04-08-2018, 02:56 AM
"having spent money on the infrastructure he will naturally attempt to displace grid power whenever possible"
That's basically what I'm doing. I have all the constant draws in the house running off solar for about 8 hours per day (deep freeze, solar hot water pump, UV sterilization unit, internet router, CCTV, etc, about ~400 watts. The deep freeze and solar pump only runs during those hours) while the sun is out, then a transfer switch on a timer automatically switches it back to grid. I don't really "store" any power, I just use it as it's produced. I do need to buy some real batteries and will when the budget allows. My old marine battery has exceeded it's lifespan. The "problem" is that under full sun, I have enough power to run the entire house, and sometimes I do, but it requires manually switching the power over to the other circuits not not just the constant draws currently configured, something I could avoid doing if there was something supplementing the power when the clouds come. Really its more a matter of convenience but it would also reduce my power bill.
That's basically what I'm doing. I have all the constant draws in the house running off solar for about 8 hours per day (deep freeze, solar hot water pump, UV sterilization unit, internet router, CCTV, etc, about ~400 watts. The deep freeze and solar pump only runs during those hours) while the sun is out, then a transfer switch on a timer automatically switches it back to grid. I don't really "store" any power, I just use it as it's produced. I do need to buy some real batteries and will when the budget allows. My old marine battery has exceeded it's lifespan. The "problem" is that under full sun, I have enough power to run the entire house, and sometimes I do, but it requires manually switching the power over to the other circuits not not just the constant draws currently configured, something I could avoid doing if there was something supplementing the power when the clouds come. Really its more a matter of convenience but it would also reduce my power bill.