this post was submitted on 10 May 2026
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Connecting Solar Panels for Camping to Home (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by venusaur@lemmy.world to c/solarpunk@slrpnk.net
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Hello! Hopefully this is the right community for this question.

I’ve started small with solar by getting a 100W panel that connects to a battery that I charge daily and use it to charge things like my laptops or other devices.

I want to start adding additional panels and sending that solar power into our home to use throughout.

As I vaguely understand it, I can get a grid-tie microinverter and then plug panels into that? Will this work? Do I need different type of panels? Do all the panels need to match in specs/watts? It has MC4 (I think?) cables and bullet output.

How are yall sending solar to your home without getting a full on roof mounted solar system?

Thanks!

EDIT: in California

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[–] tofu@lemmy.nocturnal.garden 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It may depend on where you live. I have an inverter that maxes out at 600W and two panels with 400W each connected to it. The inverter is plugged into a regular socket.

[–] venusaur@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Thanks! I’m in California. I’m gonna hit you with a bunch of questions. No need to answer them all.

So you’re getting 600W instead of 800?

You can mix and match panels on the inverter?

What brand you get/where you get it?

Did you work with electric company or city to get reimbursed for overage?

[–] tofu@lemmy.nocturnal.garden 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's capped at 600, 800 would be peak of the panels but rarely reached.

I don't get any money for the surplus (with bigger installations it can make sense, in that case you need to get an electric meter that counts both ways).

I'm not sure what you mean with mixing, I got it as a package.

I don't have the manufacturer of the panels at hand but the inverter is a hoymiles HM600, which is pretty common here.

I'm in Germany, so stuff may differ at your place.

[–] venusaur@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Cool. I wouldn’t be creating enough power for surplus either.

Mixing meaning panels with different wattages and voltage.

Thanks! I’ll check Hoymiles.