Around here myself and lots of installers, especially those few who do off-grid, are getting similar calls.
In the city as backup for grid outages, I think they get away with not being UL-listed or needing permits by connecting it to the home main AC panel as a "backup generator" through an ATS, the units are advertised as "portable," same with the PV on a "portable" rack in the yard. I think that's why they market them as "solar generators." Off-grid I have heard of such units dodging permitting by showing a fossil fuel generator as the main AC source to the main panel, and again the "solar generator" connected as would a backup generator through an ATS or MTS. Mount the PV on an old trailer, and it's "portable," the battery/inverter units are on wheels so roll 'em into the garage, etc. and the whole system is "portable." I don't like the trend at all, but as Glenn said, for small systems in places that don't need permitting like a small cabin, they can be a cost-effective solution. Our county is very strict about off-grid system components being Listed for residential (even to the point of rejecting permits because of altitude restrictions listed on inverter datasheets) They would not approve any such workarounds. Dan Fink Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting LLC IREC Certified Instructor for PV and Small Wind Installation NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector NABCEP PV Associate d <dan.f...@greendustrialtraining.com>anbo...@gmail.com 970-672-4342 On Mon, Jan 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM Michael Morningstar via RE-wrenches < re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote: > I'm getting calls almost weekly. "Hi, I bought an EcoFlow home back up > system, I'm looking for someone to install solar panels for it". I've > convinced a couple of clients to take a hit and sell the EcoFlow, Bluetti, > Anker units at a loss and let me install a permanent system. Anyone else > getting these requests? I've already determined that a lot of my potential > off-grid work has disappeared because of these portable units. Is this > where things are heading? > > -- > > Michael Morningstar > > > Morningstar Electric Inc > > PO Box 1494 > > Mount Shasta, CA 96067 > > 530-921-0560 > > CSLB 1116835 > > mjmornings...@gmail.com > > >
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