• Have you tried out dark mode?! Scroll to the bottom of any page to find a sun or moon icon to turn dark mode on or off!

diy solar

diy solar

Polish up your crystal ball

Nobodybusiness said:
Insurance is required for a mortgage.
If you own house outright then you are essentially self insuring against disaster.
Click to expand...
No mortgage here, nor any debt for that matter, but I'm not going to go without HO insurance unless I have no other choice. There's just too much risk and there's the liability side as well. Some people are always looking for an excuse to sue if they think they can get some money.
 
Lt.Dan said:
I have also heard that if the utility is available to you, you MUST enroll in it. In our county even the trash service is mandatory, including electric, water, sewage, and gas.

I wonder if you must have gas service even if you have NO gas appliances. ?
Click to expand...
I think most municipalities in Texas now require you to be on their water and sewer. Some include the trash service as you say. Fortunately, most if not all unincorporated areas don't have any regulations other than septic. Even then they enforce the septic system rules by requiring an inspection on new systems before you can get power. So in theory, if you were completely off-grid for power you could bootleg your septic and they'd probably never know the difference. Personally, I want a really good septic system. I've had bad ones back in the day and it is not fun. But some of this comes back to urban areas having heavier regulations and enforcement than rural areas.
 
No me either, I was just clowning around, based on the 'Stealth Solar' concept.
I was surprised to see there actually ARE camo panels out there!
but then again, I can buy camo (nearly anything), so maybe should not be surprised.
Edit: Will the FridgeBatt be available in Camo?
 
Last edited:
OffGridForGood said:
No me either, I was just clowning around, based on the 'Stealth Solar' concept.
I was surprised to see there actually ARE camo panels out there!
but then again, I can buy camo (nearly anything), so maybe should not be surprised.
Click to expand...
True. I was surprised too. Maybe in addition to the camo they should offer them in irregular shapes.

I might consider wearable PV material that I could put on my cattle. Of course it needs to be able to wirelessly transmit the power. Then I could generate renewable energy while also offsetting the effects of my cows farting. I lay awake at night worrying about that. ?
 
Wearable Camo PV for your cattle, now available on Amazon? - do the outfits come with cup holders and a beverage cooler!
Oh wait, lets combine those ideas: "wearable Camo PV cattle outfits with fart-ignition system technology to convert the methane gas into stored electricity"!!
{coming soon to Amazon}
 
OffGridForGood said:
Wearable Camo PV for your cattle, now available on Amazon? - do the outfits come with cup holders and a beverage cooler!
Oh wait, lets combine those ideas: "wearable Camo PV cattle outfits with fart-ignition system technology to convert the methane gas into stored electricity"!!
{coming soon to Amazon}
Click to expand...
Amazon? Maybe. But I'm thinking custom designs so Etsy ...
 
On a slight segue, I think the whole solar movement, including DIY solar, has made at least some people more aware of power usage and how much impact you can have by making your home or business more efficient. For us DIYers it can become a vicious cycle. Do some work on efficiency then get some solar then try to trim the usage to increase the benefit of the solar then hey, I need more batteries, and on and on. But overall I don't think it's a bad thing to be more conscious of usage.

As an example, I was originally hoping to put the basic 120v stuff on PV and mayyybee one AC unit. Now I'm looking at replacing all three units and taking them off-grid. They're getting old and need replacing anyway so it's almost a no-brainer but I don't know if I would have sprung for the really high SEER if I hadn't gone down the solar path. But it does seem to tie in with the advancement in solar tech because more energy efficient appliances and devices are more palatable for solar and more efficient/affordable solar lets you add more load. They somewhat feed off each other.

I'd like to see more advancement in EV tech for other motorized vehicles and I have to believe it's coming. I'd love to replace my Kawasaki mule with something electric but the offerings I see are not impressive. I'm still kicking around the idea of getting a 4WD conversion kit for my golf cart then switching it to DIY batteries. A lot of work, but maybe. The electric lawnmowers are pretty cool, but man, they are proud of those things.
 
I am going to paint this camo.
Then the government will not be able to find me, and I can wire my 42 individually BMS protected batteries in parallel without worry.

Compress_20230129_065109_9045-1024x768.jpg


I dont know what this thread is, but I am going to scroll back to the top. All I heard was Camo Solar Panels (LOL)

-methods
 
EastTexCowboy said:
On a slight segue, I think the whole solar movement, including DIY solar, has made at least some people more aware of power usage and how much impact you can have by making your home or business more efficient. For us DIYers it can become a vicious cycle. Do some work on efficiency then get some solar then try to trim the usage to increase the benefit of the solar then hey, I need more batteries, and on and on. But overall I don't think it's a bad thing to be more conscious of usage.

As an example, I was originally hoping to put the basic 120v stuff on PV and mayyybee one AC unit. Now I'm looking at replacing all three units and taking them off-grid. They're getting old and need replacing anyway so it's almost a no-brainer but I don't know if I would have sprung for the really high SEER if I hadn't gone down the solar path. But it does seem to tie in with the advancement in solar tech because more energy efficient appliances and devices are more palatable for solar and more efficient/affordable solar lets you add more load. They somewhat feed off each other.

I'd like to see more advancement in EV tech for other motorized vehicles and I have to believe it's coming. I'd love to replace my Kawasaki mule with something electric but the offerings I see are not impressive. I'm still kicking around the idea of getting a 4WD conversion kit for my golf cart then switching it to DIY batteries. A lot of work, but maybe. The electric lawnmowers are pretty cool, but man, they are proud of those things.
Click to expand...
I agree ETC - When I got "into" this solar work, which I did in stages, I too found myself cycling through efficiency upgrades and solar expansions, each one leading to the next! -my spouse thought I was loosing my mind, until we had a 4 day utility outage last winter, Then all of a sudden Green-Light to "expand that solar thing ya got going" LOL. Since then, did some playing around with electric push mower (converted a pos AGM unit to LFP lighter works better lasts longer). I would like to convert our 46" lawn mower, looking for a suitable 48VDC motor, I have partly converted our firewood processor.
While I have typed this, I see my incoming PV hit 100% (7.04kw) and I have "everything" on solar just to have somewhere for the power to go. LOL. So, now time to plan the 2023 expansion...Heat Pump HWT is next on the list of upgrades.
 
OffGridForGood said:
I agree ETC - When I got "into" this solar work, which I did in stages, I too found myself cycling through efficiency upgrades and solar expansions, each one leading to the next! -my spouse thought I was loosing my mind, until we had a 4 day utility outage last winter, Then all of a sudden Green-Light to "expand that solar thing ya got going" LOL. Since then, did some playing around with electric push mower (converted a pos AGM unit to LFP lighter works better lasts longer). I would like to convert our 46" lawn mower, looking for a suitable 48VDC motor, I have partly converted our firewood processor.
While I have typed this, I see my incoming PV hit 100% (7.04kw) and I have "everything" on solar just to have somewhere for the power to go. LOL. So, now time to plan the 2023 expansion...Heat Pump HWT is next on the list of upgrades.
Click to expand...
My wife has been onboard since the beginning. She's all excited that we're running most of the house on solar now, or at least the 120v part, and can hardly wait until I add the AC/heat pumps. She's been after me to buy another 30kWh rack of batteries. I think I may have the perfect wife.
 
EastTexCowboy said:
Where do you see the DIY solar industry going over the next few years? I’m thinking up to the next five years but any opinions or time frames are welcome.

Battery technology, inverter technology, panels, mobile solar, new technologies? Do you have specific insight on one or more things due to your career or experience?

I’m just looking for a friendly discussion so I’d ask to please leave politics out of it.

I don’t have the years of hands-on solar experience of many of you, but I’ve been a student of alternative energy for a lot of years and the advances so far have been pretty amazing. But what’s just around the corner or down the road a couple of years?
Click to expand...
My off-grid system is nearly 12 years old and if i was installing one today i would use identical components. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s still the case in another 12 years.
 
toms said:
My off-grid system is nearly 12 years old and if i was installing one today i would use identical components. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s still the case in another 12 years.
Click to expand...
Most items from 12 years ago have changed or been supplanted with new models. Time marches on. Likely you would use the best technology of today. From more efficient solar panels to all the other items in you newly installed setup.
 
Mattb4 said:
My off-grid system is nearly 12 years old and if i was installing one today i would use identical components…
Click to expand...
Bluedog225 said:
Curious what components those are Toms.
Click to expand...
Mattb4 said:
Most items from 12 years ago have changed or been supplanted with new models. Time marches on. Likely you would use the best technology of today. From more efficient solar panels to all the other items in you newly installed setup.
Click to expand...
So in other words, you can’t.
 
Bluedog225 said:
Curious what components those are Toms.
Click to expand...
SMA Sunny Island / Sunnyboy AC coupled. LiFeTech LiFePO4 cells. REC BMS.
Various second hand (free) PV.

The current spec components haven’t had any significant upgrades in that time.

Tell me what are the superior components I should be using to get a cheaper per kwh off grid system twelve years down the track?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Sunny Day
Expanding Offgrid system with electric or plug in hybrid car?
2
Replies
33
Views
298
Recovering EE
R
Kenny_
World's 1st silicon anode EV battery will let you drive up to 186 miles after just 5 minutes of charging
Replies
22
Views
1K
Rednecktek
Rednecktek
W
Your input and opinions would really help!
Replies
9
Views
167
shvm
S
P
Greetings and Salutations from Brooklyn, NY! Forget the thieves, it's the pigeons who covet my panels
Replies
7
Views
254
bolek_bolek
B
AllenB256
Chicago area DIY?
Replies
4
Views
304
zanydroid
Z

diy solar

diy solar
Back
Top