NCSolarGarage
13.2kW Off-Grid
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2021
- Messages
- 209
I'm looking to DIY a solar set up for my house/workshop but I'm unsure if I should go fully off-grid, or keep it grid-tied. I've done plenty of reading over the past few years, many youtube videos, etc. I guess the internet knowledge means I'm about an expert now, right? Hah!
Anyway, I'm building the system out of hobby, and the learning experience of DIY. My property is approx 1.5 acres, house is 1600sq ft ranch, I have an in-ground pool, and a 2400sq ft metal building. The house will need to power the heatpump, dryer, water heater, pool filter, among the other usual loads. I also have a tesla I need to charge for approx 50mi/day (I currently only charge on 120v). Without the car, the house averages 13-25kwh a day. The metal building is on a separate meter, and where I plan to roof mount the solar panels. The shop is insulated with a heatpump that I only use when I'm working on projects, which is the main load in there. I also keep my 50A tesla charger in here should I need a 'top up' for a longer drive. I do need to power a lift, and a car chassis dyno, but these are infrequently used.
The shop is about 150ft from the house, PVWatts estimates about 15kw will fit on the shop roof and produce roughly 20k Kwh/yr.
I don't know if I can take the house completely off grid and wire the panels solely to the house? I live alone, and don't mind 'juggling' the loads if need be. Or if I should supplement some of the power to both house and shop while keeping both on-grid, or take the shop off-grid and supplement extra power to the on-grid house, etc? I certainly need to decide this before equipment, so therein lines the issue. Suggestions?
Thanks for the wonderful forum!
Anyway, I'm building the system out of hobby, and the learning experience of DIY. My property is approx 1.5 acres, house is 1600sq ft ranch, I have an in-ground pool, and a 2400sq ft metal building. The house will need to power the heatpump, dryer, water heater, pool filter, among the other usual loads. I also have a tesla I need to charge for approx 50mi/day (I currently only charge on 120v). Without the car, the house averages 13-25kwh a day. The metal building is on a separate meter, and where I plan to roof mount the solar panels. The shop is insulated with a heatpump that I only use when I'm working on projects, which is the main load in there. I also keep my 50A tesla charger in here should I need a 'top up' for a longer drive. I do need to power a lift, and a car chassis dyno, but these are infrequently used.
The shop is about 150ft from the house, PVWatts estimates about 15kw will fit on the shop roof and produce roughly 20k Kwh/yr.
I don't know if I can take the house completely off grid and wire the panels solely to the house? I live alone, and don't mind 'juggling' the loads if need be. Or if I should supplement some of the power to both house and shop while keeping both on-grid, or take the shop off-grid and supplement extra power to the on-grid house, etc? I certainly need to decide this before equipment, so therein lines the issue. Suggestions?
Thanks for the wonderful forum!