Thinking about going solar

[Jazz]

I'm totally not the solar expert.

 

But this company seems pretty sweet. https://www.portablesolarllc.com/customize-pricing-emp-protection/

 

Sol - Ark. Uses Solar panels and batteries during the day, switches to the grid at night. Supposed to reduce the electric bill considerably and can be used as a stand alone system if need be.

 

I hate APS. Also, it probably won't do the main A/C to the house- that sucker needs like 30 panels by itself so I left it out of the calculation. 15 Panels will do both my freezers and a window AC unit if needed. It *should* do the ranchs power supply throughout the day.

 

And it's EMP proof.

 

There's a huge tax credit for this kind of thing. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this company, or similar? Worth it? For 15k it seems worth it.

[naturebob]

If You stay living there a long time its worth it....Good luck..........BOB!

[BowHuntAZ]

The tax credit is the only thing making it even worth considering but I personally still wouldnt do it. By the time you recover the money you spent on the solar panels by the small reduction in your electric bill youll need to buy new solar panels because of depletion. The solar panels become less effective and produce less energy over time = the need for new panels after x amount of years. The only argument for going solar is if you feel the need to reduce your carbon footprint, not for money savings. the technology just isnt there yet.

[Kaffer62]

You are better off just putting the 15k towards your bill

[Eagle mountain ranch]

Good topic looking forward to the info for sure .

[muledeerarea33?]

I looked into it while building. It was 35k in my area and very little power company rebates/buybacks. I figured buying new batteries for the battery bank every 5 years, monthly cleaning of panels, panel depletion replacement, and the chaos of worrying about it all was more than I cared to deal with. When Elon musk figures out an affordable roof tile, maybe. But its not worth it now. Oh and wind power is even less worth it.

[Edge]

I lived off the grid for 10 years and I'd gladly do it again.

PV cells lose approx 1% a year so in 2038 they'll still be making 80% of their original juice. Its the batteries that are constantly going to be replaced over time. But if you alter your electrical lifestyle, and adapt, you won't need many batteries.

 

Why would you go on the grid at night? That's when power consumption is the lowest. The idea of the batteries is to store the energy for later use.

 

Propane stove, oven, water heater, fridge and freezer, pellet stove for heat and effcient pump or gravity water feed... It's all up to you to decide how much 110 or 220 you need to use. You'll need the grid power to run AC or a heat pump. I lived in UT when I was on solar, didn't have a cooling system.

 

Personally I had 110V generator for those times I needed to float the batteries or run a mig welder.

 

Put the inverter and batteries under ground if possible, the hum and fire potential is nerve racking.

[el diablo]

Think about technology 20 yrs ago and how much it has progressed ti date. Do you really want that long of a commitment to something that will be outdated in 5 yrs?

[ctracingraptor]

Slightly solar tiles will be a thing of the past soon, and soon as Tesla irons out the details of their solar roof tiles

[muledeerarea33?]

Slightly solar tiles will be a thing of the past soon, and soon as Tesla irons out the details of their solar roof tiles

I have an in with when thats coming. Im very interested if it works. Not looking to save the environment, looking to save money! Same reason I recycle metal.

[rcdinaz]

Very difficult to save money. I have been looking at this for years and know a little about it based on the industry I am in. Still not quite there yet, batteries are getting better as well as the solar panels themselves. Just remember sola is battery power so unless you spend a ton you are still operating off of car batteries at this point.

[cjl2010]

Please tell me you fixed your well pump before you start another project

[singleshot]

I probably wouldn't put up panels at my own house but I have quite a bit of experience with solar equipment. My in laws property has roughly 200 panels, scattered around powering everything from numerous wells to high pressure piston pumps. The main house has two arrays consisting of 24 total panels. 16, six volt batteries in series, parrallel feeding 48 volts to the inverter. It easily powers two refrigerators, a chest freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, television, water well pump etc. On those odd occasions when somebody is using the microwave and the dishwasher is in the dry cycle and a freezer compressor kicks on it will trip a breaker, otherwise it's pretty danged solid. Batteries get better all the time and we have some in use over ten years old. Add distilled water and keep them maintained, the life will surprise you. Three full days of clouds and you are definitely running the generator though.

If no other option it's a great one, If I chose to put a system on my own house I would forgo the batteries and just put power back on the grid.

[Jazz]

Some good points all, thank you. Ill try to clarify some.

 

I plan on being here for a long time... maybe retire here one day.

 

Some pros:

 

The system takes 90 minutes to setup and fits in the back of a pickup.

 

Comes with a ten year warranty. And the big selling point for me is : emp proof. The only system available that can claim that. Crap happens- whether its a psycho dictator with a nuke or a carrington event- Ill have the lights on. That doesnt suck.and my number one motivation ..

 

12k (after rebates) wont break the bank if I finance it.

 

Im not sure why it switches to grid power at night, but its my understanding that it only uses the batteries when it has to- that the panes during the day actually power the house. Batteries are

For grid interruptions during the night..

 

Ill own it in 5 years... I do not know how much Ill save per month. During the summer I imagine not much. Id get clarification on that before anything advances..

 

It also powers the well in a grid down. Also a cheaper version would be fantastic for elk camp and freezers.. and even an RV-(which I have yet to get) Im thinking of some decent possibilities here!

[Jazz]

Please tell me you fixed your well pump before you start another project

I totally did. I called in the pros. There were like 10 pipes 20ft long of pvc and Im so glad I didnt mess with that.2 hours of labor and Im back in business!