PV Gap

Gabriel Said:

What is the easiest way to hook up solar power to your house?

We Answered:

you can NOT plug panels directly into a socket in your house. That would be extremely dangerous.

You need an inverter to convert the DC from the panel to alternating current that is synchronized to the power line frequency in your area. You also need a hard disconnect for servicing and a blackout diconnect circuit to prevent killing linemen during a power outage.

If none of that makes any sense, then the easiest way is to hire a professional.

Karen Said:

How can I set my house up for total solar power?

We Answered:

You really cant, it would take large ammounts of space and thousands of dollars in solar panels to even come close to a fraction of what a house uses. also solar panels create DC power which would have to be converted to AC in a dynamo or inverter... and there is always losses do resistance etc.

Also solar panels don't last forever, they have to be replaced every few years depending on the quality so in the end it's cheaper to stay with your local utility provider....no I don't work for one...

Timothy Said:

How can I figure out how much power my house uses for solar?

We Answered:

It is a different answer for a grid-connected (grid-tie) home and for a off-grid home (not connected to the utility grid)
For the off-grid home the solar system must be able to generate during day light enough electrical energy to supply the house consumption over day and night. Start from your monthly electrical consumption in KWh. Divide it by 30 to get your daily average consumption and divide it by 6 hours (assuming 6 hours of useful sun presence) to get the required size of the panels. Then calculate the size of the deep cycle batteries that will store electrical energy for your night consumption. For more details view http://www.solar-energy-for-home.com/off…
If your home is grid connected you don't really need to size the solar panels to supply 100% of your consumption because the utility will supply the difference. Size the system based on the size of roof you can allocate and to fit your budget (assume $7-$8 per watt for a crude estimate)

Rodney Said:

How much does it cost to have a solar powered house?

We Answered:

Well it depends with the size of the house and the location. Also consider if you are fully converting to solar or you are running parallel .but roughly the ones we're converting an average 3 bed roomed house in Cape Town would cost around R40 000.00 . (£3 500.00) .