solar power

[kenacp]

Thinking that I might want to take advantage of my states 80% tax credit on solar power,can anyone suggest a supplier for a 2kw off grid package for a do it yourself install? Thanks

 

[forgeblast]

Backwoodssolar?

 

[dmccarty]

Thinking that I might want to take advantage of my states 80% tax credit on solar power,can anyone suggest a supplier for a 2kw off grid package for a do it yourself install? Thanks

You check to see if you can get the tax credit if YOU do the installation. NC requires a certified contractor performs the install. I THOUGHT the Feds required this as well.

80% sounds very high to come from just the state. Which state are you living? NC gives a 35% discount and the Feds another 30%. Progress Energy which is our power company adds another 10% I think.

This website has a great deal of information on Solar energy including state and Federal tax incentives. DSIRE: DSIRE Home

Later,
Dan

 

[catfishdaddyengineering]

Make sure go with a reputable seller/installer and read through all the information. Get someone to double-check any numbers that they give you on payback, output, etc. There are some unscrupulous dealers out there telling half-truths and outright lies. The output numbers that some are telling customers are not only wrong for our area, but upon calculation would take 26 hours of sun per day to get the output.

 

[Phils]

There is a great forum for solar at Solar Electric Power Discussion Forum by Northern Arizona Wind & Sun - Powered by vBulletin

It's sponsored by Wind-sun.com but the company doesn't exert any pressure to buy from them, nor do they remove posts that recommend other suppliers. Wind-sun DOES have competitive pricing and won't even sell things that don't work.

The members there are almost as patient and knowing as the ones here. That is my favorite forum after TBN and ahead of the other 1/2 dozen forums I frequent.

Phil
Off-grid since 1977

 

[RobertN]

Sierra Solar has a good web site, and has LOTS of books available

 

[kenacp]

Thanks for the info. I'm in Louisiana(50% tax credit and I am told I can install it myself as the homeowner and 30% fed credit).

 

[dmccarty]

Thanks for the info. I'm in Louisiana(50% tax credit and I am told I can install it myself as the homeowner and 30% fed credit).

WOW! 50% is huge.

Check what the Feds require regarding installation to qualify for the tax credit.

The asking price for installed PV systems in my area is $8-10 a watt so roughly $20,000 installed for your 2,000 watt system. I do not think that $8-10 per watt cost included a system with batteries.

Later,
Dan

 

[eepete]

Unless you need to get power when dark (i.e. off grid), I'd go grid tie so you don't need batteries. Why the focus on off grid (just curious )?

Dan's number match what I was quoted, I did the install myself, about cut the cost in half. Hadn't heard that the install had to be done by a licensed contractor, guess I'll figure that out soon enough.

Here's how mine went:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/178663-my-solar-panel-power-project.html

Pete

 

[dmccarty]

I just went and look at the NC regulations and I DID NOT see a requirement for the installation to be done by a certified contractor or words to that effect. The requirement might be there but I could not find it. The law changed quite a bit on Jan 1, 2010 so the requirement could have been removed.

Geothermal now qualifies for a tax credit. :thumbsup:

We put in energy efficient blinds this year. Some blinds could get a tax credit but you had to get just the right ones. After looking at brands, models, and crunching the numbers we did NOT use the blind models that got the tax credit. The tax credit blinds were priced to a point that we could buy less expensive models and not have to file paper work to get our money back. The blinds we bought did keep the rooms warmer by a couple of degrees and it was noticeable.

One has to look at the details to get the tax credit. You might very well be able to get energy efficient "stuff" cheaper than following the regulations to get a tax credit.

In NC you can get 35% of the cost back as a tax credit. Sounds good and it is but there is a but. There is another limit on the tax credit. One can only get 50% of you state tax bill back in a given year. In other words if your NC state tax bill was $1,000 and you spend $10,000 on a PV system you COULD get up to $3,500 back. But since your tax bill is $1,000 you only get $500 back. Not $3,500.

You can take another five years to get as much of the $3,500 back but if your tax bill stays at $1,000 a year you will only get 6*$500 or $3,000 back not the full $3,500.

The details in the regulations to get the rebate are important.

Later,
Dan

 

[houstonscott]

This site is my favorite solar site. You can become an expert in few hours here. I'll save you some time. If your electric company will credit you or pay you for your power then connect to grid. Sell back during the day, buy power at night, come out even. Go micro-inverters and keep it simple. Micro inverters is what you need to investigate and come up to speed on. Good luck.

Solar Panels from Wholesale Solar Renewable Energy

HS

 

[tommu56]

Backwoodssolar?

That is were I got my stuff from.

 

[catfishdaddyengineering]

The asking price for installed PV systems in my area is $8-10 a watt so roughly $20,000 installed for your 2,000 watt system. I do not think that $8-10 per watt cost included a system with batteries.

Later,
Dan

That is high around here if it does not include batteries. The $8-$10 a watt includes batteries, while grid-tie with no batteries is ~$4-$7 per watt. There was a local news story about a customer of Alabama Power in Montgomery signing up for the grid-tie program, and their system is 8,000 watts for $30,000. Maybe theirs is chinese crap and your quote is gold-plated connectors. Who knows!

 

[dmccarty]

That is high around here if it does not include batteries. The $8-$10 a watt includes batteries, while grid-tie with no batteries is ~$4-$7 per watt. There was a local news story about a customer of Alabama Power in Montgomery signing up for the grid-tie program, and their system is 8,000 watts for $30,000. Maybe theirs is chinese crap and your quote is gold-plated connectors. Who knows!

The cost of living in AL is much less than my area of NC.

When I first joined TBN, there were TBNers down in TX with a certain type of septic system that they could get installed for under $5,000. Here that same system was over $25,000. It was pure profit best I could tell. I looked at the materials and the cost should have been under $5k. But good percs and open land with location, location, location can be hard to find so some people would spend $25K on a poo field.

One of the links people are posting has grid tied system for $3-4 per watt not including roof mounts. If the contractor doubles/triples the material cost to cover the expenses that gets to $10ish per watt.

Later,
Dan

 

[dynasim]

Does anybody have feedback on the actual vs rated performance of the solar systems are. In essence, how much power do they actually produce on average in kwhr per day?

I know the depends on a number of factors, primarily:

Tracking or not,
Location Latitude,
Location Cloud cover.

I am looking at several different systems for a remote site, and would like some feedback from actual installations(not factory reps).

Thanks
Chris

 

[tommu56]

Does anybody have feedback on the actual vs rated performance of the solar systems are. In essence, how much power do they actually produce on average in kwhr per day?

I know the depends on a number of factors, primarily:

Tracking or not,
Location Latitude,
Location Cloud cover.

I am looking at several different systems for a remote site, and would like some feedback from actual installations(not factory reps).

Thanks
Chris

what type of system are you looking at?

mine is small at my cabin off grid in the boonies

600watts panels
2500 watt invertor
40 amp charge controller
8 6v L16 serried / parallel at 12v ~1800 amp hour
well pump on it 450ft deep
pump from cistern to cabin at 12v
lights, tv, ect.
crude rain water collection to flush toilet

 

[dynasim]

I am thinking of buying land where I grew up, and building a cabin on a remote corner. The best place to build doesn't have electricity close(2 miles), and I really don't want the recurring cost associated with hooking into the grid.

I may just use a generator, but the prices for the solar cells have come way down. It has a windmill for water, so electricity would be limited to cell phone/computer/internet/lighting, and woman maintenance(edit for clairity:hair driers, etc.).

So my question really is: if I install a 1000 watt solar cell, how much power will it produce daily out the inverter, with a fixed installation optimally directed(time of year, and latitude corrected)?

My initial estimate would be about 5 hours worth(5 kw-h/day). Is that high or low?

The people I know who have an unconnected solar system, and spend a lot of time at their place, also utilize their generator a bit. If that is the case, I would likely skip the solar part. I am not sold on the environmental efficiency of solar cells, and couldn't use that to justify their purchase.

Chris

 

[mmurphy]

Does anybody have feedback on the actual vs rated performance of the solar systems are. In essence, how much power do they actually produce on average in kwhr per day?

I know the depends on a number of factors, primarily:

Tracking or not,
Location Latitude,
Location Cloud cover.

I am looking at several different systems for a remote site, and would like some feedback from actual installations(not factory reps).

Thanks
Chris

BuildItSolar: Solar energy projects for Do It Yourselfers to save money and reduce pollution has some good info. He is a member here also.
(gary gary I believe is what he goes by)

 

[tommu56]

I am thinking of buying land where I grew up, and building a cabin on a remote corner. The best place to build doesn't have electricity close(2 miles), and I really don't want the recurring cost associated with hooking into the grid.

I may just use a generator, but the prices for the solar cells have come way down. It has a windmill for water, so electricity would be limited to cell phone/computer/internet/lighting, and woman maintenance(edit for clairity:hair driers, etc.).

So my question really is: if I install a 1000 watt solar cell, how much power will it produce daily out the inverter, with a fixed installation optimally directed(time of year, and latitude corrected)?

My initial estimate would be about 5 hours worth(5 kw-h/day). Is that high or low?

The people I know who have an unconnected solar system, and spend a lot of time at their place, also utilize their generator a bit. If that is the case, I would likely skip the solar part. I am not sold on the environmental efficiency of solar cells, and couldn't use that to justify their purchase.

Chris

All that is possible with a little self control
we use gas for cooking and frig and water heater and wood for heat
microwave gets used with out a problem
toaster too
blow dryer occasionally

I have a bogart meter in the living room and we use like a speedometer and fuel guage

We can only use one of the heavy drawers at one time and police that our selves.

We have a generator for the high loads or when battery's are low that takes us about 3-4 days of low or no sun with us there

That is good you have a water source my well only puts out 20 gallons per day so we pump it while we aren't there to the cistern and live off that while are there.


tom

 

[dynasim]

Thanks for the link!!


Chris