Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Flench on June 03, 2012, 07:42:22 AM
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Anyone here got any experance with solar panels ? I have been doing some research on DIY panels and been looking around to see if anyone is running any solar panels . Looking for a cheap place to buy the cell's .
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we have installed panels similar to this
http://sunmatesolarpanels.com/content/view/2/31/
they run about 1500 uninstalled. All of our clients said they worked well. they are pretty simple to install. We have also subcontracted hot water systems. not sure of the cost of these. the hot air is just supplemental heat, but we have a couple solar guys I work with, if you like I can get thier phone# for you, I am sure that they could help ya out
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That be cool homersipes . I like to talk to some one that's knows what there doing unlike me and thanks for the link .
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I bought one of these sets to power my boat stereo while engine isnt running, should be installing it today. As for how it works, all the reviews say it works great. For the price it would be worth trying i suppose
http://www.harborfreight.com/interests/solar-power/45-watt-solar-panel-kit-90599.html
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mcboi , I was wanting to put one on my boat a well . I have checked those panels out at HF and there not bad at that price and from time to time they run the on sale .
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Try the thin film flexible panels; gives less power for same surface but is cheaper, light easy to install on any surfaces on cars/boats/RV/roofs/fences and you don't need heavy solid framing. The prices are dropping sharply, maybe would be better to wait.
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From what I have read the price is going down on the panels . I am just trying to learn as much as I can before I make that jump . Thanks for the reply ghi .
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these days you can call a contractor who specializes in photocell systems.
Here in Phx they ask how much you want to generate .. up to and beyond 100% of what your home uses.
If you decide to go for 120 percent f'rinstance ..you actually sell back what you don't use to the power company ..
..ya .. they pay *you* to generate electricity -evil grin-
It's an ideal way to use a second mortgage .. very appealing to just step off the grid and get a check every month for a fact.
-GE aka Frank
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With it just me here I don't use but 600 to 900 KWH . So I just need enough panels to run my home . If I had the money I would set how ever many I needed up to run my subdivision around 20 homes but that would be way out of my ball park .
I am looking to build my own panels to start and then go from there . I have a 500 watt power converter and fore deep cell batteries already .
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Looking at powering my home with them as well and having the power company pay me as well.
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I got mine from Harbor Freight for Ham Radio emergency power. Just put them on Deep Cycle 12v. http://www.voiceofidaho.org/ any local Ham Radio groups will have technical folks because of repeaters w/ emergency back-up power. The more mountainous or remote the repeater, the more dependent they will be on batteries. We also learn a lot about what systems work best in high mountain, icy, windy, snow covered situations. Our Cinnabar peak repeater even had wind power, but 100+MPH wind tore-up the guaranteed wind generator. :salute
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[url]http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=solarpanels&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CNMBEBYwBA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wholesalesolar.com%2Fsolar-panels.html&ei=jDrMT-yPH-Wg2AWK8tXZCw&usg=AFQjCNGC6xYlput6HhZGvHyDumVcoX3RHg/url]
here is a link I found helpful.
Most electric companies will pay you put to several dollars a watt to install a system. So check with your local utility.
Most will not do both pay you for $ for watts and give you rebates. Its one or the other. I'm going to take the rebate, as it would take to long to pay back a 30,000 system at $150 month average bill plus 10 to 20 dollars a month of over net zero.
Most will not let you use batteries and stay connected to grid. Problem I found with batteries is life span, system needs to be sized so that battery drain is never more than 20% So that means a tremendous amount of batteries.
I haven't settled on a panel yet.
I did the math and you can not pay for panels based on what a utility pays you per kilowatt alone. It is cheaper to just pay the electric bill.
Anyway Ill holler once i figure out the panels I'm using.
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Cool Sonicblu . Keep me posted . I think the batteriers are just to get you through the night ?
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I'll be collecting hybrid car batteries when the apocalypse comes.
All the other scroungers will note the date as the beginning of the icepacalypse because I will run the battery trade.
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I've looked into this a little myself. I think having batteries is cool, but the efficiency and lifespan maybe a little high in cost. I also know the electric utilities don't like the on-grid type because wiremen can get zapped under the right circumstances. On-grid systems may need to be approved by the utility company.
If you are thinking about doing anything at least grab one of those kilowatt meters selling for about $20-25. The biggest culprit is usually a refrigerator. I've seen old refrigerators consume 6 KWH's per day (~$0.12 * 6 KWH's = $0.72/day) and new refrigerators consume min./day ($0.12/day). For the people using a backyard septic systems. I've seen an septic aerator use 6 KWH's per day.
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as GE posted, photovoltics/photocells is the best and preferred way to go about doing the home thing, in solar power....
it is hard trying to type on this damn EVO4G smartphone..... but I will be back home flying in from Vegas, round midnight tommorow....
go checkout the "SEC". Solar Energy Center in. Florida, for now, will give ya lots more info when I get up weds morning.... :salute
TC
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I'll be collecting hybrid car batteries when the apocalypse comes.
All the other scroungers will note the date as the beginning of the icepacalypse because I will run the battery trade.
they die, and are hella expensive to replace
but if you're in the market, i'll damn sure sell ya some :)
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I bought one of these sets to power my boat stereo while engine isnt running, should be installing it today. As for how it works, all the reviews say it works great. For the price it would be worth trying i suppose
http://www.harborfreight.com/interests/solar-power/45-watt-solar-panel-kit-90599.html
lettuce know how this works mcboi please
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In Texas they have taken a lot of the incentive out of it. By law you buy from the grid at retail price, but you feed the grid at wholesale price. Your only real advantage is to replace enough retail electricity to pay for your system and hopefully get some use out of it before it needs replaced.
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In Texas they have taken a lot of the incentive out of it. By law you buy from the grid at retail price, but you feed the grid at wholesale price. Your only real advantage is to replace enough retail electricity to pay for your system and hopefully get some use out of it before it needs replaced.
Same thing ni Michigan I heard. They have it set up so they always win:)
If it is like natural gas and "Handling fees" I get charged almost as much in those fees ans the gas costs.
Panels are cool, Looking forward to see what they can offer in the near future.
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they die, and are hella expensive to replace
but if you're in the market, i'll damn sure sell ya some :)
I used to be the guy who diagnosed and replaced them.
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The big panels that you can get at Harbor Freight, etc are like 1 foot by 3 or 4 foot, and put out 15 Watts at 12 volts. Get 4 of these, you can just about charge a marine battery in a day
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Ebay has a 240 watt panel for $300 buck's made in germany . I think that mite be my best bet .
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Anyone here got any experance with solar panels ? I have been doing some research on DIY panels and been looking around to see if anyone is running any solar panels . Looking for a cheap place to buy the cell's .
Not to sound obvious or hetorical, but, you get what you pay for. Keep up with reasearching and doing your homework. Checkout what manufacturer (and make) in Germany, there is one (with a particular batch of cells) that had a bad problem about 4 or 5 years ago.
Only other word I stress you take from me if nothing else, I know this past winter the industry has been trying to unload older-technology panels as the forseable flood of newer ones is rolled out this year. It's now 6-months later, so I would assume said shipments of newer/better stuff is already here or sitting on the dock until they make room for it in the warehouse. This has generated some great opportunities in solar (check the end of my post), but I know it's gonna also flood the market with old crap. But, again, on the plus side, especially to first-time solar DIYers like you, used panels should be flooding the market for cheap.
Some good batteries (well maintained) and a decent inverter though should never need replacement, but as such are probabley the most expencive components. The fact you've already gotten them is fantastic, but it also has me concerned.... do you know for sure the condition/operability of your betteries and inverter? I got a neighbor that picked up an inverter second hand via ebay for a steal because it had a faulty/finicky auto switch for switching to the batteries from an alternative source of power, but since he's pure solar with no alternative - perfect. Hit or miss on batteries, really depended how well the last owner cared for them before reselling them.
My family has had two independent arrays for almost 8 years now, not down here in so cal. If you're shopping by price, go as cheap as possible as going that route it is likely they won't last more than a few years. If you can though, eventualy, or for whatever reason - invest in newer and more expencive pannels, you really do get what you pay for. You'll get longer life, higher durability, and much greater power generation in even poor solar conditions (weather).
I got these mitsubishi (I think made in Korea) pannels about three years ago as, previously, the most recent purchase. The things are just wooparse, so much so that afterwards I ran the cable necessary so it diverts excess charge to the main system. The main system on the other hand isn't even 10-years old, was never as productive as I wanted it to be for ~300sq. feet even on a good warm clear summer day, and its pannels cover 4-5 times the same square footage as my two mitsubishi pannels (which were for an independent system dedicated solely to the well/water, and that was all fine until they prooved so productive it was almost a waste until I devised diverting the excess to the main system). The mitsubishis on the other hand, a fraction the size (and probabley about a hair less than the combined total cost of the other pannels, brand new), produce over 2x as much power as the other array on the same good day, and well over 3x as much power on a hazey or cloudy day.
Recently our neighbors up there (no grid for all of us) have a buddy that works for a panel distributor/manufacturer, and he had some surpluss or connection. Us and a number of other neighbors are going in on a large shipment of pannels. I won't really know for sure until they're delivered, and even then probabley not until I get the time off to go up there and work on installing them, but I know they'll be a lot/ton better than the 10-yo cheap-o pannels on the main array that I'm replacing them with. I'm hoping at least 2x as much as the mitsubishi array given the size and my understanding of the age of the technology used in these panels (not as good as the mitsubishi, but a whole heap better than the older ones), which has been kicking the older/sorry array's butt into shame for years now.
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I would have to upgrade the hole system so I would have to go cheap as I can go . My converter is just 500 watt but it will work fine for the boat . I mite be best to wait from the new stuff I have seen come out ....?
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Every 1-2 years the technology or manufacturing method improoves the quality of the panels and their effectiveness. I wouldn't wait too long if you want to do this purchase and go ahead with it, but don't be afraid to ask questions and look around.
Maybe best to relate it to a car purchase - there's what's sitting on the lots (last year's), what's sitting in the back lots, what's sitting in a boat or on a dock (the newest that they want to get in because they can't wait to sell for top dollar), and what the manufacturers and production lines are working on. Occasionaly you get pinto or a real gem for the money, so look into who made them and how long ago type stuff. Get together with 5 budies or make a buisness fleet-sized purchase - discount. Higher up you go in distribution chains, cheaper.
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Thanks for the help Babalonian . I'm sure I will have many more question's before this is over .
Every 1-2 years the technology or manufacturing method improoves the quality of the panels and their effectiveness. I wouldn't wait too long if you want to do this purchase and go ahead with it, but don't be afraid to ask questions and look around.
Maybe best to relate it to a car purchase - there's what's sitting on the lots (last year's), what's sitting in the back lots, what's sitting in a boat or on a dock (the newest that they want to get in because they can't wait to sell for top dollar), and what the manufacturers and production lines are working on. Occasionaly you get pinto or a real gem for the money, so look into who made them and how long ago type stuff. Get together with 5 budies or make a buisness fleet-sized purchase - discount. Higher up you go in distribution chains, cheaper.