Electricity
MAKING YOUR OWN POWER !
Yes, we can , Yes, you can, in fact We all can make electricity, BUT ( and that's a big BUT), keeping it, is as hard as holding on to your spending money, when your'e standing in a candy store. Difficult to say the least ! Many tell us they want to make electricity and sell it back to the power company, (more on that below), but most realize that - if your structure doesn't need too much, you don't have to make too much, thus their HOME Energy Systems Cost, is far less than the systems required , that attempt to sell excess electricity to a utility company.
1.) Most rural locations, are operated by Electric Membership Corporation's (EMC's), and they normally only pay about 4 cents or less on average wholesale per kW and they charge on average, 4 to 8 times, what they buy electricity for. Doing the math, my company normally sizes the system to be stand alone (off-grid), so it has batteries that last on average 100 years (when the right ones are client chosen). These are called Nickel Iron NiFi batteries and they cost a "butt load of money", but they last longer than everything else, we have ever seen, so we don't suggest any others here. They sell in many capacity's, normally from 100 amp+/- & up systems, and in 2.4 volt to 12 volt to 48 volt plus, is common. With the freight from China right now, your looking at about 10 grand today, to get a normal 10 kW system delivered to your door, in the lower 48 states, ( WW-3 not withstanding!).
2.) Mount the actual solar panels close onto the ground (for easiest servicing), build racks that can track the sun (if desired or not) as you only the majority of the day's sun between 9 Am - 3 PM, plus your'e getting older daily, and ground mounting is cheaper too and you don't want to climb up on the roof and work on anything, in bad weather and that's when it always goes down.
3.) Our systems designs are often smaller than you may find in conventional homes, because our home designs need about 50% less electricity to operate, than the conventional structures do, so our only answer to how much will it cost is: "it depends". If you build a conventional building, you will always need Lots More Power, so we suggest for those adding an off-grid power system, to those conventional homes, just have a small system, perhaps only to run the lights you need for a few days, when a storm comes through, and maybe the ref. too for a few hours a day, so 3500 watts might do the job and a couple 100 amp batteries, of 12 volt maybe wired 24 volt of the best deep cycle Trojan Batteries you can afford, will do that, and at about $2000+ and a generator to back up the solar in case it blows away, and you will want 4 at a minimum to develop 48 volts for larger systems. (12 volts takes a minimum of 1 battery, but it overheats easily from simple uses). With solar panels, batteries controller, inverter, racks, wire, breakers, etc., figure 25 to 40 grand (PLUS) installed for you for a conventional home system, BUT with a Georgia Adobe HomesTM system, many can get by with a minimum smaller system, certainly costing under $5,000+ (all depending on the buildings custom needs), all because small systems are all that's normally needed for our buildings designs and that just cost less to create.
For tax savings questions, please go ask an accountant.
4.) Batteries ? They last forever, if you die young. This all really depends on your experience level, the quality of what you buy Etc.
Replacement cost in the future? Well, More, Lots More !
We ourselves are not importing not importing from China now ourselves. Nickel Iron batteries, (can and were built from American materials 100%), are what Thomas Edison actually invented, in the early 1900's ( perhaps the only thing, he personally actually invented ?), but they are the best battery available if you can find some. Raw Lithium used in most companies deep cycle lithium batteries, is today 01/12/2024 at a spot price of ($29,000+/- per ton), so very costly (lithium batteries are mostly made of nickle too) and these batteries only last 4 to 8 years, all depending upon the experience of the system operator, but plain Nickel Iron NiFi batteries, may very well last hundreds of years, (we the people just don't know yet, but many of Edison's original batteries are still working batteries today). His original patents are available FREE Online, so you or some smart American inventor and manufacturer, could just build them, as Edison did, inexpensively !
5.) Solar panels last about 20-30 years on average, (or at least they should), but --- they have parts called diodes, that may only last a day, a week or years ? Most last a long time without trouble, but be sure and have some replacements on hand and a soldering gun to install them with, plus always ground those panels well, as without this, lightning will wipe out a panel array, or diode, in a second !
Study up on the options (double bi-faced, single faced, high watts, low watts, and so on to make your system complete and division into two systems, sometimes is a good plan for the system, in case of lightning striking one of them ( at least you have the other) , and be then ready to repair yourself what lightning strikes or whatever GOD sends as electricians can be expensive. Replacement cost will depend upon lots of factors so no body knows. you likely won't need the panels in 20 years due to new tech changes "that may get released" ( but then again this week (0-/21/2023) NASA just said there we no such thing as Aliens from outer space, so a coverup about future power systems is likely to continue and the Solar array maybe your friend for life.
GENERATORS
Yes ! You Want One, Or Two, just in case !
As it turns out we can make electricity faster, than we can store it as "electricity". Storing power as other forms such as in water weight ,maybe lifting weight just to turn a generator, or storing energy in Thermal Mass such as in your new building or even apart from the structure, in a large SAND BATTERY (Google that one), is quite promising to those in need of storage devices, that cost vastly less than electric batteries, then again, it's work, and it's still somewhat (for Sand) experimental, so proceed at your own caution and expect some expense, that you don't have with standard off-grid electric systems.
Guess what, if you live where the PSC - Public Service Commission requires, that the local Utility Company bring electricity to your home meter base, it's a lot cheaper to electrify a home, (Permits required too), but mains power, is still cheaper per Kilowatt, than off-grid costs to build and then you could build an off-grid system and it's Better to have your own, is what we think.
More on this subject will be posted later . Call us at 706-363-6453 (M - F 10 AM - 5 PM) for needed Equipment quotes, and be prepared to pay in advance with order, through bank to bank transfers, as our suppliers want their money that way these days too, and credit card charges are at least 3% extra, and bank transfers are only $18. to $20 each, currently at most banks, so this is less money out of pocket (OOP) for us all.
CALL US FOR A NEW SOLAR PANEL SALE OR CHECK OUR ENERGY SYSTEMS PAGE -