I am really interested on having solar powered house for my parent’s home.
This is why I’ve been doing a lot of research on the different systems that one can have installed.
There are a few considerations when buying a such a system, here are a few considerations:
- Is power generally available in your place?
- Is rotating brownouts the norm in your town?
- How important is uninterrupted power supply for your house/business?
- What are your electrical appliances? Can you add up the electricity usage of your electrical appliances?
- Can you give a good estimate of your peak power usage?
- How long are the rotating brownouts in your town?
Why these questions?
Well If you live in Mindanao or in some remote areas brownouts are the norm. In lots of some places the power lines are generally not insulated and a tree can cause a power interruption in your area that would require electric cooperative employees to fix.
Also a big chuck of the cost of these systems are due to batteries having a much shorter life span than that of the solar panels and electric equipment.
If you can subtract the cost of batteries because you live in the city where most power interruptions are scheduled, or very short then you probably do not need a battery.
Once all these questions are answered then this will help you choose between your options.
Mostly the choices allow you certain freedoms:
- Freedom from electric bills
- Freedom from utilities
- Freedom from rotating brownouts
Part two will discuss the choices available.