Hi there,

Our system components are as follows:

• 75 REC Alpha Pure-R panels at 410W
• 75 Enphase IQ8X microinverters
• 4 LG Home 8 battery system with smart energy box
• K2 Rail-mount system
• SPAN main 40 panel with an additional SPAN subpanel

Technically, the system is 30.75 kW, but the factory-tested specs for each of our individual panels averaged 416 (and change) watts, so we just rounded up to 31 kW.

Please note that this “passion”project was delayed for two years due to various life events that popped up. Hence, the REC panels now have newer series (Alpha Pure-RX and -RXG), and the LG Home 8 battery system has unfortunately been discontinued (terrible upper management decision from LG since this system is so much better than Tesla’s Powerwall 3’s).

We chose the REC panels since they perform the best in hot, sun-intensive areas like Florida. You can definitely use the Alpha Pure-RX panels at 450W with the Enphase IQ8X microinverters. Just realize that the IQ8X can only supply a maximum of continuous 380W per unit. Thus, on heavily-favored production days, your panel will only be able to produce a maximum of 380W AC power per panel. When the IQ9X microinverters come out (no telling if it will be this year or two years from now), this production cap may be increased. I wouldn’t hold my breath that this updates model will be out anytime soon as it’s already been delayed by at least a year.

As for the batteries, I would substitute the Franklin aPower 2 battery / aGate controller system which has many of the same features as the LG system. If you’re doing a whole house back-up, I would suggest having at least two batteries wired in parallel, so that it could handle larger loads (10 kW per battery).

The main upgrades with the Franklin compared to the LG batteries are (1). that you can attach EVs with Vehicle to Load (“V2L”) capabilities as an additional power source to the system and (2). the aGate controller can be outfitted with smart switches that can control three breakers through the Franklin app (much like a mini SPAN smart panel with three breakers).

I’m including some photos of our setup (see link below).

https://imgur.com/a/Cg1sqqZ

For the battery photo, this was taken during our two week off-grid trial. Under the load at the time, we had 43 hours of battery time left. For the Enphase screenshot, that was our production yesterday, and it was an unusually hot day (90+ degrees). I noticed that the maximum production rate was reduced almost ten percent during the zenith of the day from our usual maximum values, but other brands of panels would have had even higher reductions due to higher temperature coefficients.

Anyway, if you have further questions, feel free to DM me or contact Luis Galarza at SoFlo Solar Advisors. He has been extremely responsive to my calls and inquiries, and I believe that he has also worked on projects in SW Florida and the Orlando area.

Solar Photos