Hi everyone, this is the beginning of my journey into DIY Solar.

[SunEagle]

Hi Mate,

I am also new to this forum so hello to everyone here.

I tend to agree with Sunking, which is to say that if you have a grid connection available, it is not financially justifiable to spend money on batteries. They are a very Expensive way to manage the risk of a power outage. Having said that, if you are approaching this from more of a hobby angle and wont be talk out of batteries, there are good options that are nowhere near as expensive Sunking stated ($35,000), My home runs of a 24v bank of 1100Ah "Sunking" Deep Cycle Wet Cell batteries, which I purchased brand new for just under AU$3500.00. These run my home quite well and I only need to run the generator in the middle of winter when we get 5+ days of overcast/rainy weather.

I would also like to point out that the remainder of the equipment required (Charge Controllers, Inverter, Ect.) can all be purchased online and are all in the hundreds of dollars each, not thousands. This is 100% complaint equipment which I had no trouble getting an electrician to install and certify.

In conclusion, off grid is, as a few people have already mentioned in this thread, not at parity with grid economically. But it certainly isn't as bad as some have stated here.

Also, I check and top up my batteries once a month and it takes under 5 mins No mess, no fuss

Ben

It seems you have been able to design and build an off grid system that works for your needs. That is good to hear but you did not provide specifics on what your kWh loads are so it is a little hard to compare costs.

Some people come into the forum wanting to power up large appliances, heaters, pumps or air conditioners. When you add those electrical loads to the essential loads like lighting the battery system grows to be very big and expensive.

Based on some calculations the battery systems could reach the $35,000 mark. It all comes down to how much you want to power off the batteries and for how long. Some people have no idea the cost of going off grid and start buying panels and batteries without any plan or design. Sunking (being very direct) try's to bring reality to those that are hung up thinking they can save money and go "green" in the process. Unfortunately they sometimes end up going broke.

[Pipmeister]

Hello,

It is nice to meet you all and be a part of this forum.

Looking forward to learning a lot on here, I have been learning about alternative energy over the past few years and this forum seems like a great way to learn from more experienced people in the solar community.

I am planning on building my own solar setup at home, and I will definitely be reading all the great posts on here for insight and advice. My goal is to have it up and running in about a year or less, if my financial situation allows for it.

I haven't decided if I will be doing an off grid or on grid setup yet, but I am leaning towards off grid for night time use and emergency backup.

Hi Mate,

I am also new to this forum so hello to everyone here.

I tend to agree with Sunking, which is to say that if you have a grid connection available, it is not financially justifiable to spend money on batteries. They are a very Expensive way to manage the risk of a power outage. Having said that, if you are approaching this from more of a hobby angle and wont be talk out of batteries, there are good options that are nowhere near as expensive Sunking stated ($35,000), My home runs of a 24v bank of 1100Ah "Sunking" Deep Cycle Wet Cell batteries, which I purchased brand new for just under AU$3500.00. These run my home quite well and I only need to run the generator in the middle of winter when we get 5+ days of overcast/rainy weather.

I would also like to point out that the remainder of the equipment required (Charge Controllers, Inverter, Ect.) can all be purchased online and are all in the hundreds of dollars each, not thousands. This is 100% complaint equipment which I had no trouble getting an electrician to install and certify.

In conclusion, off grid is, as a few people have already mentioned in this thread, not at parity with grid economically. But it certainly isn't as bad as some have stated here.

Also, I check and top up my batteries once a month and it takes under 5 mins No mess, no fuss

Ben

[Naptown]

Actually they can be AC coupled.
Problem is with battery management and voiding the warranty.

[SunEagle]

Since I can't open a power point file on this computer I will presume that it shows the Enphase inveters can be fooled into providing output power without really being connected to the grid.

That would require defeating the anti islanding protection circuit which could lead to potential health hazards.

It would be safer to have a small packaged nuclear reactor to generate your power.

[West Texas Bound]

AC coupling

So you expect any of us to believe this? Everyone of us know Grid Tied Inverters cannot work without Grid Power connected. So if you had your electricity disconnected, you would be in the dark and all those M215's you claim to have would shut off until you get grid power reconnected.

WASSUP with that?

http://www.greeneselectric.com/Off-Grid_Power_with_Enphase.ppt

Education is a good thing my pad wan learner

[Sunking]

I bought a pallet of 240 watt Trina solar panels @ .72 c Per watt cost me lil over $3800 and they came with micro inverters . 22 solar panels in all .
4 panels are hooked up to mppt charge controller keeping 4 100 aph AGM batteries nicley charged ,the other 18 panels are wired to my load distribution box VIA micro inverters If its really sunny my wife can do laundry , vacuuming , and run AC's , when the sun goes down i switch to the batteries ,, for T,V and my whole house is fitted with LED lights . Did I say I haven't paid an electric bill for awhile

So you expect any of us to believe this? Everyone of us know Grid Tied Inverters cannot work without Grid Power connected. So if you had your electricity disconnected, you would be in the dark and all those M215's you claim to have would shut off until you get grid power reconnected.

WASSUP with that?

[FloridaSun]

Actually My business went belly up and ended up owing the electric company about 6G's , how bout thum tomatoes , so they threaten to shut me off I said "go right ahead"

owed 6Gs? ... so $3800 for panels + more for MPPT and AGMs.... that's about 6Gs isn't it?
for higher priced electricity....
Had a neighbor with the same prob, POCO shut him off for $2+K unpaid bill. He tried winging it with solar for six months before putting the power in his son-in-law's name at a much reduced cost. His wife is much happier now with AC and the pool cleared up.

[West Texas Bound]

Actually My business went belly up and ended up owing the electric company about 6G's , how bout thum tomatoes , so they threaten to shut me off I said "go right ahead"

[FloridaSun]

Did I say I haven't paid an electric bill for awhile

No, you said you prepaid your electric bill for a few years.

[West Texas Bound]

What the ....?

Investment????

You can buy electricity from the POCO depending on where you live from 10 to 15 cents per Kwh once a month billing. So if you use the average 1000 Kwh/month about $100 to $150 per month.

Or you can pay right now today in cash for the batteries for the same power for the next 3 to 5 years in advance around $35,000. In 3 to 5 years pay even more for replacement. You just volunteered to pay 65 to 80 cents per Kwh vs 10 to 15 cents from the POCO

So what were you saying about an investment?

Did I mention i twill take another $50,000 in panels, chargers, wire and equipment to go with those batteries? Did I mention you get a new part time job 7 days a week 365 days a year maintaining all that toxic material and a nightmare of EPA paper work keeping track of 9000 pounds of toxic waste from cradle to grave?

I bought a pallet of 240 watt Trina solar panels @ .72 c Per watt cost me lil over $3800 and they came with micro inverters . 22 solar panels in all .
4 panels are hooked up to mppt charge controller keeping 4 100 aph AGM batteries nicley charged ,the other 18 panels are wired to my load distribution box VIA micro inverters If its really sunny my wife can do laundry , vacuuming , and run AC's , when the sun goes down i switch to the batteries ,, for T,V and my whole house is fitted with LED lights . Did I say I haven't paid an electric bill for awhile

[russ]

The batteries are maintenance free also, Just need routine replacement

and it beats having a loud generator running. Then buy a quiet generator - they are on the market and common

I'm not too worried about the money because I know the value of what I will be buying with regards to my needs.o, No, I don't think you do

I do however want to spend the money wisely and have a small but very high quality back up energy system.

That is you choice but hire a engineer to do it or you will end up with an expensive mismatched lot of junk.

You are talking about a hybrid system - not just your standard MPPT inverter.

[PositiveEnergy]

Investment????

You can buy electricity from the POCO depending on where you live from 10 to 15 cents per Kwh once a month billing. So if you use the average 1000 Kwh/month about $100 to $150 per month.

Or you can pay right now today in cash for the batteries for the same power for the next 3 to 5 years in advance around $35,000. In 3 to 5 years pay even more for replacement. You just volunteered to pay 65 to 80 cents per Kwh vs 10 to 15 cents from the POCO

I will be using batteries w/ mppt and an inverter, I want to be able to run electronics and lights around and inside the house if the power goes out from the company. The batteries are maintenance free also, and it beats having a loud generator running.

I'm not too worried about the money because I know the value of what I will be buying with regards to my needs. I do however want to spend the money wisely and have a small but very high quality back up energy system.

[Sunking]

I thought about getting a grid tie and panels, but the convenience of batteries is too hard to pass up and I think it will be worth the investment.

Investment????

You can buy electricity from the POCO depending on where you live from 10 to 15 cents per Kwh once a month billing. So if you use the average 1000 Kwh/month about $100 to $150 per month.

Or you can pay right now today in cash for the batteries for the same power for the next 3 to 5 years in advance around $35,000. In 3 to 5 years pay even more for replacement. You just volunteered to pay 65 to 80 cents per Kwh vs 10 to 15 cents from the POCO

So what were you saying about an investment?

Did I mention i twill take another $50,000 in panels, chargers, wire and equipment to go with those batteries? Did I mention you get a new part time job 7 days a week 365 days a year maintaining all that toxic material and a nightmare of EPA paper work keeping track of 9000 pounds of toxic waste from cradle to grave?

[PositiveEnergy]

I thought about getting a grid tie and panels, but the convenience of batteries is too hard to pass up and I think it will be worth the investment. My friend in Cali uses VMAXTANKS SLR155 Solar batteries and he said they're doing great for him, anyone else have experience with these batteries? They are AGM deep cycle.

Are there certain types of panels better suited to different weather environments? From what I've read a lot of loss of energy can occur from very hot weather. What do i need to know for the cold weather, any advice?

[PositiveEnergy]

Let me help make that decision right now. You will be doing Grid Tied as you would be a fool to do otherwise if you have commercial power available. If you want emergency back up get a generator.

Not sure what you mean DIY, but if that means making your own panels forget it. Not going to happen. If you mean install the system yourself is remotely possible, but not a given. Lots of hoops to jump through like certified/stamped plans, drawings by a professional engineer, electrical codes to follow, permits, and inspections to pass. Depending on where you are at your local authority may or may not allow you to self install.

Thanks for the input.