Some Solar Power Questions

[Daffodils At The Sea]

The other important thing is that the panels only pull in their full amount if the sun is shining directly at them, which might be 3 hours in the summer, 2 hours in the winter. If the sun is angled at all, they can only pull in about half. There are trackers, but they have a reputation for breaking down. It's not safe to have a manually movable panel because if the wind comes up and you're not there, the electrical wires connected to it are in jeopardy. They need to be held solid in high wind storms, so they are usually fixed in the east/west direction, and only tipped north/south depending on the time of year. So that is part of the calculation to make when figuring out how much power you will get from the sun.

It's all these reasons, and I'm sure a few more, that keep this from becoming something that the world can use easily. It's a commitment.

 

[k15n1]

Thanks for the replies. In all honesty, I'd just need enough power for a couple of chest freezers. And if I set up the trailer with solar panels, once I built the house I could switch them over there right?

Auto-defrost doubles power consumption, so getting the right freezer might make your whole system less expensive.

 

[~gd]

Thanks for the replies. In all honesty, I'd just need enough power for a couple of chest freezers. And if I set up the trailer with solar panels, once I built the house I could switch them over there right?

Auto-defrost doubles power consumption, so getting the right freezer might make your whole system less expensive.

Auto-defrost is also a major cause of freezer burn and chests tend to use less power than uprights brcause when you open the door on an upright the cold air falls out and is replaced with room temp air.

 

[haserd]

I think it is possible with more power.

 

[Tuco]

Roughly $6000 for solar system.

http://www.sufficientself.com/threads/6000-off-grid-whole-house-solar-system.14082/