I need to power a refridgerator, and some smaller items. I don’t plan to operate
an AC unit.
Any commercial-grade solar panel will do the trick. The bigger question is how much you need, and whether you need storage.
If you plan to go off-the-grid, you will need to design a large enough system to provide both for normal use and sufficient storage to carry you through periods of no sun – and overnight, of course.
The rule-of-thumb is approximately 3 x your peak load, with sufficient storage for a full 24 hours of no sun.
Assume your refrigerator uses an average of 800 watts per hour and operates for 8 hours per day (probably a bit high in both cases, but better to be cautious). Assume your total additional average load is also 800 watts – meaning _NO_ hair dryer, flat-screen television, heavy-duty vacuum cleaner, electric heater, clothes washer, dishwasher, electric stove, and so forth.
Are you a person who is interested in green energy and using Solar Energy Panels or creating your own Home Wind Power, then you are just like myself. I have had a keen interest in green energy every since I studied Architecture many many years ago. At that time I learned that is was possible to build homes that are completely self sufficient which was so compelling to me I had to know more.
You will need a 5,000 watt system with 30,000 "watts" of storage. That is a pretty large bank of batteries as you might imagine.
Your approximate installed-cost will be something on the order of $40,000 – $60,000, or $8 – $12/watt depending on a lot of factors.
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#1 by Mark G at July 23rd, 2010
You’ll need about a 2500 Watt system, price will be about 15K to 18K. Assuming $100/month savings the payback will be 12.5 to 15 years no counting any interest or repairs made to the system.
References :
#2 by rgathright at July 23rd, 2010
Polycrystalline Solar Panels have long been the standard in the industry because of their thick, pure silicone wafers and 12% efficiency. You can read more about the types of solar panels here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5566608/what_do_polycrystalline_solar_panels.html?cat=57
Of course many people would debate me on this point but I have my reasons for my opening statement:
1) Pure silicone wafers mean that sunlight cannot break down the silicone like what happens in amorphous solar panels. Thin film or rollable solar panels, as some people call them, can break down in just a few years and yield just a small percentage of their original power. In contrast Polycrystalline silicone panels from 20 years ago are still in faithful service today.
2) While the efficiency rating of Polycrystalline solar panels is 12% or a little better, some solar panels can get as much as 22%! I do not recommend those because their increased efficiencies come at a drastically higher cost or they are amorphous products that last only a few years.
3) Polycrystalline solar panels look great on your roof or in a rack in your yard. They have unique crystal patterns in them. Good looks also tell a story to the potential buyer of your solar panel, great quality. You see only Polycrystalline is easily identified through a picture. If you ever resell your solar panels, people will see the photo and there is no need for explaining what they are or how old they maybe.
I hope I answered your question. If you ever wanted to read more about solar power, consider checking out this article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5547078/increasing_inverter_capacity_with_the.html?cat=6
References :
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5566608/what_do_polycrystalline_solar_panels.html?cat=57
#3 by Raby at July 23rd, 2010
go to Canadian tire, buy small one experinece before you spent $10,000 to 12,000 dollars
it is on sale. Solar pannel normaly fitted on the roof and if you need to replace the roof, you will be in big trouble.
Or use a sub base so that yhou can remove easily.
References :
#4 by Peter W at July 23rd, 2010
Any commercial-grade solar panel will do the trick. The bigger question is how much you need, and whether you need storage.
If you plan to go off-the-grid, you will need to design a large enough system to provide both for normal use and sufficient storage to carry you through periods of no sun – and overnight, of course.
The rule-of-thumb is approximately 3 x your peak load, with sufficient storage for a full 24 hours of no sun.
Assume your refrigerator uses an average of 800 watts per hour and operates for 8 hours per day (probably a bit high in both cases, but better to be cautious). Assume your total additional average load is also 800 watts – meaning _NO_ hair dryer, flat-screen television, heavy-duty vacuum cleaner, electric heater, clothes washer, dishwasher, electric stove, and so forth.
You will need a 5,000 watt system with 30,000 "watts" of storage. That is a pretty large bank of batteries as you might imagine.
Your approximate installed-cost will be something on the order of $40,000 – $60,000, or $8 – $12/watt depending on a lot of factors.
References :
#5 by Jon at July 23rd, 2010
You should consider building them your self. The quality is almost similar to the bought one,s and the price is about 10%. You can build them for less than 200$ all inclusive. See my source to get the best DIY instructions.
Good luck
References :
http://www.1greenpower.com