Greetings everyone. Hoping to get some feedback from the braintrust. I am an Elk Grove, California home owner interested in having Roof Mounted Solar Panels installed for off-grid use. Ultimately, the goal is to assemble an off-grid system that can act as both an external power source during an outage (using a transfer switch and panel) as well as a source of power for (eventually) charging EVs. As I understand it, this approach should allow me greater flexibility in the selection of products since I don't need to adhere to rules/laws that mostly benefit my local power company. Saving money (when compared to grid-tied systems) would be nice but is not entirely necessary.
I've really tried to wrap my head around all of the legalities and requirements of Solar in this state but as many of you know, this stuff is far more convoluted than it needs to be. I've also had trouble finding resources specific to Off Grid use cases for traditional single family residences in low to medium density neighborhoods. That said, I definitely intend to have this work properly permitted since the house will eventually be sold.
So, dear Braintrust, does my idea sound far fetched? Is this something I could possibly do in phases? Could roof mounted Solar be an achilles heel in all of this? Thanks in advance for any feedback you provide.
For reference, here's a quick list of everything I am currently considering for my home.
I've really tried to wrap my head around all of the legalities and requirements of Solar in this state but as many of you know, this stuff is far more convoluted than it needs to be. I've also had trouble finding resources specific to Off Grid use cases for traditional single family residences in low to medium density neighborhoods. That said, I definitely intend to have this work properly permitted since the house will eventually be sold.
So, dear Braintrust, does my idea sound far fetched? Is this something I could possibly do in phases? Could roof mounted Solar be an achilles heel in all of this? Thanks in advance for any feedback you provide.
For reference, here's a quick list of everything I am currently considering for my home.
- 8-10 kWh of Solar Panels (or more if my roof can accommodate)
- Battery Storage (capacity TBD)
- Off-Grid Inverter
- Level 2 Charger (I'm really interested in the Emporia model that Will reviewed but open to all options)
- Transfer Switch/Panel
