I am looking at the possibility of installing a few small solar panels to help offset my electricity usage. I’m looking at Home Depot, and they got a small 100w panel for $ 299. I am not a certified electrician by any means, but I am a DIY’er when it comes to alot of things and I know how to wire basic electrical installations. My question is, I’m not real familiar with what exactly I should expect from a 100w panel as far as daily output. Obviously, 100w is not alot to begin with, but how much of an impact on my bill would I see with just a single 100w, 18v solar panel.
For the sake of the answer, assume that the panel is tied into the grid and not charging up batteries.
And yes, I know, if I want noticeable savings, I need bigger panels. This would be my first venture into the world of installing a solar panel, so I am not going big. I want to have some practice at it first before I really invest that much money into it. Right now, I am just looking at what I could expect off a 100w panel.
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In most of the US you can expect about 5 hours average of good sun/day, so you’d get about 0.5 kwh/day from that panel, or about 15 kwh/month. That is anywhere from $ 1.50 to maybe $ 3.00 worth of electricity per month depending on where you are..
The smallest grid-tie inverter you can get costs about $ 2,000, and most utilities will insist it be installed by a licensed electrician.
Small systems are usually more economical if they charge batteries. Identify a load that uses about 15 kwh/month, and set up a battery/charge controller/inverter to power that. Expand from there.
I have a portable 100 W system that charges a 75 AH wheelchair battery, and it has a 1750 watt modified sine wave inverter on it. It will power a small electric chain saw, other power tools, or several strings of lights. It would cost about $ 750 if I were building it today.
DK