Smart guys, SOLAR

[Sidekick]

It's that ~$9,000 in controllers and such?

Only $2500 for the xp12000. The rest were what I started with for backups. $9k of batteries if I bought them all though. It's a fun learning experience and so far I have survived.

 

[Vlach7]

I did solar four years ago, 8 1/4 kW system, cost me 14,000 after the federal rebate, put it in myself, so it was much cheaper, very simple like Lego bricks just putting it together bolts and running wire tubing and wire, my workshop just happened to be southern facing on one side for a perfect angle, when people ask me, should they go off grid? I say definitely not because it’s a free piggy bank for me to put my energy into that I don’t use and then I can use it during the winter time to heat the house and use more than I make in the winter. . I only use about half of it, they used to give me 5 1/2 cents a kilowatt for all the extra now it’s like 1 1/2 cents so it’s better for me to just run electric heaters in the house During winter because I do not use much AC in the summertime. Mine should be paid off in two more years. It would’ve been sooner if they didn’t change the payouts that they gave me, I was getting $450 a year for my surplus and now they give me like 50 bucks so better for me to burn it on electric heaters, I love my system. It’s maintenance free and someday who knows I could end up with an electric vehicle which I would use all the rest that I make.

 

[JRHill]

I did solar four years ago, 8 1/4 kW system, cost me 14,000 after the federal rebate, put it in myself, so it was much cheaper, very simple like Lego bricks just putting it together bolts and running wire tubing and wire, my workshop just happened to be southern facing on one side for a perfect angle, when people ask me, should they go off grid? I say definitely not because it’s a free piggy bank for me to put my energy into that I don’t use and then I can use it during the winter time to heat the house and use more than I make in the winter. . I only use about half of it, they used to give me 5 1/2 cents a kilowatt for all the extra now it’s like 1 1/2 cents so it’s better for me to just run electric heaters in the house During winter because I do not use much AC in the summertime. Mine should be paid off in two more years. It would’ve been sooner if they didn’t change the payouts that they gave me, I was getting $450 a year for my surplus and now they give me like 50 bucks so better for me to burn it on electric heaters, I love my system. It’s maintenance free and someday who knows I could end up with an electric vehicle which I would use all the rest that I make.

How's all that work for you when the grid fails, surges or browns out?

 

[Vlach7]

How's all that work for you when the grid fails, surges or browns out?

Excellent question, in the four years that I’ve had it up we have had just a couple days where I would have to run my small inverter generator to power, my fireplace, fan and refrigerator, much less than what we had in early 2000 when a big snowstorm took down the powerlines for a couple weeks, but SCE has spent millions in the rule areas because of the wildfire issues and the power outages and brownouts are much less but a little generators a lot cheaper than those batteries which can go bad and I already had these generators, when I say generators, I got one big one when I need to pump water, haven’t used that one in years have to start it occasionally and put fuel saver in it. And the small one I use when I go Boondocking in my truck camper. God bless and thanks for asking. This is what my Enphase report looks like for the life time, blue is what I produce, and orange is what I use. unable to attach my pic.