Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in General Solar Power Topics #1
My one battery, one panel, one charge controller set up seen here:

http://offgridaz.blogspot.com/

is probably the smallest around.

Let's dream a little and hear your stories about the biggest and baddest solar system you've seen or heard of. We all know if money were no object we could power quite a spread with solar. So tell us about systems you've seen or know of that really take the cake. There's got to be some great stories out there...so let's hear from you.
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    for a city: 4.6 MW
    http://www.greenwatts.com/pages/SolarOutput.asp

    (edit - whoops, missed that "home or cabin"
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • Telco
    Telco Solar Expert Posts: 201 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    Can fantasies work here too? Because mine is the one that lets me run an entire all-electric house and shop year round as though it were on the grid, with up to a week of backup power.

    How about wishes? I wish some of the big box stores would utilize some of those acres and acres of land they take up by building a ginormous solar array, which would provide enough solar to both run their store and provide power to the surrounding area. I'm not just talking roof space either, I'm talking cover the entire parking lot with solar panels, which would also provide covered parking. The covered parking would give the added advantage or keeping cars from heating up in the summer, which would reduce fuel costs by making it easier to cool the interior down. Imagine how much juice a 30 acre solar panel farm could generate. That large would generate a net gain for the box store, and would green up their image quite a bit.
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  • Redford
    Redford Solar Expert Posts: 38 ✭✭
    #4
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    The largest I've ever seen was at "The Wild Center" Museum in Tupper Lake NY. It has a 40Kw grid tied system which makes up for about 10 percent of the museums total energy output. The rest of the power comes from Niagra Falls

    There are about 200 solar panels on the side of the roof, on the other side is a living soil roof which is really awesome.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #5
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    The biggest system my company has installed was for a private home in Augusta County, VA. It consists of 102 Evergreen 190w panels, 6 XW MPPT controller, 3 XW 6000 watt inverters, and 28 Deka 8D AGM batteries. I'll try to attach some pictures.
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  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    Thats a really nice install! the WX's with all the BOS boxes makes a sweet & clean look.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #7
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    Being in Canada "biggest" does not really take you far. Currently that record is held by the Horse Palace Installation that is a whopping 100kw *cough*

    But... for a cool and rather large installations for cottage / home, one of the visually impressive installs that I have seen was in Killarney Provincial Park here in Ontario. It's approximately a 3kw system on a private island within the park (was owned before the park was established) and runs the 8 or so small cabins and main house. I didn't get all the details, as the only person there was not the one whom ordered / installed the system. Maybe next time.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,681 admin
    #8
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    Might as well include a link to a Horse Palace Solar Installation article.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Mangas
    Mangas Solar Expert Posts: 547 ✭✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    Totally Off-Grid, mine runs a 4,500 sq ft centrally air conditioned Rastra ranch house trimmed out like any
    house in town to include exterior lighting and wells.
    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
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #10
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    Mangas, now that's what I'm talkin about...

    Sounds like an awesome setup...the kind I'd like to install in my dream home/ranchhouse/cabin or whatever you want to call it.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #11
    Re: Biggest and most exotic solar system you've seen for a home or cabin?

    Wirenut, thanks for the pictures! That is a very nice set up...I think going forward we'll see more of these high end jobs.
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