Newbie ready to go off grid

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Comments

  • Porschephanatic
    Porschephanatic Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭
    edited January 2020 #152
          Understood. Solar power may be an asset, actually. And our grandsons want our lodge in perpetuity after Mia and I pass on. 
           1/2 mile to the nearest pole is just the start. That pole is over a mile from the nearest paved road, and only 2 huge hunting camps are on the line, and we are the 1/2 mile beyond that. The last big wind storm we had took out that line, and at lowest priority, took over 2 weeks to restore. 🤪
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,722 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    You sound like a candidate for offgrid from what you said above. You should still do the model on costing. The number of full time people is often more of a driver in in system size than energy usage. You already know you are going to do this right and not make the dumb mistakes like an electric range and dryer.

    There is not much in life quite as sweet as living offgrid in a beautiful place. At least we think so!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail [email protected]

  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2020 #154
    I was just explaining a system to someone looking at an off grid home 'done right'. Super insulted, earth contact, Iron Edison batteries. They  dropped the price $50K after 9 months of being listed;  

    https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7846-Green-Hill-Rd-Linville-VA-22834/222327837_zpid/
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • Porschephanatic
    Porschephanatic Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭
    edited January 2020 #155
    True, Dave. This is the type  of location that we've been looking for for 30 years. It  is beautiful. I just wish that my parents were around to see it. My dad was a licensed realtor and helped us look for an opportunity like this. I don't think that resale will be any problem for the grandsons should they become desperate many years from now. 😁
  • Porschephanatic
    Porschephanatic Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭
    Wow! Dropped $50k after 9 months! I guess that not everyone is looking for a system that needs maintenance and periodic battery and electronics replacements.
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,722 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Iron Edison makes both a super efficient LFP and the old school NIFE batteries that are super low efficiency. I may be wrong but when I first saw the NIFE bats they were being sold as doomsday batteries. You could "rebuild" them as Mike has here on the forum. Dr. Strangelove has them I hear ;)
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail [email protected]

  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    NiFe batteries are lower efficiency than flooded lead acid, but they are not super low !  I never worry about sulfating the batteries.  Winter cloudy spells were a major factor in choosing NiFe batteries.  
    When I started, LFP was not an option yet.  With 10 years of history, I have only had the batteries go under 33F one time, so if I used LFP. I'd have to have a insulated box and heater to keep them above 40F where they have fewer charging restrictions

    In the winter, cloudy weather, I use a MANUAL start, 3Kw generator, and run 60 - 90 min a day to recharge.  2 gallons of diesel a week is generator running every day (rare)
    My winter load is generally 6,500 wh a day.  Summer is almost twice that when I am pumping irrigation water,

    I will never suggest a auto-start generator unless you are a fanatic and will keep up maintenance on it.  Forgetting oil changes will destroy your fancy auto-start just as fast as manual start.  But with auto-start being out of sight, out of mind, some critter will build a nest somewhere and cause a mess when it automatically starts next.


    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 ,

  • Porschephanatic
    Porschephanatic Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭
          Thank you, Mike. I never really thought about that. This is going to be our retirement home, so I will be either home all day for weeks at a time, or traveling for 1 or more weeks at a time. My brother and sister volunteered to keep an eye on things for us while we are gone. 
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
          Thank you, Mike. I never really thought about that. This is going to be our retirement home, so I will be either home all day for weeks at a time, or traveling for 1 or more weeks at a time. My brother and sister volunteered to keep an eye on things for us while we are gone. 
    The best way is for them to invest in the first set of batteries,  once they have "skin in the game" they will keep a much closer eye on things.  And remember distilled water for batteries.
    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 ,