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Jul 06 2022
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What to Consider Before Going Off-the-Grid

By Off Grid Solar Power System No Comments

Independence from the electrical grid may sound like an attractive idea to some homeowners – the potential for positive environmental effects, greater energy security, and an end to bills from electric companies. In certain cases it can in fact be the most affordable option for powering your home. Homes considered “off-the-grid” or “off-grid” lack any connection to the utility grid and produce all required electricity on their own, generally from renewable sources and/or propane generators. Many off-the-grid homeowners have turned to solar power, used in conjunction with battery banks for energy storage, to power their homes.

Though a complete off-the-grid system can have a high price tag, it’s often much more affordable than extending the electrical grid to remote properties, an expense that can run up to $60,000 per mile. Homeowners interested in off-the-grid systems must consider several factors to find the most appropriate system to suit their energy needs.

Sizing Your Solar System

Once you’ve decided that off-grid solar may be a good option for you, you can determine the appropriate solar system size in a few steps.

Determine your current energy usage

If you currently live in a home that’s connected to the grid, check your electric bills for your monthly electricity usage.  

Consider cutting down electrical consumption

When relying on off-grid energy sources, it is often practical to reduce your daily use of electricity. Though the average American home uses 900 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month, or 30 kWh per day, a small home powering a refrigerator, lights, satellite internet, and a couple of laptops can cut electricity usage to as little as 6 kWh per day.

Several online calculators are also available to help you project your electricity consumption based on the appliances that you plan to use, including those from Energy.gov and Affordable Solar.

Determine peak hours of sunlight in your region

In addition to your energy demands, the size of the solar system will be influenced by the number of peak hours of sunlight in your region. This can vary widely across the country and by season, but many online resources are available to determine this value for your location.

A home in Southern California aiming to produce 450 kWh per month, half of the national average, would require a solar system size of 4.5 kilowatts, while a home in the northeast with similar energy demands would require a 6-kilowatt system.

In 2017, homeowners can expect to pay between $3.00 and $4.00 per watt for their solar systems depending on region and various other considerations, pricing a 4.5-kilowatt system at around $15,500 and a 6-kilowatt system at around $20,000.

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Selecting Your Batteries

A collection of batteries, or battery bank, is an essential component to any renewable off-grid system, and available batteries vary widely in price and expected lifespan. Lithium-ion batteries such as Tesla’s Powerwall have been attracting considerable attention recently, but they require a high initial investment, compatible equipment is expensive and rare, and their track record in off-grid systems has not yet been proven.

Nevertheless, these batteries boast longer cycle life, higher density, and improved resiliency, and they very well could begin to replace more traditional batteries in off-grid systems in the years to come.

Some customers prefer nickel-iron “Edison” batteries for their long lifespans, rated for up to 11,000 cycles, or 30 years of daily use. However, these batteries are one of the most expensive options, are inefficient to charge, and are offered by few U.S. suppliers. Nevertheless, nickel-iron batteries can work well for up to 50 years, and they could be the right choice for customers concerned primarily with battery lifespan.

Most popular batteries for off-grid solar systems

By far, the most popular batteries for off-grid systems are lead-acid batteries, which come in sealed models as well as three popular flooded types: golf cart batteries, L-16s, and industrial batteries.

Though golf cart batteries and L-16s must be replaced around the 5-year mark, many off-the-grid homeowners have found them to be a useful “training set” of batteries, allowing owners to adjust to the demands of flooded battery maintenance without the risk of damaging an expensive set. Industrial batteries have traditionally been favored by customers comfortable with proper battery maintenance and seeking a long-term solution.

Recently, sealed lead acid batteries have also been gaining popularity, particularly among those powering weekend or vacation homes who are attracted by the lack of required maintenance. Ultimately, your battery choice will depend on your budget and your priorities.

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Sizing Your Battery Bank

Once you’ve settled on the type of battery you’re interested in, it’s time to determine the necessary size of your battery bank and the battery model that will best suit your energy demands. When calculating the size of your battery bank, it’s important to consider how many days you’d like your system to run without sunlight. Generally, systems are sized to run from 2 to 3 days without sunlight, but if you’re comfortable turning to a backup propane generator for power when the weather gets cloudy, you could opt for a smaller bank.

It is also important to consider the lowest ambient temperature that your batteries will experience during the colder months, as low temperatures can alter their effective capacity. Online calculators (like this one) are available to determine the total battery capacity you will need based on these factors and your daily energy requirements.

A home using 15 kWh per day, storing its batteries in conditions above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and aiming to provide energy for 2 days without sunlight will require a total battery capacity of approximately 2100 Amp-hours.

Several companies manufacture industrial flooded lead-acid batteries specifically for use with solar systems. The Rolls battery from Surrette is seen as a premium product by many, and a wide variety of available capacities and voltages offer flexibility in designing a battery bank. A 2100 Amp-hour system composed of Rolls 4KS-21PS industrial batteries would require 12 batteries to be connected, totaling slightly over $12,000.

A system of the same size composed of Rolls S-530 L-16 batteries would cost around $8,000. Despite the higher up-front price, the industrial option provides considerably more kilowatt-hours over its lifetime at the rated depth of discharge, and lifetime cost per kilowatt-hour is half of that for the L-16 option.

Putting Things Together

Based on these calculations, a Southern Californian home with electricity consumption at 450 kWh/month, half of the national average, can expect to pay at least $26,000 for a solar system and battery bank before any federal or state incentives are applied. The cost of monitoring equipment, installation, and a backup generator could easily add another $5,000 to this estimate.

Prices vary widely based on location, energy demands, and the type of equipment you choose to best fit your needs, and numerous online resources are available to find more accurate estimates for your home. Off-grid customers can also take advantage of the 30% federal tax credit, as well as various state incentives. However, because these homeowners are not connected to the electrical grid, net metering is not available to them.

Due to the many complexities of these systems, many homeowners opt to work with solar providers that specialize in off-the-grid solar and provide all of the required components.

Solar.com can help connect you with the best off-the-grid installer for your project and find you the best possible deal through our competitive bidding system.

You can begin to learn more by entering your address on our homepage.

Jun 22 2022
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Why SolarCity Telemarketing Is Everyone’s Problem

By Solar Panel Scams No Comments

Solar energy is more than a revolution in the way we generate electricity. It’s part of a revolution in the way we conduct the business of everyday life. For many companies selling solar panels directly to consumers, including many of the participants in the Solar.com online marketplace, this means steering clear of telemarketing, door-to-door sales, and other annoying tactics that give all kinds of businesses a bad name.

There’s a reason why companies continue investing in methods that are wholly unpopular with their consumer audience. The US Labor Department reports that US companies employ about 227,000 telemarketers, paying out a total of $6 billion in wages.

They wouldn’t be spending this kind of money if they weren’t getting back at least as much value in the form of a newly acquired business. But there are other costs associated with aggressive sales tactics. When solar companies engage in these kinds of practices, the whole industry pays a price.

We’re talking about telemarketing because on June 1, residents in Massachusetts and Connecticut sued SolarCity Corp. in federal court over the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a law that’s supposed to protect people from getting flooded by unsolicited sales calls.

Here’s a copy of the official complaint. In addition to complaints from the two people named in the class action lawsuit, the legal papers include online feedback from people who claim to have received sales calls from SolarCity phone numbers, prompting reactions like this one: “They keep calling and calling. I want them to stop calling me.”

Wide-scale telemarketing campaign, without consent

Carole Gibbs, one of the people who filed the suit, says SolarCity telemarketers have been calling her regularly for two years, ever since she received a visit from a SolarCity salesman, even though she said she wasn’t interested in doing business with SolarCity, her phone number is registered with the National Do Not Call registry, and she has asked them to stop calling.

Arthur Colby, another complainant, also met with the SolarCity sales team. He was told that his house was not well positioned for a solar installation, and he would not be able to use the company’s services. But he still wound up on the telemarketers’ phone list, and he received calls regularly for about six months.

SolarCity has not yet formally responded to the accusations in the lawsuit. To stay updated on the case, visit the Public Access to Court Electronic Records website. Or check back here at the Solar.com blog.

If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a relentless telemarketing campaign, you can probably understand why people would go through the slow and expensive legal process to try and gain a measure of accountability. Telemarketers operate with impunity knowing that there is very little enforcement of consumer protection laws, and the last thing most consumers would do is turn to the legal system for help.

SolarCity is not the first or the only solar company to put old-fashioned sales ideas into practice. Vivint Solar and Solar Universe have used door-to-door sales campaigns to target potential customers. Visit enough street festivals or farmers’ markets, and there’s a good chance you’ll see someone in a brightly colored t-shirt peddling solar panel systems.

The problem for other solar companies is that these sales tactics give the entire industry a bad name. The salesman is trying to tell people how much money they could save on their electric bill by going solar, and all these people can think is, I didn’t ask to have this conversation right now. Please stop wasting my time!

Hassle-free solar sales

Solar companies that participate in the Solar.com marketplace know there’s a better way to get out the message that solar energy is not only good for the environment but it can save you money on electricity. It’s called inbound marketing. The idea is, instead of cold-calling potential customers or knocking on their doors, provide high-quality information on websites, social media, newsletters, or in other venues, and let people decide for themselves what they want to do next.

There are several advantages of inbound marketing.

It’s not annoying

If you’re happy with the information you find on a blog or a website, keep reading. If not, feel free to close the page and go do something else.

It’s informative 

There’s only so much a telemarketer can teach you about getting solar panels on your roof in a 30-second phone call when all he’s trying to do is keep you from hanging up the phone. Reading a website is a more relaxing experience, one that lets you take the time to find what you’re looking for, think about it, then make up your mind before someone asks you to make a purchase.

It’s more cost effective

Companies can spend money however they want, but if you’re buying a solar panel system from them, you probably won’t appreciate paying extra to help fund an expensive telemarketing sales campaign. Better for companies to spend marketing dollars wisely and provide lower-priced solar panels systems.

If you agree that homeowners should be better protected against aggressive sales tactics, sign the Solar.com petition calling on all solar companies to end invasive telemarketing and door-to-door sales campaigns.