Need help with scaling up

[Swwiii]

Hi all. I got into solar power about ten years ago, and have had several free standing systems (i.e. power in barn, emergency power for house). All of this has been small scale. A couple 100 watt 12 volt panels, low amp charge controller, Cobra modified sine inverter, a few deep cycle marine batteries. We just recived notice that the power company is raising rates again, and my family are talking about doing a much bigger grid tie system, with a battery bank.

Looking online at solar installers and kits, the prices are way up there. Meanwhile, i can get 2.7 kw of 24v panels for 2,000 on Amazon. Is there a reason that would not work? What other equipment and cost am i looking at to have a grid tie system? Would you reccomend something other than deep cycle batteries in terms of amp hours in an apples to apples comparison?

Thanks in advance!

[Ampster]

If you are thinking of a 2.7 kW gridtie system I would think you are better off with larger panels which you should be able to find for under $1.00 a Watt.
However, I would use a system approach to design the most cost effective system. Here are some questions that might provide input for such an analysis. Where are you located? Who is your power company and do they offer net metering? How long are your power outages and what is the minimum kWhrs that you want to have to get you through an outage? If you want to leverage a grid tie system during a power outage you may want to look at a hybrid system. Others will point out that a generator is the most cost effective solution for backup.

[organic farmer]

... What other equipment and cost am i looking at to have a grid tie system?

Check your poco website for their contract. Ours requires that their engineers sign off on all of the equipment that you will use, and they need to inspect it, at your expense.

You should also check to see if your poco will pay you for the power that you put onto their grid. My poco does not pay for the power you give them, but they will tax you for that power.

[Swwiii]

Just to clarify, what I was looking at (though not tied to) was Renology 24v 270 watt panels. To order 10 of them off Amazon would be just a little over $2000. However I know there are cheaper panels out there. The most cost effective solution is definitely what I want, and honestly I really want it to be a diy project regardless of cost. I live in WV which has very favorable net metering laws. Net metering is credited at the retail rate, and net access generation is carried over to the next billing cycle with perpetual rollover. As for how long our outages are, I originally became interested in solar after a derachio left us without power and water for three weeks in 2009 I think. Luckily, most arent that bad. As far as battery bank, we would really require rather low kwh. Fridge and freezer, a couple of lights at night, ability to charge phones, and maybe run a small fan in the scorching heat. Thats why I was asking about the deep cycle marine batteries. It seems like having a handful of those to create a battery bank would better serve us than a Tesla battery, even having to replace them every so many years. We actually have a backup generator which I dont like, but it was free so I couldnt turn it down. I really just have a soft spot for solar. I go back to my amazement when I got my first panel hooked up that I was actually generating power there at our house.