anyone here use solar panels to suppliment used electricity?

[tokinherper]

im just trying to get an idea for how much solar panel id need to make a significant difference

 

[MR1]

A lot. An example would be a common space heater is about 1500watts, you would need 15 100watt panels to run it, last time I checked ,100watt panels were well over a hundred dollars a panel. Solar power is expensive.

 

[tokinherper]

im worried about using too much power and it leading to me getting in trouble. id be willing to spend about 5k on solar panels if it would allow me to use a significant amount more lights/general power

 

[MR1]

You could shop around and see what is available, you also have to decide whether you want your power tied to the grid or if you want to store your power with batteries. All of this will eat that 5k up pretty quick.

 

[tokinherper]

if it were tied to the grid it would be traceable and kinda defeat the purpose right?

 

[MR1]

If it is tied to the grid the only one to know would be the installer of the grid tie inverter and other components . They don't have to know what you are using the power for. You are just doing your part to help out the environment.
It is possible to do it all yourself but you have to know what you are doing. The grid tie inverter would be the the most important thing because it has to be done right, there can't be any power going to the grid from your system when there is a power outage.

 

[samarta]

MR1 you are correct. I am building right now with solar and you can have enough for say, Just water heating and lights, or whole system designed to run all systems. Mine is 48- 270watt 13.4k system installed - 32k. No one can deduce what the power is going to run.

 

[samarta]

They typically design a system based on square footage because if the size exceeds what is needed, they may not let you tie in, however anything under a whole house system, no worries. Just say I want approximately X number of watts based on what you estimate your needs and they just install.

 

[Sherrwood]

Or, you could simply invest in LED lighting.........

 

[AluminumMonster]

Or you could just not worry about it. I'm running over 4000 watts in a non med state. Just don't give them a reason to get a warrant and look at your electrical bill.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Aluminum Monster is correct--if you pay your bill, this is a non-issue. People DO NOT get busted because they have large power bills--there are a myriad of reasons that a person's power bills can be high and they truly do not give a hoot unless you are not paying your bill. Using several space heaters in a place will quickly add up to the power used by 3-4 1000W HPS. Hot tubs also soak up a lot of power, etc, etc. What DOES get people busted is not keeping their mouths shut, leaving growing debris laying around, not dealing with odors...that kind of thing. Trust us on this--pay your bills and the power company will not give you a second look. How large a grow are you looking at/how many watts are you thinking about running?

Sherrwood, I am looking into LED lighting and it appears that you save little if any costs on power--I am going to need about the same (working) wattage for LEDs as for HPS--a 700W that uses about 360W for a 32" x 32" tent or a 400W HPS.