$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

 

[Medicine Woman]

After a couple of weeks living in the third world section of the USA and having to cram all washing and cleaning into moments we actually had power I became very determined to have solar power because I realized we already had some equipment that we were using while we gave the generator a break. We were using an inverter with vehicle batteries to power up a fan, bug light or radio and keep phones charged. I figured I could just order a panel to get started with the fridge so I did a google search and discovered I needed a 300 watt panel to run a fridge. Well I ordered something that claimed to be a 300 watt panel off of eBay but DH’s BF informs us it’s not even 100 and it’s normally just used to keep RV batteries from draining when sitting so long without using. I probably should have returned it but maybe I can set it up and just charge batteries. I mean batteries helped us out just a few weeks ago. What I envision is treated studs leaning and fixed in place to the south side (back) of the house, which will offer some protection for the rabbits and keep the sun off the back porch. That way we don’t need anyone to climb the roof for us. We can get some extra long squeegees or something. I do feel a tad bit pessimistic about this but only because I never attempted to totally unplug from the grid except for storms but they do happen. Ida was so crazy mad and don’t any of y’all believe what the news said about it being a Cat 3, because the plane that flies around the storm to measure them....well they stopped before finishing the job because the windows were cracking and I believe it. But fact checkers blurred a meme with all the facts and all us Lafourche Parish people know there is a wind gauge in Port Fourcheon. I can go back for the numbers but Ida was the absolute most violent storm to ever hit the USA, and if y’all could have seen my town, instead of just New Orleans y’all would believe it. It was so horrible that life long residents have left. I met people I didn’t even know before who were talking about the stuff we always talk about here. This guy was at a friends house and he was gonna get a cistern, some solar panels and have his gas changed out for propane and get a wood burning stove. Suddenly no one looking at him but at me....to see my reaction.
Regarding the cost and convenience of energy one way or the other I tallied up my yearly utilities a good while back and actually I was using over $3000/year in my house (much bigger than this one). So I have to see what I will actually spend here. But here is my two cents worth....so let’s say my average electric bill would be $200/month and I manage to get a whole house solar generator built and we take care of it and have 5 years without issues and then we see we will be needing to buy new batteries for $3,000 (not allowing for inflation)....so a reasonably prudent person would attempt to take the $200/month and put it somewhere in a nest egg to prepare for the inevitable death of some of the system. In 5 years I would have given the power company $12,000 and have nothing to show for it. The fact that I will need $3,000 of that amount shouldn’t upset me too greatly. If anything, I should just be grateful I saved it. Even if I have to add another $1000 onto the price, due to inflation, I can safely assume grid power will also be going to also increase beyond what my income can reach. It’s like this with anything. Who would buy a new car today.... pay it off in 5 years. Use it for a total of 15 years and then it totally dies and you are without a vehicle and now you crying because you have TO START saving for a new vehicle? No....after the first 5 years are up and you suddenly don’t have a $500 note, you should have been saving at least $200/month so next go round you won’t have a note. Sure...we mostly all on the grid and it’s easier today to just enjoy it but some of us are getting old and we won’t be bringing in as much money in 10 years. Who is to say we will even be able to afford electricity? I for one am very tempted to take the plunge.

 

[Medicine Woman]

Hi. So revisiting this idea again and I just survived Hurricane Ida. We went three weeks without grid power. Internet is still not completely fixed. So for a while we were using small solar projects, generators, waiting in gas and food lines. It was a mess. Then it was so incredibly hot and wet and we had curfews and just it’s starting to cool off the police and military are trying to rush you home....that’s if you have a home. So we went to Harbor Freight to find solar panels and other components. They had one single 100 watt panel, no batteries or inverter. Furthermore the employee didn’t seem to know as much as I was told they would know. Like I am discussing my needs and she just basically is telling me this is all they have. I don’t know 🤷‍♀️. Maybe the hurricane caused everything to be bought up fast. So this young guy is there and looking at the same thing as me and I tell him I was just going to start with my refrigerator but I would need 3 of these to give me enough power. I asked him what he was planning and he wanted to ‘just power up an electric burner to cook with and his phone.’ So I tell him he would need even more than me because of the burner. I suggested he get a battery backup like a Jackery for the phone and other small things and power it up with a small panel by day and replace the burner with a camping stove or grill....God knows we have enough fallen oak and pecans. I think he believed me.
So back to me. I had to relocate to DH’s original home. Very old Cajun shotgun house. I have never lived in such a small house in my life so hopefully the utilities are low. We have gas heater, water heater and stove. Wash room is in an attached shed. I understand the dryer doesn’t work but I don’t use it anyway....but the 220 line allows us to backfeed and power up the whole house during outages with a generator and I am wondering if it could be used in a similar way with solar power. So I have a bit of money picked up that I thought I would use to pay my taxes....that child tax credit Biden is sending everyone. Well Hurricane Ida ended my employment so I think I can access that plus a little emergency money and get the $6000 setup...maybe more because this thread is a few years old. But my thing is I don’t want the panels on the roof. I want to be able to have everything possible fully charged and then take down the panels for protection before the storm shows up...leave Louisiana...maybe visit WBF or something and come back down the bayou to see what’s left. Very soon I will see what Hurricane Ida will cost us on our electricity bill and I don’t think I will like it. I hope your links still lead me to affordable products.

 

[Tuco]

 

[baymule]

At last, somebody is putting electrical speak in a form I can read and comprehend.

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[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.