6 months later. . . .WOW! How's your electric bill? Had any power outages? I'm so thankful we have solar power!
Unbelievable rate hikes and storms in many areas of the world, not just the US. And don't even get me started on electric cars and not being able to charge them.
Now's a lousy time to go solar because all the materials have gone up in price and you're lucky if you can even find what you need.
A lot has to do with why you want to go solar. Because you want to reduce your carbon footprint or save the planet, you want to be self sufficient and not depend on some corporation to keep your power on or whatever. First of all, production of those solar panels is not a 'green' process.
We had to drive an hour to a specific Lowes recently to get 2 breakers and 1 quick disconnect/shut-off that we needed. I don't remember why they wouldn't ship them.
We've spent the last 2 years buying parts for our big system and the last few items were not cheap! But if you can make your plan, list items you need and buy things as you can you'll get there. Watch Craigslist too. You might find someone upgrading or giving up on their system.
Even if you can only get a couple panels, a charge controller, a couple batteries and inverter you'll start saving. I don't however recommend buying cheap products unless you understand that you may have to replace items and are prepared to do so.
Start by charging all your rechargeables with the system. Add a couple rechargeable fans, flashlights or lamps/lanterns. I got a fan that will run for 2.5 days on low. And that's if it's on 24 hrs a day!
Buy the best you can afford and on your charge controller and inverter get them with enough capacity that you can add more panels as you can afford them.
Thinking about putting panels on your roof? You gonna climb up there to keep them clean? Not me! If you have space I say put them on the ground. I squeegee off my panels at least once a month, on my way to the barn or to collect eggs.
Personally I don't recommend the system that your power company pays for. Most of them aren't saving you a whole lot and they don't want to provide battery back up. That means when the power goes out, YOUR power goes out too. So what is the point?
If you've got the money to hire a company to do it for you, yes it's expensive. And if you set up a maintenance program, even more expensive. But it does add value to your property.
So I think everyone should have at least SOME solar for emergencies if nothing else.