Solar power.

Ive been thinking for quite a while now of going off the grid, or atleast partially off the grid using a combination of solar & alternative fuel sources,this is not for growing in my application but could be used successfully for growing for others.

My goal is when i retire that i am 100% free of any monthly bills & solar looks to be the ticket.

Has anybody researched any of the government's solar incentive programs & if so can you hook me up with any info you might have regarding those programs,there is so much conflicting information on the internet its hard for me to tell what is applicapable in my situation & what isnt,one things for sure i do not want to miss out on any government grant or rebate money because i didnt do something right, o thatr i didnt apply for a program in the proper time line to be elegible.

From what ive researched so far ive found out that there are several type solar systems,any thoughts on the different types,which systems are better & which have drawbacks would help quite a bit.

Any info you have, including any links you find interesting i'd be gratefull if you'd post them,im looking at having my home completely solar powered within the next 18 months.

u bludger..

panhead said:

Ive been thinking for quite a while now of going off the grid, or atleast partially off the grid using a combination of solar & alternative fuel sources,this is not for growing in my application but could be used successfully for growing for others.

My goal is when i retire that i am 100% free of any monthly bills & solar looks to be the ticket.

Has anybody researched any of the government's solar incentive programs & if so can you hook me up with any info you might have regarding those programs,there is so much conflicting information on the internet its hard for me to tell what is applicapable in my situation & what isnt,one things for sure i do not want to miss out on any government grant or rebate money because i didnt do something right, o thatr i didnt apply for a program in the proper time line to be elegible.

From what ive researched so far ive found out that there are several type solar systems,any thoughts on the different types,which systems are better & which have drawbacks would help quite a bit.

Any info you have, including any links you find interesting i'd be gratefull if you'd post them,im looking at having my home completely solar powered within the next 18 months.

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There are quite a few companies that specialize in solar systems for homes if you talk to one of their reps they will make sure you get all the incentives. My aunt put solar on her house about 8 years ago spent about $10k most of the time the electric company pays her now.

NewGrowth said:

There are quite a few companies that specialize in solar systems for homes if you talk to one of their reps they will make sure you get all the incentives. My aunt put solar on her house about 8 years ago spent about $10k most of the time the electric company pays her now.

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I kinda figured the manufacturer would keep me posted on government programs,still im looking to get educated as much as possible before i plunk down that kinda cash.

lordblunterist said:

u bludger..

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Are you telling me that you are as easily entertained that you just make random stupidity postings to get your thrills,sad man,very sad .

I agree with the above post.

panhead said:

I kinda figured the manufacturer would keep me posted on government programs,still im looking to get educated as much as possible before i plunk down that kinda cash.

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Well I know you better act soon there are lots of state level incentives too. They run on a limited budget once enough people get the incentives they cut them off. Here in Colorado they just voted to extend our incentives. A local Solar Company was advertising that with combined state and federal incentives made it so you paid very little and with power savings the system paid you.

i appologise no harm intended

NewGrowth said:

Well I know you better act soon there are lots of state level incentives too. They run on a limited budget once enough people get the incentives they cut them off. Here in Colorado they just voted to extend our incentives. A local Solar Company was advertising that with combined state and federal incentives made it so you paid very little and with power savings the system paid you.

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Ive just became aware of the limited incentives earlier today while i was researching other peoples experiences with their solar systems,this is something ive allways wanted to do but just recently decided to move on,im hoping to have atleast 2 different manufacturers & contractors picked out within the next 2 weeks.

GrowTech said:

I agree with the above post.

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Hey growtech.

Dig this,i have no idea what a bludger is so i had to look it up.

Definition from wiki.

BLUDGER: noun, a person who lives off the efforts of others; a person who does not pay his fair share or who does not make a fair contribution to a cost, enterprise, etc., a cadger; an idler, one who makes little effort.

Amazing,ive helped countless people with their grows on this forum & along comes a 75 post count noob & slams me just so he can get a thrill,pretty damm sad the way some of these guys act.

panhead said:

Hey growtech.

Dig this,i have no idea what a bludger is so i had to look it up.

Definition from wiki.

BLUDGER: noun, a person who lives off the efforts of others; a person who does not pay his fair share or who does not make a fair contribution to a cost, enterprise, etc., a cadger; an idler, one who makes little effort.

Amazing,ive helped countless people with their grows on this forum & along comes a 75 post count noob & slams me just so he can get a thrill,pretty damm sad the way some of these guys act.

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It's ok pan you are a moody old fart but we love you here

its australian humour it was ment to be light hearted,i think it just came off the rong way..

lordblunterist said:

i appologise no harm intended

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Accepted.

I rarely ask for help on anything,normally its me offfering the help but when i do need help from other people who are more educated than myself i come here & i ask.

I've looked into solar and you would want to go with a energy storage type system tied into the grid(large batteries in an isolated storage area on property). There are 2 options----1, The electrical companies will cover most of the product cost but they also receive a low cost monthly payment(costs of product) small KWH payment from you--avg is about 70% per KWH of what your current rate is now, Plus they get the extra power not used off the grid without paying you more than 2% of the standard energy cost(what they pay for electricity).
2, If you can afford it a better option would be to purchase the solar panels. A year ago I was told a system that would cover 1500 to 3000 SF would cost 20,000.00 and the government rebate program would cover half of that. So 10,000.00. The size you need depends on your current and future energy needs as well as the SF of area you have available on your roof or property.

NewGrowth said:

It's ok pan you are a moody old fart but we love you here

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Yes i am

It does get old though & i admit it is getting to me lately.

Anyhow ive been sitting here reading links up the ass & it seems that california is the place to be for state incentives on solar,they pay up to $30,000 for home owners to go totally solar,so far all i can find out about Michigan is that they reimburse up to $3,000,hopefully thats not all but it is better than nothing.

DR. VonDankenstine said:

I've looked into solar and you would want to go with a energy storage type system tied into the grid(large batteries in an isolated storage area on property). There are 2 options----1, The electrical companies will cover most of the product cost but they also receive a low cost monthly payment(costs of product) small KWH payment from you--avg is about 70% per KWH of what your current rate is now, Plus they get the extra power not used off the grid without paying you more than 2% of the standard energy cost(what they pay for electricity).
2, If you can afford it a better option would be to purchase the solar panels. A year ago I was told a system that would cover 1500 to 3000 SF would cost 20,000.00 and the government rebate program would cover half of that. So 10,000.00. The size you need depends on your current and future energy needs as well as the SF of area you have available on your roof or property.

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Iv read some of what your talking about in option number 1 & im confused,so far i really dont think option number one is for me as i want to be totally bill free within the next 18 months at the very latest,i cant retire until i have zero monthly bills so this is a must.

Can you explain option one a little better if you have anymore info on it,for instance how long do the power company's charge the home owner these rates,is it only until the equipment is fully paid for,kinda like loan payments,or are the charges applied for the life of the solar system,this is the stuff that confuses me.

We have a deck on our roof that we rarely go out on & that is where we plan to have the panels installed,they should have more than enough room for all the panels.

I do want to be tied to the grid & what me & the wife are thinking of is making sure that the system can cover all our electrical needs plus have extra to sell back to Edison each month,that is the plan anyways.

You want to own your own panels period. Have a solar company come out and talk to you. Write down all your questions beforehand.-Most companies want your business and will give you a free quote.

How about you hang panels on the walls of you grow room, that way they will get ample light when the lights are on? I thought about doing that but i don't have the money.

DR. VonDankenstine said:

You want to own your own panels period. Have a solar company come out and talk to you. Write down all your questions beforehand.-Most companies want your business and will give you a free quote.

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No doubt on ownership,thats the only way,ive got a company comming out within the next week to do a site evaluation to see exactly what type systems i can even put on my property,from the way the salesman talked he'll be here for a few hours before he can even tell me weather my plans are even feasible.

I did not realize that there is a possibility that i may not be able to use a system large enough to power my entire home,it sounds like there are a few different options if i cant get all my power from solar,i can go solar hot water which is a huge expense in my home,we use extreme amounts of hot water,we can also use DC lighting in most of the home to make the best use of a smaller type system,the sales guy tells me that by using dc lighting a smaller system can power more devices because much less battery power is lost from not going through the DC to AC inversion process.

We will know very soon exactly what type systems are going to be installed,the federal & local rebates are not as large as i had hoped either,the federal government will rebate me up to 30% of total cost & the incentivces from my state government will not exceed $3,500 at the maximum,not as large as i wanted but still better than a kick in the teeth.

Most likely my plans will be switched to solar hot water,DC lighting & solar ventilation,with the addition of solar tube reflector sky lights for all the main use rooms in the home these few things should cut my power consumption in half,not exactly where i wanted to be but if my property wont handel the system needed its the route were going to go.

scubadude239 said:

How about you hang panels on the walls of you grow room, that way they will get ample light when the lights are on? I thought about doing that but i don't have the money.

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I dont grow in the home i live in,ive allready lost one home from seizure laws & that aint happening to me ever again,we will have either a 12x12 or a 10x12 green house on the property this summer to grow legally in so ive got grow expenses taken right out of the picture,we really only need one grow per year to get enough smoke for the 2 of us so the green house will supply more than enough.