

[philipma1957]

Wow awesome!  Glad to hear that.

So far nothing has happened since this post. It was not much so I thought it would happen.

Back to this post I was given 50 coupons from another forum member he asked to to give them away on the forum. So I now have multiple coupons the $100 ones I am looking to give them away.  1 or 2 to each one that asks me.

Even though I do not buy any gear from them the 100 dollar coupons are a good deal,if you want a miner.

So.
I have no problem giving them away.

[cavaliersrus]

hey phil im running my gekko science sticks right now on solar with 2 12v batterys

once in a while i have to hook them up to my home charger for the batterys

been kinda cloudy lately

running 4 sticks on at 293.75 mhz
my raspberry pi
and usb fan
all that on a powered hub thats connected to a 175 watt inverter so only one plug and low power

i thought about running the sticks at a lower speed till i get more panels to charge my battery's

[-droid-]

you using enphase inverters?

what kind of panels?

[philipma1957]

you using enphase inverters?

what kind of panels?

I can not answer you  as the array is buysolar's baby not mine.


shoot him a pm he may be able to help with more info.

[philipma1957]

Damn this looks dope, up and running now yea?

yeah we are up to 6 + ½ avalon 6s'  about 22th.

slowly adding more hash  We will add 2 more avalon 6's

I have been talking with some bitmaintech guys about a possible s-7 or 2 as kind of a joint venture.

They front us 2 s-7's  we split the coins.

So if we add the 2 avalon6's and the 2 s-7's  our current capacity will be maxed. At just about 37th which is not much anymore.



I am more of the mining end  and of course buysolar is the solar end .

[thedreamer]

Nice. That's waaay bigger than my solar setup. LOL..

ALthough I'm planning to add another 2 or 3 KW this year if I can on mounts that adjust the angle to the sun.
Have to test how well they work with 6 or 9 panel frames.

I know another guy that uses a home-made hydro generator and he gets about 2300watts constantly from that behind his house.
He said he can hook up another one or two to his stream and not add any flow restrictions. LOL. Not sure of the legalities on that one though.

Lucky SOB.

Nice!

[Cromvel]

So if we add the 2 avalon6's and the 2 s-7's  our current capacity will be maxed. At just about 37th which is not much anymore.

Are you planning to expand your solar installation? Do you happen to know how many square meters of buysolar's yard solar panels are covering now?
It's a very interesting project and I'm keen to know how it will develop. Nice work guys!  

[philipma1957]

Are you planning to expand your solar installation? Do you happen to know how many square meters of buysolar's yard solar panels are covering now?
It's a very interesting project and I'm keen to know how it will develop. Nice work guys!  

we hope to expand it.  but there is a false cap caused by the power company.

Buysolar sells back excess power in the day. Then buys the power back at night.  this means no batteries and quite a bit of savings on them.

When it is daytime  the power companies transformer allows buysolar to send 67kwatts of excess power.

The system right now can produce 135kwatts of power at peak sunlight  it uses  20kwatts or so

for mining and household since it is on his property and runs his home.

So 20 + 67 = 87kwatts   and the panels at peak are doing 135 kwatts.  This means an excess of 48kwatts at peak sunlight.   So we have no need to put in more panels until the power company upgrades  their trans former beyond the current 67kwatts.

Buysolar should be able to answer how many panels are used here .

I know he has them on the roof of his home. I did not photo that
I know he has them on his barn.
I know he has the two acre horse area .

It is a lot of panels. Cost is not cheap to do it. but the system has a long life time in front of it.
He does not need to use batteries which don't last.

[Amph]

is this system on grid? and not off grid right? batteries are a pain to deal with, you only need to change the counter, to a bidirentional one

[philipma1957]

is this system on grid? and not off grid right? batteries are a pain to deal with, you only need to change the counter, to a bidirentional one

That is what was done.   So in theory the array should be good to go for more then 20 years.

With next to nothing in future cost.

Battery solutions with more then 110kwatt at peak are costly and dangerous as quite a bit of energy is stored in them.

[Amph]

solar panel are not that good in the end if you end up with only 25% of the power because of the sun limitation, there must be another form of better energy like some forms of kinetic energy(not wind)

[WarrEagle]

solar panel are not that good in the end if you end up with only 25% of the power because of the sun limitation, there must be another form of better energy like some forms of kinetic energy(not wind)

The only sources of clean energy that I am aware of are solar, wind and hydro. All have their limitations, while someone in my area that live on the water and had a constant flow of hydro past their property could generate a significant amount of energy, if they were to own hydro generators that were designed to sit on the bottom of an waterway and generate energy when the tide was coming in or going out.

[OgNasty]

solar panel are not that good in the end if you end up with only 25% of the power because of the sun limitation, there must be another form of better energy like some forms of kinetic energy(not wind)

The only sources of clean energy that I am aware of are solar, wind and hydro. All have their limitations, while someone in my area that live on the water and had a constant flow of hydro past their property could generate a significant amount of energy, if they were to own hydro generators that were designed to sit on the bottom of an waterway and generate energy when the tide was coming in or going out.

I am jealous of those who have streams on their property.  A couple old car alternators and an inverter and you're good to go...

[philipma1957]

I am jealous of those who have streams on their property.  A couple old car alternators and an inverter and you're good to go...

yeah a nice water driven power source

http://www.sswm.info/content/hydropower-small-scale

[philipma1957]

I ordered a batch one s-9  I will review it and post info on it here.


We ordered a second one.

that would be 28th.


We may sell some avalon 6's cheap

we have  6 and ½ avalon 6-'s

    2 s-7's

and 2 sp20's

Buysolar and I may sell off all of the above and go for 4 s9's



note i sold 1 and ½  avalon 6's today.


so 5 avalon 6's
and 2 s-7's
and 2 sp20's
maybe an s-5 are left

[TheYankeesWin!]

Phil ,

I may want the older gear the sp20's and the s-5.  What would you want for them?

[philipma1957]

Phil ,

I may want the older gear the sp20's and the s-5.  What would you want for them?

Not sure how to price them , but I use 2200 watts to run the 3 of them.  They get 3800gh.

You need really cheap power to run them.

here is one for 172 with the shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spondoolies-SP20-Jackson-1500-1700-Gh-s-Bitcoin-Miner-SP20-/322011407866?

here is an s-5 for 135

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-Bitmain-Antminer-S5-Bitcoin-Miner-1155-GH-s-Bitcoin-mining-/182155449842?

so 172+ 172 + 135 = 479 on ebay.

And frankly  that is too high.

 Since an s-7 is 440 on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bitmain-Antminer-S7-4-73-TH-s-Bitcoin-Miner-BTC-NMC-/272260425770?

I would guess I would want 400 for the 3 pieces with free shipping.


Also  I guess the used s-7  would be  380  for the defective batch 1  that I have  bitched and moaned about.

and 420 for the amazing batch 2   s-7  which has been a good among s-7's.

[philipma1957]

I am looking forward to adding a fifth s-9 to this maybe July 5th

[buysolar]

hey phil im running my gekko science sticks right now on solar with 2 12v batterys

once in a while i have to hook them up to my home charger for the batterys

been kinda cloudy lately

running 4 sticks on at 293.75 mhz
my raspberry pi
and usb fan
all that on a powered hub thats connected to a 175 watt inverter so only one plug and low power

i thought about running the sticks at a lower speed till i get more panels to charge my battery's

If you don't mind used panels, you can pick up a couple solar panels for very little money to power those sticks and more depending on the space and budget you have. Hook up enough panels and it won't matter how cloudy it is outside, you'll have the power you need for those sticks. I have some working panels with blemishes and dings that work great, but I can't use on most projects, that I could sell you for 28cents/watt plus shipping and handling. I'd give you a one year warranty on them. I also have some used panels with at least 12 years left on their manufacturers warranty that I could sell you for 32cents/watt plus shipping and handling. Brand new with a 20 year manufacturers warranty everything I stock right now starts at around 60 cents plus shipping and handling. And of course bitcoin is the preferred medium of exchange.

[cavaliersrus]

buy solar my setup right now is with a 45watt harbor fright solar setup

let me know what kinda starter setup you can do with a correct solar setup im currently just running those sticks but i have 3 s1's that are undervolted / 1 stock s1 / 1 stock s2 that im running right now

shipping to 63383 i do not have alot of money right now due to being without a job due to injury

[buysolar]

buy solar my setup right now is with a 45watt harbor fright solar setup

let me know what kinda starter setup you can do with a correct solar setup im currently just running those sticks but i have 3 s1's that are undervolted / 1 stock s1 / 1 stock s2 that im running right now

shipping to 63383 i do not have alot of money right now due to being without a job due to injury

I checked and fedex ground to your zip code is about $120 for solar panel sized packages 3' x 5' weighing up to 80 pounds. So I could probably fit between 150watts and 500watts in that size package.

[cavaliersrus]

so the blemished ones still output full power just the panels have a issue ?

if so how much am i looking at for a 500 watt setup with panels and everything to run?

i also have a small 2 12V battery bank i use right now

[philipma1957]

I will be bringing the batch 4 s-9 to the array on tues or weds  whichever day is best.  this will fill the array with a six pack  
5 s-9's and 1 s-7.

For now it is rock solid  at 525  

[cavaliersrus]

very nice phil  that machine does not have many hardware errors at all... hows the s9 treating you sofar

[philipma1957]

very nice phil  that machine does not have many hardware errors at all... hows the s9 treating you sofar

The four at the array are solid all set to freq 600 and doing about 51th

The one at home is set to freq 525 it can do higher but it is loud and I am running it at a lower freq to manage the sound .

I will bring it to buysolar after July fourth and crank it back up to freq 575 or 600.

We have space for one more unit.  Without adding a second gable fan.

We could add a second gable fan and boost to 12 units but not now.

I think 12 units goes past over power cap.

Buysolar could be better at knowing if 12 x 1300 ac = 15600 ac is more then we are ready for.

I think that is too much for now.

[cavaliersrus]

very cool phil im thinking about getting around a 2k maybe 3k setup from buysolar i just checked ameren ue's website and they do something called net-metering i guess its a grid tie system

so im going to have to see what a setup like that would cost to have shipped to my house with the gridtie inverter

[philipma1957]

very cool phil im thinking about getting around a 2k maybe 3k setup from buysolar i just checked ameren ue's website and they do something called net-metering i guess its a grid tie system

so im going to have to see what a setup like that would cost to have shipped to my house with the gridtie inverter

It is pretty easy to run once you fire it up.  You should like it.

We have been doing the solar for months and pretty reliable.

[buysolar]

so the blemished ones still output full power just the panels have a issue ?

if so how much am i looking at for a 500 watt setup with panels and everything to run?

i also have a small 2 12V battery bank i use right now

The blemished panels with dings put out full power + or - 10% (So at least 90% of their rated power). ~500 watts (could be a few watts more or less depending on the exact wattage of panels I have available when I ship them) is ~$260 (exact price depends on the exact watts and shipping and handling costs) delivered to the zip code you gave me as of last week when fed ex gave me their shipping prices.

For liability reasons I don't spec systems for customers, that I'm not personally installing. It's going to be up to you, to select and use components, safely and in conformance with whatever your local regulations are.  I have no idea whether the panels I send you are acceptable for connection to your local utility grid or for use on your property. Making those determinations are up to you. The panels I sell were inspected to UL 1703 and Inverters that I sell were inspected to UL 1741. All of the panels I sell are acceptable for use in my jurisdiction, both grid tied and off grid. Used equipment might not be in compliance with current rules and regulations of some jurisdictions. Solar panels generate electricity, which can be lethal if handled improperly.   

Bottom line: if you're playing with electricity, be sure you know how to do it safely.

And that's the end of my safety speech. So if you want some panels let me know.

[philipma1957]

[...]

Bottom line: if you're playing with electricity, be sure you know how to do it safely.

And that's the end of my safety speech. So if you want some panels let me know.

I will highlight that.  I have done a few small shocks with different power installs but 1 time I managed a solid across the chest (felt my heart contract) shock.

I was installing a 4 foot replacement fluorescent bulb on an over head light it was hot I was sweating and I was having trouble getting pins in on each side.
I was doing it hot with power to the  fixture(badbadbad) so I reach out a bit and each hand touched each end and I run the power across my chest.  My arm pits were sweaty  and my hands a bit damp with sweat so nice contact.  The power f-ing hurt  big time.  I felt like someone sneezed my heart inside my chest. Plus my sweating arm pits felt seriously weird .

And we are talking about  the power was from this type of device.

https://www.electricalmarketplace.com/productfile/index/view/fileid/173/

since it was one fixture it was about 60-65 watts  and I think I was lucky to be able to write a warning about power.

I think most people would think 62 watts dc is a  safe  level to get shocked with it was not.

[notlist3d]

I will highlight that.  I have done a few small shocks with different power installs but 1 time I managed a solid across the chest (felt my heart contract) shock.

I was installing a 4 foot replacement fluorescent bulb on an over head light it was hot I was sweating and I was having trouble getting pins in on each side.
I was doing it hot with power to the  fixture(badbadbad) so I reach out a bit and each hand touched each end and I run the power across my chest.  My arm pits were sweaty  and my hands a bit damp with sweat so nice contact.  The power f-ing hurt  big time.  I felt like someone sneezed my heart inside my chest. Plus my sweating arm pits felt seriously weird .

And we are talking about  the power was from this type of device.

https://www.electricalmarketplace.com/productfile/index/view/fileid/173/

since it was one fixture it was about 60-65 watts  and I think I was lucky to be able to write a warning about power.

I think most people would think 62 watts dc is a  safe  level to get shocked with it was not.

If possible everyone should turn off power and not work with live electricity.  For my mining area I have 2 way's of turning off power before I work on anything power related.  First is power splitting from power meter it split's to house, and mining area. I can flip a switch there and it kills all power to my mining area it was all done from power company so all very professional.

I then should have no power in mining area but I take it one step further and flip the main in breaker box for mining area.   So I have 2 separate switches that should keep power off if I'm working on it.  And of-course check it before doing anything.   But I really like having the redundancy of 2 even though one should be enough.  I agree with being super cautious when working with power.

[irun4fundotca]

I will highlight that.  I have done a few small shocks with different power installs but 1 time I managed a solid across the chest (felt my heart contract) shock.

I was installing a 4 foot replacement fluorescent bulb on an over head light it was hot I was sweating and I was having trouble getting pins in on each side.
I was doing it hot with power to the  fixture(badbadbad) so I reach out a bit and each hand touched each end and I run the power across my chest.  My arm pits were sweaty  and my hands a bit damp with sweat so nice contact.  The power f-ing hurt  big time.  I felt like someone sneezed my heart inside my chest. Plus my sweating arm pits felt seriously weird .

And we are talking about  the power was from this type of device.

https://www.electricalmarketplace.com/productfile/index/view/fileid/173/

since it was one fixture it was about 60-65 watts  and I think I was lucky to be able to write a warning about power.

I think most people would think 62 watts dc is a  safe  level to get shocked with it was not.

thats because of the amps that are supplying that 60-65w florescent tube (its rated load wattage while on)
the wattage doesn't refer to whats going to those actual plugs the tube connects too
the Balast is more likely to be outputting 500v or 600v to start the tube, and a fair bit of amps to do so

[philipma1957]

Now with the halving and miners thinking of adding S9 to their list of mining equipments, do you think a zero electricity bill will still be feasible as time goes on?

We can always make a zero electric bill with this array.  The power was paid for up front via the install.  State of NJ issues the credits to subsidy it.  So state to state this may or may not be true.

This is grid tied.  and it makes 67kwatts so 67 x 5= 335kwatts produced a day.. since 5 hours of full sun is the NJ average.   so take  7 kwatts x 24 for the miners = 168 kwatts used per day.

  there is 167 kwatts left over that sells back to the grid..

the question becomes more like what btc price and what diff rate makes this not worth while .  the answer is  650 coins price and a diff close to 500 we would still be okay to runs this gear.

at a coin price of 650 and a diff of 700 we become not viable

[DanielRo]

there is 167 watts left over that sells back to the grid..

It's very profitable that you can sell the power left from the 5 hours of full sun. In other countries you can not do that.

[philipma1957]

It's very profitable that you can sell the power left from the 5 hours of full sun. In other countries you can not do that.

that is kwatts  not watts auto correct sucks..

We are actually selling a bit more back due to heat as we downclocked all the miners to freq 500

[Morguk]

Any pics of the finished thing?

[philipma1957]

Any pics of the finished thing?

I am trying to figure out if I have a full shot of the 2 acre field.

I may have to take a shot of it.

[philipma1957]

Hi, what about your project regarding mining farm? Can someone send you miner machine for hosting? I am also in a country where sunlight all the year but i am not planning to establish a Solar energy setup to run these miners and i know its so expensive.

We ran into issues on the big mine basically the only gear you can mine with is the s9.  The problem with the s9 is it breaks down too much.  So we don't want to host.  Sad that I finally got a good power deal  and the current gear has reliability issues.

[Finksy]

We ran into issues on the big mine basically the only gear you can mine with is the s9.  The problem with the s9 is it breaks down too

much.  So we don't want to host.  Sad that I finally got a good power deal  and the current gear has reliability issues.

Hang in their Phil, don't lose faith just yet! I feel like we are close to seeing some competition hitting the market so we can break our dependence on Bitmain and their crappy QA/QC and warranty service...

[philipma1957]

Good idea dude. I like green power. What is all of them price ??

this was built in New Jersey  by a professional  reseller/installer of solar panels.


buysolar is the forum member that built this on his land in NJ .

there are many state credits for a grid tied system in NJ

in other usa states  that is not true.

So I am not the guy to give pricing info.

you can pm buysolar and ask for details.

[JaredKaragen]

The problem with the s9 is it breaks down too much.

This is why I focus on GPU rigs now.    Spend ~$2200 on a 4 card 1070 rig, and even just running lyra2v2 you can probably be ~20-25usd/day per rig.  @150W/card... it looks better and better the more you compare to an asic.  Especially when you know in a year youll be able to easily sell each card for $100-140 given how resale of GPU has been these past few years.

I returned my final hosted asic about a month ago.  Even though the power was free, it just wasn't worth the bitmain heartache, and the power could be more efficiently used on other devices.

[philipma1957]

This is why I focus on GPU rigs now.    Spend ~$2200 on a 4 card 1070 rig, and even just running lyra2v2 you can probably be ~20-25usd/day per rig.  @150W/card... it looks better and better the more you compare to an asic.  Especially when you know in a year youll be able to easily sell each card for $100-140 given how resale of GPU has been these past few years.

I returned my final hosted asic about a month ago.  Even though the power was free, it just wasn't worth the bitmain heartache, and the power could be more efficiently used on other devices.

yeah  I moved one 92mh four rx 470 rig to the array

I plan to move another this week.
I am hoping to go to 360mh at the array which is about 10 amps at 240 volts.

this would have me running 29 amps of 57 amps available.

I don't mind having a mix of the two coins.

[thedreamer]

Same here, I moved to GPU only mining away from ASICS, Still have some S7's but they're just my lottery tickets running for free. 

[JaredKaragen]

yeah  I moved one 92mh four rx 470 rig to the array

I plan to move another this week.
I am hoping to go to 360mh at the array which is about 10 amps at 240 volts.

this would have me running 29 amps of 57 amps available.

I don't mind having a mix of the two coins.

So what algos do you mainly run with your rigs (nvidia and ati I would assume different algos for algo efficiency differences between them?)

I am guessing Lyra2 or LBRY, and ETH correct?  Do you pool mine with exchange or solo mine?

Personally, if i'm mining lyra2 and profits are just lacking for over day, ill switch my rigs over to X11evo for a day and switch back after.  Seems to keep profitability to a nice even amount.

I'd probably do some ETH mining myself, but I don't like maintaining wallets and typically mine to a thin wallet based off a cellphone and xfer to coinbase or my hardware wallet for storage till use.... and since there are basically none for ETH.... and I can't just mine to my coinbase wallet... it's kind-of a drawback for me to start on ETH myself. (most of my regular net connections are cellular, so the traffic from wallets and blockchains are not feasible for me to keep online).

[philipma1957]

So what algos do you mainly run with your rigs (nvidia and ati I would assume different algos for algo efficiency differences between them?)

I am guessing Lyra2 or LBRY, and ETH correct?  Do you pool mine with exchange or solo mine?

Personally, if i'm mining lyra2 and profits are just lacking for over day, ill switch my rigs over to X11evo for a day and switch back after.  Seems to keep profitability to a nice even amount.

I'd probably do some ETH mining myself, but I don't like maintaining wallets and typically mine to a thin wallet based off a cellphone and xfer to coinbase or my hardware wallet for storage till use.... and since there are basically none for ETH.... and I can't just mine to my coinbase wallet... it's kind-of a drawback for me to start on ETH myself. (most of my regular net connections are cellular, so the traffic from wallets and blockchains are not feasible for me to keep online).

I mine Eth coin with  ethpool.org use claymore miner don't over clock keep it simple for stability.

The solar array is 3 miles from my home.  When gear crashes  I have daylight access to the site.
So stable gear is very important to me.

I never thought I would say that mining eth coin with gpu's  is more stable then mining btc with asics.

when the array had 10 avalon 6's and 1 s7 it was pretty much prefect 30  40 day periods of time with no issues.

Not the case with the s9.

[JaredKaragen]

The solar array is 3 miles from my home.  When gear crashes  I have daylight access to the site.
So stable gear is very important to me.

Yeah amen to that.

Even my windows 10 mining machines have rock solid uptimes, and usually only go down due to power failures or a windows update/reboot, but I have a startup file in them to auto-launch the miner apps upon boot.

On my home machine I have 2 video cards mining at 90-100% intensity, and can still play 3d games and such while its mining.  I'll only lose ~2-5% hashrate while gaming.  But it's still pretty solid.   The only time I need to be at a rig is to update the miner app or script (if I don't have a VPN to the site).

GPU rigs are set and forget as long as you keep up on their temp and airflow maintenance now and then.  Since it's winter time, I am going to be probably getting more friends wanting to heat their house and earn a little funds on the side.  The GPU rigs (like a gtx 9 series rig)with no active cooling (past a few low speed CPU fans for airflow across the machine) are actually pretty quiet.  The fans never really go over ~40-68%.... and temps hover between 55-75c.

[thedreamer]

Yeah amen to that.

Even my windows 10 mining machines have rock solid uptimes, and usually only go down due to power failures or a windows update/reboot, but I have a startup file in them to auto-launch the miner apps upon boot.

On my home machine I have 2 video cards mining at 90-100% intensity, and can still play 3d games and such while its mining.  I'll only lose ~2-5% hashrate while gaming.  But it's still pretty solid.   The only time I need to be at a rig is to update the miner app or script (if I don't have a VPN to the site).

GPU rigs are set and forget as long as you keep up on their temp and airflow maintenance now and then.  Since it's winter time, I am going to be probably getting more friends wanting to heat their house and earn a little funds on the side.  The GPU rigs (like a gtx 9 series rig)with no active cooling (past a few low speed CPU fans for airflow across the machine) are actually pretty quiet.  The fans never really go over ~40-68%.... and temps hover between 55-75c.

Actually what I've noticed is that you are able to do that on CUDA GPU's because they don't utilize 100% of the GPU fully, (I know it says on the stats, but its incorrect) thus the much lower performance in mining (eth+related and pascalcoin at least from my tests).
With a 10xx series cards I can play games and watch movies with almost no lag or slow downs. With AMD GPU's you have 2x the performance but it uses all of the GPU, so leaves almost nothing for movies and games simultaneously.

But anyways, back to the Solar thaang..

I'm moving to a new place soon and have to redo all my solar setup now as it's staying at my old house. Ugh... Time to setup a small Solar Farm myself I guess..

[philipma1957]

This has been laying dormat for a bit.

Spring is here so the array gets more sun and will be  redesigned a bit.

Right now we have

½ r4
1 s9
1 2 card pc amd rx 480 8gb

in the barn/office  part of the array

in buysolar's home most of the gear is in his basement as it heats his home.

in my garage I have:

 6 amd gpus  all rx 480 8gb

7 nvidia 1080ti's
1 nvidia 1080
2 nvidia 1070's
1 nvidia 1060

Most of the gpus will be moved to the array as my home will get too hot in  the summer.

I have had a very bad case of spring allergies this year and have not done much with the array redesign.

Buysolar has told me he has added a second fan for pulling air  out.

Keep looking here and a lot of photos will be coming.

[philipma1957]

so inspiring...
im also interested in PV panels.
there are more sunlight in tropical area.
trying to find about selling electricity.

Laws and rules are important.

NJ,USA helps solar array people with good laws and rules.

Many USA states do not do this.

[philipma1957]

Well we lower gear in it over the winter. and raise gear in it over the summer.

We will be adding a lot of gpus for sure As I have 12.2 amps worth of gpus running in my garage.

I can not run them June 1 to Oct 1  So we will be moving them for sure.

LightingAsic may be selling 8 card mobo board as bare bones  just an inbedded  cpu and 8 slots a board.

If this happens setup in the array will be easy.

I leave everything in the garage except the gpus and psu's

Set the cards up in the eight slot mob's attach a psu and off we go.

[goen]

philipma1957,

if i want to use PV panels as grid tie, no batteries, to power up my rigs,
what kind of controller do i need?
any example?
i believe it's a grid tie inverter but im not very sure.
need an expert suggestion...


regards,

[OgNasty]

philipma1957,

if i want to use PV panels as grid tie, no batteries, to power up my rigs,
what kind of controller do i need?
any example?
i believe it's a grid tie inverter but im not very sure.
need an expert suggestion...


regards,

Your panels are most likely putting out DC, so you'll need to convert it to AC in order to add the electricity to your grid.  You can buy a simple grid-tie capable of turning DC into plug-in AC, but will need to make sure to match the output voltage (and maximum wattage) of your panel setup with the inverter and the output voltage of your inverter to your home.

Here's the first thing that popped up on Amazon that would do the job, but you should search around and make sure to match your voltage/wattage needed for your setup and possibly find a more expensive option.  
https://www.amazon.com/SolarEpic-Inverter-Stackable-22-60V-Output/dp/B01A93QUH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493748854&sr=8-1&keywords=dc+grid+tie

[nuanicaj]

This is my 35 Panel  Sun Power System in Bronx NY.  10 Facing South, and 25 facing East and West.

[philipma1957]

Nice to see you have one works 24.9 kwatts  is about 1 avalon 721

I am rearranging  the array for the summer.

it now has 2 small gpu rigs
and 4 s-9's
we added a second rack and second fan  and made a wind tunnel

tomorrow we add

3 avalon 721's
1 s-7

⅓ s-9

and another gpu rig

[TheYankeesWin!]

Do you Finish today?

[philipma1957]

We did do more
two exhaust fans



added a bigger deck put in 3 avalon 721's



far  away shot.  the deck/loft  is 32 inches bigger.

[TheYankeesWin!]

Nice  any links for the exhaust fans?

[philipma1957]

yeah they are 10 year warranty from home depot

1600 cu ft. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-1600-CFM-Power-Gable-Mount-Attic-Fan-EGV6/205924917


 and we are making a  wind tunnel/sound proof/ heat channel  with this

https://www.amazon.com/Car-Insulation-Deadener-Automotive-Lightweight/dp/B016QUSKPE/ref=sr_1_109?


lastly  I have these on order

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HSLI4FG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?

to tidy wires.


if it is to  hot  maybe 2 of these  to blow air  at the   gear

http://www.airkinglimited.com/page/industrial-floor-fans.html

[philipma1957]

hi phillipp!!!
really nice project!!!
can i know why do you have preferred SMA/Aurora instead tesla of powerwall???
are SMA/Aurora much more cheapest/relaiable???

I am a partner on this venture with forum member buysolar.

I am the mining side of it.

He is the solar side of it.


He is in the business solar installs.
You could pm him and refer your question to him.

[vapourminer]

solar is on our list. already done upgraded insulation, geothermal hvac, new septic for a proposed addition. we have lots of land so would ideally like ground mounted panels, maybe 2-3 kilowatts grid tied.

so many things to get ready for when we retire we just can sit back and relax as cheaply and as comfortable as possible.

[philipma1957]

solar is on our list. already done upgraded insulation, geothermal hvac, new septic for a proposed addition. we have lots of land so would ideally like ground mounted panels, maybe 2-3 kilowatts grid tied.

so many things to get ready for when we retire we just can sit back and relax as cheaply and as comfortable as possible.

yeah this array has 1.5 acres on the ground

and panels on the barn and house.

grid tied no batteries

On a long clear june day  it can generate 67 kwatts an hour for 14 hours  940 kwatts for a high day.

on a cloudy short December day it does 50 kwatts an hour  for 4  hours  so 200 kwatts for a low day

[philipma1957]

really interesting.
How much Ph/s in total can u gain 

well we have mixed in pc/gpu mining.

and with winter mining vs summer mining rainy days  this is a 5.5 hour rated farm year round

so 5.5 x 67 = 368.5 kwatts on average.  24/7/365

since it is grid tied and power his home his office and the miners.

we can do  8kwatts year round average for mining for free

dips to       6kwatts for free in the winter
jumps to  13 kwatts for free in the summer

13 kwatts = 120th for free in the summer.
 6 kwatts  = 55th for free in the winter

but we do not do this we mine some gpu as gpu mining give more coin per watt

we have 3300sol using 1.6 k-watts an hour   this  will earn about    .50-.55 btc in a month

we have 70 th using 10 k-watts  10 k-watt an hour as it is a mix of s-9 r-4 s-7 and avalon 721   this earn about .943 btc per month

so     1600 watts an hour with  gpu give us   .55 btc this month
and 10000 watts an hour with asics gives us .94 btc this month

Since all this gear is paid for and provided by me  and the solar array is provided by buy solar it has been working okay.

Of course prices can drop and it is not too good.  but 2017 has been very nice so far.

and with a foot in gpu and a foot in btc we can shift or stand pat as needed.

[philipma1957]

This is fantastic, my question is, when do you think that this will be unprofitable? (I know its free energy)
I suppose my question is "Do you intend to run it into the ground or continue to invest?"

I have also be told that Solar Panels become less efficient each year by 10%, is this true?

Thanks

Well. They are 18 months into a 25 year warranty.

Buysolar is in the business so the install was lower cost for him .

Further back I mention at peak we have 67kwatts to sell.
We actually are producing 110kwatts at peak. Using
Say 11-12 kwatts to mine 4 -5 for his home and business and selling 67 to the power company.

Add that a max of 84 used of the 110 made.

Which means the 2-3 percent age loss is factored in.

I am 60 years old baring a wicked hail storm the array stands a chance of out living me.

Most people don't have 2 acre horse paddock and a barn.
Most people are not in a state that helps solar.
Most people are not solar installers.

So most peopl can not do this.

I sure buysolar will want to maintain the array as long as he is in the business.
He can bring people to see a 2 acre install.
So it helps his business.

On my end I need to balance gpu mining with ASIC mining.  Find safe deals. I do not need high risk as the power side is good.

If gpu stays good we may simply turn off some asics and put in more gpu since it earns more coin per watt.

[philipma1957]

I'm faszinated about that project! I hope there will be more clean mining with solar and windenergy in the future.
Keep it up and pls post more pics and stats!

I will do so.
poolside gear stats

here are the 3x Avalon 721's



here are the gpus

[philipma1957]

new video of gear in the array


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKlXarvBv5M

[philipma1957]

Hi Philip,

Just wondering what your GPU rig builds are - hoping to follow a successful build for a gpu rig of my own in the near future.

wrong thread  here is a set of  links:


thread 6 = 93 pages with 52,000+ views
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2138550.0

thread 5 =  52 pages 45,000+ views
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2019146.0


Link to thread 1 = 44 pages 39,000+ views

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1429151.0

Link to thread 2 = 113 pages  144,000+ views

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1429151.0

link to thread 3 = 42 pages  40,000+ views

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1799555.0

link to thread 4 = 100 pages 105,000+ views

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1877588.0

[TheYankeesWin!]

So phil  how has the array been working for you and buysolar?

How much gear runs on it?

[philipma1957]

@ yankees

2 six card 1080ti rigs run  zcash  = 2400 watts
5 Myrig halong's at  ckpool          = 6500 watts
3 Avalon 841's  at ckpool            = 3900  watts
2 and ⅔ s9's   at nicehash           = 3300 watts
1 A3 at sia pool                          = 1200 watts

various other pcs with some gpus = 2000 watts


total mining = 19,300 watts

it also runs buysolar's home  ie A/C oven lighting etc

[PeaMine]

What LiFePO4 batteries do you recommend for storage, or what are you currently eyeing as an upgrade?
Very curious as LiFePO4 seems to really benefit smaller setups with near zero discharge, small size, almost no maintenance and massive round trip efficiency.  I don't aim to reach a single S9 in usage, but already can run a tuned Ryzen CPU 24/7 and it is addicting.
I found some marine batteries with 26Ah at 12V for $170 out the door, four of them parallel can keep things running pretty smooth on a small PC.

[philipma1957]

What LiFePO4 batteries do you recommend for storage, or what are you currently eyeing as an upgrade?
Very curious as LiFePO4 seems to really benefit smaller setups with near zero discharge, small size, almost no maintenance and massive round trip efficiency.  I don't aim to reach a single S9 in usage, but already can run a tuned Ryzen CPU 24/7 and it is addicting.
I found some marine batteries with 26Ah at 12V for $170 out the door, four of them parallel can keep things running pretty smooth on a small PC.

this is a larger system with over 400 panels it is grid tied and does not use batteries at all.

https://i.imgur.com/5em72rF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dZLTmCj.jpg

older video from dec 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKlXarvBv5M

[aswithin]

I had an >10 KW solar system installed a cpl years ago to help offsite my home mining, and due to California's time of use metering plan I was on, I had to turn them off during the expensive part of the day/evening (not an issue when I solo mined, but for pooled mining, it was sub-optimal.)

This past year I had 2 Tesla powerwalls installed (finally, after ordering them nearly 18 months prior) with the specific intention of filling them up with cheap grid power at night (as I was told was possible by the salespeople), and using that during the day for my load, allowing me to sell my generated power.  Well, lo and behold I only found out after the Powerwalls are installed that Tesla / PGE won't allow me to fill them from the grid overnight, due to .. reasons.

Moral of the story: the devil's in the details.   The way the PGE/incentive system is setup now, a home miner (who is in PGE's service area) is better off on an EV rate plan (time of use) with Powerwalls and NO Solar panels, as screwy as that sounds, it's true.  Even tho Telsa's sales folks swore up and down I would be able to do what I wanted, it wasn't until after they were installed and paid for I realized what bait & switch I was delivered.  "Oh, if you have a solar system, then you can only fill the powerwalls from the PV array, and never from the grid."  This 'feature' makes the Powerwalls neigh worthless on repeated cloudy days.  Meh!

[JaredKaragen]

from what I understand;  its because you have a solar system.

if you have just a powerwall;  the grid is allowed to feed it.  If not;  it must only receive feed from the solar system to charge; not from a grid-tied feed.

Similar to the reasoning grid-tied systems can't be connected if the grid end gets disconnected (an outage).  So no back feed can injure a lineman.  It just all has to do with the fact that there are requirements for solar systems that are absolute and can not be changed.  Especially in California.


Now;  nothing is stopping you from re-wiring it yourself;  but... are you qualified?   It's a dangerous combination of systems to mess up even a little.   Hope it puts some light to the situation.   All it takes is the operating of breakers in a completely separate panel, along with the main service disconnect breaker, and a gas generator for a friend to be able to use his grid-tied system when the grid is offline....  Why let 15+Kw go to waste when he's got a business to run.....  But again, im not sure how legal the configuration is; or isn't.  I just know that any modifications are done to his systems while the main service is disconnected completely 110%.

[aswithin]

from what I understand;  its because you have a solar system.

if you have just a powerwall;  the grid is allowed to feed it.  If not;  it must only receive feed from the solar system to charge; not from a grid-tied feed.

Similar to the reasoning grid-tied systems can't be connected if the grid end gets disconnected (an outage).  So no back feed can injure a lineman.  It just all has to do with the fact that there are requirements for solar systems that are absolute and can not be changed.  Especially in California.

As i understand it, there are folks in Australia (and elsewhere in the US) who are doing exactly what I was told I could do by Tesla salesfolks (fill up on grid overnight, and sell solar generated power to PG&E) - but because of PGE, there is some rule in place which prevents the storage (w/solar) from filling up from the grid. This is the precise detail which basically rekt my ROI on this system, and gave me a storage system which is near worthless on consecutive cloudy days.

The Telsa forums are full of folks trying to circumvent this silliness (by feeding other power threw the Tesla transducer / current sensors at night, 'tricking' the Powerwall sw to think there is solar being generated) as well as other methods, but your mention of re-wiring it definitely piques my interest.  I'd love to have that done, if it's actually feasible - can you elaborate at all on that aspect?

[JaredKaragen]

As i understand it, there are folks in Australia (and elsewhere in the US) who are doing exactly what I was told I could do by Tesla salesfolks (fill up on grid overnight, and sell solar generated power to PG&E) - but because of PGE, there is some rule in place which prevents the storage (w/solar) from filling up from the grid. This is the precise detail which basically rekt my ROI on this system, and gave me a storage system which is near worthless on consecutive cloudy days.

The Telsa forums are full of folks trying to circumvent this silliness (by feeding other power threw the Tesla transducer / current sensors at night, 'tricking' the Powerwall sw to think there is solar being generated) as well as other methods, but your mention of re-wiring it definitely piques my interest.  I'd love to have that done, if it's actually feasible - can you elaborate at all on that aspect?

Ill write it in its most basic form:

Disconnect main input breaker to separate you from the grid
Fire up a generator, and link it to your internal wiring to feed it;  right at the main panel just after the disconnected mains.  This should have the ability to trick the system into thinking you are connected to the grid still.

another way is to simply wire in the powerwall as if you had no Pv(solar) system installed.... ignoring the solar system in the diagrams...   then once powerwall is installed, enable the standard grid-tie link.

I do not suggest doing any of this though;  because its much more complicated than this.. and I have omitted several key issues that will pop up in the config and wiring of it... you just gotta look at how they hook up and decide for yourself... or get an electrician buddy whom can give you the proper cautions.

[Marvell2]

powerwalls should be powered with excess solar energy, its probably cheaper to get up to 30kw solar array
using micro inverters rather than a single inverter to squuze more power from the panels that are shaded by clouds

still how can two powerwalls power much equipment?  from what i hear they hold enough each to power a home more normal residential use? mining is a constant draw and would drain the walls within a few hours

[JaredKaragen]

the only thing that powerwalls make sense for while mining;  is if your farm comes online when solar is saturated....   and the powerwalls will "fill in the gaps" due to clouds passing by, etc....    but that still doesn't get around californias insane rules for hooking up power systems that could be linked to the grid.

its pretty sad.

almost as sad as all the solar companies who keep folding year after year.....   yet the "power that be" expect progress.... (they expect you to run with gorilla glue stuck to the bottom of your shoes here in Cali)