2000W system?

[92hondalude]

I have and xantrex 2000w inverter that i got for free and its not doing anything so i was thinking about using it for solar to help cut energy costs. The xantrex can only take in 12v DC but i understand ohms law and understand i can be more efficient with 24-48 volt systems. My understanding is i can use 24v solar panels and use a controller and still use the same inverter? Is that efficient? How much would it cost to make 2kwh during the 5 good hours of sunlight? Im sorry if this is a noob question i am very new at this and cant seem to find the right answers.

[Sunking]

If you have commercial power where this inverter is there is no way possible this will save you any money. Quite the opposite in fact.

You will have to use a 12 volt battery and if you intend to take 2 Kwh/daily off the battery requires a 800 AH something like a pair of Rolls 6CS25P about 500 pounds worth of battery, and those will set you back a cool $2400 and last about 5 years. It will take about a 800 to 900 watt panels to keep those batteries charged up and a 80 amp MPPT charge controller. You are looking at about $5000 to generate 20 to 25 cents worth of electricity per day.

[92hondalude]

so in theory all these things you hear about saving money with solar is false?

[Sunny Solar]

Off grid electricity is more expensive than grid electricity .. Always has been and most likely always will be. Unless in the future there are major advances in batteries in both purchase cost and useful life.

[Sunny Solar]

You can only justify off grid electricity IF you live so far from the grid its impractical or cost prohibitive to connect to it. OR you have a special need and dont care about cost as other aspects are far more important.
I set up small scale solar systems to be used on private residences for security lighting. They are places that experience a higher than average number of blackouts . The wives of the husbands are alone or only with young children. Under these conditions cost takes a distant back seat to the safety of the occupants..
The batteries used are Lithium ion phosphate ,even if expensive as the people using them are not able to look after flooded lead acid properly to get long life and AGM batteries are unavailable.

If you dont have the above situations or similar ,off grid will do nothing more than consume your money needlessly.

[green]

so in theory all these things you hear about saving money with solar is false?

Not ALL the things you hear. A grid tied solar system requires no expensive batteries, but when the grid goes down so does your system. Still quite costly but eventually pays for itself. An off grid battery based system can't save you money compared to grid power. The grid is our friend, lol, use it when you can. When no grid power is available then look into battery use.

Green

[92hondalude]

so what kind of batteries are we talking about for grid tied?

[Sunking]

so what kind of batteries are we talking about for grid tied?

The best and only battery for a Grid Tied System is no battery.

[green]

A grid tied solar system requires no expensive batteries.

Green

No batteries, just solar panels, and different kind of inverter than you have, and a professional to hook it all up. The power you make during the day you use and send any extra into the grid, and at night you use strictly grid power.

This type of system requires almost no maintence when compared to an off grid battery based system.

Green

[Sunny Solar]

92 hondalude sell the inverter use the money to buy a slab of beer. much better use of the money and save you spending a lot of money on things to go with the inverter that wont save you anything,but will endlessly cost you..

[bonaire]

Your getting the free inverter is like me giving you two car tires and you building a car around it. Not cheap.

Your inverter is mainly what someone may use to connect to a car's 12V battery and run a refrigerator for 2-3 hours during a black-out, perhaps, or some power tools at a construction site. It's not meant for what you are considering - a Solar-powered power source.

To do Solar "right", as the others have said, you start first with a solar-inverter and build up from there. This is not a solar inverter - one which takes 300V-500V input and turns it into 240V AC output for use within the residence or business. The 300V-500V input is from a string or strings of solar panels hooked together serially (each having about 30V and 8A of maximum power output).

[bigbambo]

If one was to purchase a Grid Tied System, on average, how long must you live to break even?

[Sunny Solar]

You would need to give a lot more details .
Like where you live ?What federal and state incentives you can get? What feed in tariff you can get from your power company if they do pay for your excess power.
What your power demands per day are?