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Solar cell prices plunge to all-time low
(www.pv-magazine.com)
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this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2023
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I live offgrid and rely completely on solar power and battery. A 200w portable solar panel charging a high quality (If a little poor in capacity) powerstation provides enough power for most technological luxuries I have found.
The panels and power station I got cost 400$ total. They can be placed anywhere in your yard that gets direct sun no installation required and you jut fold em up when you mow or whatever.
This system provides me enough power to get by in my technological convinences without much interruption. Its definitely possible to run out of power but I can adjust my usage accordingly when power availability becomes limited.
Also my mind has been opened up to the world of DC appliances meant for such systems. USB heating blanket and chair, cigarette plug electric kettles/coffee makers, cigarette plug ovens, portable washer+dryers, portable USBC charged monitor displays. Do they work as good or fast as their AC wall outlet equivalents? No, but they work and won't eat into your limited power nearly as badly. You would be surprised at how much a 10 watt electric blanket can keep you warm when its cold.
Its only when people want heavy appliances and big power hungry TVs/computers that you need stupid huge power demands. I don't need a fridge I just stock up on non-perishables, I don't need a microwave to zap fry my food or water I can fire up the propane stove, let the sun heat it up, or let a energy efficient dc appliance do it slowly. I don't need a big washing machine + dryer when a tubs, clothing scrubbers, and drying racks exist (or the small plastic portable washer+dryers). I don't need running water when I have a hand pump sprayer or battery powered pump or just take a farmers bath. I don't need electric heat or AC when smartly placed propane heater and box fan are a thing.
Guess how much my electric, heating, and water bills are? The only thing I still pay for now is propane which comes to around to 1-2$ per night in heating depending on conditions.
And I still get to enjoy many luxuries and comforts of modern life. Coffee in the morning, YouTube, video games (on a laptop, god I want a steam deck) music, reading, and a comfortable bed.
So many people live just below their means paycheck to paycheck unwilling to give up the tiniest bit of convenience in order to save big $.
"tiniest bit of convenience". "I don't have a fridge, I don't need it". "I heat with propane".
Man, you're living a cyberpunk life already.
The most power hungry (modern) TV I've seen was 100W. Most fridges nowadays are similar, 100W but intermittent.
A fridge is not "the tiniest bit of convenience".
Box fans don't really help when it's 100F+ and 90%+ humidity. Where I am it you leave a house without air condition for even a month during the summer you'll have mold and the ceiling will be falling down.
For anyone that reads this and thinks that cheap solar setups leave you barely scraping by, I'll giv e acounter example. I helped my parents do solar on their RV. It's 720W of panels, 3000W inverter output and cost a little under $3k but could have been cheaper, the cost is due a bit to us being inexperienced at the time and also overbuilding it to allow for more panels. It can run all the modern conveniences (for up to 3 days with no sun) except the big airconditioner, but can run a window unit that conditions the bedroom and dries the rest of the RV. If we were to do it again though we could make it run the big one with pretty much no increase in price.
3k is not cheap to most people living paycheck to paycheck. The most they could probably muster for a solar system + power station (or batteries+charge controller if they can do minor electrical wiring) without going into debt for it is most likely only a couple hundred bucks.
While a 100w fridge or tv is certainly doable, the constant or even intermittent draw would quickly eat away at a cheap 300$ power station or battery array overnight, let alone after a few cloudy days in a row. This becomes even more of an issue around winter when solar is so limited. While you can have these things with solar, you need to invest a good amount of $ into batteries and learn to properly wire them or pay out the nose for a comparatively way overpriced in Wh/$ power station.
If you care about the financial side first and foremost, as with any investment its important to consider how long it takes for energy saving to pay back the initial cost of the solar system. If you are a home owner or long term RV/vanlifer that uses a ton of wattage daily it makes sense to shell out many thousands for permanent high quality solar installations and have it pay itself off in 10 years.
If you are a renter on the other hand who doesn’t own property or a paid off semi-livable vehicle to invest in long term, and can only haul around a 200W portable panel or two and some batteries/powerstation, not so much. In their case 300-500$ portable system can potentially pay for itself relatively quickly.
Dehumidifiers are a thing, though it would depend on how big your house is and just how severe the humidity in your area. ambient 90 degree heat isn’t pleasant but can become bareable with a good fan and damp cooling rags on you, I had to deal with the heat quite a few days this year 95-100 degree temps inside during the hottest parts of the summer, and have never appreciated the power of a good fan providing personal cooling more. Its no substitute for real AC space cooling, but its the next best thing to make >90 degree heat bareable.
I am just starting out and am happy to barely scrape by knowing I didn’t have thousands of $ to invest in a powerful system for things I didn’t personally believe I needed. To me a fridge is a moderate convenience, not a survival necessity. Everyones situation is different though and I get that. If you require life sustaining medication that needs to be refrigerated for example. In that case the best bet for an energy efficent fridge is one that has a cooler form factor where you open it from the top so the cold doesn’t spill out. Probably annoying to get to stuff compared to regular door fridge but will be much more efficent.