Hi there -
I need some assistance in designing a system that must meet several requirements. This discussion is NOT about the number of solar panels, etc. I am focusing on the pre-wiring necessary during new home construction to tackle those steps later.
The house will have a 400 AMP service in the pump house location. From there, the service will split into (2) 200 AMP services that will go into two panels in the garage. To supply backup power for both the well system and the home - the current plan is to install a 400 AMP Generac transfer switch at that location. A propane generator will be installed down the road to supply that service.
In addition, this initial contact point seems like an excellent place to install an AC-coupled solar system. AC is being considered, as I have no interest in storing solar energy for later use.
We are obviously grid-tied, and our goal is to decrease our power bill and replace it when possible. However, we are not interested in long-term battery storage, which would likely make more sense with a DC-coupled system. There is an exception, though, that complicates things.
Several CRITICAL switches in the home cannot disrupt service during the time it takes for the power outage and the generator to kick on and provide service. For this discussion, let's assume I need to gap 5 minutes reliably. These critical services will include (2) 30 AMP breakers and (1) 20 AMP breakers. This will power critical technology, so the pulls on the 30 AMP breakers will always be decently significant.
This means I need an inverter in the system with an appropriately sized battery to cover the 100 AMP sub-panel with these switches inside it. Again, I am not too concerned with the size of the battery and things of that nature. The battery capacity can be expanded to meet the actual need of service.
So my questions:
- What AC coupled system would be the best-recommended system to install for the house with appropriate sizing (48v system) to cover the home?
- What system would best recommend providing a GAP to critical services when grid-tied power becomes unavailable? But before the generator can kick in to provide coverage?
Also, I welcome to any feedback or additional thoughts. This is a fact-finding exercise to gather input.
Thanks, all!
