We finally had a break in all the rain so we took an opportunity to install the new solar power system. Our electrician friend Dann (
who helped us wire the house during construction) is in town so he helped with the solar install as well.
I tried to convince Matt to write this post for you but instead you'll have to deal with my note taking. Please feel free to ask any questions about the system or parts and I will find out the answers.
We replaced our temporary 60 watt solar panel system with a new Kyocera 490 watt
system. This consists of two 245 watt panels that connect to 45 amp Tristar MPPT charge controller made by Morning Star. These all feed into three 110 amp hour
AGM batteries. We used the same trusty 1800 watt inverter from our original system to convert all the power to AC inside the house. There are separate breakers throughout the system so they can
be safely isolated and serviced at any time.
All of the wiring runs underground in rigid conduit.
We
had bought a traditional pole and top of pole mount but we wanted more flexibility to
move the panels since the sun varies in position in our clearing throughout the year. Matt custom designed a mount that allow us to move the panels around as needed. They are heavy but it is possible.
We bought everything at the
AltE Store online and they were quite helpful throughout the process.
Let me take you on a short photo tour of our system.
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| Here are the solar panels and their dedicated breaker box. Matt designed and built this re-positionable stand for the panels. |
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| And the sexy new batteries |
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| Here are all the breakers and such safely wired under the house. |
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| My favorite photo - you can see how much power we have. With our old system we never got more than three green bars and that was on an extremely good day. The new system has lots of power. |
I love it! The movable stand is a great idea also. If you don't mind me asking, approximately what was the cost for the whole solar set up including inverter and batteries?
ReplyDeleteThe panels, inverter, batteries, and change controller cost just over $2000 total.
DeleteSo incredibly jealous. I need a couple Matt's and at least 4 times as many panels. Topping out at 103 degrees today in Michigan. Seems like a great time to build a house underground.
ReplyDeleteVery true, huh? I am in the middle of building my own Tiny Home, Oliver's Nest, but already am working on diagrams for an underground "addition". My property is hilly, which makes it easier, plus I can set it up so as to face south for solar gain. I should also mention that my property is located in a very cold climate ~ the opposite as yours but which also lends itself to building underground/bermed.
DeleteWell, my original comment seems to have vanished, but I wanted to say that building underground (look at Mike Oehler's $50 and Up Underground House book) is a terrific idea. I plan on building an addition of sorts for my Tiny Home Oliver's Nest underground. I'm in cold weather which lends itself well to going underground.
DeleteParker
Sorry about that - all comments are moderated and I was traveling yesterday.
DeleteUnderground homes are awesome and can be designed for multiple climates. We've looked at an earth berm structure on our land as well.
There is so much I want to learn about this. Let me start with a simple question. Is there a battery system that stores power for a certain period of time? Or, when the sun goes out, how long does the power last?
ReplyDeleteYep. The batteries store power generated by the panels and transferred via the charge controller. Our 330 Amp/hour battery setup can meet our needs for a few days without sun.
DeleteAmazing! That is so much less expensive than I was counting on. I am thinking of using a combination of solar, wind and generator (if needed)and I was estimating the cost to be upwards of $15000 for everything. When I get to that point in building my house hopefully I can get some names and numbers from you to find the equipment.
ReplyDeletearen't you worried about animals chewing those wires under the house?
ReplyDeleteWe had the old set up here for a couple of years and never had a problem. The wires are visible and we are often under the house for storage or just to look at the power information so we can keep an eye on it.
DeleteI was curious what you are going to do to keep the batteries from freezing this winter?
ReplyDeleteWe plan to build an insulated battery box to prevent them from freezing. Also, one of the reasons we spent the extra money on AGM batteries is that they are less susceptible to freezing damage than flooded or gel batteries. The electrolyte is almost fully absorbed in a fiber mat. Freezing temperatures can reduce the battery life, but the battery will usually not be ruined.
DeleteThx SO much for sharing your experience w your tiny home? I am thrilled to hear the Wolof system was reasonable.
ReplyDeleteWow, catching up on your blog. This is really, really cool. Very good Matt and Laura!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to picture where you have the panel, exacty? Is it by the house? I don't remember that much sun there. Or is it down by the barn and you ran cables up? Or is it in the far clearing?
-Bill
Hey Bill! I just realized I hadn't answered you yet.
DeleteIf you're facing the front door of the house, the solar panels are situated to your right closer to the trees and lined up with the back corner of the house. There is a pretty big space between the house and the panels - big enough to drive the ATV through.
We too are hoping to set ourselves up for solar. I need to chat with other Michiganders who use solar to see how they fare in the winter. Nice work guys!
ReplyDeleteYou may want to reach out to Jonathan - his Livejournal is on my blog roll. He lived in Michigan in his tiny house before moving out west. I know that he had a pretty sweet solar set up. He can probably walk you through his processes.
DeleteI'm beginning to build my tiny house this spring when the weather breaks in Cleveland. I'd be really interested in any connections in the Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and PA area. I'll check in with Johnathon on the blog roll. Thanks for sharing your experience.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Jonathan moved to Oregon last year and his blog has been largely neglected. However, I'm sure he would be willing to share some of his experience with you.
DeleteThanks for your email about your solar set up, specially the Glass Mat battery. I'd not heard of them before. It's going to 6ยบ Sat night so anything good in the cold is welcome.
DeleteIf you are concerned about electrical safety, you should stop trying electrical installation and maintenance appliances on your own, and hire a qualified electrical contractor for all such purposes.
ReplyDeleteWhile this comment may be spam, I think it is important to note that we did have a qualified electrician help us with all of our electrical installation - which is apparent in the first paragraph of this post.
Deletehi laura. thank you for posting the link back to this on tinylife.com. your set up is much more within my budget. could you tell me what you are able to run appliance-wise on this? i'm still trying to figure out need vs want in this regard. thanks!
ReplyDeleteOur set up is exceptionally simple, and that was done on purpose. We wanted to see simply we could live. Our small solar system powers all the lights in the tiny house, our three laptops (I have one and Matt has two - one issued by his job and a personal computer). We charge all of our devices - iPhones, etc. Run a fan. We also have a small, very efficient electric cooler hooked up directly to the batteries under the house.
DeleteWhat we do not have is a traditional refrigerator or any sort of appliance that generates heat. Electric heaters and stoves pull a lot of energy to convert it to heat so they are very inefficient on solar power.
wow. that's great. and also a bit simpler than my needs. i have a couple of appliances that are non negotiable (4 dogs. laundry has to be done immediately sometimes). any chance you will be speaking at the may 1st tiny house workshop in georgia?
ReplyDeleteLaundry was the one thing we were certain we didn't want in our tiny house, but each tiny home should be designed for the life of the people who live there. There are times when not having laundry is inconvenient - we have a cat - but we manage.
DeleteI am not aware of a workshop in Georgia. If the organizers wish to contact me, give them my info.
Thanks!
How do you manage washing your clothes?
DeleteWe use the laundromat. We were lucky that there was a laundromat that was also a bar in town, but unfortunately it recently closed. We are on the lookout for something else as cool.
DeleteWe used to have a bar laundromat combo in Corvallis, Oregon called Suds and Duds. :)
Deletewe read your solar installation several time i am very excited to learn your article thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteDo you run any of your appliances in 12 volts ? Or everything is 120 volts.
ReplyDeleteAlso are you going to build a enclosure for the battery bank ? I heard that the cold is not very good for the battery's.
Lovely house, beautifully location.
Thanks for your question. No, all of our indoor appliances are regular AC appliances. Many tiny house people who are looking for efficiency will do 12 Volt/DC appliances, but we felt more comfortable with standard AC wiring.
DeleteThe batteries we have are AGM or Absorbent Glass Mat. They require much less maintenance than lead acid batteries and are more tolerant of cold temperatures. In fact, they will work in extreme cold temps well below freezing (negative double digits) which, if we get those kinds of temps in the mountains of North Carolina, something has gone horribly wrong.