What are people saying?

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
I would love to hear from people who have been using photovoltaics for at least five years. Are their expectations being met? Are there any issues such as maintenance problems? Has it been cost effective?

Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?

    loaded questions. i know i have had mine for at least 5 years(i actually forget the exact date). i would be a liar if i were to say that no pvs ever have problems, but the key there is how good the warranty on it is and how good the company is in keeping to the warranty. most do not have problems and are usually given an 80% current rating after either 20 or 25yrs. this does not mean that all pvs will degrade that far in time and i would say in general that expectations are being met fairly reliably for the popular namebrand pvs our host sells. beware that some can be found out there that are not of good quality and are usually from some places like china, and this is not to discourage you from a country like china as legit ones usually are certified such as ul or nrtl. some legit companies also sell 2nds or blemished pvs that are also good and some may not be certified, but are often just as good on output and warranty so you'd have to know if it is applicable to your purpose to be able to use such pvs, meaning you'd need to do a bit of reading up on them. asking our opinion is ok too, but we aren't all knowing either and try to help if and where we can.
    maintenance would be a general inspection or lookover, if you will, to see that nothing looks out of the ordinary and give them an occasional cleaning. it also helps to be able to verify the pvs (photovoltaics) are still outputting power with a meter or some other means of verification of output such as by verification from an installer or electrician. they wouldn't be necessary often and would often be years going by unless you suspect something to be wrong.
    read the forum and you'll see what people are saying
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?

    Never had a problem with solar panels per se, but that doesn't mean the systems are trouble free or maintenance free.

    The most frequent problem reported is probably: no matter how big your system is, your power requirements always go higher. :p

    On the whole, the technology provided by reliable companies is quite dependable.
  • n3qik
    n3qik Solar Expert Posts: 741 ✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?

    I will address cost. Without any government support, solar can not compete with the cost per KWH from the electric company. The few times it is worth it, is if you are in a remote area, then it pays to do solar.

    I have a lot of money/time invested into my system. Payback is estimated at about 50 years. Now I look at this as a hobby/education, so to me I see a payback everyday. My other hobbies, well they did not do so well.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?
    n3qik wrote: »
    My other hobbies, well they did not do so well.


    does that include ham radio as not working out so well and if so please explain?
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?

    We have always been off grid. We had generators to run the shops and for lights at night, but it was crazy for us to run a 5 kw diesel for the two of us so that we could read or listen to the radio at night. So we had kerosene lamps,, Alladins etc.

    We started with a simple solar system to keep a car battery charged so that we could run the propane fridge ignitor, that lead to a reading light, a 12volt radio,, a fan,,,a light over the stove,, another reading light etc, etc, etc.

    That small system has evolved since ~1995 to a whole (small) house system that allows us 24/7 lights, radio, internet dish and modem, lap top charging, water pumping, paddle fans,,,, ~.6kw/day worth of loads,,, and growing every year!

    On balance, all the components have worked very well. I am still using the original t 105 batteries from ~1999 on a second string in another building. The price per watt is way cheaper,,,mostly because I now can shop on the net and learn from forums here rather than completely by the seat of my pants.

    I have of course made some mistakes along the way. On the other hand I am very happy with where I ended up. With the cost of fuel where we live,,,~$6 a gallon and every gallon has to be brought down the lake in a small boat and transfered to my tanks,,, I now go through about 100 gallons/year. In the old days our generator alone would burn 1 gph,, the diesel 1/4 that.

    My system didn't come cheap,, All the panels were bought used except for the latest 90 watts. I have been through a couple of controllers due to a lightning strike. I would guess that the entire solar system cost ~$2000. For that I save probably $2 in fuel per day. Now if I could change my fridge.

    Tony

    PS The biggest side benefit is that we can have lights 24/7 with no noise,,, ever. Living where we live,, with the drone of a genny,, even a modern quite eu100 is terrible. Imagine the Lister SL2 pounding away night after night!
  • n3qik
    n3qik Solar Expert Posts: 741 ✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?
    niel wrote: »
    does that include ham radio as not working out so well and if so please explain?

    OT:Yes, was a dealer at the hamfest. Started with Surplus Plus then went out on my own. Gave it up 2-3 years ago. eBay was hard to compete with. Do miss going to Dayton, tho.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?

    I envy you Tony!

    My system didn't come cheap either: about $10,000 for 2.4 kW/hrs per day! :cry:
  • hillbilly
    hillbilly Solar Expert Posts: 334 ✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?

    Well, I've only been living on "my" system for about 3 years now, but I have been living in solar powered homes for several years prior to that (so I don't know if this quite qualifies what you're looking for). Overall, I have to say that I really enjoy getting my electricity from solar panels and I too look at this as a bit of a hobby/educational project.
    The only real issues that I've had have been trying to grow the system from a very small set up to a more reasonable size for our stand alone, off grid, home system... and battery issues. Batteries are a whole separate animal altogether, and if you have a system that is grid connected (with no batteries), you can eliminate a lot of hassles and potential problems. I've not had any "major" issues with batteries either, but almost all of the real "work" or "hassles" have all been battery related. The benefit of batteries, of course, is independence, which is kind of worth the trouble (and expense)...
    As for being cost effective, I think in our case it's worked out to be a positive step from day one... nearest power pole is almost a thousand feet away and connecting to the grid would have likely cost us more than our entire system ended up costing us (and then we would still have a monthly utility bill...). We probably dropped about $12,000 all said and done (including a back up generator).
    Most important, if I had a chance to do anything different... I'd go solar for sure, no regrets whatsoever here. Now I can't help but assess the solar potential of any home that I visit or drive by, and I can't see myself ever living in another home that did not have solar panels providing power to the home. :)
  • Mangas
    Mangas Solar Expert Posts: 547 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What are people saying?

    I have a large off grid system.

    Three years ago, I figured it would recover the total investment in say 14 years including replacing the batteries in year 10.

    If Cap and Trade is passed, I figure I will recover the investment in under 9 years based on my assumptions for very significant rural utility rates increases passed on by those companies to the private sector.

    So far, the system hums along 24/7. I cannot speak to long term reliability.
    Ranch Off Grid System & Custom Home: 2 x pair stacked Schneider XW 5548+ Plus inverters (4), 2 x Schneider MPPT 80-600 Charge Controllers, 2 Xanbus AGS Generator Start and Air Extraction System Controllers, 64 Trojan L16 REB 6v 375 AH Flooded Cel Batteries w/Water Miser Caps, 44 x 185 Sharp Solar Panels, Cummins Onan RS20 KW Propane Water Cooled Genset, ICF Custom House Construction, all appliances, Central A/C, 2 x High Efficiency Variable Speed three ton Central A/C 220v compressors, 2 x Propane furnaces, 2 x Variable Speed Air Handlers, 2 x HD WiFi HVAC Zoned System Controllers