Matthew Loxton2d ago

I have reached the end of the first phase of shifting load to solar power.

All the household rechargeable devices - phones, tablets, headphones, and the big cordless tool batteries for snow blower, leaf blower, drills, drivers, etc, are now 100% replenished using the 500W solar panel

Next step is rigging the furnace blower to run from the solar "generator", making witing changes, and adding 800W of permanent solar panels

Show threadcobalt
@mloxton @Pollinators Whoa—first time I’ve heard something appealing about trying out a 500W solar panel. That’s doable here. I wish we could go for solar panels on our roof but it is unbelievably cost-prohibitive here in sunny Phoenix, AZ.
Mar 26 at 3:27pmWeb
Show threadPollinators1d ago
@cobalt123 @mloxton These are a sad combination of words, “unbelievably cost prohibitive in sunny Phoenix, Arizona.” The fossil fuel industry has spent years making it unbelievably cost prohibitive. Leave them a solar panel at a time.
Show threadMatthew Loxton23h ago

@Pollinators

Right
At the moment, the solar setup charges everything that needs to be charged, which is a start.
I intend to add more panels up to 1600W and mount them on the pergola - which means not touching the house roof and incurring insurance penalties, while shading the pergola. So score there.

I will gradually migrate more appliances to the solar, and each time thumb my nose at the fossil fuel industry

@cobalt123

Show threadcobalt23h ago
@mloxton @Pollinators Aha! We have a pergola next to the house. Not connected. Soooo, we could mount one there. We’d use out outdoor electrical outlet or not? I’d imagine there is a special cable that just connects anything we need to charge up. ?
Show threadPollinators22h ago
@cobalt123 @mloxton Hashtags include #offgrid, #offgridsolar.
Show threadPollinators22h ago
@cobalt123 @mloxton Solar panels are a fence material if you have posts and cross braces. The pergola roof is just a start. #solar
Show threadPollinators23h ago
@mloxton @cobalt123 Yes. A thumb nose to the fossil fuel industry with every solar panel. #solar, #growyourown, #FossilFuelsAreKillingUs.
Show threadPollinators22h ago
@mloxton @cobalt123 Cheers to harvesting sunshine and making energy similar to the photosynthesis of the plants. #balconysolar, #SolarPV, #solarpanels
Show threadMatthew Loxton23h ago

@cobalt123
Surprisingly, a lot of household solar is actually cost prohibitive, but that's often because people start with the intention of selling power back to the grid

I started with the aim of being able to work from home if storms or fire cut my power.
PC plus screens plus phones, tablets, a few LED lamps, and the 5G router burn ~30 W
A 3 kW solar "generator" plus a 500W panel lets me run that setup indefinately
It could also run a minimal household for many days.

@Pollinators

Show threadcobalt23h ago
@mloxton @Pollinators Ah, a little searching finds me some 3kW but prices $400 to $3000. So many products are 3000kW or sumsuch. Hmmm. Thinking I’ll start small and see what happens.
Show threadPollinators22h ago
@cobalt123 @mloxton The solar panel prices in many countries are a fraction of the cost of the same equipment in the USA. This confuses international comparisons. However, Phoenix, Arizona is in the USA. The possibility of variable energy pricing from your energy provider is an incentive to you to support a portion of your home energy load with solar and batteries. #solar, #SolarPV, #energyprices.
Show threadMatthew Loxton22h ago

@cobalt123
I bought a 1500W Jackery from Costco, and then returned it for a 3kW. Part of the reasoning was to be able to pack it up and scoot if we get another fire evacuation. The 3kW model is 59 Lb, so I can lift and lug it to the car, and then have enough power for basic needs.

If you watch special deals, you can get something that is affordable and can give you a start.
Just be aware of what the total input Wattage is, and the max wattage it can deliver

@Pollinators