info for a beginner

AriaPlantaholic
AriaPlantaholic Registered Users Posts: 1
Ok so I want to try solar panels to help with my electric bill and/or my greenhouse. I basically know nothing about them and everything I have read is so technical and confusing to me. I want to know what kind I should get, and where. How much power they can put out simplified for the dumb lol. What angle they need to be to even work. And how much they cost on average. Remember to dumb it down for me please! I appreciate any help.

Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    First--Conservation. It is almost always cheaper to conserve than to generate power.
    1. Change to LED lighting
    2. Use motion detectors for outside security lighting
    3. Turn off stuff not in use
    4. Get a Kill-a-Watt meter and measure the energy usage of things you run for many hours per day (computers, TV, sat box, etc.). Many times, you will find that older electronics consume a fair amount of electricity--And DVR's can consume about the same amount of power when turned on or off.
    5. Insulation... Ceiling insulation, ducting insulation (if central heat/air), check the efficiency of your present HVAC system, double pane windows, weather stripping, using trees/bushes/etc. for shade...
    6. Look at your power bill. If you are using 600-1,000 kWH per month, that is around the national average. >1,000 kWH per month is not uncommon for folks in the south with lots of Air Conditioning. If you are less than 500 kWH per month, you can be doing OK. A pure off grid home (natural gas, propane, etc. for heating, hot water, cooking) a good planning point is 100 kWH per month for off grid solar system.
    7. Now you know how much power you need--There is Grid Tied solar (solar panels->GT Inverter->main power panel)--Cheapest, easiest, least amount of maintenance. GT Solar can actually reduce your power bills, but your utility needs to support Net Metered power (and have rates that are an advantage for you). Not all utilities support good Net Metering plans, and GT Solar is beginning to "go away" as a way to save money--Utilities and non-solar customers are subsidizing GT Solar customers.
    You can get "whole house" power monitoring system--Very handy if you have AC, electric heat/hot water/drier/etc... If your power bill is in the 1,000-3,000 kWH per month range, changing your TV set to an LED TV is not going to really change your power bill much.

    There are other things you can do too--If you have electric hot water, you can use Heat Pump type water heater or look at solar thermal heating.

    This is a complex subject. Take a step at a time and do not start buying solar hardware just yet or signing up for Solar to be installed on your home. Conservation and understanding your power needs first is critical.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • oil pan 4
    oil pan 4 Solar Expert Posts: 767 ✭✭✭✭

    In addition to all bill said, how much money do you have to spend on solar?

    Solar hybrid gasoline generator, 7kw gas, 180 watts of solar, Morningstar 15 amp MPPT, group 31 AGM, 900 watt kisae inverter.

    Solar roof top GMC suburban, a normal 3/4 ton suburban with 180 watts of panels on the roof and 10 amp genasun MPPT, 2000w samlex pure sine wave inverter, 12v gast and ARB air compressors.