info for newbies like me...what will a single 280 watts panel power?

[bsharp76]

Electric consumption depends on the home, location, type of heating, life style and many other things. 2700 is on the high - high side for most.

1 kWh (the basic unit on your bill) is probably in the 10 to 15 cent US range.

Your meter is a totalizer where it keeps adding up the kW consumed. Take a look at the meter and see if you can make sense of it - hard telling what type of meter it is. Older ones have the rotating disc and dials while newer ones are electronic and you push a button to cycle through the various readings. Usually there are tariff periods denoted T (total), T1 (time period one - here that is 11 daytime hours), T2 (time period 2 - 5 hours in the evening) and T4 (time period 3 - 8 hours at night), T4 that is not used. You have to cycle through the thing several times to understand it - there are probably a dozen different readings which you can ignore except for what I mentioned.

mines the old rotary deal. i only run a WH fridge and tv and lights occaionally n turn em off when i leave the room so its cheap.i just dont know how much to trust the estimatorsmy usage was last month 10.81 kWh / day if that helps

[russ]

What is your electric cost per kWh?

[Sunking]

see that exactly why i ask questions cuz hear say means nothing. but according to math on a website i need 2700 watts a month to live self sufficient with a 55 dollar amonth electric bill.

2700 watts does not mean anything. What is needed is how many watt hours you use in a month.

Dig out all your electric bills as far back as you can go, and find the monthly average, then divide that number by 30.5. That will tell you how much you use in an average day.

But you do need a reality check. With a Grid Tied System you will still get a monthly bill, even if you generate more than you use. There will be monthly service and distribution charges every month. The excess you generate is only a credit to be carried forward each month for up to 12 months. Any credits not used in 12 months is lost, or in some states depending on the rules and regulations in your state will be paid at a wholesale price, not retail that you pay. Anyway that service charge can be anywhere from $10 to $30 per month.

My suggestion is for you to contact 3 installation contractors and receive 3 bids. They will do all the calculations for you based on your location and site conditions. Or you can use PV Watts to get an idea, but keep in mind it uses ideal conditions, not your real site conditions like shading and orientation issues.

[Wy_White_Wolf]

ive heard locals getting checks of 1500 every 3 months with windmills would that be a better route for me with ocean winds? im actually 5 miles inland from the bay not in ocean city

I would verify those stories first. More likely they are land lease payments for letting a POCO build a commericial windmill on your property. 500 a month per windmill I know is pretty close to what ranchers/farmers get.

WWW

[russ]

Better money than farming - if correct

[biggreen]

A 280 watt panel can generate about 5 to 15-cents per day electricity. Keep in mind it takes a $1000 dollars worth of equipment to make that panel work to save you that dime a day.

bsharp76,
That's why I said it's hard to save money. A panel or two make a few penny's worth of electricity per day. Then to get those panels connected to the grid to sell that electricity back will cost more than you will ever get back.

Spend some time (a lot of time) reading all the interesting threads on this site. I'm a newbie also and I read 100 times more than I post.

[Richard]

Richard

You might try taking a math and home economics class first.

A 280 watt panel can generate about 5 to 15-cents per day electricity. Keep in mind it takes a $1000 dollars worth of equipment to make that panel work to save you that dime a day.

I would like to know how you calibrated the 5 to 15-cents per day?. a 280 watt panel running 5 hrs a day is a total of 1400 watts.

[inetdog]

I would like to know how you calibrated the 5 to 15-cents per day?. a 280 watt panel running 5 hrs a day is a total of 1400 watts.

More accurately, that is 1400 watt-hours per day assuming 100% efficiency and more sun hours than most places have. That is also written as 1.4 KWH per day. Now if the utility pays you 15 cents per KWH (on the high side unless you are in a state with generous laws on the subject) that will be worth 21 cents.

Allowing for conservative values instead of maximum values, that sure looks like 5 to 15 cents per day to me.

[Richard]

also new to solar systems

ive become really interested in solar panel but its hard to find info as far as what a single panel can power but i want to start small and build up as i learn more about solar.my monthly bill is only 55 dollars so i wont need alot of watts im guessing (a calc. told me 2700 watts) but i really just wanna start with basics before i go and spend 20000 on a whole system and dont know anything about it.any help you can offer is appreciated,thanks

I just purchased ten 110 watt panels and will be ordering a 3,000 grid tie inverter.I also will be getting a combiner box to connect all the panels too. I will need a GFI,Cables,a grounding rod, a main disconnect,mounting brackets, and a lot of luck. I live in Thailand and we get plenty of sun, can be 8 or 9 hrs a day. My KW usage is 50KW a month. IF I am correct, I should get 110watts x 10 panels =1100watts x 7 hours a day =7,700 watts a day times 30 days a month =231,000 watts at 90% using an inverter with 90% efficiency= 207,900watts a year.

I am 66 years old and my wife is 20 years younger. When the time comes I want to leave her with little or no lectric bills.

[Richard]

also new to solar systems

[QUOTE=Richard;53073]I just purchased ten 110 watt panels and will be ordering a 3,000 grid tie inverter.I also will be getting a combiner box to connect all the panels too. I will need a GFI,Cables,a grounding rod, a main disconnect,mounting brackets, and a lot of luck. I live in Thailand and we get plenty of sun, can be 8 or 9 hrs a day. My KW usage is 50KW a day. IF I am correct, I should get 110watts x 10 panels =1100watts x 7 hours a day =7,700 watts a day times 30 days a month =231,000 watts at 90% using an inverter with 90% efficiency= 207,900watts a year.

I am 66 years old and my wife is 20 years younger. When the time comes I want to leave her with little or no electric bills.

[russ]

From PV Watts for Bangkok - Your numbers probably need some adjustment.

"Station Identification"
"City:","Bangkok"
"State:","THA"
"Lat (deg N):", 13.92
"Long (deg W):", 100.60
"Elev (m): ", 12
"Weather Data:","IWEC"

"PV System Specifications"
"DC Rating:"," 1.1 kW"
"DC to AC Derate Factor:"," 0.770"
"AC Rating:"," 0.8 kW"
"Array Type: Fixed Tilt"
"Array Tilt:"," 13.9"
"Array Azimuth:","180.0"

"Energy Specifications"
"Cost of Electricity:","-99.0 baht/kWh"

"Results"
"Month", "Solar Radiation (kWh/m^2/day)", "AC Energy (kWh)", "Energy Value (baht)"
1, 5.28, 122, "N/A"
2, 5.61, 116, "N/A"
3, 6.09, 139, "N/A"
4, 5.51, 122, "N/A"
5, 4.84, 111, "N/A"
6, 4.81, 108, "N/A"
7, 4.56, 106, "N/A"
8, 4.23, 98, "N/A"
9, 4.63, 104, "N/A"
10, 4.58, 107, "N/A"
11, 5.20, 117, "N/A"
12, 5.23, 121, "N/A"
"Year", 5.04, 1371, "N/A",

[Richard]

also new to solar systems

More accurately, that is 1400 watt-hours per day assuming 100% efficiency and more sun hours than most places have. That is also written as 1.4 KWH per day. Now if the utility pays you 15 cents per KWH (on the high side unless you are in a state with generous laws on the subject) that will be worth 21 cents.

Allowing for conservative values instead of maximum values, that sure looks like 5 to 15 cents per day to me.

You are correct. my apology,my mind was going in a different direction.

[Richard]

also new to solar systems

[QUOTE=russ;53075]From PV Watts for Bangkok - Your numbers probably need some adjustment.


Those figures are hard to believe. I live 8 hrs driving time north of Bangkok. I will have to start timing the daylight.

A new solar site just went up close to where I am. they have I would say an easy 500 panels all on trackers. It's also hard to believe if solar wasn't a good idea why would they bild such an elaborate system?

[russ]

Believe or don't believe the numbers but do not use the ones you came up with - they are useless.

Don't bother timing daylight - early and late have no meaning unless you are using a tracking system - substantial extra cost and not that much gain. Your usable sun comes in about a 5 hour time frame.

The large installations in 3rd world countries usually have some added attraction such as a foreign government paying most of the cost or similar. In the US and Europe the general public pays for such things by way of increased rates or taxes.

The system derating factor most commonly used is 77% or there abouts.

The 1.1 kW system will provide maybe 10% of your requirements or less.

[cashaber]

hi

first off a 280 panel will power about 10, 25 watt lights, you know the high dollar lights that shine as bright as a 100 watt.
put it this way

a ceiling fan runs at about 100 watts... these are run with very low HP motors that takes time to start turn one on they take some time to get to high speed. then my fan has 3 lights thats another 75 watts so were running about 175 watts now. so your 1 280 watt panel will run a ceiling fan for the day. with some left over but beep in mind that will prob be only 280 watts 6 hrs of the day and your fan will be on for about 10.

you also need to take into the consideration that there is a about a 15% power loss and when you convert the power too there is about a 20% loos converting it from DC to AC with your inverter. so now your 280 watt panel now supports about 220 also these are in perfect conditions from the factory. your 280 watt panel will prob only produce asbout 180 watts +/-.