Solar Power Shed Project

[3RRL]

By the time I got into the easier digging my solar guy was starting to get onto the power controller for the barn/shop. But I was really getting the "hang" working the backhoe. Man, I'm glad I built that backhoe sub frame. I must have spent 6 hours digging trenches and moving big ole rocks out the way. Here's what I got done looking from the shed toward the home site.




In the mean time, my solar guy got the other power pack all mounted up. Now it's ready to wire up to the generator and battery pack also. Looks like all I'm missing now is the house, barn and machine shop???

Here's a picture of both Outback Power Systems.




I ended up doing more trenching from the shed to where the solar arrays will be mounted on the trackers and also to where the barn and machine shop will eventually be. At this point, the line will go to the well so the well pump will run right off the system and I won't need to start the generator every time we want water.

Here's another picture of the trench work looking from the home site back to the shed. In the bacground (right side) you can see the white canopy that covers the well site. The barn and machine shop will be somewhere between the shed and the well. The solar trackers will go to the left of the shed and well, just past those trees you see on the left. There is a small meadow there where they will be free from shadows.

 

[Paddy]

Boy SCE sure has a racket going, $50 x 4000ft! We recently had two lines run to our two lake lots. Both nearly identical runs. One was for my future home and the other was for a group dock where I'm a member and goes accross my other pc of ground. Now get this, the run for my home was first and they charged $1100. for 450ft. A year later the run to the dock was FREE at 425ft.!!

My guess is that they might have had to upgrade the line going back to your starting point. But still, $25 a ft for trenching and 2" conduit?! I work as a High Voltage engineer and the cost is fishy to say the least.

 

[3RRL]

Paddy,
This is the sad thing livng out here in So Cal. They charge what they want and there's nothing you can do about it. The trench would span across several 30 acre parcels (easement) to get to us, then has to go under a paved road...so it's not like you can trench it yourself. No way for me to pull all that wire anyway....I think they just think everybody is a frikken movie star and can afford to pay whatever they want?? We got this information BEFORE we purchased the property and it made it cost prohibitive...almost did not buy the land.
Rather then fight it, and after a lot of research, we decided to go completely solar...off grid. I am now very happy with that choice considering that in a power outage in the rural area I'm at, it might take several days to get SCE out here to repair? They can kiss my ***.

 

[Timber]

So Rob can you get any kick back from the state on the cost. I know hear in Massachusetts between the state and federal incentives for using alternative power (wind, solar) you can recover almost 1/2 the cost. The power company's have to buy your excess power but that doesn't apply to you because your off grid. California has had a power problem as long as I can remember, even when I lived out there in the late 70s there was a supply problem. I think everyone that has a ability would be doing a service to the planet as well as are children to invest along these lines of power supply

 

[have_blue]

Wow, you really did your project right!

I have a tractor shed way out in the boonies, and needed it wired. I was also very interested in solar, and wanted to get my feet wet. Sounded like a good match!

What I did was buy a "ghetto system" to run my tools when I visited my shed 2-3 days a week. I got a 45w solar panel, controller, cheap 1500w inverter, and a pair of 6v golf car batteries. The batteries stay 100% all the time, and I can run a shop vac, a 2hp air compressor, drills, disk grinder... trouble light, anything I need. My batteries have never even run 1/2 way down. The above items cost $450 total, and paid for itself on the first use. (because it saved me hundreds over running electricity 600' from the road!)

Now you've got me thinking about a full system like yours. Thanks for the great "how to"!

 

[monkeymonk]

Nice!

How far are your panels from your shed? shed to house? What size stackable outbacks do you have? well involved...pressure tanks? if so what pressure pump/well pump did you opt for? Hot water?on demand?

thats alot of power what are you running constantly that requires so much? or just future needs.

That shed looks great...well done.Im doing just about the same right now just way smaller all outback top of the line components....48v,MX,solar,well.......mine won't be done till November/late oct at my speed.
were also putting in a seasonal hydro wheel.

 

[3RRL]

Right now it's for "future" needs but will run the entire household, barn and a machine shop. The solar panels will be approx 50'-80' away on the Watson 225 dual axis trackers. I'd have to get my solar contractor to answer the technical questions about the system but it's supposed to run "everything" like my home here in So Cal.

The whole idea about sizing the system correctly is to reduce/eliminate the generator from having to come on. It will run off propane and propane is another commodity that may go up in price over the years like gas has. By being able to store enough energy in the batteries, we may be able to do this. To give you an idea, when we first looked at designing a sytem, propane was 98¢ a gallon. In our area it's now $3 a gallon! (buying small quantities) If it keeps going up it will have an impact on our fixed retirement income. So that's why we want the generator to run only on emergencies and not plan on it "feeding" the system on a daily basis.

 

[3RRL]

There is a tax write off program in effect that only lets a residential user deduct up to 30% (maybe 33%) of the cost for an off grid solar system but the refund can not exceed $2,000. (I'll have to read that law again to be sure of the Exact percentages because I'm not sure, so this is an example of HOW it works)

Anyway, If the solar system is being built for a business... commercial use, they get the same percentage write off but their is NO LIMIT to the amount of refund. In other words, This system will cost way more than I can write off because it is residential. I'll write off say $6,000 to get a $2,000 refund....Bah hah... that sucks. If I was tied to the grid, there would be substantial more rebates and refunds from Edison, The State and Federal tax agencies.

Solar has been around for a long time. It's just now energy usage is in the lime light because of the huge gas prices so alternative energy sources are being researched more and more. I read more and more about alternative fuels for tractors and will surely try them when available. The incentives for using alternative energies are not as cool as they used to be...but think about, it shoud be more important now than ever???

 

[3RRL]

So this is another "take on it"...

If this was a 100% commercial system, I could write off the entire $100,000 and receive a refund of $33,000. I have basically 2 systems, and one is designated for my machine shop. The Solar Contractor and my accountant has informed me that I can write that part off as "Commercial" to receive a better refund. This is legal and the honest way to do it. The part for the house I'll be limited to the smaller deduction.

However, there is no law that says I can't "sell" the power to myself...that is from my shop (my Power company) to my personal home residence. In other words, my company will be the "power company" selling to Mr. and Mrs. 3RRL.

Constructed in this manner....for my busines machine shop, making it a commercial endeavour.... Then, any excess energy can be sold off by that business. Now, I can't sell it back to the Edison co but I can sell it to an individual (myself). In that case, The business would have to charge the individual to connect to the system (just like Edison wanted to charge me) or the individual can make that connection at his own expense. Then the business will "charge" the individual (myself) a cost for the electricity he uses (at a super reduced/next to nothing rate)....Hmmmm....very interesting how the legal system works, if you work it properly?

 

[3RRL]

So this is where it gets tricky and I'm not sure I will proceed in this manner. But it IS LEGAL if I can prove it. And it would make an enormous difference in how much I can write off and get as a refund. The Solar Contractor is dealing with my "company" and my Accountant can set it up this way.

However, IMO, doing so will probably cause an audit of some sort down the line...maybe not?? But if it's "Set UP" properly, it might pass???
However, I don't think I'll do that just to avoid an audit, but the difference in refund would be huge!!! Enough to buy another tractor for sure and more. Think about it...what would YOU do?
I was thinking about getting Johnny Cochran as my attorney??

So I'm discussing this with my accountant right now before I make up my mind. There might have to be something where my new "Power Company" has to sell power to others in order to be considered a "Power Company" in the business of selling power? I probably won't go this route because I'm a red-blooded honest American and I don't want to screw the government. I'll probably just write the commercial portion that REALLY applies to my business off, and that will be alright.