We are starting a 6 month project in making the cabin 90% solar functioning. I write 90% rather than 100% because at my latitude that is the best we can do when you take December and January into consideration. I am starting this new subject line as it is slightly different than a previous subject line started by pkveazey entitled
Solar, Batteries and Other Related Topics - 2017. I hope we can all share our past, present, and future experiences for others to use as a guide.
Plan AI started out examining our electric usage which is about
12K Watts a day 12 Kw hrs a dayusing 120V power. I contacted a solar company in Massachusetts called
The AltE Store to get a quote using an inverter to convert the direct current power to 120V which we could then run all of our 120V appliances and lights on. It seemed the easiest method of meeting our electrical demands.
The other 10% we would need during the times the batteries dipped down to 50% would at first be provided by our electrical co-op or secondly with our propane powered 3500 watt generator.
The quote came back and I was stunned once I reviewed it. It was just south of $14K. OUCH! Now I could pare it down by maybe 40% because I would buy many of the components through my former employer at 20% over cost like: 4/0 cable, batteries, switches, and stuff plus build my own racks for the batteries and then solar panels. So maybe it would cost just north of $8K but still pretty pricey.
Okay now that I have a good starting point from the AltE Store, I can start shopping around to compare prices on components from Plan A.
Plan BNever to be discouraged I am going to start on Plan B this week which is to not go the inverter route but instead to go completely 24V direct current for all of our electrical needs like: Lights, ceiling fans, refrigerator, entertainment, et cetera. Currently we run our water system cold side with a 12V marine on demand water pump. We can also run the Rinnai on demand water heater too with a flip of a switch which turns on a 12V to 120V inverter.
As I do my research on Plan A and B I will fill the readers from this forum in on which route we are taking, why, and the retailers I am dealing with. Hopefully, some of the forum members have already taken this journey and can make recommendations and suggestions to make my and others who follow down this road just a little bit easier.
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