Solar panels? What brand? Where do I look? (acres, house, water)
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as the title states, Interested in becoming partially if not totally electrically self sufficient. Want to put solar panels on the roof of my house. I understand the best way to go is to use an inverter
A few years ago, we bought 33 acres in northern Maine. Too far from power to connect. So when we built the house, we planned for it to be off-grid...and that's the way we live today.
One thing you did not mention - batteries. At present, lithium 'whole-house' batteries are about to hit the market. They are plug-n-play, very light-weight, and require no maintenance. But they are pricey, so we'll all need to wait a few years before buying them. During the interim, consider the least expensive lead-acid deep-cycle batteries you can find (not "car" batteries). They will last about 5 years. Truth is, your household will be running off of batteries, not solar. Solar is just one method of charging those batteries.
Yes, I agree that an inverter is the way to go. Nearly all households have appliances that run on 120 VAC. You have far more options (esp with kitchens) when using AC power. But you may also wish to look at some of the 12 VDC items (such as water pumps), as you'll also have 12 VDC.
The last thing you need to worry about is what brand of solar panels to buy. They are mostly made in China now, anyway. Prices have come down significantly in the past few years. Also consider NOT putting them on the roof, unless you have no other options. They are much easier to clean and to adjust if pole-mounted in the yard. You can even turn them to "aim" at the sun.
If you are serious, your first step should be to look at your power draw. You'll need to do this to 'size' your system. Buy a small inexpensive "Kill-A-Watt" meter at HD or Lowes. Plug in your fridge, freezer, TV, computer, lights, razor, hair dryer, etc. You'll find out in a hurry that life as you know it on the grid, is not the way you'll be living on battery power! But yes, it's possible to live the usual life off-grid, if you adjust your power usage accordingly. We have lights, hot and cold running water, refrigeration, a freezer, ceiling fans, stereo system...even heat, in northern Maine.
A few years ago, we bought 33 acres in northern Maine. Too far from power to connect. So when we built the house, we planned for it to be off-grid...and that's the way we live today.
One thing you did not mention - batteries. At present, lithium 'whole-house' batteries are about to hit the market. They are plug-n-play, very light-weight, and require no maintenance. But they are pricey, so we'll all need to wait a few years before buying them. During the interim, consider the least expensive lead-acid deep-cycle batteries you can find (not "car" batteries). They will last about 5 years. Truth is, your household will be running off of batteries, not solar. Solar is just one method of charging those batteries.
Yes, I agree that an inverter is the way to go. Nearly all households have appliances that run on 120 VAC. You have far more options (esp with kitchens) when using AC power. But you may also wish to look at some of the 12 VDC items (such as water pumps), as you'll also have 12 VDC.
The last thing you need to worry about is what brand of solar panels to buy. They are mostly made in China now, anyway. Prices have come down significantly in the past few years. Also consider NOT putting them on the roof, unless you have no other options. They are much easier to clean and to adjust if pole-mounted in the yard. You can even turn them to "aim" at the sun.
If you are serious, your first step should be to look at your power draw. You'll need to do this to 'size' your system. Buy a small inexpensive "Kill-A-Watt" meter at HD or Lowes. Plug in your fridge, freezer, TV, computer, lights, razor, hair dryer, etc. You'll find out in a hurry that life as you know it on the grid, is not the way you'll be living on battery power! But yes, it's possible to live the usual life off-grid, if you adjust your power usage accordingly. We have lights, hot and cold running water, refrigeration, a freezer, ceiling fans, stereo system...even heat, in northern Maine.
Good luck with your venture!
Thanks for your detailed reply! I dont plan on living entirely off the grid, just heavily subsidizing our power consumption via solar energy.
A few years ago, we bought 33 acres in northern Maine. Too far from power to connect. So when we built the house, we planned for it to be off-grid...and that's the way we live today.
One thing you did not mention - batteries. At present, lithium 'whole-house' batteries are about to hit the market. They are plug-n-play, very light-weight, and require no maintenance. But they are pricey, so we'll all need to wait a few years before buying them. During the interim, consider the least expensive lead-acid deep-cycle batteries you can find (not "car" batteries). They will last about 5 years. Truth is, your household will be running off of batteries, not solar. Solar is just one method of charging those batteries.
Yes, I agree that an inverter is the way to go. Nearly all households have appliances that run on 120 VAC. You have far more options (esp with kitchens) when using AC power. But you may also wish to look at some of the 12 VDC items (such as water pumps), as you'll also have 12 VDC.
The last thing you need to worry about is what brand of solar panels to buy. They are mostly made in China now, anyway. Prices have come down significantly in the past few years. Also consider NOT putting them on the roof, unless you have no other options. They are much easier to clean and to adjust if pole-mounted in the yard. You can even turn them to "aim" at the sun.
If you are serious, your first step should be to look at your power draw. You'll need to do this to 'size' your system. Buy a small inexpensive "Kill-A-Watt" meter at HD or Lowes. Plug in your fridge, freezer, TV, computer, lights, razor, hair dryer, etc. You'll find out in a hurry that life as you know it on the grid, is not the way you'll be living on battery power! But yes, it's possible to live the usual life off-grid, if you adjust your power usage accordingly. We have lights, hot and cold running water, refrigeration, a freezer, ceiling fans, stereo system...even heat, in northern Maine.
Thanks for your detailed reply! I dont plan on living entirely off the grid, just heavily subsidizing our power consumption via solar energy.
Great idea!
If you live in a city or moderste-size town, you may not be able to disconnect from the grid. Often, there's a municipal requirement for it. But you can sure get that electric bill down!
... We have lights, hot and cold running water, refrigeration, a freezer, ceiling fans, stereo system...even heat, in northern Maine.
So are you actually home-heating from the solar-system power as well? Does that use ungodly amounts of electricity or are there more efficient systems available these days?
So are you actually home-heating from the solar-system power as well? Does that use ungodly amounts of electricity or are there more efficient systems available these days?
You can always use the solar to charge a battery to run that little blower fan on your woodstove for heat
Personally, at my cabin I use some thermal mass that absorb the sun's heat and then leak it back into the house when it cools off outside.
That kind of solar heating is really cheap and easy to maintain
So are you actually home-heating from the solar-system power as well? Does that use ungodly amounts of electricity or are there more efficient systems available these days?
No, we heat with wood, most of the year. With milder temps (spring and fall), we use a propane wall heater. Neither one requires electricity. Just making the point that you can have heat, without grid power. Some people are new to all this, and have never experienced anything but a furnace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTSilvertip
You can always use the solar to charge a battery to run that little blower fan on your woodstove for heat
Actually, we use solar power (via inverter) to run 2 ceiling fans at either end of the house, which really gets that wood heat circulating all over the place! No hot or cold spots! (Great for summer heat, too!)
No two off-grid systems are alike. What you want from your system, will likely be totally different from what your neighbor wants.
Here in my town, I am the fourth home to be powered by an off-grid system, none of these homes are anything alike. We also have many homes that are 'off-grid' including no electrical power.
We got our panels up, then hurricane Sandy took them down for us. The next year we got them back up again [after a complete re-design]. Then we had a delay before we could afford the electronics. We took delivery of that last week, and now our battery-bank is charging-up, before I wire it to our house.
We got our panels up, then hurricane Sandy took them down for us. The next year we got them back up again [after a complete re-design]. Then we had a delay before we could afford the electronics. We took delivery of that last week, and now our battery-bank is charging-up, before I wire it to our house.
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