Solar power.

[lbzdually]

With all the uncertainty right now, I want to be able to not be at the whim of anyone when it comes to keeping freezers and hot water going. Have any of you guys used Renogy solar or unbound solar? I am wanting to do a grid tie with battery backup 10 325 watt panels and 1000aH of battery at 24 volts or just battery backup, with no grid-tie in. I am looking at with a 3000 watt sine wave for sensitive electronics and a 4000 for general needs. I can have that up and running for about $5000-6000. I also live next the river, so hydroelectric would be easy to rig up on a trailer full of batteries and high output car alternator. I have also been looking at PTO driven generators for short term heavy use, such as welding or running the hvac during extreme heat or cold. Do you think solar is worth it and what has been your experience with it and any specific companies?

 

[bear claw]

I'm very interested as well.

 

[lbzdually]

I have a generator, a Honda EU2000 to run a a few small things, like we had to go when the tornado hit Murray county, but I also just picked up a Generac 3600 watt continuous power and 4500 surge for $459 new. I have a 50 gallon tank and enough cans to store a total of about 25 more gallons of gas. The plan would be, use the solar for everyday things like the freezers and fridge, then use the generators for bigger objects on a need basis, cook with propane or wood outside. Our house has a basement with one end completely under ground, the other end above ground, but shaded year round then it slopes and most of the 2 other sides are over halfway underground. So we can stay fairly warm during the winter and cool enough during the summer without using much power at all.

 

[livinoutdoors]

Renogy makes good stuff for a good price. It is simple no frills solar. Grid tied systems are more complicated to set up but simple after that. An off grid setup is easy and less work. Solar panels do not run at peak efficiency, so if a panel says 100watts its really like 60watts. They will charge as long as there is some light in the sky, even clouds. Get twice the inverter you think you need. Dont go cheap on the batteries. Deep cycle golf cart batteries are easy to find and not horribly expensive. Li batts are getting cheaper every day. Solar is easy and affordable compared to even a few years ago. Good luck on your project!

 

[ucfireman]

I would bet with the new administration and the "new new deal" crap solar will be pushed and there will be rebates for installs. May or may not be retro back to previous installs.
I have thought about it for power outages but have not researched it enough. I Plan on getting a whole house propane generator with a 250 or larger tank. That should do me for a little while in bad circumstances. The solar would be good to have so I wouldn't have to get into the propane.

How long can you expect the batteries to last?

 

[StriperrHunterr]

I’d be cautious about tapping into hydro. Obama’s epa, and thus Biden’s, cracked down on a lot of water usage.

 

[Deerhead]

In 2013 I purchased a 50kwh solar array for my office. The system is tied into the grid. Anything generated greater than the consumption rate will feed back to the grid and we will receive credit. No batteries. We had to sign an agreement with specific T&C’s with the electrical utility. You will need to check with your utility on how you can install solar(on/off grid).

Over the past 7 years solar production on 50kwh has been: Lowest months generation was 3400kwh. The highest months production was 8700kwh. The mean for 7 years is 6900kwh.

This is a commercial application. But hopefully this will give you a real example of how much power actually be generated.

Good Luck

 

[Earsom]

I bought two 100w panels to go with my 40a mppt Rover charger and a 50ah lithium ion phosphate, all from Renogy. The panels are sturdy, well designed, and affordable. They come ready to go with MC4 connectors. I bought each for under $100. Even when the weather isn't idea (cloudy rainy days), I'm still getting more than enough power to charge my 50ah battery. The mppt charge controller is very efficient and able to utilize the panels efficiently.

 

[buckmanmike]

Is that 50amp battery at 12v? If so, dont believe a frig or freezer would kick on.

 

[buckmanmike]

I went back on my records and I recently bought 6- T875 batteries for my golf cart. They are rated at 170ah each. I should be able to travel maybe 15 miles on level ground on a fully charged 6 battery pack.
50ah is enough to keep a light bulb going.