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Old 09-17-2013, 12:48 PM
 
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What's the best place to buy solar panels?

Any recommendations? What brand? What type? Whats the avg cost?
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Old 09-17-2013, 03:22 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,545 posts, read 47,653,023 times
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There is a very good brand made in Oregon. "More expensive", yeah by about $10 a panel. Well worth the few extra dollars for the higher quality.

I'll have to think about it to try to remember the brand. It would probably come up with google.
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Old 09-17-2013, 04:12 PM
 
7,280 posts, read 10,907,373 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ehoez View Post

What's the best place to buy solar panels?

Any recommendations? What brand? What type? Whats the avg cost?
Get them from Costco.

As for how much they cost, that depends on the wattage and how many you buy. The question is what is the best price to buy a car and how much to they cost?

Before you shop, you should have some idea of what you're trying to accomplish. Is the system going to be on or off grid? How much space do you have for the panels?

There are plenty of checklists floating around, you might want to get one and gather some info before shopping.
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Old 09-17-2013, 05:11 PM
 
651 posts, read 1,558,652 times
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I went to costco but they were about $200 - $300 for only 100 watts.

I've seen them for less than 99cents per watt online.

i want 4kw's

Last edited by ehoez; 09-17-2013 at 05:20 PM..
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Old 09-17-2013, 05:51 PM
 
7,280 posts, read 10,907,373 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ehoez View Post
I went to costco but they were about $200 - $300 for only 100 watts.

I've seen them for less than 99cents per watt online.

i want 4kw's
Their "non-sale" price is $139 for 100 watts, what Costco are you shopping at? When they have sales, the price is lower still.

Since you've seen them on-line for 99 cents per watt, go for it and let everyone know how they work out for you.
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Old 09-18-2013, 02:18 PM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
7,785 posts, read 18,768,926 times
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Most of the cut-rate panels you see advertised are "blemishes" which MIGHT be as capable as a regular panel but have a cosmetic defect (I've read mixed reviews of how well this did or did not work out for some people). Often they have the same warranty as regular panels. The prices are also often by the pallet of panels, not just one.

My system is (almost) 4.8 kw, which took twenty 235w panels.

Do you want grid-tie or off-grid? Don't forget the rest of the cost of the system (inverters, etc) - the panels are the single most expensive part, but the rest of it adds up as well. Often if you are going for a rebate or tariff program the sponsorship body has requirements about who can install and what can be installed.

One of the best sources is Renewable Energy & Efficiency Technologies | Home Power Magazine , which has a lot of DIY info.
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Old 09-18-2013, 02:55 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,301 posts, read 61,111,691 times
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I got our solar panels online.

- Sun Electronics - "Wholesale Solar to Everyone"

We have 4400 watts in panels, we paid around 75 cents/watt.
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Old 09-24-2013, 10:28 AM
 
4,563 posts, read 3,381,788 times
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I am working on a solar design for my place which has some odd needs. I am researching the battery packs, since the power goes out here frequently, but I am not having much success. Does anyone have any good links on how to determine my battery needs?

Here's the deal in a nutshell:

I am a ranch hand on a free range poultry farm, I live in a very nice, upscale trailer. We just had to relocate the trailer to the back of the farm, putting it a good 4500 feet from the electric pole, breaker box. I am running off of a underground 10-3 electric line, and the voltage loss is high. I just fenced off the trailer area, and will be construction a few 8'x12' hydroponic greenhouses. Also, in the move, I gained a good 500 feet of elevation, and the wind is significant.

So, I want a solar/wind system that can power the hydroponics and the trailer, store about 6 hours of use in batteries and feed the remaining to the grid as long as I get first dibs on the voltage. All the hydroponic sheds will have sloped roves facing south, about 480 sq feet of roof face. Also, my area is big for wind power, with 35 towers about 3000 feet north of my place.
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Old 09-24-2013, 10:52 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,301 posts, read 61,111,691 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by armourereric View Post
I am working on a solar design for my place which has some odd needs. I am researching the battery packs, since the power goes out here frequently, but I am not having much success. Does anyone have any good links on how to determine my battery needs?
This is where you need to be: Solar Beginners Corner

A. How many days do you expect to go without sun-light?

B. How much is your average daily usage?

C. Multiply daily-usage with how many days, will give you the minimum that you need. [A X B = C]

Plus remember that deep-cycling will kill batteries. Every time you deep cycle you risk killing a battery. No battery can survive longer than 100 deep cycles.

D. As a minimum safe size, your battery bank should be at least four times larger than C to prevent damage to batteries. [C X 4 = D]



Quote:
... I am a ranch hand on a free range poultry farm, I live in a very nice, upscale trailer. We just had to relocate the trailer to the back of the farm, putting it a good 4500 feet from the electric pole, breaker box. I am running off of a underground 10-3 electric line, and the voltage loss is high. I just fenced off the trailer area, and will be construction a few 8'x12' hydroponic greenhouses. Also, in the move, I gained a good 500 feet of elevation, and the wind is significant.

So, I want a solar/wind system that can power the hydroponics and the trailer, store about 6 hours of use in batteries and feed the remaining to the grid as long as I get first dibs on the voltage. All the hydroponic sheds will have sloped roves facing south, about 480 sq feet of roof face. Also, my area is big for wind power, with 35 towers about 3000 feet north of my place.
Grid-tie is also called Net-Metering.

With an off-grid system the biggest cost is the batteries. However when you go Net-Metering the expense really goes up.

We have priced both options in this area, and this past weekend I attended a conference on the topic. Grid-ties Net-Metering systems are commonly twice the price of off-grid setups.
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Old 09-24-2013, 11:57 AM
 
4,563 posts, read 3,381,788 times
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I'm in San Diego, so we get only 30 sunless days or less. I really do not know the usage on the trailer, I may buy an in-line meter off of ebay and put it in-line at the trailer plug just to see. The trailer is only 60 amps, so that will also mitigate the cost.
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