OffGridInTheCity
Solar Wizard
Thanks for the clarification. I have converted to all electric and achieved power independence including full AC with 13kw PV array, 24,000w inverter and 81kwh battery for 8 months of the year. The house is 2600sq ft.I think we're both aiming at the same goal, but coming from different perspectives. We don't ever want to go through something like this again, so standby power is a pretty big deal. She's convinced that a generator is a must and solar is a nice-to-have. At the end of the day, we'll have both, but will start with the generator designed-in.Not better - just different. My goal was/is to have a functioning home without grid
However, winter is a problem that I've been noodling for a while now.....
The generator route is one of the common solutions and because of solar I have a large battery bank to accept generator power / distribute it thru the night. Specifically, in winter, I need on the order of 1000kwh/month above solar for 4 months. With a generator that produces 7000w run-time power that's 5hrs / day and 150'ish gal of propane per month to get 1000kwh. Times 4, that's 600gal of propane and 620hrs generator runtime for winter 4 months.
When you shop for generator solutions, suggest you research - 1) sound abatement - 7000w generators are LOUD / need a generator sound box if you have neighbors and plan to run it 5hrs/day for many days and 2) understand how many hours the generator you buy can run / maintenance issues.
For me - the volume of propane, runtime hours, and sound are significant issues for ongoing power production, so I'm still noodling on alternatives such as wood fired boilers for water circulation heat as a backup.
Good luck and would love to read your progress as you make some decisions
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