$6000 off grid whole house Solar System

[Tuco]

I'm no expert by any means. This is just based on research I've done in the last month. I keep hearing about $20,000-$30,000 for a solar system. I believe you can have a whole house system for roughly $6000!



Renogy 300W Polycrystalline Solar Panel $235 x4 = $940
http://www.renogy-store.com/300W-Poly-p/rng-300p.htm?gclid=CjwKEAjw8O2hBRDKur2lseLW6C8SJAC-r1J3JYI0Jz8PygE-lm4fV2n5EUSadfXS0yXt0_ySVfGGUxoCPpDw_wcB

Xantrex charge controller c60 60amp $140
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&output=search&tbm=shop&q=xantrex+charge+controller+c60&oq=xantrex+charge+controller+c60&gs_l=products-cc.12...7970.11266.0.13137.2.2.0.0.0.0.114.186.1j1.2.0....0...1ac..55.products-cc..1.1.114.VC2if-40b6Q&gws_rd=ssl#spd=5266964961206413007

Xantrex true sine inverter 3000watt $1364
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&output=search&tbm=shop&q=xantrex+charge+controller+c60&oq=xantrex+charge+controller+c60&gs_l=products-cc.12...7970.11266.0.13137.2.2.0.0.0.0.114.186.1j1.2.0....0...1ac..55.products-cc..1.1.114.VC2if-40b6Q&gws_rd=ssl#hl=en&tbm=shop&q=xantrex+true+sine+inverter&spd=16127689800116964546

16 deep cycle batteries 1600Amp hours total $3200
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-PV-Wind-qty16-VMAX-SLR100-AGM-HiCap-Maint-Free-Deep-Cycle-1600AH-Batteries-/280979588634?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item416bb0461a

Desulfator (extends life of batteries x3) $130
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Z3EZ1O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003Z3EZ1O&linkCode=as2&tag=yt0c-20

Battery Tender $75
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DTV172/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002DTV172&linkCode=as2&tag=yt0c-20

Other expenses that I didn't list:
Wires
Fuses
Surge Arresterhttp://www.deltala.com/prod12.htm


Also, if you'd like to tie into the grid you'll also need:
Grid Tie Inverter

 

[Denim Deb]

Tuco, I'm not really up on solar. But, how many kilowatt hours would that provide over a month if you average about 5 hrs of sun per day?

 

[Tuco]

The "math" on a solar system is definately something that I know very little about at the moment, (when I'm watching a video about solar arrays and they start throwing out numbers, I just get a blank stare on my face and my eyes start to glaze, hehe) but, the components I listed are actually a larger setup than this guys. He uses 6x 80 watt panels (480 watt), and what I have listed is 4x 300 watt panels (1200 watt) which should give much more charging power for those shorter days, right? I think the rest of the system is very close to the same as his.
http://www.freesunpower.com/solarhome.php
At the bottom of the page on this link there are some calculators/design tools to help determine the number of panels and batteries you'll need, etc

 

[Tuco]

And it's pretty much the same as this

 

[Denim Deb]

I'll have to check it out later.

 

[Tuco]

 

[baymule]

Well that sure is a handy chart! Always wondered how many watts things took to run the household. Living in a hut and washing clothes in a pot in the yard just doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me. I know how, and could if I had to, but I'd rather write a check to the electric company. But having solar to take some of the bite off wouldn't be too bad of an idea.

 

[Denim Deb]

But, how long does it take to use that amount of watts?

 

[Tuco]

I'm thinking the question really is, how many amps is it draining? I dunno, I'm still pretty clueless when it comes to these numbers. I've seen a similar chart that shows amps and watts. What is doesn't tell is precisely what you're asking, and that is "over what period of time" Hour? 24 hours? But, from I do understand, is that the system shown in the link http://www.freesunpower.com/solarhome.php and the system shown on the youtube video above should run your house for about 5 days without recharging. That means if there was no sun at all for 5 days. However, unless you live closer to the poles (or are clouded over), there will be sun for the most part, thus charging will occur.

I'm guessing that you can compare an item of similar wattage from this chart to the items on the previous chart to get an idea of what amps they draw.

 

[Tuco]

I'm guessing the amps is 'per hour'. The batteries listed above are 1600amp hours. So, if it is amps per hour, if you added up all the amps x hours used of each appliance, that should give you an estimate of how long your charged battery array would last without recharging.