[Elecraft] OT: Small solar array to handle just the shack, computers, and lighting

[Wayne Burdick]

Hi all,

Some of our friends are putting in large solar arrays that feed power back into the electrical grid. I'm looking for something smaller and simpler since our electricity use is very low overall.

The reason it's so low is that we've converted all of our lighting to LED. (LED bulbs that consume 10 W yet have 60 W equivalent light output relative to incandescents are getting remarkably cheap -- 3 for $10 at Home Depot.) Consumption goes up when we use the electric range, etc., but that's infrequent, and I don't mind paying the city at such times. As for the radios, I run 10 W more often than 100 W, and the computers don't use much, either. 

So I figure we could run the house from a 500- to 600-W array most of the time. Other requirements:

- I'd like to forego feed-in to the power grid. We don't need to watch our meter turn backwards, and with a small array it would turn pretty slowly anyway. But I do want city power in parallel when we exceed solar array capability.

- I want a backup battery that's sufficient to hold us for a couple of days during a blackout. Every once in awhile on a really hot day, city power consumption exceeds what's available, and a transformer blows somewhere. Very entertaining until you have to go buy ice for the fridge.

Systems that meet the above requirements seem to cost a lot more than the sum of the parts. So what I'm looking for is a good source of roll-your-own-solar info. I'll hire an electrician to wire up the solar system in parallel with the city supply, but I could purchase the components and do most of the installation myself.

Any suggestions? Please contact me off-list.

tnx
Wayne
N6KR