Greetings from GA

[khigh65]

Hi all. Happy to be here.

Finally getting things going in North GA after years of study and aqusition.

My project technically started even before I bought my property nearly three years ago when I included solar suitability in my site specs, then built a barn under a very specific roof in a south-facing field.

A couple advantages of taking so long is 1) that I got deals on all the major components - panels, batteries, and inverter/chargers and 2) I've gained enough knowledge to go from having a solar company design and install it to designing it myself and having a local electrician install it to a complete DIY install with an electrician consult solely to keep me from running afoul of code.

While I've built the confidence to go to a DIY install, I still have plenty of questions, so I hope you're patient with motivated newbs!

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to it!

[J.P.M.]

1.) What are your goals for the project ?

2.) Reads to me like you've perhaps already bought stuff before enough project design in the "Ready, Fire, Aim" mode ? Right ?/Wrong ?

3.) What, if any, solar design factors were considered with respect to the property improvements done so far such as building orientaion(s), site shade analysis, etc ?

4.) What types of things with respect to alternate energy did your years of study cover ? What modes of information gathering, books, technical ed., etc. ?? Basically, how much do you know about solar energy as it may be applicable to small scale projects ? Knowing your level of knowledge will help me (at least) and maybe others to not waste time by either talking over your head or below your knowledge level too much.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

[bcroe]

Are you, or planning to be, off grid? Battery systems will raise everything from first
cost to maintenance by an order of magnitude. Bruce Roe

[khigh65]

The goal is energy independence - both cost and immunity from blackouts.

Sure I've made some mistakes along the way that don't fit my current plan. I've come full circle from hybrid to off grid and back to hybrid. the biggest mistake If you'd call it that, was not buying enough panels. I bought 30 on a group buy for $90 and designed my barn around them. Since I later stumbled onto a battery deal that resulted in having 66KwH of battery, I don't have nearly enough panels. Fortunately, PVs are easy to add both from an electrical perspective, and I have places to add them - mostly ground mount. I'm going to go ahead and start with what I have, though, because I'm gone for 3-4 days at a time each week so I may be able to keep my batteries filled. I'll add PV as I get closer to full-time living.

The research would be just about impossible to quantify - books - site visits - videos - consultations with experts... all layered on top of an industrial engineering background. As with anything, questions arise when transitioning from "book learning" to "practical application.