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Solar Power Off Grid System
Thinking of buying a cabin that's "off grid." Anyone have experience with solar power living?
I'm specifically wondering what kind of maintenance is involved with solar systems that power off grid homes. We would only be at the cabin a few days a month most of the time...except during long vacations. Is it even possible to maintain a total-home solar system in this kind of situation?
Since you said you were specifically wondering about maintenance, I will assume that you have already researched what size system you require as a result of the total power you need, the latitude of where your cabin is, the total average hours of sun available through the various seasons, etc. The primary maintenance concern is your battery status. To compensate for overcharging I will assume you are using a charge controller. During hot weather your batteries will need more water (distilled only) than in cool or cold weather. To keep rodents away, spray the wiring with peppermint oil. Make sure battery cable attachments to the batteries are coated with an acid preventative. If you do indeed have a total home system it will be quite large. I have a system I have used for 5 years to supply my requirements except heating, hot water and cooking. For that I use propane. I use my barbecue (propane) as an oven when needed (great to cook pizza...better than a regular oven...use the upper warming rack). I use a 12v refrigerator from Sundanzer.....works great even in very hot climates...115 degrees. I have 6ea. 75 watt panels that I tilt twice a year in spring and fall. If you have a large family, use hair dryers, microwave, basically anything with a heating element or constant use motor...then my size system would not work. But I do run my stereo or TV 12 - 16 hours a day when I am there. I generally make meals that do not take hours and hours to cook to save on propane. If your system is oversized or you do not go and use your system monthly then rig something up to use a little power so that your batteries will not always be at 100%. Any other questions, just ask. Good luck!
Make Your Own Solar Power Unit Yourself And Learn How To Live Off The Grid
When I hear about living off the grid, the immediate points that come up in my mind are a greener Earth, no pollution, unlimited natural and renewable resources, no harmful residues, and the best of all – lower electricity bills. Solar energy is a great resource for you if you are planning to go off the grid.
Even though living off the grid may seem to be a very tough choice to make, you can still get off the grid if you are aware of how to go for it. Let use see how to make your own solar power unit yourself and learn how to live off the grid.
Solar Panels - The Cost Involved
If you are planning to use solar energy for your plans to live off the grid, you will need to get hold of solar panels. These solar panels may cost you a lot of money. Another cheaper way to go for it is to make your own solar power unit yourself. However, you have to be sure of what you are doing. If you decide on building such a panel with whatever you can get hold of, you may end up with something that will not be able to light up even a single lamp. Undoubtedly this is not desirable.
Solar Panel Kits
You can opt for solar panel kits instead. These do-it-yourself kits are very easy to mount and you can make your own solar power unit yourself with such kits. You won’t even have to call a technician to help you with any of it. These kits come with a very detailed instruction manual and contain all the tools you will require for the job. If you do a bit of research on the internet, you can get all the information regarding where to buy these kits from and whatever else you need to know.
Solar panel kits will save you time to set up the solar unit in your home and a lot of money on the cost of purchasing a ready-made solar panel. Even the cost of a technician can be eliminated. With a solar panel kit, you can very easily go off the grid and reduce your electricity bills, and help protect the ecology of the Earth.
Therefore, it is a great idea to make your own solar power unit yourself and learn how to live off the grid for a cleaner and healthier tomorrow. Learn how to live off the grid by going to http://www.squidoo.com/solarcabin.
About the Author
In case you didn't notice, I'm a big fan of making my own renewable energy. I want to share my successes and failures and let people learn for my experiences.
