I have a place in the country that is off grid, no power, lots of trees and wildlife, and Id like to keep it that way. Would like to power some lights and security system, as well as some trickle chargers in the shop for my toys out there. It does have a well on 220 that I wouldn't mind restarting. I run that off the generator when needed right now. Don't need to run a house, but would like to have some power if needed full time rather than the generator. Ideas on power and remote security system would be appreciated. Obviously, would like to stay low budget like the rest of the place.
Researching solar and alt power for low usage off grid application
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No such thing as quality low budget solar. I have an identical need as you. 220 is a killer. I found some older Department of transportation solar panel marker signs, but the battery bank is huge. We have a little system on an RV that powered a fan, tv, tank water pump, and led lights no issues with a a single deep cycle battery. We found it is just so much easier to run our Honda eu1000 because it is so quiet and burns only 2 gals a weekend. During winter we run a 3000 that actually heat our cabin, but it takes 5 gals a weekend.
To run a 220 pump for any amount of time you're going to need a massive battery bank.
go sign up on this forum and get some quality advice. they are more than willing to help you out and are an excellent resource. https://www.solarpaneltalk.com/forum/off-grid-solar
Thanks for the link
Wow, that site is like a whole world above some simple prebuilt system. I'm going to need to walk before I can run with those boys. I will say, if you are interested in solar, you can lose several hours of your life just reading the first few sections
Just helped my Uncle install a tie in system back in February. We chatted with a company by the name of E-Solar. Great people to work with. East system to install if you have basic electrical knowledge. They can help you size what you need. He went with the 7500 watt inverter and the solar panels he bought were tested with a soft ball size piece of ice hitting them at 200 mph. They also drove over it with a Toyoto Tundra.
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It's not that hard to design, but to have power 24x7 is not cheap. Solar only isn't too expensive for the power you want, but you will need a battery bank to always have power available--and batteries add up quick.
yeah the only thing is with DIY is you really have to have a good understanding of your county/city electrical code and the inspection and tie in agreement.
very true. batteries requirements for a whole house system are still way to expensive, in spite of what one may hear from elon musk and tesla. his system aren't nearly as cost effective or affordable as he has been claiming. batteries usually run aroun 5k and have to be replaced every 3-5 years.
a small off grid like the op is talking about is doable cheaper, but even still you need a generator for backup and depending on the system it can be more cost effective to get a generator and keep it running
What size generator is currently there?
3500 Just a cheap Colman unit that has 240 volt 20 a circuit plug. I will have to keep that down there to run the well when I need, making my load demand whatever 6 trickle chargers and a battery jumper, plus some LED lights for outside motion detection and a few in the shop. Also will need enough backup to keep a remote security system powered. Based on an article I read on the solar site, that is the way I should go. I have a friend of a friend out west that has his whole house off grid, and he bought his battery bank from a government auction for pennies. Guess I am going to have to look him up as well.
What about wind power? Across Detroit on Canada's side are numerous wind towers near Windsor. I can see them when driving near the lake. Those things deliver quite a bit of power but not to cheap either to install and can have failures etc.
Wind turbine topples in Chatham-Kent
'Faulty blade' caused turbine collapse in Chatham-Kent, says company | CBC News
Wind turbine topples in Chatham-Kent
'Faulty blade' caused turbine collapse in Chatham-Kent, says company | CBC News
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find out details of where he got his batteries. I would be interested in seeing that. I will say that getting your first batch for "pennies" is unusual and your second batch is going to be costly.
overall at this point wind is not viable for most individual users. expensive to build, expensive to maintain and when they fail expensive to fix.
Ok I'll be reading up on this. I agree the huge wind turbines I mentioned in Windsor are not for individual use and also blight the landscape because of their enormous size. I have not researched the cost and power generating potential of wind power enough and I know it also depends on your location and how windy it is on average. Where we live it can be quite windy and then there are times when it is more calm. A place like Cape Town is very windy and there it would definitely make sense.
There is this office building in Southfield along the Lodge FWY that has these wind turbines on the roof. They are visible as you drive past the building and seem to be moving at quite a pace every time I see them. Looks pretty cool as well! I wouldn't mind one or two of those bad boys at my house.
Southfield Law Firm Invests $1M in Wind Turbines, Solar Panels at HQ
These vertical axis micro wind turbines are fairly compact and can generate what looks like between 1-3 KW depending on weather conditions. 3-5 of these in a row would really deliver some decent power.
V-Air Wind Technologies
V-Air Wind Technologies
You would be amazed at what a DIY windmill, an alternator, a few deep cycle batteries, and a 1500 watt inverter are capable of.
You can run LED lights, charge most devices, watch TV, listen to the radio, and a few other things if you know what you're doing.
No, don't do all of that at once.
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You can run LED lights, charge most devices, watch TV, listen to the radio, and a few other things if you know what you're doing.
No, don't do all of that at once.
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You need to calculate your estimated load prior to doing much of anything. That means getting the wattage/amps of each device and size it to at least the maximum load would be 80% of rated power so you have a bit of room to grow.
The experience of researching all the up to the finished product was fun for me and my Uncle. Seeing it work for the first time was exciting also. The only thing he didn't do was battery backup due to really only wanting it to cut down on his electric bill, which he only pays the minimum on now.
He is estimating a 6 year payback on the system, which is pretty good for a little under 10,000.
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The experience of researching all the up to the finished product was fun for me and my Uncle. Seeing it work for the first time was exciting also. The only thing he didn't do was battery backup due to really only wanting it to cut down on his electric bill, which he only pays the minimum on now.
He is estimating a 6 year payback on the system, which is pretty good for a little under 10,000.
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