Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Solar panels on home?

Just some basics on sizing and loads etc.

6 350w panels will produce about 2100w stated and realistically @ about 85% efficiency will produce around 1750w @ peak mid day sun. In winter hours @ say 8 hours of production, you're looking at 14kwh of production if you had full production for all 8 hours. With efficiency losses and less than ideal solar production you'll realistically probably see 8 to 10kwh of production. 2 100amp hour 48v batteries will basically hold roughly 9.6hWh. 2x100x48= 9600 Wh or 9.6 kWh.

10 25watt LEDs running from 5:00 to 11:00 would require 1500 watts of power. Once you have a rough estimate of what loads you'll likely run for the 2 or 3 days you'll be there and a few other things to factor in, you can see how much battery you'll need and how much solar you'll need to support the batteries and your usage. One other thing to be aware of, LifePO4 batteries prefer to be charged above about 40F. They can charge below that, but it starts to get harder to charge them and not a good idea to let them get below about 32f. Trophy battery makes a heated battery, but there are other options for keeping batteries warm enough. There is a parasitic draw on the trophies to keep themselves heated but I believe they build a pretty good product. You can also look at SOK. They aren't heated, but are very good quality. Stay away from a lot of the amazon solar stuff as it can be a crap shoot unless you know what you're after.

Another option if you want to just run stuff while you're there is to consider something portable like a bluetti generator. I'm not all that familiar with the portable systems and I believe they can be expensive, but they would allow you to hook your panels up when you're there and unhook them and take the generator with you when you're not. The portability is pretty handy if you need power around your place in addition to just the building. It won't solve the Camera/security topic, but those might be handled separately.

Sorry for all the detail, but it at least scratches the surface of what you're shooting for.

I had a grand idea once to install wind turbines on top of silos in my state since every farm has one. Plus it blows a lot in SD. But since our government and power utilities are in cahoots, they won't let you sell power back to the grid so it doesn't pencil out.

https://www.youtube.com/@WillProwse

So I have finally nailed down some information on this. In my area, they do net metering, so you tie into the grid and get credits for the net amount you produce.

My house uses an average of 25kwh/ year. It will cost me close to 70k to get a system installed to cover the full amount. 30% would come back as a tax credit. So a little over 50k.

This would also require panels on my house. I have a nice copper roof and don't want it covered with panels. Maybe a few on a side that is out of view, but that wouldn't get me to 25k. I primarily wanted to just do it on an outdoor garage. If I cover the whole thing that will only get me to 60% of energy usage.

You can also sell the credits which would probably give a better return in theory than energy savings. I need to talk to folks who have actually done it to see if that pans out.

So I have some thinking to do on all this. My electric bill only averages 2-300 a month. So the return on that is not great.

Something seems wacky…

25kwh daily, at an average daily peak sun of four hours, means you need to be generating 6250 watts during those four hours. That is a SMALL system. Small systems don’t cost $70k. Unless you’re looking at a generously sized battery backup.

Mind offering a general geographic location? If you’re covered with clouds year round, and way up north, that’s going to seriously affect the number of panels needed. The exact opposite if you’re in Arizona for instance.

Sorry...that's 25k, kwh annually. Located in VA.

I'd like to add solar, but does it pay for itself, the maintenance, and replacement of the system? I'm thinking it isn't there yet, from the research I've done and talking to owners of solar panels. The main reason I'd like to add it is to, offset Commierado and it's socialist agenda. I don't plan on staying here in retirement, so it'll probably wait until the next house in about 9 years.

I'm not sure what make they are, but the battery box is a BYD. Each battery has a capacity of 10.2 KW for a total of 40.8 KW. I was told they have been used in the far east to power buses and taxi cabs for many years. Some of them have logged over 100,000 km w/o needing to be replaced.
It's a neat system that run automatically. When the batteries reach 50%, it switches to the grid. When the sun hits the panels and it reaches over 50%, the batteries run most of the house. Extra power is sent to the grid. I can monitor the system with my computer. Even the out put of each panel if I choose. E

Was at a house a while back to look at something they had for sale, and the lady was telling me about her solar array in the back yard. Smiling, she told me her electric bill was 13 dollars a month. I asked her what the payment on the solar panels was. No more smile. She said $350 a month. I asked for how long, she said twenty years. I saved the best for last, and asked what was the electric bill before the panels? Thought she was going to start crying when she told me about $120 a month…

Last I checked, solar breaks even if your electric rate is 12 cents a kwh. Not sure how that is tracking with inflation. And dont get a grid tied system from these solar outfits, that what the lady I mentioned did. Her electric rate was 8 cents a kwh.

wow only spend 55K to save a couple of hundred a month. in 400 years you might break even that is after you replace the panels and batteries every 15 years. the day after it is all installed the panels and batteries slowly put out less juice every day

I crunched the numbers and it appears my return on investment is currently about 12 years after the 30% tax credit. The panels are warranted for 25 years.

That does not account for rising energy rates, selling energy credits, or increase to homeowners (agent says couple hundred a year for value of panels).

My current bill is about $330/month for last 12 months. Which is $50 higher than the 12 months prior, even though we used 1000kwh less in the past 12 months.

I have no issue with folks spending their money as they choose.

36 cent a KWH so maybe payback would be a bit quicker. I'm in the middle of NYC. Up until 3 years ago the power went out 6-7 times a year but only 1 was for more than 2 hours. They have actually fixed the above ground lines over the last 3 years.

12 years for break even with NO outages. If I was gonna stay here I'd consider it.. I'm in a flat roof attached house that is 100 y/o.

me either but people are being forced to buy EV's in england forced to get heat pumps dumping their gas boilers. cameras in england taking pics of vehicles and if you driving big engine car or truck you get fined. wind solar electric pumps stoves and cars all tied to the communist agenda

Woudl solar panel setup run and in floor heat system? South east iowa , winter worst is a week of 15 below and 0 high most is 0-20 low and 20-30: high

Check with your home owners insurance company before you attach panels to your roof. IIRC a company in FLA was just dropping policies if owners installed them.

Grandiose plan for 4th or 5th production plant at Hemlock solar panel plant was solar shingles.
Everyone heard of Solyndra.
No one paid attention to Obammys other solar panel fiasco.
1st plant never even got finished.
Multi billion dollar project.

State of TN got taken for a ride
Montgomery County and Clarksville got taken for a ride.
RJ Cormon railroad got taken for a ride.
Rate payers in town got taken for a huge ride per the infrastructure cost for the place per its electrical and water infrastructure the place required...
Hell even the local college got taken for a ride per a 2yr program they set up for trained people to run the place.

Dow Corning made bank and didn't make a thing.
And they planned it that way all along.
You can bet beautiful people connected to DC politicians made "smart" stock investments and then knew when to sell also.
Used the pretext buckethead was flooding the market and under cutting them.

Think part of the place is a Amazon facility now.