I got the latest generation of solar panels in October after a year of brownouts and frequency issues from the grid.
This week, despite cloudy skies and intermittent snowfall, they were generating enough power to run my entire house off grid, charge the emergency power (single battery backup), and export to the grid.
We got all the way from 4am to 8pm before the solar and battery arrangement was unable to fulfill our demand. This is a multigenerational house with eight occupants, and two full time offices, over 40 network ed devices and large washing machines capable of taking equestrian gear.
The installer has been in the trade for 25 years and is stunned that we’re getting this in February. My panels were about 75 dollars more expensive, each, than panels that wouldn’t be generating anything at all in this cloud cover.
After the equinox we will be capable of running the entire house off solar, after spending no more than 2500 dollars on panels.
The problem is the panels are too good! We now need a bank of batteries because we can’t use the solar fast enough. The energy company will but it for 5p a unit but sell it back to me at 25p when I need it. I might as well just store it for use at night.
Over the road from me, another house with panels is doing this already and he’s charging 2 hybrid cars.
And once the non-lithium battery market takes off, the cost of the most expensive component of any solar setup will plummet.
In 5 years time you’ll be able to convert your house to full off-grid solar and charge your electric car for free if you have one, all for a one-off spend of 6000 dollars.
And it’ll be good for 12 years minimum.
If you can show me any fossil fuel energy supply that can power my house for 500 dollars a year, please do.
If you can’t... That is why solar is one to watch.
How much did your panels cost, installed, without subsides?
What you are describing is not what I have seen, and I live in Arizona.
Any house can be run off of solar power if they don't use much energy.
For example, you do not mention air conditioning or heating.
Very easy to scale a house , try a large municipality.
Stop with your well-informed, reasonable updates on the state of the technology!! No one needs that sort of information around here! We have our innate biases to rely on, that prove to us that things never change in the economy!
You are predicting exactly how much for solar (dollars per watt)? I have heard stories for years about 50 cents a watt, 25 cents a watt, etc. Right now panels are a dollar a watt same as 10 years ago.
Thank you for the detail of your response.
Please share the brand/source of the panels that you are using, etc. You indicated a spend of @ $6,000 USD. Is this a turnkey cost?
I’d be interested in converting my all electricity house (average monthly electric = @ $189 w/ two people) to this setup.
MFO
Thats good first hand information, thanks.
Its contrary to what I have previously know about the technology; so its good to hear of your experience.
That’s all fine and well, but what happens to the panels after they’re used up? They leach metals into groundwater and many of their components are mined with bad consequences for the environment.
Claims.. now just match it with links to real products and you might have something. Otherwise.. just talk.
Please freepmail info on your panels. Thanks micb