Hello world

[djbono38]

Hi all,
just joined here - as asked, sharing my main goals here.

I've always been interested in solar power (and other alternative power sources) AND in my area, we seem to often suffer from power outages - which is kinda painful in the winter.

SO, I'm now looking into getting into some kind of "grid-tie" setup- the end goal is to have solar panels on the roof to charge batteries in the basement, with an inverter to power my furnace blower as well as some lighting. However, to not discourage myself (both because of the $ involved, and the amount of work to do) - I'll keep things realistic and move into phases.

Phase 1 would be to get batteries, an inverter, and a 120VAC charger.
Phase 2 would be the introduction of a transfer switch
Phase 3 Going solar with a solar charge controller & solar panels.
Phase 4 Feeding the house when utilities in High Tariff

Looking for advice on Phases 1 & 2 ATM - while keeping Phase 3 in mind;

Load:
1/4HP furnace blower & 1/20HP exhaust fan - plus say 50watt's worth of control/tstat power consumed
500W of led lighting

Max outage duration:
8hrs would be great

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I'm looking at getting the 2500W Pure sine wave inverter from Costco (Sunforce 11260)

But... it's for the batteries that I'm truly seeking advice.
Given that for the first year(s) they will be on a 120vAC charger/tender (so mostly always topped off; then heavily discharged).. what types of batteries should I go for ?
Any rules of thumbs in calculating size needed (per type, configuration, etc?)
Should I go for good old deep cycle 12v batteries from CanTire in parralel ?

I guess the type of charger will also depend on the selected batteries - I guess I'll need a good battery tender that can always be left plugged on.

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With Phase 3 in mind - do we know of any existing charge controllers that can take in 120VAC as well as 12v from panels ? (or then I guess I could feed it 12vdc from 120VAC with some kind of apparatus to advantage the solar power when there is any)

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For phase 1 - I do not mind having to manually plug in the furnace and lightings;
but it would be great to have some kind of automatic transfer switch in place.
Again - not sure of sizing nor entirely sure how they work. (is there something that actually goes in my electrical panel ?) or rather - do I select a few circuits I want on the transfer switch; than power them from the electrical panel on one side - alternative source on the other; and then make the trnasfer (sorry speaking to myself here) I assume their prices vary on the capacity, rating,etc.


And then Phase 3...
I'm assuming that PV cells get more and more efficient as time flies; so waiting a year or two on this will probably have a better roi
Half of my roof is a 12/5ths slope towards south, unubstructed. So I think I'm in luck - having said that i'm just south of Montreal, so I guess that makes me Zone 6 or 7.

Phase 4-
Here in Quebec, when you have an alternative energy source of heating, you're eligible for dual tariff - which is my case. I'm on NG for water heating, furnace, range & bbq. WHICH MEANS that I pay 4.2 cents per kWh when Outside Temp is above -12C (which is 99% of the time, really - foremost since my meter is facing south and hence gets heated a bit more)... and I pay 26Cents per kWh when the temp is lower. SO; with that in mind - the ideal goal , to get some kind of ROI would be to switch to my battery/solar setup when the utilities are sending the COLD signal (which I can tap with an SDR usb stick). (Well, even worse - would be able to give back to the utilities at that rate, but I don't think I'll ever have enough panels )

Any kind of help , comments, insults are appreciated. thanks!

[jeff5may]

Welcome to the forums!

Looks like you have set yourself some lofty goals. There are many ways to get where you want to be. I suggest you read through the threads in the solar power forum to get a good grasp on the best method for you. Most will tell you this, though: lead acid battery banks are a pain, both in the cost of ownership and the labor of maintenance.

A micro inverter based rig is efficient and scalable, so you only invest in what you need when you need it. However, if backup power is a high priority, a dedicated inverter is a must have.

[Fordguy64]

First thing you need to do is get some kind of actual power usage for the furnace. That's very important for sizing the battery bank and the solar array. How many watts does it actually draw while running. I personally can't think of any inverters that are also a charge controller for solar. There are a few that have charge controllers built in but it's designed for 120v or 240v input from the grid or a generator. I personally have a mangnum4424 its a 4400 watt 240v inverter/charger. It runs off of my 24v battery bank. But it is a little pricey.

Honestly i started with the solar thing a few years ago and I started small. I don't regret that but I feel like it did waste a lot of money selling and upgrading things. If you can save up a little extra money and just buy the real parts you want the first time around

[Daox]

Welcome to the site!