[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Solar power? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 3/17/2014 4:38:55 PM EDT
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Was a sparky for 12 years, and now all hydronics. I have installed a lot of hydronic solar, but no electric.
How many panels or what does it take to get 120 V, 2000 W? How does that tie into existing powered equipment? |
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Was a sparky for 12 years, and now all hydronics. I have installed a lot of hydronic solar, but no electric. How many panels or what does it take to get 120 V, 2000 W? How does that tie into existing powered equipment? Panels are all over the chart as far a production goes. Could be as few as 4 or 5 larger panels, 7-9 smaller (or less efficient) panels. Batteries not needed. Micro inverters on the roof are the way to go, basically comes off the roof as AC and you can run romex up to the systems junction box. Line side or load side tap, revenue grade meter into the grid is the best way to go IMO. Only need 1 or 2 open slots in a breaker or sub, depending on monitoring systems etc being used. Sorry for the short reply. Lady is yelling for me to get to bed. I install for a living, 7 years now. Feel free to drop me an IM if you have questions moving forward. |
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I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs.
Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. |
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I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. So solar is only for the small percentage of homes off the grid in the US? 
This is on grid. The power company is my battery storage. Makes around 800 KW per month. My Feb. power bill was $48.00 |
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OP, the question is how long do you need 2,000 watts of power?
We live offgrid and have a good sized solar array and battery bank. Running a microwave at 1600 watts for 30 seconds doesn't hurt too bad. Running the well pump, at 800 watts, for 30 minutes while my wife takes a shower, does however. So it isn't just watts but also for how long you will be needing the power. If this is for a well pump or something running for hours a day, every day regardless of sun, then you are looking at big money. |
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Just started looking into residential solar. For my needs I'm looking at a 10KW system which runs about $50,000. About $15,000 in fed tax credit after install. To finance the rest on the offered 12 year 2.99% it works out to be about the same per month as my summertime power bill. Any extra produced goes back to the grid and gets credited to me. Company claims 25 year full warranty and performance guarantee of 65KWh per day for that time (longer summer hours are offset by shorter winter hours).
I'm sure the panels are hencho en China are the cost is a fraction of the purchase price but a lot of that cost covers any necessary support. |
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OP, the question is how long do you need 2,000 watts of power? We live offgrid and have a good sized solar array and battery bank. Running a microwave at 1600 watts for 30 seconds doesn't hurt too bad. Running the well pump, at 800 watts, for 30 minutes while my wife takes a shower, does however. So it isn't just watts but also for how long you will be needing the power. If this is for a well pump or something running for hours a day, every day regardless of sun, then you are looking at big money. I installed a 6-gallon buffer (electric water heater) tank in line with my tankless / boiler combo. Feels like a tank, endless from tankless. Great setup. Gas bill dropped $600/yr, but the small water heater added about $30-40 per month to my power bill. It runs a few times a day to recharge, but just to keep 130* from 125* that my tankless delivers mid winter. In summer it will run less. |
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I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Reversible meter. Power youre not using feeds into the grid. If youre making it and not using it, your meter is spinning backwards. Your post is the most incorrect thing I've ever read. Sometimes self education on subjects doesn't work out. |
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Quoted: Just started looking into residential solar. For my needs I'm looking at a 10KW system which runs about $50,000. About $15,000 in fed tax credit after install. To finance the rest on the offered 12 year 2.99% it works out to be about the same per month as my summertime power bill. Any extra produced goes back to the grid and gets credited to me. Company claims 25 year full warranty and performance guarantee of 65KWh per day for that time (longer summer hours are offset by shorter winter hours). I'm sure the panels are hencho en China are the cost is a fraction of the purchase price but a lot of that cost covers any necessary support. |
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Use the calculator at pvwatts online to determine your production capability in your ao.
Assuming good sun exposure and panelangle the site will tell you how many of a specific panel you need to produce X amount of watts/day. Add a cushion for cloudy days or over use of heater and you will sell the excess and hopefully always cover the added power demand of the heater. You will need to figure out how many kw's the heater adds to your bill to start. $30.00/ month is not hard to achieve here in Florida. Zegermanznew will give the best answer to your questions. |
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Quoted: Use the calculator at pvwatts online to determine your production capability in your ao. Assuming good sun exposure and panelangle the site will tell you how many of a specific panel you need to produce X amount of watts/day. Add a cushion for cloudy days or over use of heater and you will sell the excess and hopefully always cover the added power demand of the heater. You will need to figure out how many kw's the heater adds to your bill to start. $30.00/ month is not hard to achieve here in Florida. Zegermanznew will give the best answer to your questions. |
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Quoted: I installed a 6-gallon buffer (electric water heater) tank in line with my tankless / boiler combo. Feels like a tank, endless from tankless. Great setup. Gas bill dropped $600/yr, but the small water heater added about $30-40 per month to my power bill. It runs a few times a day to recharge, but just to keep 130* from 125* that my tankless delivers mid winter. In summer it will run less. Quoted: Quoted: OP, the question is how long do you need 2,000 watts of power? We live offgrid and have a good sized solar array and battery bank. Running a microwave at 1600 watts for 30 seconds doesn't hurt too bad. Running the well pump, at 800 watts, for 30 minutes while my wife takes a shower, does however. So it isn't just watts but also for how long you will be needing the power. If this is for a well pump or something running for hours a day, every day regardless of sun, then you are looking at big money. I installed a 6-gallon buffer (electric water heater) tank in line with my tankless / boiler combo. Feels like a tank, endless from tankless. Great setup. Gas bill dropped $600/yr, but the small water heater added about $30-40 per month to my power bill. It runs a few times a day to recharge, but just to keep 130* from 125* that my tankless delivers mid winter. In summer it will run less. Just for my clarification, the six gallon tank is installed after the tankless? So that it can give the hot water out of the tankless system a temp boost if needed? |
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Just for my clarification, the six gallon tank is installed after the tankless? So that it can give the hot water out of the tankless system a temp boost if needed? Quoted:
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OP, the question is how long do you need 2,000 watts of power? We live offgrid and have a good sized solar array and battery bank. Running a microwave at 1600 watts for 30 seconds doesn't hurt too bad. Running the well pump, at 800 watts, for 30 minutes while my wife takes a shower, does however. So it isn't just watts but also for how long you will be needing the power. If this is for a well pump or something running for hours a day, every day regardless of sun, then you are looking at big money. I installed a 6-gallon buffer (electric water heater) tank in line with my tankless / boiler combo. Feels like a tank, endless from tankless. Great setup. Gas bill dropped $600/yr, but the small water heater added about $30-40 per month to my power bill. It runs a few times a day to recharge, but just to keep 130* from 125* that my tankless delivers mid winter. In summer it will run less. Just for my clarification, the six gallon tank is installed after the tankless? So that it can give the hot water out of the tankless system a temp boost if needed? After tankless. It does not boost, but gives a tank to pull from so no extended delay in getting hot water while tankless fires up and ramps up, and hot water is always there for simple hand washing, no need to let the big dog even fire up. Plus, with high efficiency front loader washer, it fills in very short bursts and you never really get hot water in it with straight tankless. With the buffer, it's like having a standard tank type WH and endless DHW behind it. Best of all, no cold sandwich. (Cold slug of water if tap is closed even for an instant because the pressure buildup instantly shuts tankless off) |
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Quoted: I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Guy at work has solar on his modest little home here. He sells power back to the grid. Not elitist...just expensive to get installed. If you're going to live in your house for a while, it makes great sense...net positive monthly power bill. We spend about $2400/year on power. If I planned on living in this house for the next 10 years or more, it'd be a damned sound investment. |
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I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Or C) If your state has large tax rebate/credit programs. While you are at work, the meter will run backwards "banking" your electricity from the day. Also unless you are in an off the grid situation your better off running a Generator when the power goes out than spending money on batteries. |
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Quoted: Guy at work has solar on his modest little home here. He sells power back to the grid. Not elitist...just expensive to get installed. If you're going to live in your house for a while, it makes great sense...net positive monthly power bill. We spend about $2400/year on power. If I planned on living in this house for the next 10 years or more, it'd be a damned sound investment. Quoted: Quoted: I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Guy at work has solar on his modest little home here. He sells power back to the grid. Not elitist...just expensive to get installed. If you're going to live in your house for a while, it makes great sense...net positive monthly power bill. We spend about $2400/year on power. If I planned on living in this house for the next 10 years or more, it'd be a damned sound investment. A better investment, one that pays off now, is efficiency gains.
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Quoted: After tankless. It does not boost, but gives a tank to pull from so no extended delay in getting hot water while tankless fires up and ramps up, and hot water is always there for simple hand washing, no need to let the big dog even fire up. Plus, with high efficiency front loader washer, it fills in very short bursts and you never really get hot water in it with straight tankless. With the buffer, it's like having a standard tank type WH and endless DHW behind it. Best of all, no cold sandwich. (Cold slug of water if tap is closed even for an instant because the pressure buildup instantly shuts tankless off) Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: OP, the question is how long do you need 2,000 watts of power? We live offgrid and have a good sized solar array and battery bank. Running a microwave at 1600 watts for 30 seconds doesn't hurt too bad. Running the well pump, at 800 watts, for 30 minutes while my wife takes a shower, does however. So it isn't just watts but also for how long you will be needing the power. If this is for a well pump or something running for hours a day, every day regardless of sun, then you are looking at big money. I installed a 6-gallon buffer (electric water heater) tank in line with my tankless / boiler combo. Feels like a tank, endless from tankless. Great setup. Gas bill dropped $600/yr, but the small water heater added about $30-40 per month to my power bill. It runs a few times a day to recharge, but just to keep 130* from 125* that my tankless delivers mid winter. In summer it will run less. Just for my clarification, the six gallon tank is installed after the tankless? So that it can give the hot water out of the tankless system a temp boost if needed? After tankless. It does not boost, but gives a tank to pull from so no extended delay in getting hot water while tankless fires up and ramps up, and hot water is always there for simple hand washing, no need to let the big dog even fire up. Plus, with high efficiency front loader washer, it fills in very short bursts and you never really get hot water in it with straight tankless. With the buffer, it's like having a standard tank type WH and endless DHW behind it. Best of all, no cold sandwich. (Cold slug of water if tap is closed even for an instant because the pressure buildup instantly shuts tankless off) Thanks. We're considering a couple of smaller tankless heaters at either end of the house to replace our one big tank when we remodel the basement. That's good info to know. I wasn't aware of the cold sandwich phenomenon.  |
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Was a sparky for 12 years, and now all hydronics. I have installed a lot of hydronic solar, but no electric. How many panels or what does it take to get 120 V, 2000 W? .................. You will need Quantity = 8 PV modules, around 260 watts each. I used a dozen Panasonic 230 watt modules for a grid tie array. How does that tie into existing powered equipment? .................. Grid tie Inverter should do it. I use a Schneider ' Connext TX3300 ' produced 3 megawatt hours last year, mostly pushed into the GRID. . A separate system, 4100 watts PV charges a battery bank, which runs the house. |
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Quoted: In 10 years you would be almost at break even point so no it wouldn't be a damned sound investment Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Guy at work has solar on his modest little home here. He sells power back to the grid. Not elitist...just expensive to get installed. If you're going to live in your house for a while, it makes great sense...net positive monthly power bill. We spend about $2400/year on power. If I planned on living in this house for the next 10 years or more, it'd be a damned sound investment. A better investment, one that pays off now, is efficiency gains. And what's the cost of those efficiency gains? For what gain each month? With solar it'd be going from $200/month to $0 and possibly getting back a few bucks each month. Most efficiency gains I've looked at have smaller horizons to regain the cost, but not nearly as large of a return or reduction in monthly costs. And if you live in that house for the rest of your life...you're still paying monthly for power...but with solar you're netting money returned to you each month or a 0 monthly bill. So yes...long term it absolutely is a good investment if you plan on living in your house long term. |
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Quoted: I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. You don't want to own a system IMHO.
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I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. . . Hello there Grasshopper some more. It appears that MATH is not your strong suit ? Or maybe you were just distracted by your neighbors limousine, and missed a few zeroes on your calculator. |
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Quoted: A better investment, one that pays off now, is efficiency gains. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Guy at work has solar on his modest little home here. He sells power back to the grid. Not elitist...just expensive to get installed. If you're going to live in your house for a while, it makes great sense...net positive monthly power bill. We spend about $2400/year on power. If I planned on living in this house for the next 10 years or more, it'd be a damned sound investment. A better investment, one that pays off now, is efficiency gains. And what's the cost of those efficiency gains? For what gain each month? With solar it'd be going from $200/month to $0 and possibly getting back a few bucks each month. Most efficiency gains I've looked at have smaller horizons to regain the cost, but not nearly as large of a return or reduction in monthly costs. And if you live in that house for the rest of your life...you're still paying monthly for power...but with solar you're netting money returned to you each month or a 0 monthly bill. So yes...long term it absolutely is a good investment if you plan on living in your house long term. |
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Quoted: Really? I've seen leases here in Colorado where the monthly payment is less than my average bill. Quoted: Quoted: I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. You don't want to own a system IMHO. |
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Pretty much this. Quoted:
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Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Pretty much this. No. Only reason to use batteries is if you wish to be able to be off-grid. Or to use them as a power backup if the grid goes down. If all you wish is to reduce your monthly electricity bill then those are not needed. Solar panels + grid tie inverter. That's it. |
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Quoted: In 10 years you would be almost at break even point so no it wouldn't be a damned sound investment Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Guy at work has solar on his modest little home here. He sells power back to the grid. Not elitist...just expensive to get installed. If you're going to live in your house for a while, it makes great sense...net positive monthly power bill. We spend about $2400/year on power. If I planned on living in this house for the next 10 years or more, it'd be a damned sound investment. A better investment, one that pays off now, is efficiency gains. I agree 100% that maximizing efficiency gains is the first step. But solar power (or wind in the right location) isn't a horrible thing to do. Yes, in most cases you are looking at a 10-12 year breakeven on your investment. But solar panels should preform well for 25+ years. IF you assume energy cost will rise, and if you would like to be energy self-sufficient, solar panels might make sense. If you believe everything is going to remain stable, or relatively stable over the next 25 years, or that energy cost might actually decline, then solar panels may not make sense for you. But a lot of people are concerned with the direction things are going. They worry that perhaps over the next 25 years we might actually experience a significant rise in inflation. That the dollar may lose value relative to the cost of things, like energy. In that case an argument can be made for energy self-sufficiency. But again, I agree, the first step is to become as energy efficient as possible. |
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Quoted: No. Only reason to use batteries is if you wish to be able to be off-grid. Or to use them as a power backup if the grid goes down. If all you wish is to reduce your monthly electricity bill then those are not needed. Solar panels + grid tie inverter. That's it. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Pretty much this. No. Only reason to use batteries is if you wish to be able to be off-grid. Or to use them as a power backup if the grid goes down. If all you wish is to reduce your monthly electricity bill then those are not needed. Solar panels + grid tie inverter. That's it. |
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Real world numbers for those stuck on cost.
My system cost $18,400 installed less fed tax rebate $ 5,520 Net out of pocket $12,880 I paid much less than this because of a $2/ watt incentive, but lets assume no incentive here. This system is on track to save me $1500.00 this year at todays cost of 13.8 cents per kw with all taxes and fees included in the bill. Thats a payoff in 8.6 years with no increase in energy costs, and no state rebate. My solar contractor has said he could duplicate this system for less today. And fro those who constantly claim panels don't last more than 10 yrs. look here. http://www.appropedia.org/Lifespan_and_Reliability_of_Solar_Photovoltaics_-_Literature_Review#The_Results_of_Performance_Measurements_of_Field-aged_Crystalline_Silicon_Photovoltaic_Modules_.282009.29 This is a compilation of several long term outdoor studies on panel longevity and output. It puts to rest the long held myth that panels won't hold up. While coordinating with my utility company I noticed they were using 18 cents per kw on their calculations for my system as a 25 yr average cost per kw. When questioned about the discrepancy they said "That's what the price could be in 12-15 years" |
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Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Nope, I got $8,000 tied up in my system. 8 real live renewable energy 6 volt batteries wired up for 24V. Three 250 Watt panels, and a solar charge controller. My inverter puts out 4k of 120 or 240 depending on how I set it up. This time of year in Alaska, that system is running everything at my place with sun, and generator running about 3 hours every other day to top batteries off. Aviator |
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Quoted: Nope, I got $8,000 tied up in my system. 8 real live renewable energy 6 volt batteries wired up for 24V. Three 250 Watt panels, and a solar charge controller. My inverter puts out 4k of 120 or 240 depending on how I set it up. This time of year in Alaska, that system is running everything at my place with sun, and generator running about 3 hours every other day to top batteries off. Aviator Quoted: Quoted: Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Nope, I got $8,000 tied up in my system. 8 real live renewable energy 6 volt batteries wired up for 24V. Three 250 Watt panels, and a solar charge controller. My inverter puts out 4k of 120 or 240 depending on how I set it up. This time of year in Alaska, that system is running everything at my place with sun, and generator running about 3 hours every other day to top batteries off. Aviator |
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If I am correct you built with solar in mind didn't you? And how do you get 4k out of a 750W array? Quoted:
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Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Nope, I got $8,000 tied up in my system. 8 real live renewable energy 6 volt batteries wired up for 24V. Three 250 Watt panels, and a solar charge controller. My inverter puts out 4k of 120 or 240 depending on how I set it up. This time of year in Alaska, that system is running everything at my place with sun, and generator running about 3 hours every other day to top batteries off. Aviator Yes, I built with off grid in mind. The panels put out 750 watts total, at 24V DC. they go through a charge controller that feeds the power to the battery bank. Just looked. Right now, those panels are putting 23 amps of charge at 24v into those batteries. That 24V battery bank then is fed into the inverter, that produces 4k of AC power. I have good LED bulbs, LED TV, Internet, Computer, Electric fridge, propane on demand water heater, 120 well pump and all kinds of other shit running. At 100% State of Charge, that battery bank will run my cabin for over 24 hours with nothing coming in, and without discharging my battery bank below 55%. Aviator |
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Is there a good website on this?
I figure if the water heater, refrigerator and some of the A/C can be put on PV that would be the bulk of the electric bill. Since the mention about the reversible meter it would stand to reason that if you don't replace the utility company you can at least offset what you draw from them. Am I on the right track? Is there a good website, not so much about being off grid, but transferring your energy usage from the grid to the sun. |
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Quoted: Yes, I built with off grid in mind. The panels put out 750 watts total, at 24V DC. they go through a charge controller that feeds the power to the battery bank. Just looked. Right now, those panels are putting 23 amps of charge at 24v into those batteries. That 24V battery bank then is fed into the inverter, that produces 4k of AC power. I have good LED bulbs, LED TV, Internet, Computer, Electric fridge, propane on demand water heater, 120 well pump and all kinds of other shit running. At 100% State of Charge, that battery bank will run my cabin for over 24 hours with nothing coming in, and without discharging my battery bank below 55%. Aviator Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Nope, I got $8,000 tied up in my system. 8 real live renewable energy 6 volt batteries wired up for 24V. Three 250 Watt panels, and a solar charge controller. My inverter puts out 4k of 120 or 240 depending on how I set it up. This time of year in Alaska, that system is running everything at my place with sun, and generator running about 3 hours every other day to top batteries off. Aviator Yes, I built with off grid in mind. The panels put out 750 watts total, at 24V DC. they go through a charge controller that feeds the power to the battery bank. Just looked. Right now, those panels are putting 23 amps of charge at 24v into those batteries. That 24V battery bank then is fed into the inverter, that produces 4k of AC power. I have good LED bulbs, LED TV, Internet, Computer, Electric fridge, propane on demand water heater, 120 well pump and all kinds of other shit running. At 100% State of Charge, that battery bank will run my cabin for over 24 hours with nothing coming in, and without discharging my battery bank below 55%. Aviator |
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Is there a good website on this? I figure if the water heater, refrigerator and some of the A/C can be put on PV that would be the bulk of the electric bill. Since the mention about the reversible meter it would stand to reason that if you don't replace the utility company you can at least offset what you draw from them. Am I on the right track? Is there a good website, not so much about being off grid, but transferring your energy usage from the grid to the sun. It's not really a "reversible" meter. The standard meter you have on your house will spin backwards whenever you are producing more power on your house side of it than you are consuming. In states with net metering, the electric company is required to purchase the power from you. In practice this is uncommon, as you have to have a serious solar setup to result in a negative power meter reading for the month. A grid tie system is much more simple than a battery bank 'standalone' or 'off-grid' system. |
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How many Ah is your battery stack? Quoted:
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Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Nope, I got $8,000 tied up in my system. 8 real live renewable energy 6 volt batteries wired up for 24V. Three 250 Watt panels, and a solar charge controller. My inverter puts out 4k of 120 or 240 depending on how I set it up. This time of year in Alaska, that system is running everything at my place with sun, and generator running about 3 hours every other day to top batteries off. Aviator Yes, I built with off grid in mind. The panels put out 750 watts total, at 24V DC. they go through a charge controller that feeds the power to the battery bank. Just looked. Right now, those panels are putting 23 amps of charge at 24v into those batteries. That 24V battery bank then is fed into the inverter, that produces 4k of AC power. I have good LED bulbs, LED TV, Internet, Computer, Electric fridge, propane on demand water heater, 120 well pump and all kinds of other shit running. At 100% State of Charge, that battery bank will run my cabin for over 24 hours with nothing coming in, and without discharging my battery bank below 55%. Aviator 800 AH @ a 20 hour rate. Aviator |
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Quoted: How many Ah is your battery stack? Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Hold onto your wallet. You'll need several industrial sized panels, a battery storage system, power inverter and phase syncing circuitry. Nope, I got $8,000 tied up in my system. 8 real live renewable energy 6 volt batteries wired up for 24V. Three 250 Watt panels, and a solar charge controller. My inverter puts out 4k of 120 or 240 depending on how I set it up. This time of year in Alaska, that system is running everything at my place with sun, and generator running about 3 hours every other day to top batteries off. Aviator Yes, I built with off grid in mind. The panels put out 750 watts total, at 24V DC. they go through a charge controller that feeds the power to the battery bank. Just looked. Right now, those panels are putting 23 amps of charge at 24v into those batteries. That 24V battery bank then is fed into the inverter, that produces 4k of AC power. I have good LED bulbs, LED TV, Internet, Computer, Electric fridge, propane on demand water heater, 120 well pump and all kinds of other shit running. At 100% State of Charge, that battery bank will run my cabin for over 24 hours with nothing coming in, and without discharging my battery bank below 55%. Aviator |
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It's not really a "reversible" meter. The standard meter you have on your house will spin backwards whenever you are producing more power on your house side of it than you are consuming. In states with net metering, the electric company is required to purchase the power from you. In practice this is uncommon, as you have to have a serious solar setup to result in a negative power meter reading for the month. A grid tie system is much more simple than a battery bank 'standalone' or 'off-grid' system. Quoted:
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Is there a good website on this? I figure if the water heater, refrigerator and some of the A/C can be put on PV that would be the bulk of the electric bill. Since the mention about the reversible meter it would stand to reason that if you don't replace the utility company you can at least offset what you draw from them. Am I on the right track? Is there a good website, not so much about being off grid, but transferring your energy usage from the grid to the sun. It's not really a "reversible" meter. The standard meter you have on your house will spin backwards whenever you are producing more power on your house side of it than you are consuming. In states with net metering, the electric company is required to purchase the power from you. In practice this is uncommon, as you have to have a serious solar setup to result in a negative power meter reading for the month. A grid tie system is much more simple than a battery bank 'standalone' or 'off-grid' system. grid tie is ok. I've been googling and it seems that the typical A/C system is 4kw. Does that mean 4kw in panels? I figure 2kw is sufficient. Again, trying to minimize the draw from the grid AND the initial investment lol. |
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Has anyone asked themselves why we don't see more solar farms owned by the power companies if the payoff is less than 10 years away?
I mean why go to the expense of building a nuke plant or dicking around with the EPA over a coal plant? If you have the resources to build and operate those things, then a solar grid is a kiddie toy. |
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grid tie is ok. I've been googling and it seems that the typical A/C system is 4kw. Does that mean 4kw in panels? I figure 2kw is sufficient. Again, trying to minimize the draw from the grid AND the initial investment lol. Ehh... it's not that simple. Ask yourself these questions for starters: How much do you pay for electricity? Do you pay a graduated rate? (more expensive during peak hours?) Is anyone home during the day? When is the majority of your electricity usage? Morning, daytime, evening, night? What are the net metering laws in your area? How energy efficient is your house? Where do you live? What is the solar factor of your location? Will you be able to position solar panels to maximize their view of the sun? South facing roof? Pole mounted? Trees in the way? National Renewable Energy Lab: Analysis |
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Ehh... it's not that simple. Ask yourself these questions for starters: How much do you pay for electricity? Seems like a lot, ~$300/mo Do you pay a graduated rate? (more expensive during peak hours?) Not certain Is anyone home during the day? Yes When is the majority of your electricity usage? Morning, daytime, evening, night? All the time with night edging it up What are the net metering laws in your area? Seems rather free in that respect. Florida How energy efficient is your house? 87%. Heck I don't know lol Where do you live? What is the solar factor of your location? Miami, FL. Seems like a prime candidate for PV. Location is the only reason I'm considering it. Though Aviator is in Alaska and seems to be doing ok with his setup
Will you be able to position solar panels to maximize their view of the sun? South facing roof? Pole mounted? Trees in the way? Very open flat section should allow for most any type of setup National Renewable Energy Lab: Analysis Quoted:
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grid tie is ok. I've been googling and it seems that the typical A/C system is 4kw. Does that mean 4kw in panels? I figure 2kw is sufficient. Again, trying to minimize the draw from the grid AND the initial investment lol. Ehh... it's not that simple. Ask yourself these questions for starters: How much do you pay for electricity? Seems like a lot, ~$300/mo Do you pay a graduated rate? (more expensive during peak hours?) Not certain Is anyone home during the day? Yes When is the majority of your electricity usage? Morning, daytime, evening, night? All the time with night edging it up What are the net metering laws in your area? Seems rather free in that respect. Florida How energy efficient is your house? 87%. Heck I don't know lol Where do you live? What is the solar factor of your location? Miami, FL. Seems like a prime candidate for PV. Location is the only reason I'm considering it. Though Aviator is in Alaska and seems to be doing ok with his setup
Will you be able to position solar panels to maximize their view of the sun? South facing roof? Pole mounted? Trees in the way? Very open flat section should allow for most any type of setup National Renewable Energy Lab: Analysis |
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Has anyone asked themselves why we don't see more solar farms owned by the power companies if the payoff is less than 10 years away? I mean why go to the expense of building a nuke plant or dicking around with the EPA over a coal plant? If you have the resources to build and operate those things, then a solar grid is a kiddie toy.  Of course there are more effective ways to make power than solar. Try building a nuke plant on your roof and you will have your answer.
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In 10 years you would be almost at break even point so no it wouldn't be a damned sound investment A better investment, one that pays off now, is efficiency gains. Quoted:
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I've done the math multiple times and it only works out if A.) You're an rich elitist asshole that wants to show off to your limousine liberal neighbors, or B.) you want to go off grid at all costs. Edit for post above- Whats the point of solar if you have no batteries to store it in? Most of us are at work when the sun shines. Guy at work has solar on his modest little home here. He sells power back to the grid. Not elitist...just expensive to get installed. If you're going to live in your house for a while, it makes great sense...net positive monthly power bill. We spend about $2400/year on power. If I planned on living in this house for the next 10 years or more, it'd be a damned sound investment. A better investment, one that pays off now, is efficiency gains. Ah yes young grasshoppa, you are starting to see it. . . Now ask yourself, what happens after the 10 year break even, for the next 20 years? (FWIW, my AO is seeing an average of a 7 year payoff, but Im not gonna rub that in.) If you didn't clue in yet, its called profit. . . . for 15-20 years. As others have said, if you're staying put, 15-20 years of profit is a solid investment. |
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LIke I said, I am into my system for around 8-9k. In my situation, there is NO power where I built my cabin. Solar and wind were my only options to live a "normal" life. But, now that the expense is done, I pretty much don't have much of an "electric bill" at all half the year, and minimal diesel consumption for the generator the other half. I plan on adding 3 more panels ($310 each with a 30% tax credit that drops my price to actually $206ish each). When they are installed, I expect to run the generator even less. And take care of the batteries, your system is good to go for 15-25 years.
At the above link for those of you who have not seen my cabin building thread, there is a lot of info and videos of my power system. Aviator |