A good deal on solar panels, and the time is now to buy

[cwconnertx]

Thin film panels are available under $1/ watt and crystalline panels for less than $2/watt.

Never pay more than 2.50 in this market unless it includes something other than the panel.

[Xolar]

Panels are currently coming down even more, I can currently purchase bp 190s at 2.30 a watt. I use either the 190 or the 175 the most, they are dependable and if BP fails and goes under we are all introuble at that point.

On another note, I would suggest looking into the federal tax credit because you can get it even though you are off grid. It is 30% of the system cost, which adds up fast in the off grid area my systems are 20-70,000 dollars.

[Pioneer]

I was over in Ukiah today at advance solar and they have a screaming deal on panels http://www.advancepower.net/solarpan.htm they come out to $3.75 a watt which will be hard to beat. These will work good for off-grid, be aware they are not on the cec list of certified grid tie panels, if you have any questions let me know and if you call them tell them I sent you.

Jason

As everyone knows, I'm completely using alternative energy 100% and after checking the prices there, taking into consideration for the 25 year warranty, knowing those manufacturers did hail testing and actually using basically the same panels, I have to agree, those are well worth the price! I'm going to be in the market for more panels in March or April so I'll be looking around for the best prices when the time gets a little closer.

I currently use the 225 watt panels on most of my homes/cabins but I also use the 175 watt and the 130 watt panels as well.

I have to say, and I know everyone heard this before, but you get what you pay for and these panels at these prices, are a deal!

Granted, if, like mentioned, you need the rebates, these would not be a good choice but even though I've qualified for some of the rebates, I have never used them. I think in order to fully qualify for some of the rebates, one would need to be on the grid and the cost verses the income of selling back the extra power just isn't worth it in my case.

I'm roughly 8 miles from the nearest power source and the covenants require all utilities to be underground which far exceeds the $8,000 per pole needed to bring the power to me.

For those looking to cut their electric bills or have power at a remote location, these panels would do that just fine!

On a side note, I personally don't bring my battery levels below 80% and with proper maintenance of the L-16H batteries (Checking the water levels once a month), running my 52in flat screen television, mac computers, lighting, DVD/VCR players, toaster oven, microwave, dishwasher, etc. isn't a problem.

So yeah, the panels mentioned here will do what is needed!

Jason also mentioned he doesn't recommend using a 12 volt system and I second that! The 24 volt systems are the best, in my opinion because you get the power and don't have the extra expense that a 48 volt system would cost. For example, for a 24 volt system, you'd need 4 L-16 batteries at a time and increase by 4 because they are 6 volts each. For a 48 volt system, you'd be required to purchase the batteries in increments of 8 batteries and doing the math, each battery is roughly $275, well, you get the picture. The L-16 are pricey but when one compares them to simple car batteries, golf cart batteries (liquid or gel), they are worth their weight!

With the inverter, I fully recommend going with a pure sine wave rather then a modified sine wave unless the power will only be used for lighting.

Computers and electronics operate much better when using pure sine wave technology that is the same as the power those folks on the grid use.

[Xzed]

I always found that people get confused by the "amp hour" ratings on batteries. So, some people out there may find this helpful:

http://www.windpowerunlimited.com/batteries/Amp_Hours.htm

I wonder if there is a better place to post this link?

/John

[Skyowl's Wife]

hello I want to go off grid but im a father of 4 boys and well i have to watch every penny every month and would love to go solor as it is the biggest bill can any one point me to a site on how to do it myself and everything i need or a really good deal

Have you seen this? http://www.rightsidenews.com/2009050...countries.html

[droc420187]

jeremiah if your biggest bill is electric right now you might want to consider trying to conserve as much energy as possible first. solar is a great option but it is expensive and you want to make your electrical footprint as small as possible before hand inorder to save the most money. florescent lights, unplugging unused electronics, phone chargers, turning off computers, tv, all that stuff will add up, especially with 4 boys. after you've cut back your energy usage THEN go solar and you will save even more because now you are designing your system to produce less needed energy, therefore fewer pv panels/batteries. just my 2 cents tho

[jeremiah]

hello I want to go off grid but im a father of 4 boys and well i have to watch every penny every month and would love to go solor as it is the biggest bill can any one point me to a site on how to do it myself and everything i need or a really good deal

[Xolar]

On the battery conversion I would use a similar calculation, I would not use anything less than a 24 volt inverter. So the common deep cycles out there are a L-16 and they are a 6volt cell so it will take 4 batteries for a string and the amp hour rating on them is about 420 and I would not reccomend discharging them below 60% so that gives you 40% of useable energy = roughly 168 useable amp hours per string. You can discharge them lower than this but it will decrease lifespan, the approximate cost is about 250 a battery and this should include cables.
when sizing a generator for charging try to put 10% into the bank
1 string 420 amp hour = 42 amps
2 strings 840 amp hours = 84 amps
also try to find a inverter that has battery charging and look at the charger size

The solar panels have a variety of wiring configurations if you need a higher voltage because of distance but I will do it in strings of 2.

volt open circuit 22
volts max vmpp 17
amps 5.88

3400 watts / 2 = 17 strings
5.88 amps x 17 = 99.96 amps requires 2 charge controllers mx-60 type

price?
panels 3.75X3400=12,750
inverters depends (offgrid about 2250) (hybrid about (3000)
misc racks combiners about 1500
batteries 1000 a string 3 would be good 3000

here is a good example of the Xantrex xw system that you can buy preconfigured off ebay all that you would need is another charge controller and a few other nicknacks
http://cgi.ebay.com/Xantrex-XW-Compl...3286.m20.l1116

worst case 23,750 for the materials only and you will get 30%off your taxes so rough price 16,625+taxes??
Labor?
Permit?
Generator?

?????
Hope this helps, as usual any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best

[Morguns1Cam]

well lets see 3500watts of panel at 3.75 a watt is $13,125.00 for the panels, if you want to be able to draw 3500 watts from the battery set at 12 volts thats around 300amps, so 10 batteries with a 30 amp hour rating roughly another $500, for the first hour.......how many hours you want to run this thing?

[Freedom Defender]

Ok, so with this price in mind. What would be a ballpark figure on a gridtie system with 3500W of panels and a battery bank ?? How long should the batteries last with normal cycling ??

[Xolar]

In order for people to get a rebate in some states for grid tied solar the panels have to be on an approved list. While these are not on there they are good for what the price is, and this is a good company

[Diesel]

Jason what is the importance of being on the cec list?

[Xolar]

I was over in Ukiah today at advance solar and they have a screaming deal on panels http://www.advancepower.net/solarpan.htm they come out to $3.75 a watt which will be hard to beat. These will work good for off-grid, be aware they are not on the cec list of certified grid tie panels, if you have any questions let me know and if you call them tell them I sent you.

Jason