Hello everyone. New guy here. I just finished building my “forever home” and am in the beginning stages of planning for solar. Due to reasons I won’t go into, it wasn’t an option when we built.
Some history, 1600 sq ft Nudura ICF house, 20 SEER air heat pump, all LED, R48 attic insulation, wood burning stove, marathon water heater, etc. Currently use approx. 950 kWh per month according to our electric bill. (That was from summer and fall, it drops a fair amount when we enter the wood stove part of our winter as I burn with a lot of wood.)
We have a deck on the south side of the house that faces directly south. It is approx 40’ long and approx. 4-5’ off the ground as the gentle slope varies. I had planned to eventually put an array way out in the field that slopes down from our deck but the more I think about that, the less I like it. I don’t want a roof mount (house runs N to S) and don’t want to block the nice view we have. It just so happens that the area directly in front of our deck is a sort of “no mans land” as our leech field is about 6 feet out from the front of the deck. I had no plans to do anything with that area but had what I hope is a good idea and wanted to get feedback.
Depending on what online calculator you use, our ideal panel angle would be 50-53 degrees And some say use the latitude which would be just under 37 degrees. If I used a ground ballast set up I could run a 40’ long run of panels at that angle and they would not be seen by anyone in the house or as you drive up to it. Cosmetically it really is the ideal spot. That of course may not work logistically but that’s why I’m here. Another benefit is that I can run the wiring directly under the deck, into the crawlspace and into the garage where the current breaker box is and an inverter would be. I am capable of pouring the ballast (or using precast pole barn pads that weigh 250-300 each) and doing the frame work, securing the panels, etc, and I would hire an electrician to do the wire run and final connection.
My goal is not to be off grid but to offset some use age and mainly to have power if we lose it. We’re out in the country and when we lose power it can be for days. I also like the self reliance aspect of solar and recognize that it doesn’t necessarily make financial sense for us.
I THINK I want to go with a Solark inverter as I hear really great things about them, their customer service, ease of install and EMP hardening, but that’s not set in stone. Depending on what panel wattage is chosen and the layout (horizontal or vertical) I think a 5kw system would fit there, maybe more if I orient them long ways, but again, this idea is in its infancy. I will try to take pics and add them.
So, is there anything glaringly wrong with this idea? Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Some history, 1600 sq ft Nudura ICF house, 20 SEER air heat pump, all LED, R48 attic insulation, wood burning stove, marathon water heater, etc. Currently use approx. 950 kWh per month according to our electric bill. (That was from summer and fall, it drops a fair amount when we enter the wood stove part of our winter as I burn with a lot of wood.)
We have a deck on the south side of the house that faces directly south. It is approx 40’ long and approx. 4-5’ off the ground as the gentle slope varies. I had planned to eventually put an array way out in the field that slopes down from our deck but the more I think about that, the less I like it. I don’t want a roof mount (house runs N to S) and don’t want to block the nice view we have. It just so happens that the area directly in front of our deck is a sort of “no mans land” as our leech field is about 6 feet out from the front of the deck. I had no plans to do anything with that area but had what I hope is a good idea and wanted to get feedback.
Depending on what online calculator you use, our ideal panel angle would be 50-53 degrees And some say use the latitude which would be just under 37 degrees. If I used a ground ballast set up I could run a 40’ long run of panels at that angle and they would not be seen by anyone in the house or as you drive up to it. Cosmetically it really is the ideal spot. That of course may not work logistically but that’s why I’m here. Another benefit is that I can run the wiring directly under the deck, into the crawlspace and into the garage where the current breaker box is and an inverter would be. I am capable of pouring the ballast (or using precast pole barn pads that weigh 250-300 each) and doing the frame work, securing the panels, etc, and I would hire an electrician to do the wire run and final connection.
My goal is not to be off grid but to offset some use age and mainly to have power if we lose it. We’re out in the country and when we lose power it can be for days. I also like the self reliance aspect of solar and recognize that it doesn’t necessarily make financial sense for us.
I THINK I want to go with a Solark inverter as I hear really great things about them, their customer service, ease of install and EMP hardening, but that’s not set in stone. Depending on what panel wattage is chosen and the layout (horizontal or vertical) I think a 5kw system would fit there, maybe more if I orient them long ways, but again, this idea is in its infancy. I will try to take pics and add them.
So, is there anything glaringly wrong with this idea? Thank you in advance for your assistance.
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