Thanks folks - that answers most of my questions, which is:
Can't connect it to the grid if I DIY it (this is remarkably hard to find solid info if you don't know WHAT to look for)
CAN build panels + battery + inverter for own use, not grid connected (tempting, charge bikes and a few other bits, scratches the DIY / learning stuff itch) (keep it under 180V DC? I assumed it was all 12 or 24 tops)
Bluetti looks nice, tho expensive, and might actually be a better option pending WAF and Finance Dept approval (same person, to be fair)
You cannot put a grid-tie inverter on a plug here. The protection against unplugging the inverter and getting live male pins is not considered strong enough.
Very good point. It'd be one of those patented death plugs...
It's not quite that bad. They're required to detect loss of grid sync rather than continue generating, even if there's about the right amount of load attached. Lines companies don't want to find that bits of their network are live despite being islanded because because it's both a hazard to line workers and reclosing out-of-phase supplies is dangerous and tends to damage things.
But if it fails to detect islanding, neither of those is a really big hazard, on the same scale as pulling a plug and the pins being live.
The limit for ELV is 50VAC or 120VDC.
Non grid tie is unlikely to be economical because the batteries are going to be full, then you stop generating. Unless you put bigger 24/7 loads on it. Batteries just worsen the value.
Standalone solar is usually justified either because a grid connection is prohibitively expensive or for emergencies.
ajbw: You need one of these https://www.theverge.com/24150901/ecoflow-powerstream-review-diy-balcony-solar-microinverter
As per the article and discussion further up in the thread, those are illegal in NZ, and also on the prohibited list. Customs will confiscate them if you attempt to import them.
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