1000 watt solar?

[SWharton]

I just checked how much we paid for a 2 165w panel system last year. $854(This was the installation price). A higher panel wattage would increase the price. We also bought AGM batteries(225 AH?) at Sams for $180/ea. Just for a reference point

[maggie blair]

1 hour ago, sushidog said:

Yeah, I guess it's pricey to get someone else to design and install a system.

This is what I'm planning to add to my MH in a couple months. It's the first phase of a 2 part solar mod. The second phase will be completed in a couple years, and is a large 48v solar project designed for off grid air conditioning and ample inverted a/c power.

But here's part #1:

2 -  320 watt solar panels from Northern Arizona wind and solar - $384 I'll be picking them up so no freight.

1- KRXNY 50 Amp MPPT Solar Charge Controller -       $152.00

CC to Battery Wire  #4awg multi stranded Lowes 12ft - $12.24

#6 awg multi strand down wire 40 ft -                                $37.20

Mounting brackets, cable ends, etc.                                    $55.00

60 a circuit breaker and isolation switch                            $23.00

                                                                       Total                 $663.44 

 

I just bought 2 deep cycle 220a GC-2 batteries from Battery plus for $129 ea. I already have a small 400 watt inverter to power my TV and computer, but If i had to purchase say a 1000 watt pure sine inverter charger on e-bay - $399 https://www.renogy.com/renogy-1000w-pure-sine-wave-inverter-charger/_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GW7ZVFBYQD1XH125TW9Q     If you need these things it adds up to $428 more. So  for a total of around $1,350 you could have a 640 watt system with 220ah of batteries. Double your batteries if needed for $258 more (plus say $50 more for wire and core if you don't have old batteries to trade in. So for under $1,650 in parts you could build a much more robust one than they are offering. Let's say it takes a full 8 hr day to install it, which I doubt, at $100/hr (I'm sure you could easily find someone to do it for $50/hr.) That's $2,450 total, say $3,000 if I left out a few minor things, like junction boxes, dicor or eternabond, you wanted different batteries, etc. That $7k is way out of line, IMHO. Unless of course they are quoting you a system based on super expensive lithium batteries, then it doesn't sound bad at all.

Chip

Thanks Chip.

Great info and I appreciate your putting this info together. 

[theboondork]

Instead of giving you a bunch of numbers I will only give you three numbers and some advice.

I've been a full timer that mostly boondock's for almost 4 years and I live on solar power, I don't own a generator and have no desire to do so. I live very comfortably in my 30 foot Arctic Fox fifth wheel with, and here's those three numbers,  6 solar panels totaling 700 watts, and 400 amps of battery power.

Now that may or may not work for you, but for me in four years of full timing, mostly boondocking, I've never run out of power. Remember you have to have enough solar panels and batteries to last for several days if the sun doesn't come out. You can't depend on being able to charge your batteries every single day, sometimes it's cloudy, sometimes it rains, your batteries have to last through that, which is why I have as many panels and as many amps as I do.

Tom

[maggie blair]

1 hour ago, theboondork said:

Instead of giving you a bunch of numbers I will only give you three numbers and some advice.

I've been a full timer that mostly boondock's for almost 4 years and I live on solar power, I don't own a generator and have no desire to do so. I live very comfortably in my 30 foot Arctic Fox fifth wheel with, and here's those three numbers,  6 solar panels totaling 700 watts, and 400 amps of battery power.

Now that may or may not work for you, but for me in four years of full timing, mostly boondocking, I've never run out of power. Remember you have to have enough solar panels and batteries to last for several days if the sun doesn't come out. You can't depend on being able to charge your batteries every single day, sometimes it's cloudy, sometimes it rains, your batteries have to last through that, which is why I have as many panels and as many amps as I do.

Tom

Thanks Tom. I located a man down in Arizona and I’ll meet with him next fall. I will save your numbers to share with him. Thanks again, Maggie

[Itinerant1]

maggie have done an energy audit that mptjelgin suggested?

That will give you an idea what you use in a day that will need to be replenished. I'm sure there are many out there and if you haven't here is just an example that could help you.

https://www.rvsolarelectric.com/index.php?route=directory/directory&directory_id=3

All of us giving you the size of our system we have really doesn't mean much till you know what you use. 

We fulltime and going on 840+ of continuous days boondocking and 200 days before this with 1,280w (flat mounted) and 500ah lfp live like being plugged into a power pole. Nightly use 150-200ah. Run a 2,000w generator for a hold over charge for 2 hours less than a dozen times in a given year. 

After the first few days of boondocking it's like groundhog day over and over again.

 

 

 

[maggie blair]

Excellent! Thanks so much. Great worksheet!