Solar Power

I have purchased all my equipment from Back Woods Solar , http://www.backwoodssolar.com/

Everyone who works ther lives off the grid and they are very helpfull.

Ed

I’m off-grid, but at a pretty low level…a fairly inexpensive system and a lifestyle that’s a bit 1880’s. If you are serious about expanding your system in the future and you are willing to invest a bit more, it makes sense to oversize your charge controller. Then you can expand just by plugging in more solar modules and batteries, and an inverter someday. I’m living off a single 210 watt panel but have tons of extra capacity in a 45 amp charge controller…this year I’m going to treat myself and add another panel or two.

You also might want to look into an MPPT style charge controller. With these, you run 24v panels and it steps it down to 12 for your batteries…this allows the controller to ‘float’ the panel voltage all over the place depending on light conditions, and it adds a lot of efficiency by optimizing the solar panel’s operation. Tristar makes a good one.

If you’re thinking of living off grid with an on grid lifestyle, that’s probably different as then you get into a whole different world of equipment to support it, and it’s harder to build that kind of set up incrementally. Day to day I don’t miss power very much…but it is limiting or perhaps directing what the farm is going to look like and produce. I can’t run commercial freezers to store meat long term or walk in coolers for market garden harvests, so it will affect what I choose to produce and how I market and sell it. I think we’re finding our way around most of these issues. Just found a terrific low energy washing machine set up. I’m willing to run a small generator for occasional power tool use. My current challenge is figuring out if I can get some heritage turkeys off to a good start in the spring with some kind of masonry wood heater. Anyway, good luck (a solar powered post!)

@Rivendell Farm 32758 wrote:

I hope you have an energy efficient computer so you don’t have to sit in the dark all evening to save up enough power to read and post on this forum.

🙂 it might be a bit like that in december!
Where I’m at 210 watts gets you one CFL light bulb for most of the evening, several hours of laptop and internet connection, some stereo, an electric fence energizer, and the odd boost charge on the old 6 volt tractor. Oh, and it grinds the coffee every morning.
This year we get a water well and a neat little washing machine, so the electricity usage will go through the roof…

I did not used backwoods Solar when building our system but my neighbor, who is off the grid as well, used them to purchase all his equipment and he was very pleased with their service. For small panels, i.e., 40watts, I buy them though Amazon.com. The prices are really good and so far I have had good luck getting some decent equipment. The trick I have found with buying from places like Amazon.com is reading the reviews for the equipment. A 40 or 50w panel with a little 7Amp charge controller will do a great job charging your 12v battery as long as you are not draining it really low every day.
Billy