SOLAR SYSTEM at Will Rhodes' house
5998 CANT RD, NORMANNA TOWNSHIP,MN (rural Duluth)
wrhodes@cpinternet.com / 218- 525-0392
July 1, 2000 .. The solar system was ordered
October, 2000 .. It actually came on line.
October, 2002 .. Disconnected from grid entirely. Honda Generator is now my "backup".
(some data from operation at bottom)
The Solar system - basic parts: (roughly $24,000)
12 - AstroPower "AP-1206" solar panels (photovoltaic 120-watt modules)
1 - Wattsun 2-axis tracker (follows the sun across the sky.)
1 - Trace "SW 4048" Inverter (turns solar "dc" into regular house current, "ac")
1 - The "C 40" (tracks incoming solar energy being used or stored,etc)
16 - Interstate Workaholic 6-volt batteries, two rows of 8 batteries x 6 volts = 48 volts"
1 - Power Center "DC Disconnect" & "E-Meter"
and various cables, pole, pole hole & trench dug, wiring, install labor, knowledge and planning etc,etc.
from Conservation Technologies (Duluth, MN) who sold/installed it all !
The Backup Generator - includes : (roughly $5,000) ... added October 2002
Honda Generator ES 6500
conversion kit to run on propane
labor,install,etc. Thanks again to Mike LeBeau and help from "Professor" Billy Curnow
Before the Solar system: "reduce your use" (additional costs, but builds & enables savings long term)
Unplugged phantom loads ("always on" tv, radios,etc,etc). Also, some extra electrician work ($500?)
Got rid of 220volt elec. stove, got gas stove instead $400 ? (Plumber to pipe gas, $350?)
Got rid of old, big hog fridge, got super efficient "SunFrost" RF-12 = $2600
Got rid of (Well, unplugged/don't use) 220volt electric dryer. Dry clothes on dry rack ( $100???)
Replaced 220volt well pump with… 110 volt well pump ($500? $600? )
The 110volt ?.. septic tank pump (lifts to mound septic) still remains. Ran a lot during spring melt!!
Install compact-flourescent light bulbs, uses a lot less energy. (mostly installed 15 and 20 watt bulbs.
Straight tubes in kitchen are 40w. U-tubes in basement are 40w and were already here.)
Why did I do it? Isn't that a lot of money for all that?
I did it because I had the money and I wanted to do it...I didn't want to have to be part of Coal-burning or nuclear-power or Manitoba Hydro's tainted power. At current "cheap" electric rates this all seems expensive. But we have seen electric/grid troubles recently and "cheap" power will not last forever. You see people in $25k or $40k
SUV's or cars and somehow the final price for this system doesn't seem all that bad. In addition, my system
seems a bit of a "Cadillac". You could start with 6 or 8 panels, instead of 12. You could skip the "tracker"
and just have stationary mounted panels (you adjust a few times seasonally,perhaps easier to get snow off,too).
Does it fulfill all your energy needs?
Well, the house is still heated with propane. ….so no solar there…..
As for electricity, except for "dark months" of late Oct. to Late January,
the Solar pretty much powers the house 100% for nine months out of a year.
During the "dark months" I now (Oct. 2002) use a Honda Power Generator (converted to use propane) to "recharge" my batteries
when they get too low & its too cloudy/overcast/ not enough sun.
(a few times a month..late oct. to late jan.).
So I basically run totally on solar for nine months from Feb. to Oct. (( except
for a few days when snow melt water kept filling my septic tank (March 2001), the septic pump
pumped like crazy and ate up my battery power.))
Do you want to do more solar / renewable energy stuff?
I sure do. I have way more solar then I need / can use in the * summer*. I could hook to grid and feed it back for a small bit of pay, but haven't been too excited about that. I would like to get a 2nd water heater (electric)
instead, so I could dump spare solar power into ..hot water! Also, you hear about solar-power shingles, and solar-specific hot water heaters and wind-mills (for water pumping or electricity….persnickety tho, the for-power ones?). I'd also like better, efficient windows and/or get thick insulating curtain-type things for winter nights,
perhaps woodstove,etc. Composting toilet(s), etc. But all certainly more money and effort….sometime I hope!
Whats the coolest thing about it?
Mowing the grass "for free" with my electric mower, on sunny days.
or not being tied to the coal-burning grid
Data from Will Rhodes / 5998 Cant Road Solar Panels
"Totalizing Amp Hours" data since 2000.
This reflects how much solar-energy my system has used since it
was started. Keep in mind this does NOT reflect how much total
solar-energy was available. For example, in sunny summer days
the solar panels fill my batteries by mid-morning and the rest
of the days sun might go un-used. Though, I have tried to use
as much of that extra "solar" electric in summer.. via electric cooking,
lawn-mowing & garden watering (electric water pump).
Data below in "Amp Hours"(AH)
2003
total for year =
no data yet
Dec. 1364 Nov. 1428 Oct. 1342 Sep. 1586 Aug. 1778 Jul. 1771 Jun. 1595 May. 1606 Apr. 1705 Mar. 1949 Feb. 1711 Jan. 1512
Dec. 1139 Nov. 1015 Oct. 1472 Sep. 1519 Aug. 1152 Jul. 1424 Jun. 1449 May. 1636 Apr. 1824 Mar. 1652 Feb. 1570 Jan. 1655