Even the environmentalist wackos at The New York Times had to admit that solar power was a huge disappointment after Hurricane Sandy. You might think that homes with big solar panels would not have electricity when the grid went down, but that is wrong. Most solar systems are wired to provide electricity to the house or business and then sell the remainder to the electric utility. When the grid goes down the solar systems are automatically cut off because you don't want a solar panel to be sending electricity on wires that the utility is trying to fix. It's the same reason that before home generators kick on, they disconnect from the grid. With solar panels it is a little different because to run a home with solar panels big batteries are needed to get you through the night. So when the grid goes down the solar panels disconnect themselves and you have great big reflecting panels on your roof.
I know, we need Obama to issue a new government decree that utilities install enough batteries to capture power during the day, so the stored energy can be used at night. Maybe 50 Trillion in stimulus dollars will get this going!
Put a transfer switch on the incoming line to a small inverter generator like a honda. The Solar inverter sees the Honda as the Grid then and will sync with it and run.
Most inverters have an offline mode, you set it up by putting critical circuits (refer and lighting, furnace blower, etc) on its own sub panel and putting in a switch over breaker setup. Power goes out, the critical circuits can be flipped over to run independantly.
Not a problem with the panels, its a problem with the guys that set it up thinking grid intertye, not TSHTF. Those solar panels were chugging away, the inverters were not wired to run due to short sighted installations.
There are a couple of problems with this type of solar. First they produce their power at non-peak times when power is not needed. Second, the homeowners (or more correctly, the scam artists who lease these things) get full retail price for the power which is not worth even the average wholesale price. Roof top solar from companies like solar city is 100% scam.
That and having a generator conversion kit to propane and natural gas is a great idea. Or ya can drive to Penn looking for unleaded fuel.
Good. Grief.
The idiots have FORTY TWO solar panels on the roof, an inverter in the garage and are surrounded by flooded cars with perfectly good batteries and wrecked buildings FULL of electrical wire.
And they still can not figure out how to get some power going in one or two rooms of a house?
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These stories and threads are entertaining to read. Most of those suburban grid-tie monsters were funded to great extents by big government tax credits and rebates for big income recipients.
An off-grid system can be fine and frugal for anyone willing to do enough study on PV sytems, find the least costly and best components, learn safety practices for electrical work, learn the National Electrical Code, learn good methods for installs, install an off-grid system (with batteries) himself and pass inspections (permits not necessary in at least some states for self-installs as modifications in RVs). But a “professional” install of an off-grid system will likely result in a system that won’t pay for itself.
No tax credits, rebates or other welfare for big shots here.
PV power works best in sunny areas, too. 42 modules is outrageous. In a climate that’s best for PV solar systems (say, more than 300 sun-days per year), 1000 watts of charging will do a good job of powering a reasonably small house with DC, chest-type freezer and fridge, and no electric range or dryer. Cloudier places require higher wattages from modules (more modules) and more backup fuel for generators. Just redneck common sense. ;-)
Before long, there’s a fair chance that the hands-on technically inclined will do well (not the situation for now). Chances of such people being willing to do any work for the now-currently, political-regulator-inclined folks after a general default process, though, are pretty slim.
Libs for all their professed generosity tend to be very cheap. The solar systems most people install for power rely on the grid (net billing) rather than batteries because batteries are expensive. So if the grid goes down, they’re SOL.
Solar power is the “Yellow Brick Road” to Oz..
Wicked Whichs, Snoopy Doggies and everything..
Are these people too stupid to go out to their power panel and OPEN THE SWITCH that connects their home to the grid??? At which point the solar system is INDEPENDENT and "should" be capable of providing power to the home (at least partially).
If this capability isn't available (I can't see how it would not be), then the installers of said systems are due for a LOT of lawsuits.