Solar Power Project

Always having been interested in solar power, I decided it was time to spend a little money and time on a do-it-yourself installation.  Sure I could PAY someone to install it and all that but then I wouldn't be enjoying the best part. 

In the beginning I bought one 250 Watt panel and a cheap Chinese grid-tied inverter off of eBay. I used an old clothesline pole and a couple of clamps to mount it.  A simple extension cord plugged it into the wall.  Using a Kill-A-Watt meter I was able to see the power being fed into the house.  It wasn't a whole lot so I bought another panel and two higher quality micro-inverters.

 

Solar Tracker

 The clothesline pole couldn't hold two panels so I sunk a metal fence-post into the ground and designed and welded together a tracking system that follows the path of the sun during the day for maximum power generation.

Still, solar is like candy, more is better.

I bought four more 240 watt panels to put up onto the roof.  Each with it's own micro-inverter.

To mount the panels I would need some rails.  You can't just go to the store and buy rails so I decided to make my own.  Using parts from the electrical section at Home Depot and a little welding, I put together an excellent system.

Rail feet

Panel Rails mounted on roof

The feet of the rails slip right under the shingles and are screwed down for a watertight seal.

Four 250 Watt panels

Next the panels are installed and the wires connected to the inverters then down a trunk line to the breaker box.

The chart above shows the power generated.  The smaller bars indicate the 2 KWh per day generated by the two original panels.  With the four new roof panels added, power jumps up to 8 KWh each day.   It is quite satisfying to watch the power meter turn backwards during the day knowing all the power you are currently using in the house is being provided by the sun.

This has been a very enjoyable project and I wish I had unlimited funds and roof space to become completely self sustaining.