u/Objective-Resort2325

If I had a situation on a large install where the amperage was high enough that back feeding the MSP was not practical and I had a line side tap, then I wanted to add batteries, how would I go about setting up a Microgrid Interconnect Device (MID) and a neutral forming transformer if the amperage limits of a system controller or Combiner 6/meter collar are not high enough? Are there other items on the market with higher amperage ratings that could serve these functions? I'm talking about 125-130 amps of PV AC (86 micros).

I looked up on Big Bend Chats and the latest water report was 4/13/2026. It was not running at that time and there were only a couple of pools. Has anyone been up there recently that could share a water report? I got a group of Scouts heading up there for the weekend and I'm wondering how much water we're going to have to hump up Pinnacles trail.

I got a System Controller 2 as part of a package deal of used equipment and I'm trying to figure out how to integrate it into a future-state system.

The image below is Scenario 1, Whole Home Backup, from page 4 of the IQ System Controller 2 Quick Installation guide. My question is about the IQ Battery input. If I have a 3rd party / non-Enphase battery/inverter setup (can accept AC input, stores in the battery as DC, then reconverts to AC when needed), can I integrate it into the port for the IQ battery? This setup would be independently controlled / not controlled by the Enphase app.

https://preview.redd.it/ehc5fpuwq01h1.png?width=1409&format=png&auto=webp&s=6e38f1fcd9b5438e1a50a5b6d9d6adaa7405975e

Second question: the electrical specifications from spec sheet on the System Controller 2 is shown below, followed by a diagram from page 16 of the quick install guide. The notation on the diagram in the quick installation guide for several breakers contains the wording "or a correctly sized breaker."

If the battery/inverter input is set on a 50A breaker (40A max output), and the max continuous rating for the device is 160A, and I only have battery and PV going into it, does that mean it can handle up to 120A of continuous PV? i.e. can some of the unused capacity from the battery and generator be allocated to PV instead? So instead of 80A max, I could go up to 120A max?

https://preview.redd.it/zrw9z1k0s01h1.png?width=1816&format=png&auto=webp&s=fa0dc7de27c3b75ccbd6ca2da40232aaa5764e32

https://preview.redd.it/20gt1sd9u01h1.png?width=1434&format=png&auto=webp&s=a964891d2515cd08c87ea2768fe288c1d1427004

Third question: The line diagram does not show a separate disconnect switch between the PV and the system controller 2. However, inside it contains a main disconnect, and if installed IAW the page 4 diagram, it would have a "system shutdown switch" wired in to NC relays. Is a separate blade disconnect box generally necessary (i.e. depending on jurisdiction) if using the system controller 2 set up in this way?

I have an 11 night trip coming up. From past trips with my current electronics (watch, phone on airplane mode, headlamp), I know I can get 6-7 nights with some room to spare out of a single NB10000 if I start with everything charged. I will get resupplied on days 4, 7, and 10 and can send small items ahead with the resupply (like a charged battery). There is zero chance of recharging via outlet at the resupply points. My wife also has an NB10000 and is not going on this trip. My wife gave me a 10w Lixada panel for my birthday - but I have no experience with it yet. The trip location is New Mexico, and I anticipate I will have a couple hours each afternoon to charge (so long as there's enough solar to be useful.) I also have a 3k Attom tech battery.

NB10000 weights 150 grams. Lixada panel weighs 100 grams. The Attom tech weighs 62 grams.

Option 1: Start with everything full carrying one NB10000. Send ahead the second NB10000 to pick up on with the resupply on day 7.

Option 2: Take the Lixada and one NB10000 and charge everything at every opportunity.

Option 2a: Take the Lixada and the Attom Tech and charge everything at every opportunity.

What would you do and why?

Yesterday was my new record high (since November 2025 PTO.) This was nice to see after a couple weeks of rain and overcast skies. Except for a couple minor blips in the afternoon, it's pretty close to a perfectly smooth graph.

My system is intentionally over-paneled, with a 1.45:1 panel-to-micro ratio. (Clipping is intentional.) One thing that surprises me is the slight downward slope of the flat top in the afternoon. I assume this is because panels lose efficiency as they heat up. This surprises me because I thought, since I have so much excess panel capacity for each panel, that this excess capacity would make up for the degradation in panel output as it heated up.

Or am I misunderstanding this? Do the micros also convert less efficiently when they heat up?

https://preview.redd.it/mgqoudh3i4zg1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=8c68a330df8158675206e8c08bbd8678ef14321b

This is a question to anyone who has done trail maintenance and blazing in the past. What brand/type of paint do you use? Alternatively, anyone know what brand and type of paint survives the longest as blazes?

Reason I ask : I have to blaze down trails and want the blazes to last as long as possible

About every 6-12 months I get a door-to-door salesperson selling solar stop bye. Well, today was that day - a pair of salespeople.

They obviously noticed the array as they approached the house. They questioned me about my system. I told them. They were shocked that I said I DIY'd it. Then I rattled off what it was. I don't have storage capacity on my 14.5 AC Kw system, so they launched into their pitch on Tesla solarwall batteries.

I got PTO in November and told them that I will be collecting data for the rest of the year to determine how close my original estimates matched my actuals. (So far I've been exceeding my original estimates by about 10%).

They weren't used to talking to someone who knew the details of their system, it's performance, the utility rate structure, etc. I am on a buy-sell 2-year contract with an ERCOT provider. I get back 29.5% of what I pay per kwh for each kwh that I export. I indicated that my estimates show batteries have a worse ROI in my circumstance than simply adding more solar - especially if I can get panels, micros, cables, and racking lightly used.

We sat at my table in the back yard - next to a stack of used panels I had acquired that are awaiting the infrastructure necessary to install them - and I opened my laptop/spreadsheet. "What do you do for work?" they asked. "Engineer" I responded.

Yep, I don't think they'd run across a solar DIY'er before.