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I needed an excuse to get started so, not having a man cave shed, I thought I'd start with the existing 110vac Christmas lights on the shrub in the backyard! And then I'll look at some of those 12v garden spotlights in the spring. So far I have these parts: 25W PV panel panel to be mounted on...

Monitoring, upgrading and maintenance of off-grid solar is an ongoing responsibility - usually by one main enthusiast in the house. If the system's primary operator becomes unavailable the remaining family members may not have the skill set or sufficient interest to "jump through the hoops" to...

Tempted to write something completely off-topic! LOL

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

7. The question is so vague with so many details missing that no-one wants to touch it. Aka where do you start? 8. They've done very little preparation themselves yet expect an unpaid enthusiast/volunteer to give them a complete design. 9. They seem completely unwilling or unable to manage a...

Tool Box DIY All-in-one Solar for $100 Here is the schematic for my small hobby system in a Toolbox Inputs and Outputs SAE plug Input for 25W Panel (upgrade of previous 2.5W automotive battery maintainer panel) 110VAC Inverter output to load 12VDC female cigarette lighter plug - currently...

Love it! Another original creation. You've really milked this for all it's worth. No bull!

I was thinking more about other people's lack of interest regardless how well documented the system is. Also, the trouble with highly automated systems is who's going to re-tune it when things get out of synch, which they inevitably will sooner or later. In my experience secondary users are...

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/01/11/solar-supply-chain-trouble-to-ease-this-year-according-to-analyst/

Or else mebbe Will could write an informative, comprehensive book on the subject and make it available to everyone inexpensively on Amazon... oh wait!! Would it be rude to tell people to go away and come back when they've read the book? Or, as we used to say - RTFM! Or, my other favourite is...

Poor Man's Solar Battery Box OK, so tonight I wired up my hobby box in the basement and tested it. Input is from Solar Panel on SAE plug on left of box. Powered indoors by overhead florescent work lights. Output is 110vac from small inverter to outdoor photocell switch to control and time...

National infrastructure serves millions of residences. It therefore cannot be considered in isolation from residential solar. It's all connected!

Many scientists and politicians (especially Al Gore) are telling us there's a problem with global warming. And we can see for ourselves more extreme weather events, sea temps rising and glaciers melting.

The yolk's on them.

Small "hobby" off-grid systems for people who want to learn and demystify the subject without spending a lot. To include a monitoring display to see what's going on. Small solar for wired Yard lights. Small systems using cordless tool batteries (DeWalt, Ryobi, etc) Or some combination of the above,

You might want to take a look at larger panels. 100w used to be the standard but now the sweet spot is 200, 300w or more. Goal is to cover the same roof area with less handling and wiring and should be cheaper too! Unless you're looking at used - then I guess you have to take what you can get.

But what if you drain the battery and can't leave? Years ago we used to use our car battery to power a light when we were camping. It was an anxious time because we needed to save enough to start the car, especially if we were staying a few nights.

Many calcs of breakeven fail to include the "opportunity" cost of capital. This means: Loan interest charges, if you are borrowing the money, or Alternative Income earned, if you have the cash and invest it elsewhere Throw in the extra cost of managing, building and operating your own power...

Turn stuff off.

In other words: Volts x Amps = Watts Doesn't matter if it's AC or DC.

Hi all, and Happy New Year! Love Will's videos and book and currently making a small hobby system to play with, learn from and drive a few lights in the yard. Seems to me this type of tiny, inexpensive solar system has been largely overlooked and I hope to change that. I've been lurking for a...

Then there's COVID. People are feeling a little isolated and more chatty than usual these days.

That is a huge undertaking! I'd start by taking a serious look for opportunities for downsizing and conservation. Every watt saved is a watt you don't have to produce. Is selling off your kids legal in California?

A certain amount of what's happening here is social. It helps to "grease the wheels" for any person-to-person transaction. But how much is too much? It varies by individual and the OP obviously has a very low tolerance! YMMV

Does the rhumba have a fan? That would be fitting.

Baby steps! decide if you want to buy the place on its own merit (ask the owner/builder if he has any documentation on the solar system) hookup the existing system and use it for something - anything just for practice study the subject and familiarize yourself with solar theory and practice...

I'd expect to see a lot of STEM types, many with construction backgrounds: Many Current and retired electricians & EE's Some IT's with their raspberry pi control programs Mostly in USA, especially the sunny SW Some from Europe, Australia, etc. A few Canadians

Going solar off-grid means understanding and accepting certain constraints and restrictions relative to your former grid-tied lifestyle with unlimited power (at a price). In a nutshell, you will be constantly trying to balance cumulative intermittent Power Consumption (all household loads) with...

If you don't need to charge batteries in winter (below freezing) you could switch to Li, if you're willing to pay the extra. Otherwise stick with lead acid. Tried and true!