Do you own a solar panel for backup energy?

[Anonymous]

What about portable gas generators?

For our house and how the space is configured, if we adhere to MoCo regulations, it will mean that the generator will sit smack in the middle of our patio. I would prefer a generator that can be wheeled on to the patio when we need it. With extreme weather events happening so regularly a massive blackout is very much in our future.

Any recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Prices are going up for the powerwall

https://bfy.tw/RUGj

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

We have solar panels but not a powerwall for back up energy. I wonder if we can retrofit it? We also plan to be in our house for as long as possible. We are in our mid-50s.

Yes, you can add a battery to an existing solar panel system. However, it is expensive. Also, with supply shortages, one supplier told me they are only offering batteries with new solar installations -- no technical reason, just a marketing reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you just want back up power for a few things, just get the batteries/cells and don’t get the solar. It isn’t like we have extended power outages of more than a few days. (Yes I know there are a few people who have longer outages).

Wow! This made a lot of sense. Do the batteries lose their "charge" and have to be recharged again and again?

You just put them “in line” so they are alway charged. Then when you don’t have power from the grid it is just pulls off the battery.

[Anonymous]

A panel might charge an iPhone.

If you buy 25k in panels plus 3k battery, then you can use solar for back up power.

It's actually the opposite situation. The powerwall costs more than the panels (in our case the powerwall is 1.5 times the price of the solar panels). But maybe you are buying a small battery?

Signed,

PP who is about to get both solar panels and the powerwall (and we are covering a 2400 sq. ft. house to 112% of our electricity needs with 2 people in the house right now).

[Anonymous]

^ And I'm not surprised the price is increasing. Lots of people are going to want these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

A panel might charge an iPhone.

If you buy 25k in panels plus 3k battery, then you can use solar for back up power.

It's actually the opposite situation. The powerwall costs more than the panels (in our case the powerwall is 1.5 times the price of the solar panels). But maybe you are buying a small battery?

Signed,

PP who is about to get both solar panels and the powerwall (and we are covering a 2400 sq. ft. house to 112% of our electricity needs with 2 people in the house right now).

How much is your powerwall going to cost you? Interested down the road in adding one.

I have 56 solar panels on my barn, so likely a bigger system than yours, and we are electricity-neutral on an annual basis. (Powers a 4K sf house, 2 barns, 2 outbuildings, and 10 heated livestock watering systems).

keep in mind it is going to be cyclical. Winter our production goes down significantly, which is expected.

[Anonymous]

Our neighbor has a whole house generator and its a little loud if you are outside but in our house it just sounds like a hum noise - just like someone two houses down is mowing their lawn. which we don't even notice after a few minutes. I don't begrudge anyone pursuing the gas generator option - the number of times its used is really infrequent.

My in laws just had a whole house generator (that runs off their natural gas line) installed for $12K. Seems to be a lot less expensive than a powerwall, but to each their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our neighbor has a whole house generator and its a little loud if you are outside but in our house it just sounds like a hum noise - just like someone two houses down is mowing their lawn. which we don't even notice after a few minutes. I don't begrudge anyone pursuing the gas generator option - the number of times its used is really infrequent.

My in laws just had a whole house generator (that runs off their natural gas line) installed for $12K. Seems to be a lot less expensive than a powerwall, but to each their own.

We have ours in a concrete pit so you don’t see or hear it.

[Anonymous]

Our neighbor has a whole house generator and its a little loud if you are outside but in our house it just sounds like a hum noise - just like someone two houses down is mowing their lawn. which we don't even notice after a few minutes. I don't begrudge anyone pursuing the gas generator option - the number of times its used is really infrequent.

My in laws just had a whole house generator (that runs off their natural gas line) installed for $12K. Seems to be a lot less expensive than a powerwall, but to each their own.

Don't you have to start it up once a month or so just to keep it maintained? I heard that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
A panel might charge an iPhone.

If you buy 25k in panels plus 3k battery, then you can use solar for back up power.


It's actually the opposite situation. The powerwall costs more than the panels (in our case the powerwall is 1.5 times the price of the solar panels). But maybe you are buying a small battery?

Signed,

PP who is about to get both solar panels and the powerwall (and we are covering a 2400 sq. ft. house to 112% of our electricity needs with 2 people in the house right now).


How much is your powerwall going to cost you? Interested down the road in adding one.

I have 56 solar panels on my barn, so likely a bigger system than yours, and we are electricity-neutral on an annual basis. (Powers a 4K sf house, 2 barns, 2 outbuildings, and 10 heated livestock watering systems).

keep in mind it is going to be cyclical. Winter our production goes down significantly, which is expected.

I really don't know the exact number. We are not sure if we are getting the Powerwall 2.0 or the Powerwall Plus (just came out a couple of months ago). Roughly speaking I think we are looking at 10K for the Powerwall, but that doesn't include installation cost. We are getting 28 solar panels, so yes, we are not as big as you are. I'm not sure the exact cost breakdown, but most of the cost is actually installation on the panels. They have to put up frames of some type first and run the wires, etc. It's a package deal for all of it. I don't think they are selling the Powerwalls separately right now. They have so much demand. I also don't know if they will sell a Powerwall to you if you don't have the Tesla solar panels. Not sure though.