powering off grid 35 kwk per day. need advice!!!

[luhrs69]

Need to provide power in remote location. 100% off grid. Based on current home power bill We consume 35 kwk per day. I cant find any info to amount of solar panels it will take. I will install a bank of batteries just not sure how many (deep cell) will be required. I want to cool the house, use ice maker and all other creature comferts. This house is in a remote berzil beach island so HVAC is a must. Kicker is we are retired and limited income.

thanks in advance

[solar pete]

Need to provide power in remote location. 100% off grid. Based on current home power bill We consume 35 kwk per day. I cant find any info to amount of solar panels it will take. I will install a bank of batteries just not sure how many (deep cell) will be required. I want to cool the house, use ice maker and all other creature comferts. This house is in a remote berzil beach island so HVAC is a must. Kicker is we are retired and limited income.

thanks in advance

Howdy luhrs and welcome to Solar Panel Talk.

What you want is totally doable but it will be expensive. The 35kWh (kilowatt hours) per day is helpful to get a bit of an idea, but a bit more info will be required. I think you need to do a lot of reading in the off grid section of the forum and then re think your plans to try to get that kWh number down. Remember when you have high drawing appliances you will generally need a very large system. Working out dfay time versus night time usage will be helpful too. You might find running a genny when you need to run the high drawing appliances will enable you to have a slightly smaller system. Any way you cut it though this system wont be cheap, as a total wild guess you will need somewhere between 30K and 60K.

[Sunking]

I can answer all your questions. The short answer is it will never happen and give it up before you waste any more time on this silliness. Let's start with the battery because it is very easy to calculate, and will end all hopes and dreams you have. You need a 48 volts 3600 AH battery. Now I know this may not mean much to you but this will you will clearly understand. A 48 volt 3600 AH battery weighs 10.500 pounds which require an EPA permit, yearly inspections by your local fire department for having a huge toxic waste dump in your home, and will cost you roughly $40,000 every 5 to 6 years with each replacement. Told you that was easy.............................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..........................................Panel Wattage required depends on your location at a minimum if you live in Tuscon AZ will be 10,000 watts. If you live in Average USA requires 15,000 watts............................................. ..............................Like I said will never happen. If you are foolish enough to do it, for the first 5 years instead of paying the mean ole greedy power company 10 to 15 -cents per Kwh, you now pay over $1.50 per Kwh or a 1000% rate increase you so generously volunteered to pay.

[ckhorne]

Like I said will never happen. If you are foolish enough to do it, for the first 5 years instead of paying the mean ole greedy power company 10 to 15 -cents per Kwh, you now pay over $1.50 per Kwh or a 1000% rate increase you so generously volunteered to pay.

If he's on a remote beach island off of Brazil, I don't think the EPA will come knocking and their power is likely a lot more expensive than average US.luhrs69 - it sounds like you need to start with lowering your expectation and finding out how to cut down your usage by half or more. Conservation is the first step to going off grid.

[SunEagle]

If he's on a remote beach island off of Brazil, I don't think the EPA will come knocking and their power is likely a lot more expensive than average US.luhrs69 - it sounds like you need to start with lowering your expectation and finding out how to cut down your usage by half or more. Conservation is the first step to going off grid.

I agree that even though electrical power from a POCO would be more there than in the US an off grid solar battery system for 35kWh daily will be more than $100,000 and require the batteries (about 40% of that) to be replaced in 4 years.

The OP needs to determine how much power he can live with (below that 35kWh) and while expensive go with a generator set instead of batteries. Even with high fuel costs to run that generator it will be less then purchasing and maintaining a large battery system. Or get connected to the grid and use the gen set when the power goes out.

A smaller electrical footprint could improve the cost comparison of gen set to solar/battery but not at 35kWh per day.

[Sunking]

. Conservation is the first step to going off grid.

Yep and Air Conditioning is the first thing that has to go away. Brazil has some of the least expensive electric rates in the world with an endless supply of sugar cane to burn for fuel. Going off-gris is going to cost him some 10 to 15 times more than buying it. Never going to happen on a Limited Income. When you go off grid there is no such thing as a BUDGET, sky is the limit because you have more money than what you know to do with. So you do not mind throwing money away, plenty more where that came from.

[luhrs69]

Off grid in Brazil

Wow, I thought this would be a little easer then it appears to be. THANK ALL FOR YOUR INPUT.... Not what I wanted to here but it has opened my eyes a little wider. As I had said I'm 100% off grid and this is not by choice. I only have one way to have power brought in by law and in the area it would mean cutting through mangrove. This is prohibited. If I down size to a few lights, fans and refer will this be affordable? Well I guess that is an open question.... Where should I begin. I have $8,000 to spend.

Thanks

[Naptown]

Panels about a dollar a watt for grid tie
Racking about 30 cents a watt
Charge controller 500-1800
Inverter 2000
Wires Etc 500
Batteries ?
Run the battery design link below
Sun hours are in the gaisma link below
3-4 kWh per day may be doable for the budget. Batteries are the wild card.

[SunEagle]

Wow, I thought this would be a little easer then it appears to be. THANK ALL FOR YOUR INPUT.... Not what I wanted to here but it has opened my eyes a little wider. As I had said I'm 100% off grid and this is not by choice. I only have one way to have power brought in by law and in the area it would mean cutting through mangrove. This is prohibited. If I down size to a few lights, fans and refer will this be affordable? Well I guess that is an open question.... Where should I begin. I have $8,000 to spend.

Thanks

Until you can drop your usage to only 3 to 4kWh per day you won't be able to build an off grid system to meet your electric needs for anywhere close to $8,000.

Unfortunately a better investment for that $8000 would be in a generator and fuel storage.

[Sunking]

Panels about a dollar a watt for grid tie
Racking about 30 cents a watt
Charge controller 500-1800
Inverter 2000
Wires Etc 500
Batteries ?

Rich I don't think that applies to this guy. Sounds like he is near or off the coast in the Caribbean Sea. Prices will be much higher and selection and quality limited. In the mainland USA say AZ Sun for each Kwh of usable power in a day cost roughly $1800 to $2200. I would bet twice or thrice that much where the OP is at. Realistically $8K would get him a 2 to 3 Kwh system if he is lucky. Not quite 1/10th of what he wants. To get 35 Kwh/day going to cost $100,000 and half that in batteries every 5 to 7 year replacement cycle. Not going to happen.

[paulcheung]

If is in Jamaica. He can get 5 to 7 KWH system with a little change for $8000 US dollars.

8 250 watts panels 2000 watts total JA$192,000
1 Midnite Charge Controller Classic 150 $78,000
1 Magnum MS4448PAE inverter/charger $250,000
8 US golf cart batteries @11,500 each $92,000
Labour and wires $150,000
Roof materials $75,000
1 midnite breaker box with 250amp breaker $25,000
battery wires $39,000

Total $901,000
@116.50 Exchange rate US$7,734.00

[Naptown]

Rich I don't think that applies to this guy. Sounds like he is near or off the coast in the Caribbean Sea. Prices will be much higher and selection and quality limited. In the mainland USA say AZ Sun for each Kwh of usable power in a day cost roughly $1800 to $2200. I would bet twice or thrice that much where the OP is at. Realistically $8K would get him a 2 to 3 Kwh system if he is lucky. Not quite 1/10th of what he wants. To get 35 Kwh/day going to cost $100,000 and half that in batteries every 5 to 7 year replacement cycle. Not going to happen.

He is down to 4 kWh a day
Pricing in Brazil who knows.

[SunEagle]

If is in Jamaica. He can get 5 to 7 KWH system with a little change for $8000 US dollars.

8 250 watts panels 2000 watts total JA$192,000
1 Midnite Charge Controller Classic 150 $78,000
1 Magnum MS4448PAE inverter/charger $250,000
8 US golf cart batteries @11,500 each $92,000
Labour and wires $150,000
Roof materials $75,000
1 midnite breaker box with 250amp breaker $25,000
battery wires $39,000

Total $901,000
@116.50 Exchange rate US$7,734.00

Even 6kWh per day is a far cry from what the OP wanted.

[paulcheung]

Even 6kWh per day is a far cry from what the OP wanted.

He did say he will only need for fans and lights. if is two fans at 50 watts each and some LED lights, say 150 watts total for 16 hours on battery that is 2.4KWH which is about 25% DOD.

[SunEagle]

He did say he will only need for fans and lights. if is two fans at 50 watts each and some LED lights, say 150 watts total for 16 hours on battery that is 2.4KWH which is about 25% DOD.

He also said refer or fridge. He might be able to get away with the lower usage but IMO going from 35kWh to 7kWh is a major change in lifestyle.