Which type is better: battery solar or tied into grid?

[Summer98]

The battery thing seems unappealing to me. Being tied into the grid, but turning the meter backwards sounds nice because it can obviously reduce the electrical bill, but yet you still have that safety net of being on the grid when the winters are dark. On the other hand, I'm not sure if it would pay for itself. I spoke with one solar company at a convention a few years ago and he told me when I plan my new home construction, add $12,000 to the loan for doing solar panels. That seems really expensive to me.

 

[TwoCrows]

Setting up solar is not cheap. We have done it and it will take years to recupe your money. And I will tell you that batteries are the weak link. They die over a couple years time. So they are the money eater. We found that the cost of being on the grid is about the same or a bit cheaper than going solar.

You have to want to be solar for other reasons than saving money. We have some solar, some grid and several propane generators for those days or nights the power goes off. A good wood stove will get you through the coldest of winter nights and no power needed.

 

[Britesea]

Solar panels have a limited life also. You may find yourself having to replace them right about the time they finally pay for themselves.

 

[Smart Red]

There are a lot of passive solar options you can add to your building plans that will help keep that meter from spinning quite as much. A heat source that doesn't require electricity to work is always a good idea. Even better if you can cook that way in an emergency.

 

[Tuco]

Setting up solar is not cheap. We have done it and it will take years to recupe your money. And I will tell you that batteries are the weak link. They die over a couple years time. So they are the money eater. We found that the cost of being on the grid is about the same or a bit cheaper than going solar.

One thing I find when I'm researching solar is that I keep getting conflicting information. Here is a video of a guys system where he uses a battery saver desulfator. It is supposed to extend the lif of your batteries times 3. He says his batteries are 10 years, so, x3 is 30 years. What are your thoughts on this? Heck, if you even get 10 years out of your batteries, I would think that would be much more cost effective. I couldn't even imagine how happy I'd be if I got 30 years!!!

 

[Tuco]

If you click on the "Youtube" logo on the bottom of that video player, it'll bring up the Youtube page of the video, thus showing you all the info on the video, where he has included links to all the components of the system

 

[TwoCrows]

I am not at all familiar with these desulfators. But if they do work and can extend the life of your batteries, this would definitely make solar power more economical. We went through so many batteries, we finally threw in the towel on a complete home system.

Give it a try and if it does work, let us know!

 

[chefsdreams]

i was looking at alternate power sources some time ago and came across this company from chicago that was beta test ing a new product. it had a couple of unique (at that time) features. first, the pvc was embedded into a gel, rather than laid flat. this had the benefit of dramatically increasing the angle of reception. but, secondly, they were trying to make it flexible. how cool would that be. if you didn't have a perfectly flat area, these sheets could be molded to any surface.
i'll root around and see if i can't find some references to share.
good luck