I want to go off grid and need some assistance

[Halfcrazy]

Ok I get this question frequently so I am bringing it from email format to the forum so we can all help with the answers. Here is an inquiry I got today. I will chime in as soon as possible as well.

- I desperately want to get off grid  lots of sun and wind in my area have been in this location for over 12years I just dont know where to start I did build my house and did all the wiring and not sure how the solar works can you help me get a better understanding how it would hook up to the existing panel box I have or do I have to install a new one and rewire the breakers  would appreciate any help thanks

[mike90045]

Solar / Wind / Solar hot water  can be added to nearly any existing system. 

Grid Intertie is the simplest, you attach the inverter to spare breakers in your electrical panel. ( after city permits, inspections and utility approvals ) and your meter slows way down, or even goes backwards.

Solar Hot water plumbing goes to a preheat tank before your regular water heater.

Adding battery backup, or stand alone, is a much more intensive install.

[niel]

you forgot to mention they often give the square footage of their home like it'll make that much of a difference in the answers.
the key here is the area of the roof that can roughly face south. if not on the roof then on the property in some other mounting fashion like pole or ground mounts.

a new service box is sometimes warranted if the solar being generated will cause the power on the buses to exceed their ratings.

it can also be a battery backed gt system or an off grid type arrangement. those 2 may depend on other circumstances, needs, and wants with one of the major reasons being numerous power outages.

[Westbranch]

NO mention of loads, without which there is no way of determining system size. Time of use is another factor, if all electricity is consumed at night then the system may have to be 50 to 100% larger if battery based off grid.

[Frank]

"Solar Hot water plumbing goes to a preheat tank before your regular water heater."

Actually, this is "old-think."  Modern solar thermal systems can and should be sized so that they provide virtually all domestic hot water for the entire summer and most of the shoulder seasons.  There are various backup schemes available but I know of many, many installations where no backup is necessary as long as the sun is shining.

[offgridnut]

One of the most effective approaches that I have found is to "wean" the person off of the grid.  Grid-tie with battery backup is necessary.  They want to get off the grid, right?  They will need the battery bank anyway.
To keep the investment as minimal as possible I try to size the bank on the small side so that a second string could be added later that would make the bank about the right size for the final system.  A backup panel is added next to the existing panel and a chase way or two is installed between them.  Critical circuits are put into the backup panel from the main panel. The XW display is especially good about splitting out the loads in an easy to understand format.  The future offgridder then can then, without the pressure of cutting off the grid altogether, begin to find out how to eliminate or modify the remaining loads until the only circuit in the main panel is the AC input for the inverter.  They can go offline and see how the bank holds up, they can see how the phantom loads add up, and go back online without the trauma of LVD.

[Volvo Farmer]

You have found that people really want to go completely "off grid", with batteries and everything right where grid power is available?  and you are facilitating that? 

Most folks I know that are off grid do it by pure necessity; power too far away and too expensive to bring in. I have a grid-connected property in town where I run my business, and I would grid-tie way before I would buy batteries at that location. The disadvantages of batteries are quite substantial when grid power is available for .15/KWhr.

The approach you advocate is innovative, but for me it's like those potty-training underwear for kids. If you make it real uncomfortable for the kid to piss their pants, they learn to hold their bladder much more quickly than they do with super-absorbent comfy pull-ups.

[offgridnut]

I do have some grid-tied customers who want to sever the power company altogether.  They have medium sized (4-6Kw) solar and either hydro or wind also.  If you were getting 24Kw/day from a hydro source and solar on top of that then cutting the cord becomes a real option. Some of the power companies around here charge a connection fee of $25-$35 a month, regardless of how much power is used.  These customers also have a lack of faith in the power grid itself.  They would rather be going along independently in the first place.  Power is between $.06 and .08 a Kwh here.
Batteries will always be the Achilles heel of the off grid system. 
Alternative energy is my passion, but Ed McMahon has not come knocking yet(does he still do that? is he dead? I'm a little out of that loop) so if a customer wants a customer gets.  This is of course within reason and always balanced and engineered.  To further your potty analogy...............Sorry, Can't do it.

[laszlo]

Ok I get this question frequently so I am bringing it from email format to the forum so we can all help with the answers. Here is an inquiry I got today. I will chime in as soon as possible as well.

- I desperately want to get off grid  lots of sun and wind in my area have been in this location for over 12years I just dont know where to start I did build my house and did all the wiring and not sure how the solar works can you help me get a better understanding how it would hook up to the existing panel box I have or do I have to install a new one and rewire the breakers  would appreciate any help thanks

You sound like somebody who can do, and will be good at it,  but I am not sure why you are "desperately" trying to get off the grid? If you are already on it, it's another source of power that may come in hand so I would not give it up.

[patrick T]

Hi, I also live on the grid and am trying to figure out how to get off of it.  I currently pay about 40 cents a kw and the power here is a bit questionable.  I use on a average from 500 to 550 kw a month.  I was able to figure out the solar panels. I am trying to figure out the power center but I am getting confused rapidly.  There are no solar power experts in my area and want to build my own system. Does anyone sell solar in a box (a kit with all the necessary things to do a power center but needs to be put together. Shipping is a little expensive as I live in the center of South America (Brazil). How do I know the essentials to get myself a system together and up and running. Sorry for the long rambling question.

[laszlo]

Hi Patrick,

I built my own offgrid system,  instead of buying an already integrated system. Later on, I found out there are pre-assembled systems that Midnite makes and they cannot be beat in terms of price and speed of installation. Here is a link to a Magnum/Classic 150 complete DC/AC system. http://www.solarpanelstore.com/solarpower.magnum_inverters.magnum_ms_inverters.MNEMS4448PAECL150.info.1.html

It's beautiful and robust! I have built an entire house and my own PV system, so I know what it takes, and I can say this is a good value.

Hi, I also live on the grid and am trying to figure out how to get off of it.  I currently pay about 40 cents a kw and the power here is a bit questionable.  I use on a average from 500 to 550 kw a month.  I was able to figure out the solar panels. I am trying to figure out the power center but I am getting confused rapidly.  There are no solar power experts in my area and want to build my own system. Does anyone sell solar in a box (a kit with all the necessary things to do a power center but needs to be put together. Shipping is a little expensive as I live in the center of South America (Brazil). How do I know the essentials to get myself a system together and up and running. Sorry for the long rambling question.