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05/07/11, 03:21 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 464
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OUr first day on all solar, WOW
Well, it's 8:30 am here, first day with our 800 watts of solar working, and the 10 cubic foot 110v refer, 12 cubic foot 110v freezer, and my desktop computer/satellite modem are all on, AND I'm making 204 watts into the batteries . 
All I can say is WOW! Feels like party time! 
Other than that, I'm about speechless.
DH did a great job getting everything hooked up, everything seems to be working just as it should, and I LOVE the Trimetric battery monitor!
Oh, and now there is 210 watts going into the batteries....
I'm just thrilled to have it all working, it's like magic. I "knew" it would work, but to actually be doing it is quite a feeling of triumph mixed with relief mixed with disbelief that those 8 glass thingamabobs REALLY are running my house!!!
I always told DH, when solar comes down to a dollar per watt, we're in. Well we got these Dupont panels at $1.20 per watt from sunelec.com.
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5400' in NE AZ. Off grid 7 yrs.
Eight 100 watt Dupont 75 volt panels.
Magnum MS2012
2 Crown 395 batteries.
Outback FM60
Outback 8 breaker combiner box
Mini – DC Disconnect Power Center with 250 Amp Breaker
Trimetric 2025RV
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You can't ride, til you get on....
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05/07/11, 03:39 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central TN
Posts: 679
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curious as to what part of the country you live in?
What are you doing for hot water?
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05/07/11, 03:42 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 464
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We're in NE AZ, at about 5400".
We have propane for hot water and heat.
We used to have a propane fridge, but it finally died (Leaked all the ammonia out) and decided to get a 110v fridge, take the $ saved from not buying another propane fridge, and put it into solar panels...
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You can't ride, til you get on....
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05/07/11, 04:02 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: So Cal Mtns
Posts: 11,301
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VERY nice! People dont understand what a truly life changing event that is,it rocks you to your core.
CONGRATS!
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05/07/11, 08:49 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: mid coast maine
Posts: 664
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congrats , do you mean 1$ per watt cause you can get em that cheap price has either jumped or ran out of stock but can get @0.98 145w panels 20pc min..
or 1$ per watt installed cause no way lol
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05/07/11, 09:14 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: EastTN: Former State of Franklin
Posts: 4,423
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Fun, isn't it ?
Got my electric bill today....(minus) 17 bucks.
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05/07/11, 10:15 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,042
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Good for you!
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05/08/11, 08:00 AM
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Offgridkindaguy
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Out in the Boonies.. In Ohio
Posts: 790
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Congrats!! You'll never regret cutting that umbilical cord. The feeling of having total control of your own little zone is priceless!
Just wait until your area has some kind of grid disturbance. You'll have the same feeling as thoes guys did in that song..
"We just smiled and waved.. Sittin' on that sack of seeds.." 
__________________
Diogenes' Philosophy..
"The gods gave man an easy life, but man has complicated it by itching for luxuries."
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05/08/11, 08:44 AM
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zone 5 - riverfrontage
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Forests of maine
Posts: 5,867
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Excellent !
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05/08/11, 09:53 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 464
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sticky_burr
congrats , do you mean 1$ per watt cause you can get em that cheap price has either jumped or ran out of stock but can get @0.98 145w panels 20pc min..
or 1$ per watt installed cause no way lol
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When we got them they were $1.20 per watt. Price jumped later.
$1.20 per watt was close enough to my $ goal to go ahead, as I have felt "pressure" from the world situation to get this done.
Installation was done totally by us. They are top of pole mounted, with a tilting top so that we can change the tilt a couple of times per year. Right now they are tilted 10%, for the summer.
We are off grid, this is the first time in 7 years I haven't had to run the generator!
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You can't ride, til you get on....
Last edited by bbbuddy; 05/08/11 at 09:58 AM.
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05/08/11, 09:55 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 464
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 12vman
Congrats!! You'll never regret cutting that umbilical cord. The feeling of having total control of your own little zone is priceless!
Just wait until your area has some kind of grid disturbance. You'll have the same feeling as thoes guys did in that song..
"We just smiled and waved.. Sittin' on that sack of seeds.." |
We're off grid here.
Even tho we were using a generator, that's how I felt when my closest neighbors two miles away lost power!
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You can't ride, til you get on....
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05/08/11, 11:08 AM
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Offgridkindaguy
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Out in the Boonies.. In Ohio
Posts: 790
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You'll save a bunch by not having to buy gas now!
I can remember when I had to make the choice.. Grid or Off Grid.. 7k in a sytem or let them run lines back here and forever be in debt to them.. (Wise decision, Grasshopper!)
I started without a generator. I hauled 2 batteries around in my work van and charged them with the alternator during the day. (I drove a lot) I'd carry them in at night to power my meager needs at the time. That was back n '89..
Now I'm up to a smokin' 512 watts in panel and humble as a bug inna rug..
__________________
Diogenes' Philosophy..
"The gods gave man an easy life, but man has complicated it by itching for luxuries."
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05/08/11, 01:42 PM
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zone 5 - riverfrontage
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Forests of maine
Posts: 5,867
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My Dw and I had a long discussion this morning about this.
We have wanted to go off-grid, though our new house is currently on-grid.
The cost of a complete system is huge and the pay-off is decades.
The big benefit today for being off-grid would be the convenience of not losing power whenever the grid goes down. Our utilities go down maybe a dozen times a year, for up to 2 days at a shot.
The price per kilo-watt for AC current from the grid, is not so expensive as to make a shift to solar economical right now.
So I wonder; if we shifted as much as we could to low-voltage DC fed from a battery bank, charged from the grid. Then when we do lose power we would then be draining our batteries until the gird came back up.
Then it terms of economics and convenience, we would have the best of both?
Maybe?
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05/08/11, 02:17 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: So Cal Mtns
Posts: 11,301
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ET1 SS
My Dw and I had a long discussion this morning about this.
We have wanted to go off-grid, though our new house is currently on-grid.
The cost of a complete system is huge and the pay-off is decades.
The big benefit today for being off-grid would be the convenience of not losing power whenever the grid goes down. Our utilities go down maybe a dozen times a year, for up to 2 days at a shot.
The price per kilo-watt for AC current from the grid, is not so expensive as to make a shift to solar economical right now.
So I wonder; if we shifted as much as we could to low-voltage DC fed from a battery bank, charged from the grid. Then when we do lose power we would then be draining our batteries until the gird came back up.
Then it terms of economics and convenience, we would have the best of both?
Maybe?
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That works.Also just 150-200 watts solar to your batteries gives you the best of all THREE worlds.
I had a heart 458 inverter/charger with 150 watts panels,it charged from grid,panels and automatically shifted off grid to the inverter when power went off. I just had the panels keeping 8 trojan L16's charged,on occ. after big usage I would plug 458 into grid to get back a charge quickly.
Dont even need that many batts,I just bought system used and its what it had.
LOVE the battery backups.
Better yet,4-500 watts of solar,grid stays down you still have a 'Zombie land' system that will meet a lot of needs.I did that,completely installed,used craigslist parts for 3 dollars a watt,1500 dollars.Oops,might want to add that xantrex 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter for another 300 bucks,forgot about that.
I think youve seen my truck system,that would have you stylin'!
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects...PV/TruckPV.htm
Last edited by mightybooboo; 05/08/11 at 02:25 PM.
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05/08/11, 03:53 PM
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zone 5 - riverfrontage
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Forests of maine
Posts: 5,867
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mightybooboo
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Cool
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