Going Off-Grid, State of Solar, and Other Questions & Musings (from "crazy cowboy")

[CountryGent]

Thanks again @ROC. I am going to give A&R a holler. From their site, it looks like they just do Oregon and Washington, but it doesn't hurt to see.

 

[Certaindeaf]

..greenhouses to power..

I don't know the exact location you're considering but try to find someone else who has been successful doing what you want to do with your greenhouses. I know it can get 130F in the shade and drop to 100 at night outside of a hothouse many places in Nevada.

 

[Siglvr]

...I ran from Carson City to Boise yesterday and had a really strong tailwind almost the entire way.....

I WISH i WAS IN THAT KIND OF SHAPE!

 

[notazombie]

The tailwind made all the difference.

 

[bigezfosheez]

I just got a solar panel system, but it doesn't work if the power is out (who'da thunk it?) SO now I'm planning on a backup generator.

If you spend $1/gallon on filtered/de-watered waste vegetable oil(available on craigslist in most areas), you will come out about even to the cost per KWh from the electric company(after fees and taxes).

If you collect and de-water your own WVO, you can offset the cost of a used diesel generator and WVO conversion kit after about 3-5 years.

 

[JuglansRegia]

Basically your idea is manageable given enough funding, the first thing you will need to do is figure out what your daily power consumption is going to be then work it from there. If you have an unlimited budget, there are all kinds of ways you can generate power off grid, PV, Wind, Hydro, bio fuel, geo thermal and fossil fuel burning generators.

I do have several years of experience in the PV industry designing and selling grid tied PV systems, lots of people were interested in a battery back up system but no one ever bought one. Things have progressed a lot in the last 10 years though, LED lighting is common place, battery backup systems are becoming more mainstream though still pricey and instead of using a bank of lead acid batteries which will only last 3 to 5 years if you are lucky, now you can even buy Lithium Ion house batteries which hold more power with more cycles than lead acid.

 

[solv3nt]

Electrical engineer here, don't go off grid with solar if you can get utility power. Cost benefit isn't there. I'll design solar for people, but I don't drink the cool aid, and I tell them that too. If you can get net metering without a maximum system size, then it can make sense. Otherwise, don't waste your money.

 

[JuglansRegia]

Here is another idea, find out how much the local utility provider will charge you to bring power to the property, and then see what kind of off grid electrical generation system you can fund for that amount.

 

[CountryGent]

Unless you are Vegans, I'd suggest a cow(milk and butter etc) or two and some beef cattle(a nice Steak). The Lake would make water storage much easier and could be stocked with fish.

Oh, we are not Vegans. Though off-topic, no plans on cattle, though certainly chickens, and probably goats. Depending, on space, time, et al., of course.

A lake would make things better, though unlikely in the locations we're looking at. Parenthetically, in the home I spent most of my childhood in, our water was from a lake. It was pumped in and filtered. There were two negatives, at least back then:

• When the power went out, and it did often, sometimes for a long time, the pump wasn't working. Water had to be hauled up in buckets, and that for human consumption manually filtered. There was two (and at one time a third) adult and six children, so that was a lot of people power to get things done. My parents, in that era, could not afford backup power, but there are now options.
• One time something went wrong with the filtration and we drank contaminated water. A few of the children, including yours-truly, got very sick indeed.

Here is another idea, find out how much the local utility provider will charge you to bring power to the property, and then see what kind of off grid electrical generation system you can fund for that amount.

The thought crossed my mind too. I've now largely moved on to looking at other parcels. The one that I was thinking of during the original post hit a lot of key points (plot size, location, climate similar to a location we used to live in, proximity to a town we're interested in, cost, etc.). However, the more I think of it, adding the power problem is likely just another headache to avoid. It is already going to be expensive and time consuming addressing the water problem, septic, etc., so it is hard to justify adding another set of systems that are going add expense, complexity, and maintenance cycles.

That said, I am pleasantly surprised to find the solar options have marched on technology-wise. It looks like better options are emerging for storage of energy. Even if we're not trying to power an entire location, I could see its selective use for certain applications (e.g., backup power not dependent on fossil fuels, outbuildings, etc.). As such, I appreciate all thoughts. Thanks much.

 

[ROC]

Congressman Thomas Massie adapts the battery from a wrecked Tesla model S to storing power for his off grid home, 1st of 4 videos.

UK company that uses retired Renault EV batteries for home storage. Video also discusses an emerging market for their product based on variable pricing for electricity; buy off peak and store then consume during peak from the battery.