Setting up a small solar electric system

4 x 200 watt monocrystalline panels
4 x 6 volt 225 amp hour flooded batteries
2000 watt inverter

Normal operations will simply be powering our deep freeze which just happens to be located beside the battery bank. In the case of grid power outage it will be possible to run some other devices including the house drinking water pump, the small pump on the solar water heater, charge cell phones, LED lighting etc.

I had been weighing the pros and cons of solar for a long time, while watching the price of hardware dropping and the cost of electricity go up.

My biggest issue is / was with the battery component. This seems like the weakest point in the system with a high cost in both materials and dollars and a design life of 5 - 10 years depending on operations.

Solar PV Backup

Finally, after much discussion, deliberation and procrastination I have purchased and installed a small solar PV (photovoltaic) array and battery bank. At this stage I have 4 x 200 watt panels charging a 225 amp hour 24 volt battery bank with the option to double the number of panels given the available roof space.
My primary motivation at this point is having a robust backup power source for the freezer, solar hot water pump and drinking water pump for when the grid is down. This seems to happen a couple of times per year and when it does fail (often from strong winds) it can take several days for it to be repaired.

April 26, 2014

solar energy

Setting up a small solar electric system

Solar PV Backup

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