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My neighbors, that is they live 1 mile away, just put up a little tiny house that is 10 ft by 22 feet. They set a bunch of solar cells in the yard. They planned on running it entirely on solar. But, on hot summer days they have a gas powered generator running 8 hours a day. Their solar cells don't make enough electricity to run the window unit a/c.

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Another great resource for those who wish to live off-grid:

www.Lehman’s.com


Mathew 22: 37-39



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If you are expecting to not build for a couple of years, there’s going to be several more options, mostly high end stuff. I’ve been looking at options (planning to build in a couple of years myself), and to me aesthetics are pretty important. If I’m going to live off grid on a pristine piece of property, I don’t want to look at a Rube Goldberg solar contraption. And the redhead is going to want to turn her computer on to go to work a 7 am, whether the sun is shining or not. Neither of us is enough of an engineering type to think that tinkering with the electric system is fun.

Since I’ll be building new, something like a Tesla roof is probably going to be the choice. Much better aesthetics, the cost is a little more palatable when building new, and the system is more of a “set it and forget it” deal. Substantial money, however.


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Originally Posted by MikeL2

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[Linked Image]

There is a house North of us along hiway 95 with a solar bank about that size. It is mounted on a pole in the front yard between the house and the hiway. The entire system articulates to match the position of the sun during the seasons. And it rotates to follow the sun through the day.

I am sure that is about maximum efficiency for a solar system. I have no idea how it survives our occasional 60 mph wind storms nor if it is hail proof.

It is plain to see though what it does for the aesthetics of the property.


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Originally Posted by simonkenton7
My neighbors, that is they live 1 mile away, just put up a little tiny house that is 10 ft by 22 feet. They set a bunch of solar cells in the yard. They planned on running it entirely on solar. But, on hot summer days they have a gas powered generator running 8 hours a day. Their solar cells don't make enough electricity to run the window unit a/c.



of course it doesnt

Ive dealt with this company for support

https://backwoodssolar.com

Last edited by ribka; 08/02/21.
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Originally Posted by JakeBlues
It would be nice to get hydro power from a year round creek.


Or even a seasonal creek that only runs in winter. A mini hydro that can supplement solar during cloudy, inclement days.
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You can probably get a lot of your energy from the panels but you'll want to have the ability to recharge your batteries with a generator for times that the sun isn't shining for a long period of time.

The Outback Radian is a good one to look at and can support a grid-tied system or just solar+generator.

Appliances depend on how easily you get propane refills and how independent you want to be.



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Originally Posted by MikeL2
Maybe my experience can answer part of your questions - but it's not the same setup

I bought a house fall of 2019 with rooftop solar already professionally installed. Originally rated at 7000 watts, NO STORAGE, reversible electric meter for the grid.
System originally installed in 2011, Total cost about $48,000, final cost to homeowner after federal and state tax credits was about $20,000.
NO modifications to roof needed, but roofs here have to be built for a heavy snow load to begin with. House built in 1996.

3 bedroom, 1500 sqft finished, central air, all electric except for propane heat. Northern NY location, Jefferson County, so definitely have a heating season and winter days without much solar available. Most of the time one resident.
In any given month my meter runs backwards, taking watthours off, when I make more power than I use. I don't accumulate any credit beyond a month at a time the way my usage is calculated from the monthly meter readings. My usage from the grid for last year and a half:

ReadDate & Days Read Type Total kWh
6/30/2021 & 34 Days Actual 0
5/27/2021 & 28 Days Actual 0
4/29/2021 & 30 Days Actual 17
3/30/2021 & 32 Days Actual 0
2/26/2021 & 28 Days Actual 584
1/29/2021 & 31 Days Actual 675
12/29/2020 & 34 Days Actual 805
11/25/2020 & 29 Days Actual 650
10/27/2020 & 29 Days Actual 581
9/28/2020 & 32 Days Actual 103
8/27/2020 & 29 Days Actual 0
7/29/2020 & 29 Days Actual 85
6/30/2020 & 32 Days Actual 0
5/29/2020 & 29 Days Actual 0
4/30/2020 & 31 Days Actual 0
3/30/2020 & 28 Days Actual 0
3/2/2020 & 33 Days Actual 370
1/29/2020 & 30 Days Actual 448
12/30/2019 & 34 Days Actual 760
11/26/2019 & 28 Days Actual 179
10/29/2019 & 32 Days Actual 0
9/27/2019 & 28 Days Actual 0
8/30/2019 & 4 Days Actual 0
(excel tables get screwed up when pasting into this site)

So...in general you can see I make more than enough power from April into September. Some months I send 400-500 kWh back into the grid. A major factor during the winter is my panels will get covered with snow and ice and I can get several months with just about zero generation. I expect that if I had pole mounted panels that could be repositioned seasonally - and could get snow/ice brushed off - my Oct - Mar numbers could be a lot better. Could also reduce power from grid if I had storage so I could use my own power at night.

For completely off-grid you'll need storage (probably at least several days worth) and another source of power for extended low solar output. The off grid setups I've seen around here all have backup gas, diesel or propane generators. If you're looking at a year-round residence and want reliable electricity I think you pretty much have to include a fueled generator - a large enough battery bank to cover everything for more than a few days will get real expensive.

You could also add a small wind turbine if you location has wind potential. There are also ways of generating from low-head hydro power if you have a good stream to work with.
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[Linked Image]



Excellent post.


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Originally Posted by Morewood
Originally Posted by JakeBlues
It would be nice to get hydro power from a year round creek.

Or even a seasonal creek that only runs in winter. A mini hydro that can supplement solar during cloudy, inclement days.
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

Hell, even something as simple as a water wheel in a little creek diversion would be cool to have as a backup source.


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Originally Posted by JakeBlues

Hell, even something as simple as a water wheel in a little creek diversion would be cool to have as a backup source.


If by " backup source" you're referring to something that adds a trickle charge to your battery bank.

Like Morewood says,

Originally Posted by Morewood
supplement solar during cloudy, inclement days.


You can use multiple sources to charge batteries, I use smaller solar setups and a sailboat style wind generator.

But any single source will have to be rather large to run much by itself

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Had a company out just as Covid hit. I use ALOT of juice. PA pays retail back for reversing up to 200% usage. We ended at 150 panels on a spare lot got me to 145% during optimal. I was part of the team the built the most efficient solar cells in the world. Last I knew record still stands.

Anyway, played dumb, kid trying to tell me they are warrantied against degreadation for 25 years. I dig a bit deeper, what percentage? Oh less than 1%,,, in written contract?! Kid got shaken, admitted he thought it was a 30 panel house, and he’s really in marketing just filling in. I even dug into end of life disposal. Biggest outfit around I think, haven’t heard a peep since “I’ll call you Friday”. That was almost a year ago. I’d still like to do it but reputable companies are missing from the equation and numbers have to work. I own a spare lot so load it up. To me it’s easier to ground install but kid acted like it was easier to plaster my roofs, porch rails, etc. to get 40-50% usage,,,, um no I’m looking for 100%+ offset. I fully realize the cost.


From what I do recall inverters are always the weakest link. That was 40% efficient concentrator optics so extreme peaks and valleys but I’d expect the same long term on flat plate PV. Pivoting axis is definitely the way to go if you can. We used massive trackers but there’s no option there for home systems and cost would be so extreme you’d never get to net positive cash flow. I modeled our place of 7 years.

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If the break even is beyond 10 years don’t bother. Off grid cabin is different. I remember being in the Adirondacks and I want to say utilities then were $1k+ per pole to run to your place.

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Originally Posted by gremcat
If the break even is beyond 10 years don’t bother. Off grid cabin is different. I remember being in the Adirondacks and I want to say utilities then were $1k+ per pole to run to your place.



Well over $2K here plus transformer. Two poles ended up a little over $8k, and that was with a minimum use guarantee of $300 per month, IIRC, to qualify for some cost share from the utility.

A hookup a quarter mile from the line would be about $20K around here. That’s 2/3rds of a Tesla roof with a power wall. But no bills from the power company with solar.


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