[amsat-bb] FW: Solar Panel delivery to Maryland

[Robert Bruninga]

> Where did you purchase them in Miami?

It is SUNELEC.COM  They have unbelievable deals.  They also ship from
Arizona I think...  They have tens of thousands of panels for prices
typically between 30 to 50 cents a watt.

Solar power for the home is now way under the cost from the utilities, but
only if you are grid tied.  If  you try to store the energy in batteries
every day, your costs for the system will triple and you will have battery
maintenance issues for life.  Plus not enough power in the winter, and too
much in the summer.

See http://aprs.org/solar-now.html

So it is so cheap, but here are many considerations....

* Solar energy now costs much less than the utilities if grid-tied.
* But only in states where the utilities are not sleeping with the
politicians
* You cannot grid-tie unless you have a licensed electrician do it and get
all the permits.  You will pay around $3/watt installed.
* Hint for DIY types:  Contract for a very small system.  Then add your own
panels later (while fully following NEC code).

* Going off grid makes no economic sense whatsoever if you have the grid.
You will pay  three times more for the batteries and never recoup the
investment as you always  have to maintain and replace batteries for the
rest of your life!.

* Solar panels are excellent for remote sites where you have no grid and
having battery solar power is worth paying triple what it is worth.

* Solar panels are great for RV's, Boats or Electric cars... ANYTHING that
already has to have a battery anyway, may as well charge for free.

** A small solar panel on the house for the shack makes no economic sense
whatsoever.  You have the grid, so just charge the shack backup battery
from the grid. Don't bother with solar.  Also, every single day the grid is
UP, you are not using the backup battery so your solar is producing
absolutely nothing anyway 99.96% of the time (In Maryland anyway, that is
the grid reliability)..

** But if you plug that solar panel into a small 500W Grid-Tie inverter
that just plugs into a home outlet (cost under $100 on ebay) then you DO
get full retail value from the solar everyday for ever AND you can use the
panel direct when the grid goes down. butt don't get greedy...

** But ONLY if you never backfeed more than you are using every minute of
the day.  If you ever backfeed more than you use, you will pay double for
it.  ALl non-NET-meters charge for electricity going through the meter no
matter which way it goes!  So you pay when you over produce and you pay
again when you draw it back out later.   That is why you MUST have a NET
meter to have any hope of economical solar in bulk.

** Thus, a plugin grid tie more than one or two panels will end up COSTING
you for every watt you over produce.  So, again, the only economical solar
is whole house legal net-metered grid tie.  And it is so cheap it makes no
sense not to do it that way.

But if  you still want to have a single panel for $100 its great to have 30
volts at 7 amps from the sun, even if you just waste it.  But then having
to pay $100 for shipping for a $100 panel doesn't make a lot of sense
either...

Your mileage may vary.
Bob, WB4APR

On 8/25/2017 5:17 PM, Robert Bruninga wrote:
>
>>
>> I am about to buy a truckload of solar panels for my church and various
>> projects.  Delivery from Miami to Annapolis Maryland is several hundred
>> dollars so if anyone local wants to pile on and get some panels, Ill
>> consider adding some more.
>>
>> These are 285 Watt Trina panels 30v at about 7 amps. 65” by 39”.  40 Lbs
>> each. Black frames.
>>
>> Cost is about $100 each.
>>
>>
>>
>> You must pick them up from Annapolis.
>>
>> Bob, WB4APR
>> _______________________________________________
>> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
>> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership.
>> Opinions expressed
>> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of
>> AMSAT-NA.
>> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
>> Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>>
>
>