Have you been thinking about building your own solar system for your home or workshop, but have no idea where to start?

Have you been searching the net for answers, but have only found more questions?
Review my following write-up, and learn what it takes to build your own affordable solar powered home!

I'll go over such details as:

·  Cost of supplies
·  What internet companies to use
·  Who has the best prices & where to go for specialized purchasing
·  Product reviews
·  Basic Construction ideas
·  Simple theory on alternative energy
·  Many links and helpful websites as well!

Get some helpful projects tips, and begin your own journey to energy independence!!

Start cutting the power company umbilical cord today!
 
BACK COUNTRY CABIN - SOLAR RETROFIT FOR UNDER $2,500
 

 
Isn't it true, that when you think of energy independence and "off the grid living," you also think of expensive solar panels, costly electricians, and high dollar battery banks?

And when you search for ways to minimize your energy spending, do you then gasp at the cost to undertake such a project?

Is a solar powered home reserved only for the well to do? And can you actually build a complete and respectable solar powered energy system for fewer than 2,500 dollars?

YES, you can!

This entire project was designed to help you understand what it takes to design and build your very own affordable solar powered living space. This system was designed to be affordable to everyone and anyone that is currently holding a steady job or receiving a steady unemployment check.
 
In order to keep this project affordable and costs down, this system will not be able to power a "typical" modern day home (with all of its comforts and power hungry appliances) on it's own accord.
However, if used in conjunction with either a gasoline powered generator, conventional electrical connection to the "grid," or other supplemental source of energy (i.e. wind generator), this system will be able to supply power to a very typical modern day home.
I set out to design a simple solar powered electrical system to meet the needs of our back woods cabin. Since this cabin is lived in "full time," six months a year, the system would need to be able to handle at least a few comforts and modern day appliances - but still remain completely affordable and easy to install. Our Cabin is considered an "off the grid" home, and does not have a conventional hook-up to the power grid (hence the name "back woods cabin"). It is also surrounded by large pine trees and towering mountains - not the most ideal situation for a solar system. Since sunlight is at a premium in this location, I designed this system to be used in conjunction with a very small generator (2000 watts minimum) for back-up power on cloudy days or during periods of heavy use.
 
As far as power usage goes, this system would be required to supply power to the following appliances: Laptop computer and printer, a small number of household lights (both DC and AC), simple power tools, cell phone charger, hair clippers, cordless tool battery charger, low voltage water pump, blender (for margaritas), and small food processor. For other appliances such as hair dryers, toasters, rice cookers (these draw large amounts of amps or extended periods of time) the generator will be used. While in use, the generator will also be charging the batteries. Please keep in mind, the price of the generator was not included in this write up - my generator was given to me by my Grandmother (so no money was spent).
 
What to buy
 
This system consists of 8 major components: A solar panel to capture the energy from the sun, 12 volt marine deep cycle batteries to store the energy, a pure sine wave power inverter to convert the energy to household AC power, a battery selector switch, pre-wired circuit panels, a 150 amp circuit breaker to protect the inverter, a "smart charger" marine grade battery charger, and a small generator to charge the batteries on cloudy days and during periods of heavy use.
Review the bulleted section below to learn more.

·  40 watt Solar panel (pictured in top pic). Any "Polycrystaline" 40 watt solar panel will do. Prices these days are competitive across the board, so check the internet for the best price.
(mrsolar.com) is a good site to check for affordable panels. As I mentioned earlier, the sunny portion of my roof only receives direct sunlight 2 hrs a day (lucky for us they are the 2 hrs when the sun is highest in the sky - producing the most energy).

I bought my panel a few years ago and paid approx $300.00. Larger panels are available of course - a 100 watt panel will run you about $500.00 and an 165 watt panel would cost approx $750.00. At the time, a 40 watt panel seemed to be sufficient - not to mention it's affordability. In hindsight, with my panel only receiving about 2 hours of sunlight a day, a larger panel might've been a smarter choice. So make sure you know how much sun your target area gets daily, and make your panel selection/purchase accordingly. Remember, you can always add panels to your existing system. So if you cannot afford a 100watt panel right now - don't panic, you can always add one in later.

Along with a solar panel, you MUST also purchase a "solar controller". A solar controller acts as a battery charger. It will prevent the batteries from overcharging and prolong your overall battery life. A 40 watt panel will only require a 4.5 amp controller. My solar controller is a "Morningstar SunGard Solar Controller", and I paid approx $20. If you choose a larger panel, or if you add any panels in the future, you will have to go with a larger solar controller (60 watt panel will require a 7 amp controller, and a 165 - 500 watt panel would require a 30 amp controller, and so on).

·  120v - 12 amp "smart" Marine Battery Charger by Guest.

"Blue Sea" 150 amp circuit breaker.  A 150amp inline fuse or circuit breaker is needed on the positive line between the battery and the inverter.  This protects the Inverter from any voltage surge from the battery bank.
I purchased this "Blue Sea" 150amp circuit breaker from Hodges Marine for $47.68 (cheap insurance).
The circuit breaker can also double as a quick disconnect switch - by simply pushing in the red button.

A Guest battery selector switch is also in order for this system.  It allows you to switch between 2 separate banks of batteries.  Either the #1 bank, the #2 bank, both banks, or all batteries off.

I only have 1 bank of batteries hooked up to the system at this time, but in the future I plan on having 2 (one as a backup).  I purchased the Guest battery selector switch from Hodges Marine for $21.49

Deep Cycle marine grade batteries.  I recommend purchasing 2 of the largest deep cycle (most amp hours) batteries you can find at your friendly neighborhood Kmart (Die-Hard brand).  The large batteries run you about $120.00 each.  Buying two, and connecting them in "parallel" (positive to positive and negative to negative) will double the amp hours (about 200 total).

Do not buy a "Marine deep cycle "starting battery." A deep cycle "starting battery," is like a mix of a deep cycle and a starting battery - stay away.

·  Small generator. 

How it all works.

As you can see from the pictures thus far, all of the main components (Inverter, solar charger, 12v panel, 120v panel, positive bus, negative bus, 150amp breaker, battery selector) are either mounted in or flush mounted onto some kind of enclosure (in this case - a homemade wooden box).

 Below the enclosure is a small wooden bench which holds the batteries.

During times when the Generator is used, a heavy duty extension cord, which is permanently connected directly into a 20amp sub-panel (the sub panel protects the system from a spike or surge from the generator), is run outside to the generator and plugged in.

Once plugged in, the transfer switch will notice an outside source of power and the inverter will then switch all outlets in the system to generator power (at the same time, the battery charger will also begin charging the batteries.)

The sub-panel directly feeds both the battery charger, and the inverter "120v in."

You can monitor the status of the batteries (when charging) either by looking at the different colored LED's on the battery charger.

It is important to note, that you must properly ground all 120v electrical equipment. To do this, drive an 8 to 10 foot copper grounding rod into the ground as close to your system as possible
 
After sinking the rod into the ground, connect a cable (size #10) from the grounding rod to the neutral bus inside the 20 amp sub-panel (if you do not ground the neutral bus, your incoming 120 from the generator, will not be properly grounded - and the red LED on your panel labeled "reverse polarity" will light up). Also, connect a cable (size #4) from the grounding rod to the "grounding bus," located on the back of the 120v "paneltronics" panel. 
 
For simplicity on the low voltage side of the system, I installed both a negative bus bar and a positive bus bar. Doing this allows you to minimize any wiring going to the battery terminals - and keeps the wiring inside the enclosure. Also notice, that I installed both bus bars away from each other (to minimize confusion), and all wires going to each bus have been color coordinated, or have been shrink-tubed, with their corresponding colors - red for positive, and black for negative. 
 Once you've got all your components installed, it's time to start wiring them all together, and sending all the wiring out to your lights, outlets, switches, etc!

For wiring, I used a flexible conduit (about 250 feet in total), and ran all my wires inside - both low and high voltage.  I feel that doing this makes the whole system a bit more organized, as well as keeping all the wiring away from the hands of rodents and other animals that like to chew on them.  Take your time on the wiring; it can get a little mind boggling when you're doing 12v and 120v wiring at the same time.  Do one circuit at a time, but try to think ahead.  Divide your house up into sections - it helps in keeping the wires going to the correct areas of the house.