Gulf Island Off-Grid System — Part 2

It's been a good six months since we last posted, so we figured that we should provide an update on how our system has been progressing.

We ended up installing a smaller 1.2 KW system down near the cabin we're renovating, instead of going for a larger system closer to where we're ultimately planning build our home. We wanted to get a feel for the technology first. Getting help from a local installer was key, and we're very happy both with the resulting system and the learning experience of getting it all installed, commissioned and operational.

We placed six Sharp 224 watt modules on a fixed-angle pole mount rack, connected through a Outback charge controller to a Magnum MS4024 inverter and two strings of Deka II batteries at 24 volts.

While we haven't crunched the data yet, we're seeing over 5 kwh through the charge controller on a sunny day in October, so we're pretty happy given our high latitude.

But first, some photos:

As we approach the rainy season, the next project will be to get the waterwheel hooked in. We're also going to switch over to a TriStar MPPT to replace the older Outback, and plan to add a Magnum ME-MW-W monitoring kit, along with a power consumption meter to allow us to monitor our power use and generation.

Given our preliminary power consumption numbers, we figure that we're going to need to add some panels, especially given that we're leaning towards purchasing a less expensive refrigerator (we'd rather invest in more panels instead of a Sunfrost). We'll have more hard numbers in November when we're moved in, hooked everything up, and we can more accurately measure our consumption. Plus, it often is overcast for weeks on end, so the coming months represent the worst of the year, solar-wise.

It's been very exciting, we've learned a lot, and we are looking forward to operating our system, expanding it, and at some point in the next few years, embarking on constructing a larger one.