ORIGINAL: Zap
ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn
It works fine if you don't buy an isolated ranch with ancient equipment. My neighbor in his big new house with two huge trackers with 12 solar panels each plus a big diesel backup generator is comfy as can be... has central air conditioning!ORIGINAL: Yogi the Great
Not an expert at all. Do have belief that Solar Power has not yet reached a point of economical and reliable power in many cases.
I know of farmers who have had some luck with a private windmill providing power.
No answer on the damage that could be caused running the items on low power.
Assuming that you do not have access to power lines because of your location perhaps I can only wish you good luck and sunny days. Would be nice to find a better source of power though if you can than the "solar array".
If I was young and financially secure there is no way that I would not go with solar if I was building a home. It is nice to have an available grid tie for emergencies and to sell power back to the utilities though. Best of both worlds
Looking forward to the new Tesla battery... battery power storage is the admitted weak link in any wind or solar system... even for huge utilities like in Germany. When someone solves that issue... goodbye fossil fuels!
Like others have said your least expensive option may be your only option. Fix your generator or if not possible get a refurbished one. I'm just glad you did not have to put out the initial money for your system that it is very costly. This is the problem with alternate energy sources the cost to purchase and upkeep is prohibitive. The best way to reap benefits from a solar system is to purchase outright(not lease). I calculated 25,000 dollars for solar system installed(is the price I have heard). Backup generator 5,000. Back up wind mill 6,000. That Is a lot of money to invest. To re-coup that you would need close to 20 years. Example I pay 1,600 a year for electricity from the electric company. In In 20 years I have paid 36,000 dollars. Then I don't have to worry about maintenance and expensive replacement parts 20 years down the road. In my book Electricity produced from a company is still the most cost effective and headache free. But I am looking forward to initial cost reduction for these systems that will make them cost effective and less of a maintenance burden.
I think your quote is high and includes more than you need. With a grid-tie system all you need is an inverter and solar panels. No batteries, no charge controllers, no backup generator. Rooftop panels don't require expensive "tracker mounts" if your roof faces the right direction without shading trees.
Now if you are really off-grid your only alternative is generator running 24/7 which is fantastically expensive. I am about 4 miles from the nearest power line and they want $10,000 per mile to hook me up. Solar is the best option by a mile.
And don't forget the 30% Federal tax rebate on your system, plus whatever Nevada state energy credits might be available. I got 60% back on all my upgrades that I made. Wish I could still do that but you have to be paying taxes to get a rebate and I don't owe any taxes these days.
You ought to get a new quote for a basic system. You can always add stuff like batteries and generators later... as well as more solar panels as the price continues to drop.
