I’m curious to know how many panels I would need to maintain a rudimentary amount of power in the event of an outage or crisis. Imagining the price to be high, I don’t know how big of a system I could get, so I’m curious if I wanted just enough panels to power a refrigerator and stove and maybe an a/c. Just those three basic necessities.
i think the beginig is expensive but it pays for itself in a short amount of time.
alot of my friends installed it recently with th e company below- you can probly ask them your questions! good luck!
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#1 by freshkidd0 at July 8th, 2010
1 panel is ennough to power most electrical appliances in your house.
References :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMmepBjTmvI
#2 by steve at July 8th, 2010
this would vary depending on the need of power per each unit, each consumes different amounts and also depending on where you live will effect the amount of solar energy available. i suggest contacting a supplier of photovoltaics, most of them are more than happy to assist you in setting up a system for your equipment
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#3 by Dads boy at July 8th, 2010
You talking about an electric stove ? If so i would imagine just for the stove you would have to totally cover your roof . Then if the fridge kicks on wile your cooking then you would need enough to cove your garage . Then if your running your ac at the same time you may want to get enough to cover all available space in your yard and have maybe 10 submarine batteries to hold the power your going to need . Best off getting a fridge that runs off propane or electric and a cook stove that runs off propane . As far as ac get a fan .
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#4 by Yael D at July 8th, 2010
i think the beginig is expensive but it pays for itself in a short amount of time.
alot of my friends installed it recently with th e company below- you can probly ask them your questions! good luck!
References :
http://www.arosaenergy.com/residential.html
#5 by alvar at July 8th, 2010
I know many many cases in which refrigerator, stove and a/c are NOT basic necessities.
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#6 by Wayne at July 8th, 2010
Wow! What a wide variety of answers! It sounds like your main goal is to be able to operate these items even in the event of a power outage. What would you like your solar panels to do for you when the power is NOT off? If you install a grid Interactive system, you can use your solar to reduce your power bill when the power is on, AND provide your home with back-up power during power outages.
A few questions. How big is your fridge? Is it energy star rated? Same two questions for your AC unit. Do you expect the AC to keep the entire home cool during power outages, or can you set it so only a room or two stay cool when the power is out. Regarding the stove, are you going to use it to warm up some soup, or are you going to be roasting a turkey when the power is out?
If you have an energy efficient fridge, and are willing to cool only a small part of your home when the power goes out, AND you will use the stove sparingly to warm up an occasional meal and not attempt to prepare a seven course meal for large crowds during power outages, a system could be installed that would suit your needs, plus some extra power for a couple of lights, a radio, and maybe an hour or two on your computer, for around $30,000–depending on the accessibility of your roof.
Remember, it would be your responsibility to monitor your power reserve during the power outages. if you are a good steward of your emergency power system, and act according to the above recommendations, you will have power for three or four days with dark clouds and no sun, and during sunny days, it would power these things indefinitely.
If you are serious about a system, I would be more than happy to help you work out the details. I can be reached at wholesunsolar@yahoo.com
References :
Owner, Whole Sun Solar, extensive solar knowledge and experience.