Because under most circumstances, it would cost significantly more and the environmental benefits would be questionable. For most people, if they have a reasonable grid tie option the only justification for batteries is as a backup in case of power outage.
Even in that case one should look at the cost of a whole house gas/LP generator as backup compared to the rather large battery bank that you would need for your heavy electrical demand.
The advantage of the grid tie system is that the grid acts like a "virtual battery". For very little money you get the advantages of having the equivalent of an infinite battery bank while avoiding the capital/replacement expenses of a large bank of environmentally questionable batteries. And the energy loss in charging real batteries.
With the large amount of electrical usage you describe, just the equipment for a grid tie system would be high. If you are serious you need to pay an expert who is familiar with your area to crunch the numbers for each option.
You never know, maybe some factor like low payment for the electricity you generate would make your situation unusual.
Variables include weather, site location, electric rates, how much they pay for your generated power, subsidies.....
At the same time the expert could look at your questionable use of electricity, for example your electric hot water heater/stove. Reducing your electrical usage will reduce the size ($$$$) of the solar system you would need. Electric resistance heating is an expensive way to heat water & air.
Of course, if you too rich to worry about the money away, just pay someone to build it they way you want.
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I've added some links that are pertinent to AL.
Some key points if you are trying to save money are:
1. The return on solar hot water is a lot better than solar electric. A good place to start.
2. The return on being smart about using less electricity is much better than brute force solar electric.
3. $100K might not be too far off if you followed your original plan.
As for the price: you'll have to do the maths for yourself. A lot (most of it, in fact) depends on your local conditions:
- location (which in turn will give information about sunshine hours over the year, weather)
- feed-in-tariff
- power consumption and habits (using an A/C from solar power is plain stupid, using it from a battery system even worse - you'd be much better off investing that money in insulation and probably a ground/water sourced heat pump system. Or, to put it in another way, the cheapes energy is the energy you don't need.)
- legal conditions of having a grid-tied battery system (e.g. you can't allow feedback from the batteries into the grid under _any_ circumstances or failure mode)
Usually, with a grid-tied solar system, you use the grid as your energy storage. I.e. you feed electricity into the grid (and get paid for it - the feed-in-tariff) during sunshine hours and take energy from the grid if the sun isn't shining. Your local feed-in-tariff is therefore a major component in the payback for your solar system.
Here in Germany (and, as far as I know, in the UK), we have a federal guaranteed feed-in-tariff for 20 years that enables you - more or less - to take up a loan for ~10 years, pay that loan from the guaranteeed feed-in-tariff and afterwards run the solar system as your own. Thanks to this subsidized tariff, it pays (reasonably well) to have the solar array as large as your roof can support, which (in our case) is aboutl twice as large as what we'd need (on average) for our own consumption. That solar panel isn't there for your own consumption - it's a (small, very small) power station and part of your national grid.
You would be raising you cost of power to 38 cents US per kwh.
Solar is only possible if it's subsidized heavily and if you significantly reduced your power consumption. Just running a typical home air-conditioner with 50% duty cycle and using lead acid batteries ( 50% efficient at charging ) would cost in excess of $125,000 and the average home power use would be much higher. You have to trim yourself down to minimal lights, and natural gas refrigerators to have an affordable solar panel system ( running refrigerators and freezers periodically doesn't work ).
Almost sure that you will find everything concerning solar power at: greensolarwho.info You will find habitual merchandise to updated solar energy information and related media.
Hi, I want to run my house without using my power company via "Solar". I of course need batteries for rainy days, and night time use. I have been told that it is "MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE" to run batteries instead of my power company at night, but with only 7 hours of peak light I would be using a power company for the remaining 17 hours of every day (even worse, depending on weather conditions). I didnt think solar was only for hours of power. This seems strange/counterproductive since the clothes & dish washing is at night, and Im sure the Fridges compressor gets a workout being opened frequently at night while its most idle during the day while no one is home to open it.
Things ON when the Sun is NOT OUT:
Hair Dryer
Dishwasher
TV (s)
DVD/Blu-Ray
Video game consoles
Surround Sound + 300 Watt RMS Subwoofer
Computers
Interior Lighting
Stove Use
Oven Use
Crockpot or any other standalone cooker
Refrigerator/Freezer Compressor working overtime
Charging a Fully Electric Car for 100 miles of use ($1.50 a night)
Phones, and anything else that must be constantly recharged at your home
Water Heater (consumes lots of power, is not used in peak Sun Power hours, and used for Laundry & dishes)
Bathroom Exhaust fan/Heat
Portable Heaters
Microwave
Iron
Heating Pads (Haha!)
Sauna
Water Ionizer
Not discluding anything else you can imagine you may run when it isnt between 11AM to 6PM every day.
Why is it more costly to run batteries than pay my power company for the remaining 17+ hours on average, each day?
Also, how much (as a basic explanation of any given scenario) does it cost in addition over simply continuing to pay for power at night (instead of my own battery bank)? I know many explain the A/C is used mostly in the day, and in their "Opinion" you "dont need batteries at night if youre grid tied". I only want the grid for backup. Seeing as only the AC gets heavy use during the day I would like to know I dont have to rely on the grid for "Heat" on cold winter nights (of course), whole house air purification running thru duct system 24/7 (iQair), and a list of other things below that we (people...) all run when there is no Sun. name whatever else you can imagine you use at night, or morning. Lets not forget the 2,000 Watt Hair Dryer running (running) by multiple people in an average home before the sun is supplying power. Also, if running an "Electric Water Heater" the Sun is "never" peaking for the average persons time of showering during the day. All of these Very BIG electrical devices are in constant use every hour the Sun isnt going to be peaking, if I do not run a battery bank. I need power at night & feel "Going Solar" should mean "Capable of Going Off Grid". Dont you?
(If you feel your limited in Characters to respond you can message me on Facebook. The extension to find me is "BATurner3D" & you may still send me a message even if we arent "friends")
We have to stay tied into the grid here by law & I would like help and suggestions from all Solar & Wind powered guys different "Clear Explanations" of different scenarios to not have to "tap into my grid" unless my batteries drop below their percentage level. I only want my Grid as a backup. This would only happen if there were a terrible storm or whatever else you already know is common to be a cause of total power depletion, off grid.
If there is good reason to only run 7 hours of solar power into a grid tied home per day, please help me understand by explaining as clearly as possible, or giving me any clear reference you may know of.
Thank you to the person who took the time read and respond! :)
Please, anyone give any info you have. Together we can have this answered and closed as a solid response so people can finally get an answer to this without having to go thru what I am. I of course cannot question a solar company or they will just say "We'll do the installation for you. Dont you worry about it".
MANY thanks from Many people that I can help with the answer to this question, and will help the rest of the public understand if searching this particular thing.
Thank You!
