Friday, November 22, 2013

something solar

Update on my solar upgrade:
The deal fell through on the panels I was promised so I cancelled the order.  So...

I have gotten a lot of questions over the years from folks about what they need to take their house "off the grid".  That is always a tough question because most people don't realize it means a change in lifestyle unless they are willing to spend a small fortune.  So today I decided to tackle the issue by proposing a system to take just a home office off the grid.  I am going to experiment with this exact system (which will ultimately be used for my airstream trailer) to see how it actually performs.  I am sourcing everything that anyone could get right now if they wanted to.  The goal is to keep it under $1000.00.  This is all off the shelf stuff that doesn't require bulk buying and includes free shipping (except for the batteries).  Tax, some wiring, and odds'n'ends will add to the total cost.  This is just my best guess for now so until I try it out for myself - buyer beware!  I plan on ordering everything next week and will document additional costs and how I put it all together.

Solar panels x 4 = $521.56: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Poly-72cells-100-Watts-100-Watt-Solar-Panel-Off-Grid-12-Volt-12V-RV-Boat-/271313478269?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f2b8b227d

Charge controller x 1 = $42.99: http://www.ebay.com/itm/30A-PWM-Solar-Charge-Controller-LCD-Display-Solar-Panel-Regulator-12V-24V-/300969734928?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461331b310

Inverter x 1 = $117.12: http://www.amazon.com/Whistler-Pro-1600W-Watt-Power-Inverter/dp/B003R7AJ4K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1385166595&sr=8-5&keywords=inverter

Lighting x 1 = $7.93: http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Waterproof-Flexible-Adhesive-Lighting/dp/B005EHHLD8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1385166945&sr=8-4&keywords=white+led+lighting

Batteries x 3 = $254.97: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Duralast-Marine-battery/_/N-25t6?itemIdentifier=315062_0_0_

Book x 1 = $16.17: http://www.amazon.com/Photovoltaic-Design-Installation-For-Dummies/dp/047059893X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385168642&sr=8-2&keywords=solar+power+for+dummies

Total: $960.74

(Note about batteries:  I have several friends who swear by their systems that are using deep cycle marine batteries instead of golf cart or specialty solar batteries so I figured this would be the time to put them to the test.  Having an old battery to exchange saves a $15 core charge.)  34,50,50,0,B,.13 

12 comments:

Unknown said...

This is awesome! I'm looking forward to learning as you setup and test.

Rita B. said...

awrighty! The Airstream is comin' online!

Wm. Pugh said...

Sorry I have not been much on here health issues.
Hope the eggs give you a Wilder Carl! and sorry to hear.
Like to see the baby bunny and vegs!!

Love the new idea your having by taking people by the hand and helping them, alot of us need it LOL

Your Buddy in Rosharon,
William

Unknown said...

I want to see how this turns out too. I see a lot about "going solar" but nobody every puts it all together. It's the connecting pieces that bring it home. Looking forward to following along.

mike said...

This is what I was waiting for

thanx Jhon

Michael Peck said...

Very cool, I"ll be watching this!

Steve C said...

Nice package but I'd stay away from that rope light. "Cool white" is really a horrid alien blue. It'll drive you nuts

rj said...

Let's see some solar powered AC in that Airstream.

Unknown said...

I purchased these for my project. Cost per watt is less, but they don't have free shipping. A lot of people are swearing by the Tiger pure sine wave inverter sold on Amazon. There is a Harbor Freight solar board on the web that has a lot of good info and people with experience. Very interested in seeing how that charge controller holds up.

http://www.dmsolar.com/dm15somo2pkp.html

Coot said...

I have a small system (3 Fantastic Fans) right now in my small house (26 x 20) and am using 9 each Harbor Freight 15W panels and 1 Kyocera 135W panel, along with a Xantrex 40A controller and 6 Optima D31-M batteries. Plan to add LED light strings and connections for computers (Raspberry PI's) and one more Kyocera panel. Using the Optima batteries because they are maintenance free and do not gas. Also they are in a closet in the house.

Unknown said...

Hey Coot, Where are you located?

edlfrey said...

rj, I think that was covered by this statement " most people don't realize it means a change in lifestyle unless they are willing to spend a small fortune".