is Solar worth the money?

[warren5421]

Wife is talking about putting Solar in. We live in Indianapolis and wonder if it would work year around. I have thought about a gen set as we are on well water and lose of power is lose of water. Would like to hear from solar users.

[rancher1913]

i started a thread on this and got flamed by a lot of members for even considering solar over a generator. the biggest problem with solar is the batteries needed to carry on when the sun dont shine. malpaso has been using rolls batteries and gave some good links to read. i have been leaning toward the lifepos, they have had problems with fires but most reputable manufactures have a bms system that has taken care of that problem. you can get plug and play systems nowdays that hold up and are good for no nothing beginners because everything is sized and engineered for you to make them idiot proof. maryb advice was to just speck your own and save money which would work good if you have a lot of electrical knowledge already. some of the plug and play systems can be slaved together to make 240 volts. i have been hearing bad things about the eco flows on some of the solar forums so do your research before you jump.

[BLAHUT]

There is a ranch, a housing development in Florida that is engineered and totally of grid. They went through this last storm with no loss of power, no flooding, minimal damage, no loss of life. It is costly, yes, but if done correctly, Works all the time.
That is the problem, done correctly.
Look into this ranch housing development and see ? Check out the cost ? Then make your choice ?
In time we all will be relying on solar and wind.

[MaryB]

If you can wire a car stereo or some other 12 volt car add on you can plug together a solar setup! Manuals from the good companies are VERY good and have detailed drawings/pics of what goes where.

Solar panels
Solar panel racking(I would NOT roof mount!)
Charge controller
Inverter(48 volt is the most efficient)
Batteries(go with the heavy duty off grid batteries, they DO require monthly maintenance!)
Wire to connect it all(higher the voltage the smaller these can be, I run ~85 volts in from my panels at 15 amps, lets me use #6 wire. Lower voltage = heavier wire...)

Those are your parts, it is all positive/negative wires so wiring is pretty straight forward. IF you grid tie research the fees they require!!! In my case fees would eat most of my production so I make less power than needed to run my house and just use it all. I have some circuits setup to automatically switch from battery to grid as needed. THAT gets a little complicated...

[lancem]

I am totally off grid and have been for 10+ years. Over 16 Kw of panels, 48V system with over 2000 AH of batteries. I can and do run anything I want.

My question to you is what is it you are looking for your solar to do? Do you just want to run the well pump if power goes out or run your whole house? Would you need to run all of this after dark or would running it during daylight hours be enough?

[MT Gianni]

A close friend is an engineer who has looked hard at solar. He believes that the only payback long term is through subsidies and if the cost to run electricity is over $15,000.
I would instead of considering converters, to go with as much 12 V led lighting as possible and 12 V appliances. If I were on a well I would get a 12 V pump, large tanks and gravity feed but that's just me.

[elmacgyver0]

It might be if you are young and have a lot of spare money to spend.
If you are old like me, you will never see a return for your investment.

[M-Tecs]

I basically know nothing on this subject. I do have a very good friend that owns a hunting and fishing resort in a very remote area. When he started solar/wind he went 12 volts with everything. He has since switched 100% to inverts running 120 volts supplemented with gas and wind generators.

[elmacgyver0]

I love technology, but I detest anything that requires government subsidies to be viable.
So far wind and solar just doesn't cut it.
For remote areas wind and solar has its place, other than that, not so much.

[elmacgyver0]

I guess, what I am saying is.
If you are getting government subsidies for installing wind and solar, I hope you lose your shirt.

[popper]

No. I don't have solar, won't get it. Won't use a windmill either and I did look into using one. I've watched this since the 70s, still not effective. Look for a battery power if the water pump is small. I assume a 28v DC powered pump? A small pasture solar setup might work OK, maintenance is still a pain.
edit: in the north, add weight to snow load to see if roof will take the load. Storm damage is another problem - ins pay? Most installs are rental condition. Several companies have lousy service. A small single purpose unit would be fine, or if really off-the-grid. Full house city unit - not for me.

[lancem]

I basically know nothing on this subject. I do have a very good friend that owns a hunting and fishing resort in a very remote area. When he started solar/wind he went 12 volts with everything. He has since switched 100% to inverts running 120 volts supplemented with gas and wind generators.

Yes a lot of people start out thinking 12V everything is the way to go only to find out later that 12V appliances and everything else is very high priced and at 12V power demands require expensive heavy cabling. 48V with good inverters allow you wire your house normally and use everyday items available at any big box store.

[45_Colt]

A lot of 'whether it is worth it' depends upon location. Solar needs sun, no sun, no power. Where I am located it isn't worth it. Not enough sun.

Although if I had a stream on the property, now we're talking...

45_Colt

[Rapier]

I was going solar in 2004 and decided a Windmill generator was a better option, but a two day trip to Tulsa to the show changed my mind, went to a 17 KW gas geneorator, 17 is the largest air cooled unit they made at the time. I was going natural gas but the gas company played games from 4k to 40 k for lines, so went to two 1,000 gal underground tanks, that I own, of propane. I burn about 800 gal a year for heat (3 heaters), hot water (2 tankless), clothes drying, cooking and the generator. I operate 3 buildings, the shop and house are spray foam insulated, barn is lights only.
Look at all angles including the warranty. Solar is a lif left warranty based on 20 year life and any tax break does not apply on the warranty. Generac requires a certified technician to even get a warranty or keep it, but they are real good on a whole house deal, not cheap, but real good.

[farmbif]

I put up solar charged wifi security cameras and even though one is in deep shade all spring and summer it has kept the battery charged up, amazing, I figured in the shade I would have to be taking it down or running a long wire to charge it. this is all my own personal experience with solar. but in another thread last week I describe what my mama and uncle's experience with solar has been. there is lots of great input from many members in that thread that covers both grid tie and off grid info and experiences. it shouldn't be too far down if you click on the our town section

here is the link

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...olar-generator

[ulav8r]

My cousin told me last night about a solar system he helped a friend install. The house is 7500 square feet, There is no storage, just grid tie. The system was made just a little larger than needed. His electric bill had been over $900 a month, after 5 years the system has paid for itself. Not sure of the location but it may have been in the Austin, Tx area.

My cousin is now contemplating a solar system on his new home in Taos, but the energy provider in that area will not purchase any excess electricity produced.

[fixit]

I don't know what to think about "renewable energy" other than to say, if it requires a subsidy for it to be affordable, then it probably isn't.

[HWooldridge]

The owner of the company I work for spent $84K on batteries and solar setup for his house. He is hooked up to the utility grid and basically zeroes out his electric bill every month, which averaged about $800 per month before the conversion. He’s 65 years old and plans to stay in his current house so the payback isn’t horrible if he lives a while longer…

OTOH, our electric bill generally runs $200-300, less during winter, so I’m not really that enthusiastic about it for just my wife and me.

[Dave W.]

I live in Arizona, we paid a solar company to install the system, in 5 years it will have paid for itself, we are happy with it.
the best rate of return is if you purchase the system outright. We have friends that are leasing their setups, they are not happy because they just traded electric payments for the lease payments, no cost savings at all.

Our system has micro inverters on each panel, seems to be a better way to go, than one large inverter.
The down side is that if the power goes out, the solar panels quit givings us electricity. Do not want to back feed the grid and cause problems for the repair people.

Good luck with your decision.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

"Down Under" if your solar powered house catches fire, the fire brigade will let it burn until a qualified electrician is on site to disconnect it!