Has anyone bought a home solar system recently?

I might be able to help, if you can be more specific.

Home solar heating (water and enviromental) or power? That might be a good start, and what are your parameters (i.e. what output do you expect, and what ballpark price are you looking for?).

We're just about ready to order a bunch of PV panels for Plickety and I up here in AK, but there's a bit more too it than just the panels. If it's heating, then I'm just in the research stage for that.

We have a solar hot water system on the roof. It  is not tied into our heating, as that is at this point electric (soon to be an airtight fireplace insert) so we can't help you there. But we pay almost nothing for hot water in the warmer months, and here in South Carolina that means 8-10 months out of the year. My husband built it himself. Go to http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm for the how-tos. One thing we are doing this year is stockpiling parts for it: in an EOTWAWKI situation, parts may no longer be available!

We are also about to buy and install a solar-powered attic fan. While we are still on the grid (while we still have a grid) this should cut down on A/C costs. As long as your solar attic fan has a rated CFM = (attic volume x 10)/60 you should be able to cool your attic to 5-10 degrees above the outside temperature, if your insulation is good. We are also repairing/replacing screens (and stockpiling screen repair material) and adding screen doors/storm doors. We will let you all know how our fan does when it goes in.

Gungnir:

I'm looking for the 40k range system. grid tied with batteries.  I can do the research on the components.  I am more concerned about locating a reliable supplier.  I am located in GA.

Thanks safewrite.  My idea on the solar water heater is to cool my solar voltaic array (which is more efficient when not overheated) and use a heat exchanger to provide hot water from the coolant.

My idea on the solar water heater is to cool my solar voltaic array

Here is a place that does cooling with excess solar hot water heat.  If anyone has any experience with this, I would love to hear about it.

http://www.solarpanelsplus.com/solar-air-conditioning/

We are currently in the process of putting 13 flat plate collectors on our roof.  In NM (lots of sunshine) the rule of thumb is each should replace about 1/2 gal of propane/day. 

I'm looking for the 40k range system. grid tied with batteries.

I think for that amount, based on many quotes I have received, you can probably a get around a 4kw system.  I've been working on about a 11kw system for somewhat more than double that, and that's being pretty agressive with the installers on pricing.  With batteries you are looking in the $8/W installed range.

Around here it appears that you have pure play solar installers and then new green energy subsidiaries of large electrical contractors.  I'm not sure which we will go with at this point. 

You should also research AC coupled systems.  If you think the grid is most likely going to be available and your just getting the batteries for TSTF scenarios, then AC coupled is more efficient at getting power to your grid and you just want emergency critical loads for battery backup.  The traditional DC coupled is more like a off-grid system and your loose about 10% on your grid output, but you get better usage of the arrays when charging batteries.  This is all just from research and talking with lots of solar folks at this point.

Another gotcha I have recently heard about is the use of flooded lead acid batteries.  Apparently if you don't discharge and make use of the lead acids (ie. leave them at float) for long periods of time (years), they have a bad habit of not working when you need them.  I have been told that by several people who said they had failures when they needed them most.  The recommendation I have received for batteries that are going to remain at float is to use AGM batteries.

If anyone has any experience with the items above, I would love to hear about it.  It appears very few people do AC coupled battery systems. I think this is probably because few people have wanted batteries that aren't living off-grid due to the considerable added cost.

I am more concerned about locating a reliable supplier.  I am located in GA.

I think the big thing is to get educated about how the systems work so you can ask lots of tough questions and figure out which installers your like.  A good place to start is home-power magazine which you can buy a subscription on line for $10 and it lets you read all the back issues.

docmims, we are at the same stage as you.  It is my experience that local installers are begging to come to your house and give you their advice and an estimate.  I like to talk to the Tech Reps and Engineers, that is where the real information is at.   I think most are anticipating that State subsidies will dry up, reducing peoples ability to buy these systems, they want to sell them now.  My game plan was call all local installers, have them come to my house for free, pick their brains, feel them out, get an estimate, Google it all then make our decision.   As a side note, in my State the electricity that you sell back to the grid is a peak usage rates.  The benefits of this is apparent.  Nacci

I was in a Green Building class recently and a student in the class who recently had solar panels installed told me it took the installation company, Sunlight Solar, 6 months to get the system installed, from the time of the 1st phone call that she made. Now she was scrambling to get the power company and the state(CT) to inspect her system so she could get her tax credits for 2009. Has anyone else heard of or experienced a wait this long? I know we have very good incentives right now here in CT, but I can't imagine the wait would be that long!

joemanc,

I worked on the very first Green Residential Tower in NYC, and my experience is that State and power company people are scrambling to get more done with less staff during this financial crisis. That being said, as long as things to obtain the certification are sent in time via Certified Mail, with a Return Reciept, you should be fine. It matters not when they get it or process it; it matters when your postmark to submit it happens.

Erm not to argue, but the system we priced up was for 6kW peak draw (we don't use a lot of power), averaging 0.5kW power draw while awake, and > 100w when asleep or out, with 24V inverters and battery bank we came out to just under $20k (Of which $5k was just batteries), for combined Solar and Wind through ABS Alaska. 5k for the Panels Kyocera d.Blue 210, 3k for the Wind Turbine with a 30' mast. and  $4k~6k for the Xanex inverter, we already use a 2kW inverter which can be our backup, and ancilliary odds and ends (including a switched shunt for heating hot water from the panels and turbine when the batteries are charged fully), and finally for emergencies, a 3.5kW generator (not included in the pricing).Obviously installaton will be done by us which might be where the discrepancy is coming from. This is not in anyway a grid tied system though,

I'm actually considering this oversized too, at the moment we have a small 24v system running of a 2kW Generator, we run it every 2 days for about 6 hours (under a gallon of gas) with a 710 AH battery array.

Now I can see everyone thinking but, you're only generating 1160W from your panels, which is true, but half of that goes to the Battery bank on average, during the Summer we get about 21 hours of daylight, of course the corollary is that in the winter we get 3 hours of daylight. We did the math, for the battery array, it will take from the system about 1 week to hit full charge (if only from solar or wind if we have both at max production we get it in 3 days, unlikely to happen), now since we're using during normal use half of that power (for abour 8 hours per day), we get ~4 weeks of buffer from our battery array with no solar or wind augmentation (i.e. dark and calm). In the winter we get a lot more wind than the summer, I'm still hesitant to say we get enough on average to keep the batteries fully charged though, fortunately the generator we're buying can be easily converted to use ethanol, and we've discussed with the ATF getting a small own use still license. So we'd just need to mulch up some vegetation add water and yeast, let it digest, then distill. The ATF are going to love me, since I'm also applying for a Class 1 FFL.

As for dealers, well I'm working with ABS Alaska, simply because they're the best up here for this sort of thing, as far as Georgia, I haven't heard anything (or if I have, I spaced it an non-relevant).

HTH.

Erm not to argue, but the system we priced up was for 6kW peak draw (we don't use a lot of power), averaging 0.5kW power draw while awake, and > 100w when asleep or out, with 24V inverters and battery bank we came out to just under $20k (Of which $5k was just batteries), for combined Solar and Wind through ABS Alaska]

Based on the rest of your content, I'm guessing you have 6-8 panels.  I was talking about a 4kw DC name plate rating system, which is how they are generally specified.  That would be more than 2x what your system was, 4kw/210 = 20 panels.   I'm looking at 48  230W panels for an 11kw system w/battery backup of 8.2kWh at 50% discharge for about $95K.  That's why I said for $40K probably about 4kw or so.  You might actually do better if you can do roof mount as that is cheaper than the pole mount I'm looking at.  Yes - we are power hogs, but if we want an electric car down the road that's 4kWh for 30 miles or so. :-)

Gungnir, you have it much tougher since you are living off-grid, in AK, with the funky daylight issues.

One place you can look for ideas is at this 3.1kw system for $16k w/battery backup.  You then have to add in another $10+k for mounting hardware, installation, and miscellaneous parts you will need.  I'm not affiliated with these people, just talked with them and I have received quotes from them.  They seem like a good place to check out prices and probably great if you want to do the installation yourself.

Note, all the prices above are pre-tax credit which might make it considerably cheaper, 40% here in NM!

thanks rhare, for the good advice.  Something we have excess of in the south is solar hot water capacity.  to turn that hot water to cooling would be great.