Solar Powered Tank

[MrDJeep123]

Crazy idea or would it work? I came across the idea last night to buy a panel or two and wire it for the tank. I honestly don't know what would be involved and haven't done much research in the way of doing it. I do realize though it wouldn't be 100% dependent upon the solar. Where our house is positioned we have access to direct sunlight morning until sunset. Ideas? Links? Experiences? Thanks!

 

[Windy]

The only way solar makes sense is because it is subsidized by both state and federal governments. IF those subsidies stay in place at the current level, then there is a reasonable payout if you do your whole house and have a reverse meter installed. You will replace them in 15-20 years due to efficiency.

 

[tigerdragon]

I have solar supplementing my pwr req so far been good

 

[MrDJeep123]

The only way solar makes sense is because it is subsidized by both state and federal governments. IF those subsidies stay in place at the current level, then there is a reasonable payout if you do your whole house and have a reverse meter installed. You will replace them in 15-20 years due to efficiency.

I don't see that changing anytime soon, to be honest. Part of why I'm considering it. I did some research today and it seems it's economical to do the than just the tank. I don't know much about how to get it started and am rather clueless as to what to look for.

I have solar supplementing my pwr req so far been good

Can you go into more detail about how you have things implemented?

 

[Thunderfan]

To be totally powered by solar you would have to have a large battery bank to store the energy for times there is little or no sun. I don't see how it would be an viable option economically. On the scale of an aquarium.

 

[MrDJeep123]

To be totally powered by solar you would have to have a large battery bank to store the energy for times there is little or no sun. I don't see how it would be an viable option economically. On the scale of an aquarium.

I thought I meant doing it for the house in the my reply...

 

[Rybren]

Just to reiterate what others have said, solar just for tank is a waste of money. It would cost you quadruple or more of what you are currently paying. I have an off-grid cottage powered by solar and would switch to the grid in a heartbeat - if it wouldn't cost me $300k to bring it in.

If your local government and electric company allows grid-tied solar, then it could be a good deal. There are often significant tax breaks and rebates available.

 

[marvelousone]

I have been thinking about the same thing. Why would it not work. I have been looking on line at them. Just wonder how many watts I need.

 

[Windy]

It will work, but at what cost?

 

[hatfielj]

Hate to burst your bubble but "wiring a panel or two" for a tank will not provide enough energy to even run one pump. It would take an enormous array of probably dozens of panels to provide enough electricity to run an average tank with lights and heaters and pumps, etc. Also, you'd still need hook up to a municipal electricity source for cloudy days, night time, etc. or you would need some sort of large battery storage system. I don't want to discourage you from trying solar panels on your house though. They could still be used to reduce your electricity usage for the whole house and would ultimately end up saving you money and saving some coal from being burned. But, as pointed out its very expensive to do. There are some great tax benefits if you can afford the investment though.

 

[hatfielj]

I have been thinking about the same thing. Why would it not work. I have been looking on line at them. Just wonder how many watts I need.

You have to first calculate how many kilowatt hours your tank uses and then you can plug this into one of the many online calculators for figuring out the size of a solar array you would need. Keep in mind that you'd also need a large battery storage system to provide power during off peak times (night and cloudy days). You can figure out how much electricity you use on average by looking at a years worth of electric bills. This number can be put in a calculator and you can determine how big of a system you'd need in order to provide a certain percentage of your homes electricity use from solar. Most homes use so much that even a large solar system would only provide 30%, maybe 50 or 60% of your yearly electricity if you're lucky. And it gets very expensive, very quickly. However, there is currently a 30% tax credit for installing one (meaning the government will pay for 30% of the cost of the system).

Here's a link to a basic one to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. http://solarenergy.net/solar-tools/solar-calculator/
For example, 2000Kw per month on average is a fairly conservative number for electricity use in a modest sized home. My bill can range anywhere from 1200kwh/month to 3500kwh/month.

 

[Windy]

The local utilities also subsidize solar by allowing the reverse meter hookup. That costs them a bunch.

 

[Rybren]

Just a bit of clarification here. If your solar system isn't tied to the utility (ie. if you are not selling electricity back to the utility company) then you WILL need batteries to make use of the electricity.

My off-grid system is composed of:
4 x 210W panels $900
1 x Solar Charge Controller $600
1 x 1500W DC - AC Inverter $600
4 x 232 AH Deep Cycle Batters $600
Mounting system, wiring, circuit breakers, electrical panel $1800

and for all this $4500, I can produce roughly the equivalent of a single household 15A circuit. BUT, I could never run it 24/7 at max capacity. At best, I could use maybe 2kWH per day.

 

[MrDJeep123]

The only way solar makes sense is because it is subsidized by both state and federal governments. IF those subsidies stay in place at the current level, then there is a reasonable payout if you do your whole house and have a reverse meter installed. You will replace them in 15-20 years due to efficiency.

There are tax benefits and local benefits to doing this. We don't use very much electricity as it is. We live in a 4 bedroom farm house. We have gas heat and gas water. Our highest electric bill thus far has been around $150 for a month. Our highest gas bill thus far has been $80 for a month. The tank and peripherals are the only thing that uses the most electricity. Our local municipality will pay if we provide more electricity than we use. I don't know how much and to what extent but if we can do it...I don't see why not.

I have solar supplementing my pwr req so far been good

Hate to burst your bubble but "wiring a panel or two" for a tank will not provide enough energy to even run one pump. It would take an enormous array of probably dozens of panels to provide enough electricity to run an average tank with lights and heaters and pumps, etc. Also, you'd still need hook up to a municipal electricity source for cloudy days, night time, etc. or you would need some sort of large battery storage system. I don't want to discourage you from trying solar panels on your house though. They could still be used to reduce your electricity usage for the whole house and would ultimately end up saving you money and saving some coal from being burned. But, as pointed out its very expensive to do. There are some great tax benefits if you can afford the investment though.

You aren't bursting any bubble. I simply don't know what it takes to do any of what I'm talking about. That's why I'm asking to those that know for certain and have had experience in doing something like this.

You have to first calculate how many kilowatt hours your tank uses and then you can plug this into one of the many online calculators for figuring out the size of a solar array you would need. Keep in mind that you'd also need a large battery storage system to provide power during off peak times (night and cloudy days). You can figure out how much electricity you use on average by looking at a years worth of electric bills. This number can be put in a calculator and you can determine how big of a system you'd need in order to provide a certain percentage of your homes electricity use from solar. Most homes use so much that even a large solar system would only provide 30%, maybe 50 or 60% of your yearly electricity if you're lucky. And it gets very expensive, very quickly. However, there is currently a 30% tax credit for installing one (meaning the government will pay for 30% of the cost of the system).

Here's a link to a basic one to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Solar Energy | Solar Calculator - Solar Energy
For example, 2000Kw per month on average is a fairly conservative number for electricity use in a modest sized home. My bill can range anywhere from 1200kwh/month to 3500kwh/month.

Just a bit of clarification here. If your solar system isn't tied to the utility (ie. if you are not selling electricity back to the utility company) then you WILL need batteries to make use of the electricity.

My off-grid system is composed of:
4 x 210W panels $900
1 x Solar Charge Controller $600
1 x 1500W DC - AC Inverter $600
4 x 232 AH Deep Cycle Batters $600
Mounting system, wiring, circuit breakers, electrical panel $1800

and for all this $4500, I can produce roughly the equivalent of a single household 15A circuit. BUT, I could never run it 24/7 at max capacity. At best, I could use maybe 2kWH per day.

 

[hatfielj]

Sorry if I came off kind of crass or whatever. I actually really love the idea of doing whole house solar. My current home is too big and we have too many other expenses to do it right now. Your situation sounds perfect though. With a big enough system assuming you can sell back to the utility company and you have high enough peak sun exposure you could potentially get all your electricity from solar plus some. Talk to a few different solar contractors in your area and just see what they say.

 

[MrDJeep123]

Sorry if I came off kind of crass or whatever. I actually really love the idea of doing whole house solar. My current home is too big and we have too many other expenses to do it right now. Your situation sounds perfect though. With a big enough system assuming you can sell back to the utility company and you have high enough peak sun exposure you could potentially get all your electricity from solar plus some. Talk to a few different solar contractors in your area and just see what they say.

That's ok. I do plan on talking to some people. We have a company local to us I'm going to call Monday and go from there.

 

[alan.reef]

following!

 

[Triggreef]

I've just started seriously looking into solar as well for the whole house. There are many different plans out there, so keep looking until you find someone offering what's best for you. Solar city will do your whole house free, maintain the system and everything. But they own the panels and charge you a discounted rate for what you use. In my situation, their offer would cut my bill in half which isn't bad but I think I can do better buying panels from someone else. The initial cost would be the difference.