Off Subject. Solar for my house.

maybe a vertical wind generator will?



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OMG! That's only 4 times the size of my system that covers my south roof.

You really should include solar hot water, as it is much more efficient than anything else for heat. I couldn't find it just now, but there is a resort up in the Yukon (Northern Canada) that has an array of evacuated tubes that they use to heat an outdoor spa. Here's a link to a company that sells the Thermomax tubes: Thermo Technologies - Solar Water Heaters 410-997-0778

The most cost effective sizing would probably be something designed to provide adequate heating 11 months of the year, with propane backup to a tankless water heater. Solar thermal is excellent for both hot water and space heating.

 

Solar hot water is more efficient for heating water than using solar to create electricity that you then use to heat water. Plus, you can use the solar-heated hot water as part of your heating system, if you use radiant heating.

Consider using LED lights extensively. High upfront cost, but nearly "free" after that... very low power usage, plus they can last for up to 10 years, so you have a long time to factor the initial cost over. Use CLFs for places that the LEDs just don't do the job.

Super insulation, low-E windows, and ceiling fans throughout the house to assist any heating/cooling, and there's a chance your power bills will be greatly reduced.

 

They've got tankless water heaters that run on propane too.

I'd definately get two different tanks; one for radiant floor and one for domestic use. If you can tie the solar hot water into the system so the water is pre-heated....even better.

Can you avoid the propane entirely? Any way to just have a lot of PV and wind to supply electric and then work everything off of what you generate? That way no reliance on propane deliveries either.

 

I definitely agree with having propane, but only as a backup. You could have a run of several weeks of bad weather that totally depletes your batteries. And the batteries will last longer if you don't deep cycle them.

As for cooking, how about preparing most cooked meals in a solar oven? When solar isn't available, then use a wood stove. As a last resort, haul out the Coleman propane stove. Or with that 10KW array, you could use a microwave.

Here are a few solar ovens from The Solar Cooking Archive . Note particularly the first two pictures which are the same oven - it is an outdoor box, but accessible from inside the kitchen.

 

Um, why would you drink water from the hot water tap?
Ewwww. I don't do that, anyway.
Only your hot water is going to run through the heating system, not the cold drinking water.

 

First and foremost: it is more cost effective to hold onto what you already have vs. "go get more." Emphasize conservation first - triple pane windows, R-100 ceiling insulation (rigid foil-face foam, not fiberglass), on-demand water heaters (not stand-by gas), caulk every crack, add storm liners to curtains. The pay back will be faster and you will feel better about the decisions you make.

Spend time on the Rocky Mountain Institute site: Rocky Mountain Institute : Abundance By Design. There is video streaming and specific guidelines by category (energy, heating, cooling, water, etc.). RMI emphasizes that you or a building never do one thing, but should be designed to serve multiple purposes (and receive multiple benefits).

 

Have you chosen an inverter yet? You want one with PPT (Power Point Tracking) and the battery voltage that you've chosen. If it's an Outback 48 volt unit, then you would use 2 panels in series per string, with as many strings as it takes to reach the maximum power capacity of the inverter. Thin film panels initially put out maybe 20% extra power, but after 6 months they settle into the rated power. I think the Outback units can down regulate the extra power to a safe level (non-PPT units can't - they'll just fry!). At 70 watts per panel, you're going to have an awful lot of wiring to do. And the building code is going to require fused combiner boxes to combine all those strings into the number of strings that the inverter can handle. At 4 miles from city hall, you're going to need permits, and you'll have to follow code to pass the inspections.

The price seems reasonable for unknown brand thin film without any guarantee. Without metal frames, you'll have to figure out some way to mount them. All the mounting systems I know of assume a metal frame that can be clamped down. Maybe the seller knows more about how to mount the particular units.

You've really got to choose the inverter and battery voltage before you choose the panels. Panels come in a wide variety of voltages, and they don't all work with all inverters. Grid-tie inverters that use high voltage (~600) strings can utilize a wide variety of panels. Inverters that support battery usage are much more restricted in panel configurations. Unless someone has come out with a high voltage battery unit in the 7 years since I really checked out the market. Could happen, but not very likely since off-grid is such a small market. The explosive growth is all in batteryless grid-tie.