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oreo

Senior Member

Joined: 11/12/2020
Location: Canada
Posts: 115

Posted: 04:41am 16 Dec 2020

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Greetings from Canada.

Didn't see a good place for introductions, so I figured I would post something here.

I'm a car guy and I have always chuckled when someone would post on a forum saying "I just got this turbocharger really cheap and need help installing it". They didn't realize that the turbo was a very small portion of total cost of an install, and it was very unlikely that they would move ahead, once they found out the total cost. Car Build

BTW, I just got some free solar panels :) -now it's me realizing that this is a small portion of what needs to be done. I am a little stubborn though, and decided I am going to give it a go anyway.

Here are my challenges.
1. Hydro is pretty cheap compared to other places in the world(of course we think it's overpriced). Off peak is 10.5/kW (12hr/day) ranging to 21.5/KW(7hr/day) for On peak. There is a mid peak in the middle. Multiply by .7 to get USD. As a result, there are relatively few solar installs. Payback for a typical system is 12yrs (selling back to the utility). So I am considering this more of a hobby right now.

2. Due to WAF (wife acceptance factor), I am having to install the panels in the most ludicrous manner, in a spot which is far less than ideal. Total qty of panels is also very small. Hopefully over time I can install more panels in better locations.

3. I'm stubborn and like to do things my own way, even when I should know better. (I am learning to start over earlier, when I am not getting the results I want).

On the positive side, I am working for an audio company, and the recycling bin is a good place for me to get parts I can use in this build.

Typically when you do a search for DIY solar, you get someone talking about buying all the components and installing them without using a contractor. It was refreshing finding this forum where so much more than this is being done. I have learned quite a bit over the last couple of weeks just reading threads, which will certainly help me a lot. Thank You! Hopefully I can contribute as well.

Greg

Greg

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