Generator Cost Per Hour
I just purchased a new Champion 2000 watt generator for $420. I was at a football game this weekend dry camping. I ran the generator for 42 hours straight. At this point my cost per hour is $10 per ...
Forum Discussion
Mex,
In the mean time, solar panel prices have dropped. 500 watts x 24 hours = 12000 watt-hours.
That means having 20 100 amp-hour jars
20 x $200 = $2400.00
12,000 watt-hours/5 hours of sunshine = 2400 watts of panels.
Current pricing with the trumpery tariffs is 50 cents per watt
$1200 for panels.
Of course no sane person would use the batteries in parallel so with a 48 volt system we need just one Tristar controller $800
Our total so far is $4400.00
Add $400 for a pure sine wave inverter, and 10% for miscellaneous parts.
Call it $5500.00 and diy.
On a more realistic approach, I believe I could meet all my generator power needs with 1000 amp-hours of battery bank, and 1600 watts of panels. Remember--my hour meter says I used 100 hours only in the past 12 months.
So my costs would be $1000 for battery bank (used telecom jars), $800 for controller, $400 for inverter and $600 for miscellaneous supplies.
Such a system would run the roof air when the sun was shining, and have enough capacity to recharge the battery bank, too.
In the mean time, solar panel prices have dropped. 500 watts x 24 hours = 12000 watt-hours.
That means having 20 100 amp-hour jars
20 x $200 = $2400.00
12,000 watt-hours/5 hours of sunshine = 2400 watts of panels.
Current pricing with the trumpery tariffs is 50 cents per watt
$1200 for panels.
Of course no sane person would use the batteries in parallel so with a 48 volt system we need just one Tristar controller $800
Our total so far is $4400.00
Add $400 for a pure sine wave inverter, and 10% for miscellaneous parts.
Call it $5500.00 and diy.
On a more realistic approach, I believe I could meet all my generator power needs with 1000 amp-hours of battery bank, and 1600 watts of panels. Remember--my hour meter says I used 100 hours only in the past 12 months.
So my costs would be $1000 for battery bank (used telecom jars), $800 for controller, $400 for inverter and $600 for miscellaneous supplies.
Such a system would run the roof air when the sun was shining, and have enough capacity to recharge the battery bank, too.
