Going off the utility grid?

[BigAl]

I seem to have a little trouble understanding all this . I have a solar home in a Panama where we get 300 inches of rain a year . Lots of cloudy days .
It is a 5 bedroom 3 bath 7500 sq ft home . It runs on a 2500 watt solar system. I have 12 days of backup from the batteries in case of bad weather . I also have a wind turbine that is basically not needed . The system works perfectly . It has been installed for 8 years with no changes made .

Let me ask a question : Did you guys design your own system or have a solar pro do the calc's ? Most quality dealers will do a solar evaluation of your needs and the area you are in to get the most out of your system . Many also hold Day Classes so you can become very comfortable with solar System .

I strongly recommend anyone thinking of going solar to take one of these classes . The solar industry is discovering new ways everyday to make the systems more efficient . A system 10 years old is not like the systems of today .

With that being said I would not hesitate to install another solar system in the future .
A good system is not cheap and if you already have grid power the cost will never be recovered for installing a back up solar system even if you sell power back to the utility company .


Also consider that when converting DC battery power to AC you will lose about 20% . So make sure you add extra Solar wattage for the decrease .

Also go for the most efficient electric Refrigerator you can buy or go with a gas unit , I use 2 gas units set up side by side in my place , Dryer is gas , Hot water is gas , Stove is gas . Water system is 24 volt DC .


Good luck ! JMO

 

[Melensdad]

Al, your post, in many ways, illustrates the problems I'm having.

You built your home with solar in mind, planned on using propane appliances, etc. Not so in my case. In fact both myself and my builder argued with my wife about things like gas cook tops, to no avail. Our whole kitchen is electric. Lots of other electric current users here too. Well pump, multiple freezers, refrigerators, 2 pool pumps, forced air heat, electric AC.

As for solar installers in my area, that is proving problematic. I have not even gotten an email back from the short list that I can located within a hundred or so mile radius of where I live.

If I am going to get this done this summer then I need to get people out here fairly soon to start assessments, plan wiring routes, see if my plans actually make sense on where to locate the battery banks, allow for expansion, etc.