I "rounded up" a lot so that no one will complain about my assumptions in this video. And in my system, I am doing permit-free brick mounting of the solar panels in my backyard. The cost of mounting solar panels can vary greatly. If you need to pull permits, or build a structure, expect to pay a few grand more. If you use a hybrid inverter that is code compliant and require inspection, or use special rack/mount system for your panels, calculate accordingly. The largest cost by far, is the battery. Obviously. But as you can see, the payback period is minimal! For the cost of labor to install a typical grid tie, you can pay for a large battery. If you do a supplemental system mounted in your garage or a shed to power an EV for example, it is very DIY friendly and will save a ton of money. Or you can run crypto miners. I will have a gpu rig very soon. I have a bitcoin asic that is great for heating the shop. There is always a way to use the power you produce. If you need to hire a professional to install it, you can find licensed electricians that will work for cheap on craigslist. They have tools that you do not have, and may be a smart choice for some of you. I did not add the cost of the charging receptacle into the calculation, because you will need to pay for that whether you charge with the grid, or off the grid. I figure anything past the panel is on you. Update: I totally forgot to mention that connecting a new house to the grid can cost 10-30k!! That is why cabins and small dwellings benefit greatly with solar. Their systems pay for themselves on day one! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Does off-grid solar confuse you? Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com Join our DIY solar community! #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Solar. Low prices and great warranty, and they can take your entire house offgrid with their new Powerwalls: ts.la/william57509 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first): 12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar and Coupon Codes: -Current Connected: SOK, Victron and High Quality Components. Best prices and warranty around: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp -Signature Solar: Cheap Server Rack Batteries and Large Solar Panels: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Ecoflow Delta Official Site: My favorite plug-n-play solar generator: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7 -AmpereTime: Cheapest 12V batteries around: amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Rich Solar: Mega site and cheaper prices than renogy! Check them out: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Shop Solar Kits: Huge site with every solar kit you can imagine! Check it out: shopsolarkits.com/?ref=will-p -Battery Hookup: Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 10% off code: diysolar -Watts 24/7: Best deals on all-in-one solar power systems, with customer support and distribution here in the USA: watts247.com/?wpam_id=3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact Information: I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers: Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
I`m just hoping to save my food after the next hurricane. I`ll be living in a 5th wheel travel trailer soon and hope to move up from power stations to a system to run a small air conditioner during the day. Battery prices are the problem. I won`t know until I move though how much sunshine the lot gets because there are trees to the south and southeast and a hill blocking the morning sun. I have 490 watts in rigid panels so far but at this point I`m using two Bluetti EB70s and Rockpals and Golabs 300 watt power stations. I have about ten folding panels between 10 and 100 watts. With a small gas generator for backup I can keep my food frozen with a 5 cubic ft freezer and a dorm fridge because the Bluettis charge fast. My trailer does have a large propane/AC refrigerator/freezer but I may not use it unless I need to. I`m on disability and got this stuff with the stimulus checks while I had the chance.
I have installed off-grid systems for 10+ years now, and most of the time the system was finished out for less than the cost of simply running utility power to the remote property! There is always the consultation time wasted having to explain one more time why off grid solar is so much more expensive than the cookie cutter system that they saw on sale from a Nashville on-grid/solar leasing company. I admire the size of the systems I install for others people, I'd like to have something that large myself someday! 😆
tnX for the info, where i live there is no Lifepo4 kinda sux one more question can you explain why i keep seeing youtube stuff saying 10kw solar is only give 5kw in reality what is going on!
Going from homeless to owning a few houses, a tesla, and be able to spend so much money on these systems. I don't know how you did that cause I just found out about your channel, but you totally deserve it. You're an expert at your field. Well done man!
@@alals6794 he mentioned being homeless in this video and also mentioned that he has "houses" now. It's the first I've heard of it and good for him for learning something and then turning it into a successful business.
Exactly. If people waz to look at it it like they was doing it on lay away but getting it upfront So what you are paying is an investment. And not “rent “ literally going up in smoke.
@@-whackd And you'll be overpaying for the system, but I guess people have gone into revolving debt for worse reasons. If you really have to loan, better to do a HELOC or similar instead of a bank that finances solar. All those rates are AWFUL and misleading when presented as 0.00 to 1.99% APR.
Same here, I saw my first Will video and thought "hey, I can do that". I made up a very small 310x x2 for 620w with a 30a Renogy controller and Renogy 3000w inverter. Still working on the batteries because of $$$$. But its a fun toy!!!
@@SteveV2023 I bought a Growatt all-in-one from one of Will’s videos and it’s amazing. I have a 24v 200ah battery and it ran my house fridge plus a window air conditioner during a test last month. So cool. Ultimately I will install it in a camper van for off-grid camping.
Our teen camp is off-grid. The utility company quote to ONLY run powerlines to our property began at $33,000. I built a DIY 24v solar system with 2,500w panels by watching these videos. My total investment is under $5,000. I in N. WI. (not a lot of sunshine) but we are able to power AC, microwave, frig, fans and lights in a 1,400sf lodge. Solar is so cool and Will Prowse made it easy to get interested in and learn about. We are saving up for another battery bank. Thanks Will!!
Also, for anyone building a new house and deciding to go off-grid. It was going to cost us $5k just to hook up to the grid. Then have a bill for the rest of our lives. So that alone really speeds up the time it will take for our system to "pay for itself".
Not really watch more videos solar in an off grid system is not cost effective to run. If you have the money, can drop your electrical demands then it work out.
I hope to do this with a detached garage. I really dont care to have someone tell me if I can hook up power lines and then charge me for the hookup, then forever for the power.
@@michaellowe3665 more power to you but I live off grid it's not easy Will here should try living a month completely off grid. He himself knows his system wouldn't be able to even keep up with charging the Tesla daily let alone charge it and have his home with A/C on.
@@gabrielmartinez3171 It really depends on the situation if it is cost effective.Many of us don't want to be dependent on an electrical grid in the event of a catastrophic incident etc.And many like myself live off grid.I love my solar
@@gabrielmartinez3171 thats why I would do it with a garage/workshop. When I run out of power, I know its time to go inside. I can run a line back to the house for emergency use on a limited system, like sump pums and other necessities.
I bought my solar setup two years ago, 18 used 200w panels $8 each, a used 3kw 230v inverter for $240 (Denmark EU). I made my money back within the first six months, As you said in a previous video "Stop whining, start building" A philosophy I live by :) :) Great videos btw :)
@@Happyantix112 thats the thing, yes its gridconnected, but we do our best to use it beforehand, because theres a "tax" so to speak on power feeding back. So we bought an EV to level it out
Great video. My system paid for itself when the power went out and my diy solar generator kept my refrigerator and two deep freezers full of food good 👍🏽
@@RoguishHound at the time of the outage I had a outback flex max 80amp, 12 volt 2000 watt inverter and 6 105amp hr lead acid marine batteries, 6 100 watt solar panels. Don’t waste your money on 12volt or lead acid batteries or 100watt panels. I learned the hard way. Next week I’m ordering 2 48volt Growatts ,8 battle born lithium batteries & 20 440watt solar panels.
@@RoguishHound that system on a good day generated about 10kwh. It worked great when the sun was out. The lead acid batteries wouldn’t last long after the sun went down. I kept two gallon water jugs in the freezer which helped out
Ev are going up now. I want a model 3, but can’t justify paying $600 a month. My house costs me $600 a month. I pay $300 a month on my 17 Honda Accord sport. If there was a way to get the Tesla cheaper, I would get one in a heartbeat.
You comment on your friend buying a BMW I3, and how you wouldn't ever drive that car, was funny! I also have evolved from one EV to others, but I still own all of them! My first EV was a 2011 Nissan Leaf, then a 2014 BMW I3, then a 2019 Tesla Model 3, then a 2013 Toyota RAV4 EV, (which many don't know has a Model S Motor, battery, and charger in a RAV4 shell). My wife grabbed the Model 3 as soon as I bought it, so since I commute to Oakland each day, the low profile RAV4 EV is a better commuter for me! Plus it's fast for a RAV4. Anyhow, I have always loved your videos over the years. Glad to see you get a house and get some payback for all you do. Also, Ya, the I3 is a weird looking car, but it moves! I know a guy who stripped his down and now races his!!
I can’t stop watching your videos, I love how much information you give out, and FOR FREE 🙆🏻♂️😱😱😱 God bless you and thank your for everything you do for us fans! Keep up the good work bro 🙏🏽
I don't know why people love to talk about ROI when it comes to solar. There is so much more here than simple numbers. Like: How much would you have paid to not have felt the pain of being too cold in TX when they had their utility failures? How about in FL, how much would you have paid to have a near silent power production and storage capacity for running basic appliances like your fridge, a fan, TV and a window unit A/C in your bedroom so you can sleep comfortably for possibly weeks after a hurricane? (Hurricane season is during the hot summers.) Hurricanes also bring fuel shortages. With a solar and storage system, you would be generating your own power without drawing attention to yourself via a noisy generator and without fuel. This is about more than money savings.
I moved to FL 3 yrs ago and decided to just pickup a Nature's Generator system with two batteries. They are Lead Acid which sucks but for the purposes of what I want to use it for which is during power outages post hurricanes. The run on gas is nuts and if you have a gas generator (I don't have natty gas) it's loud and annoying. It was over priced, underpowered, and old technology but I do plan on making a better system like Will has in the future.
But also leasing even makes sense. Any solar system will be cheaper for its generated power.. You pay less overall with any system. Your gonna use the kwh anyways. Might as well find a way to pay less for thoe kwh
@@Mike-. It is there for after the storm. Typically very sunny. Hurricanes take about 8 hours to pass. During that time power will likely go out, but batteries will soak up the power after the storm while you wait for the power to be restored. This could take days or weeks depending on the situation.
"Priceless"!! Even if you just have one folding panel (or two) and a battery or powerbank type thing...You'll thank yourself and Will, when the power goes out!
No....having a cheap solar module, and cut rate off-grid inverter is not anything similar to having a system sized to offset your consumption, with a tier 1 grid interactive inverter.
Yes indeed Will got me started on the Solar System train. For the last three years we are building up our system as money allows, currently we have 4KW of solar with 20KW battery backup and a 6K inverter. Kicking the electric bill the nuts & back up power if & when needed is priceless.
Will, I watch a LOT of youtube and you and just one other guy (notarubicon) I watch religiously and to the end. Ive forwarded many videos of yours to others to check your channel out and I just think you do such a good job explaining everthing all around. Highly knowledgable and to the point. Keep up the great work and always look forward to your videos. (studying to build my first small system for a well house. With the surges they have i'm curious your thoughts might be with that. Maybe a video on something like that might be interesting to others as well) Dave Marriott
The actual payback is shorter than most people estimate. Don't forget to include anticipated electric utility rate increases in the calculations. PG&E rates in California have increased by more than six percent per year for many years. Six percent per year translates to electric rates doubling every 12 years. The cost of solar is an upfront cost so it is also important to include the time value of the money. Even after using the calculated net present value as the cost of the project the payback is still considerably shorter than the life expectancy of the equipment.
@@DanielRichards644 I agree. Didn't California blame PG&E for fires suing them in the billions then bitched when PG&E shutdown the power as prevention?
@@gregwalken1341 and California also won't maintain the brush that allows these fires to ravage the state every year because the bleeding heart libtards care more about the habitat for the animals that live in the brush then stopping the fires, completely ignoring that the fires destroy the habitat anyway and also destroy homes and sometimes even whole towns, and these are the same idiots so worried about pollution they don't realize how much CARBON is being released back into the atmosphere when forests burn, so everything they are doing that allows these fires to occur is ultimately far worse then clearing the brush to prevent them. Also PG&E for the rates they charge should have the best infrastructure in the country, but they have some of the worst, having areas serviced by practically ancient undersized for the population now living in the region lines, which is one of the number 1 causes of the fires getting started.
@@DanielRichards644 Politics of California aside. You have been misled. The forests of the west coast didn’t need management to prevent massive fires before people came along. The fires are because of climate change pure and simple. The forests used to stay too damp to support large fires. THAT is what changed. Otherwise we would have been seeing these fires for the last 50 years or so instead of just now.
I have been watching your videos for about a year now and I am a subscriber. You mentioned that you were homeless and you could barely walk, I would love to hear your story. It might make for a very good video. Everybody loves a great rags to riches story. Thank you for all the great information and sharing that with the world.
So awesome. Didn't know you were homeless for a long time. It's hard to imagine a person so capable of awesome things having so little. Always so on point with the tech, numbers and focal points and so genuine and thoughtful. You've helped so many. I hope you're enjoying the success Will, you absolutely deserve it!
Great videos. We have been off grid for 3 years now and now I found you for great guidance! I think lots of people forget power price from the grid will never go down, it's only going to get more expensive. I will never connect to grid
Well said Will, there was a time when it would 20+ years for a payback. With today’s technology and a little effort on the consumers part, people can be independent much easier. I can guarantee you as solar gets better better for the consumer, there will be stricter laws with what you are allowed to do because in the end, greed, will prevail. Every single war was about greed and humans have not changed in thousands of years on that point, so build that solar system while you still can.
Love this guy! So much information, almost an overload for us normal people. It’s so funny how you mention mini nuclear reactors! I have asked this question for years, why doesn’t every house have a mini reactor instead one of giant reactor for many houses? A tiny reactor could be controlled so much easier if ever needed! Thanks for so much great info!
I would like to thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I have learned a lot watching your videos. I think what ever you do in conjunction with off grid living will be a hit. Wish you all the best for future.
0:17 right from the start the feeling i get is: you (Will Prowse) don't do this because it will save you money. you have more than enough money to do these things as a hobby; for fun. that right there is the barrier to entry that most people encounter first. afterwards it's the physical skills to do this themselves (not everyone is able to hold the proper end of a screwdriver) and finally, it's the mental skills to understand how to do it safely.
When I built my solar system with Arizona Wind & Sun help I spent only $3k, however my system is only 3kwh because it is on top of an RV. Like you, I did it out of necessity because the property I bought did not have any power pole access. Last time I checked my area’s $/kWh from the grid it was only $.08 which would take quite a while if I was worried about a payback period. I needed something that was completely mobile while traveling, which is not possible with the grid if boondocking - camping without any services. Love the video!
Been living seriously off the grid on our sailboat. We have solar and a hydrogenator which feeds our big lithium bank (which we built ourselves, thanks for the educational videos). We have been 4 years in the ocean and remote islands with no concerns about power. When we get a house someday, I’m definitely going off grid!
Great bit of backstory Will. Love the attitude of just do it, just get it done. People forget the true cost of being tied to the grid, which is you have total reliance on a system that is proving more and more each year to be faulty and failing.
I just heard that some folks on the Gulf Coast will be without power for 6 weeks. If you don't have your own solar, your BEV is going to sit for the next 6 weeks. I have full solar and I just added an Emphase 20kW battery. I also have a BEV and I have solar so I won't be without my car for six weeks. My payback is just over 6 years for the new battery. I would have loved to have done a DIY battery on my old Outback Radian, but between the city code and my insurance company, I had to go with a licensed install. So be careful out there about DIY. Check with your city code and your insurance before you undertake a DIY system. Great video.
No idea your history. You go buddy! There's a messy and kind of complicated alkaline zinc regeneration system that can be made for tiny examples of zinc air batteries. But not at all expensive. Subscribed, watch again and again, sometimes multiple times. Thanks!
That's really cool Will. I appreciate you being generous with the numbers. If you are careful you could save more, but at the most it's going to cost X
I am really interested in your background if you care to share in a video - it sounds like quite the story! I totally agree with you - off grid power is priceless. The world is getting crazier every year, set yourselves up people!
This is awesome, love the setup. I'm not sure if it makes any sense, but one thing I would be interested in more thoughts about, is building out a setup like this starting from being grid tied, and transitioning over time to offgrid with ample storage capacity. Or maybe more ideas on running specific parts of your house (hot water?) off solar with a target of moving off grid eventually. Maybe that doesn't make sense but maybe there's an inverter out there that would work for this transition? For newer people to solar it would be great to work in this manner - to get an idea of potential output without dumping tons of cash upfront or depending on a salesman to sell you an overpriced system. Thanks for info though.. love that you include prices of things as most people don't so it's hard to get a sense of what's doable for me and what's not - especially being in the north and not having many people providing real world data like you from my area.
Hey I'm currently homeless right now investing in my own solar system. That's the reason why I'm here. Just watching your video I heard you say that you were homeless as well and that's what got you into this. Seeing how well you're doing now gives me hope.
Great video but did anyone catch the casual comment "i was homeless 10yrs ago". Now he has telsa, powerwall, big house etc. That story needs to be told!
If you had been following Will's videos you would know his story. I have been following him since he was living in a toyota rv. It's a remarkable story. Needless to say the countless hours he has devoted to solar and educating millions of people about this.
Nicely done Will. Only one thing that you forget, people should not by cars, where they Can not utilize the battery as they wan’t. Think about a scenario, where you are off grid, with a 15kw House battery, but using the car battery. In periods of low solar production,you would just go get a fast charge to top up your car battery. Fully integrated V2H would be a serious game changer.
I've been watching you for years and to hear you say my "houses" and this is how I power my "Tesla" makes me and I'm sure many of your fans incredibly happy, I believe you to be the foremost EXPERT on Solar Systems and the best reviewer and teacher on the net, you should be called DR Will Prowse, can anyone out there could give and honorary degree? you deserve one. My heart flows over with Happiness for you, You've come a looong way baby.
Really good job on these two videos. I think you only left off the cost of racking and permitting which most folks will need to do and I think you may be underestimating the added cost of "not being Will Prowse". That said, REALLY nice job!
It's possible for a 'not Will Prowse' to do this. I did, over a year ago with a 10kW installation, 30kWh battery bank etc. (including the ground mount) under 10K€. You have to be a bit creative, and it involves taking some calculated risks, but definitely getting easier to do each and every day. You can find my cost break down on both the solar and the mounts on Will's forum.
@@upnorthandpersonal Yes, it is definitely doable by any capable DIY'er. I built one myself about 5 years ago. Back then it cost about $22k for a 13kW (array) with 9kW of inverter and 15kWh of "usable" battery backup. It is a significant investment to learn how to do it. Folks like Will make it a lot easier for sure.
@@HomesteadEngineering Yep - don't forget Will's forum which has been making this easier for a lot of people. You should consider joining if you aren't already.
Thanks Will. Last night I was estimating the practicality and attempting to calculate the cost of your system. My guessed $16K to $17K and 7 to 8 years to recoup. Glad I was off by so much.
Wow Will! Watching from New Zealand - You summed the cost up so well. Our cost of electricity here is 20c/KW and rizing 5-7% per year and due to increase significantly with the increase in Electric Vehicle useage and Fossil fuel Carbon dioxide producing Substitutions. We think it will go up by 10% per annum from here and supply become more unstable. A solar panel, inverter battery, storage system makes so much sense, even if you had to borrow the capital at 5%pa, after you exceed payback it is God given FREE ELECTRICITY and FREE FUEL FOR LIFE. We have so much to be extremely thankful for. Dave & Nikki Geraldine Center of The South Island of New Zealand.
You forgot to mention that those high frequency inverters/charge controllers in the best cenário, need to be replaced/fixed in a 10 year period... If replaced need to add additional 3000$. Good insight of the cost/savings ratio. 👍
Aloha Will, Love your videos. Appreciate your comprehensive approach to solar and the demographic spectrum your videos reach. Would you consider tackling wind turbines? Where I live in Hawai'i, we have an exhaustive flow of wind. We do have a great deal of sun but periods where we are shrouded in clouds. Looking forward to a positive response 👍🏼.
Another excellent vid. Even where we live in So Missouri this makes some sense. We get enough sun hours to maintain a small system that just needs to keep the freezer and refer going for a grid down event. Usually a few hours but after some of our storms, a few to several days. Just not loosing $1000.00 worth of food and having a couple led lights is priceless. In our case it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing deal. And the cost isn’t just dollars. How much is your safety, security work? I sleep well because we are prepared. Thank you Solar Guru. We are humbled by your knowledge and ability to teach.
Thanks for the video. by comparison, i got my system installed five years ago. Small system 5.7 KW. right now it is gonna be another 9 years to pay for itself (even with the tax incentives at the time). Cheap electricity where i live. i still like it and am glad i had it installed.
There are other factors in these systems re: costing that can also be addressed. The basic one is my monthly bill and the system cost. But that does not also account for things like having a self generated supply and not subject to grid outages. Also with current inflation. Money spent today on this is a more sure pay it forward thing. Job losses, disability, any sort of life hardship, well you will still have electricity. Having gone one time 5 months no electricity due to financial hardship, I vowed to be more self sufficient. I now have a 2200 watt panel system, 4 gel batteries and 5kw inverter for a 2000 dollar invest that makes 5.5kwh per day average. My grid power rate is 20 cents usd per kwh. In August the local grid shut down 6 times for a total of about 8 hours. Well worth it.
@@williammeek4078 Yup! I was looking at a property about 20 minutes outside of the 'small' city that I currently live in, and it had a 300 yard driveway. ComEd wanted over $10,000 to run power from the street to the homesite! They said it would need to have a transformer (or something else, it's been 7 years) in the middle, because of the length. That is what started my interest in having a power supply that is off grid. I still haven't found the right property yet, but when I do, I will be ready :) Many thanks to people who make RU-vid videos like this, to help others and educate them!
I've gotten around the same results in past calculations that I have done. My own system, being over 15 years old now, cost considerably more for just 1/3 the capacity. People these days definitely should not complain(!). If I were to have one critique, your system costs assume that people have enough space to just lay the panels out on the ground. So if someone lives in a denser neighborhood and has to mount them more formally, such as on a roof, that winds up being a fairly significant expense unto itself. -Matt
And if you are gonna mount panels to the roof you gotta take into account the age of the roof, like say you have a 15-20 year old house that was built with builder grade materials in a subdivision, that Shingle Roof will be approaching its End OF Life within the next few years (and many of the other houses on the street built just 1 or 2 years before have already replaced their roofs) so before doing solar you gotta go ahead and do the new roof a few years early, then knowing how solar mounts you know there is an option if you do a standing seam metal roof they have a mounting system that clamps to the ribs of the standing seam and so you don't drill a bunch of holes in your new roof to mount the solar, but that again increases the cost and now you have blown the budget for the Solar Power System on the new roof to put it on.
@@DanielRichards644 there is an adhesive backed solar panels that fits between the seams (15”) that is 18’ long. Nice thing about that system is that the roof will last longer than the solar strips.
Great video Will. 10 years I was quoted $75 k (Aud) to get power to the property and then the house. Knew nothing about Solar but after a huge learning curve went off grid DIY solar, all along learning from people like you, you've just got to love RU-vid, so much knowledge. Long story short, it works, cost me about $20 K (Aud) overall as the system expanded, more power needed resulted in more panels, bigger inverters and a larger capacity battery bank. We have all the mod cons, live very comfortably. I'm using the same MPP inverters, they just work 24/7 The SLA's won't last forever so for me it's Solar 2.0 the LiFePo4 upgrade DIY battery bank.
“Building your own gas station” Will, what a brilliant quote. Plus lower maintenance costs on EV’s. Have been following your vids for a while now. Greeting from the 🇬🇧 UK. We have limited space here and the max grid tie we can have is just under 4kw. But I installed my own for just under £1500 with a PV diverter for the hot water heater. Working on a system to heat the garage in the winter. Keep up the good work getting the word out.
Spot on my system is small only batterys 400 watt hrs . 4500.00 dollars 2100 watts of panels. But it runs my camper is north west sc. Going to get my courage up and build a battery for my home I plan on building. Your my hero will.
Will just said "I wish we could have a nuclear reactor" with a lithium titanate or a LiFePO4 system" Did he just hint at his next channel? "DIY Nuclear" :-)
The last guy that tried that ended up a) being arrested and then b) quite dead. He did manage to get a real reactor subcritical... Started off with Technicium from fire detectors... 1000's of them, and moved up to other elements.. I bet Will could pull it off though. rofl
yeah, I caught that also. As soon as you hit a point where your batteries are at 100%, you are losing money. I think with having an EV, that won't really be an issue though. I am also no bitcoin mining expert, but another option would be for your mining computers to kick on only when your battery is above 98% or something like that.
Complain Complain Complain. those are the ones when they have a power failure will still complain. companies i've done installations for charge $35,000 for a 5k Wh set up using cheap panels. then the shock of the famous True-Up Bill at the end of the year for customer using more energy than their solar system produces. it's a shame that energy company charges you to connect to the grid, charges you for the electric wiring in your home... I have a setup that i can connect to my car's alternator as an emergency back up. *My Respects Will, Love Your Calculations and Explanations. You Go Bro! Can i adopt you ? trading my son LOL*
So when are you moving beyond the earning potential of a house? When's the Prowse Co. Solar Ranch going to break ground? The solar powered ammonia and peroxide refineries? The reverse osmosis plant? The lithium brine extraction operation?
I’m just catching up w you after yrs. You aren’t living on someone else’s property? Wow! I was in love before but dang look at you now. Im dreaming of going off grid asap in SoCal. So tired of being on the grid.
That's allot cheaper than I was expecting. I'm saving up to leave the cities so I'm hoping when I get out, I can build something similar as I want a backup because I've experience enough power outage to last me a lifetime.
My concern is using the off grid system where temperatures reach 40 below 0. Also tjere was no calqulation for system maintenance or replacement of faulty parts of the system pr damage from lightening or other natural disasters. Where we live being off the grod does not mean that one does not have to pay for electrical services, there will s a monthly charge if you are in a serviced area even if there are no wires extended to your place of residence. Don’t mean to be negative, but ALL aspects must be considered.
Very interesting mention about the STC. I really like how cost efficient your system is! I was honestly expecting something that said "cheap", but not really, until I realized your DIY LiFePo4 batteries. Speaking of which, might I suggest getting BYD blade LiFePo4 batteries? Those things are so safe that you can pierce them with your drill, without any risk of them catching fire and exploding in your face. They are THAT safe. With that said, never ever assume that panels will give your their STC rating. I have high quality German panels (Luxor), but even then, they give out approximately 73.8% of their said STC efficiency. In other words, focus on NOCT ratings!! The formula that I always go for (which were spot on for my system, by the way), is STC rating of the panel, multiplied by 0.738 multiplied by 0.93 per inverter efficiency. Also, concerning the inverters you used, I have to say that they are probably the only ones that are not as cost-effective. Might I suggest Growatt brand? They come with paralleling kits, that allow you to synchronously connect up to 6 inverters together.
I was quoted $80k for grid tied compliant, 17 year break even. My bill last month, for July was over $1k. Clearly looking at options. Thank you for passing along great info. Bought your book. Retired, fixed income, need help.
The capability alone would be priceless when it comes to "peace of mind" during power outages. Whether the outage was short term or long term, you've no worries in that department for your essentials. In that regard, I wouldn't care if the cost was ever recouped. My main concern with cost would be how fast could I acquire the bits and pieces to put it all together (presuming I had a place to put it all together).
Is a very good solar system,we are installing it here in Nigeria, very nice but expensive it cost much,but am not seeing solar arestor, good job how I wish I can send pictures to see the ones we install
I feel like such a dunce. I've been watching Will's videos over the past few months and just assumed that he lived with mummy and daddy and that's how he could afford to be doing all this, I was so wrong! Well done man, you have earnt every penny of your success and thanks for sharing all this very useful information.
He makes more off of doing these solar videos than the average household makes in a year, not to mention all the freebies and heavy discounts he gets for the hardware... His payback is in hours or days!
He did a video on all his financials awhile ago, was something like 250k/yr with a lot of tax benefits, his book was a surprising chunk too! I'm sure it's double now, deserves every penny, keep up the good work Will
I love your stuff Will and I hear you, but there is no current electric vehicle suitable for where I live and what I do. My smallest car is a '21 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I tried to live with a Volvo XC90 plug in hybrid but the crappy for cold weather software begged me to sell it. I am so waiting for the F150 lightning I can't even tell you how bad I want that. It can't replace my larger diesels, but it will be a fantastic daily driver and I am really looking forward to plug it into the 30Kw array. We all haw different needs, lots of the folks that watch you are way north with highly over provisioned panel arrays, because snow days are a thing that goes on for... too long.
Great video! The mention of small nuke reactor to power a large neighborhood is something I have wanted to see happen for decades. The small nuke tech exists already. Just need to implement it. Imagine not being tied to the grid. Wildfires caused by transmission lines might be a thing of the past then.
I currently offset my house + EV with 8kW of solar, but have no backup and I am grid tied. My plan to fix this? Next EV will have 240V output (at least 50 amp, hopefully 80amp!) and the battery will be over a week of backup for my house if needed. Longest I have gone without power is 1.5 days though. What would be REALLY neat is if the cars + inverters get smart enough to talk and take in the power as needed to avoid sending to the grid. Just always plug in at home and let it do it's thing...
@@dannelson6980 You're right. I forgot to mention "this" one. But it's a bit chunky and 10 Watt per cubic metre is a bit low for a handy size. At least its power is for everyone and for free. And Will shows how to collect it.
Hi will, I've set up a system for my parents and we have a 6kw growatt connected to a 14.6 kw battery and 6.8kw of solar panels so the batteries we make ourselves with the 280 or 302 catl cells we actually have more than 160 cells lol but anyway we have already made a 32 cell battery so basically what we have tested at my parents is that we need 30 kw of battery and 12 kw inverter for a large home here in Ontario Canada And no less than 6 kw solar panels as we have very cloudy winters here and preferably a good wind turbine to help keep the battery full during winter so basically a hybrid setup but yeah definitely very exciting projects ahead 😀 We've got lots of people who want us to install off grid systems for their homes and there is a opportunity up north as well as there isn't much for hydro there But anyway we will swap out the 14.6 kw battery pack as well as the 6 kw inverter for a 30 kw battery and 12 kw inverter so we can connect all 16 x425w henwah panels that we installed ourselves on my parents roof 😉🤙 POWER ON 🔋
Will, it's even a better deal right now especially with the dollars value most likely going to decline and most items for solar system being made overseas. The Petro dollar is doomed.
I tried telling my sister and brother in law to not finance and tie in three years ago. They would be putting $ in their pocket by now. One of the best videos yet, just hope some law makers aren't paying attention to make adjustments to fully off grid systems. Cool to see the progression from when this channel first started. I remember the old days, not that long ago really. Pretty inspirational, and motivating to see how far you've come with everything, especially helping and being the reference for factually quality equipment for the people out there. Pretty awesome dude!
That's not far off from his number with battle born batteries at $950 each plus a 8% sales tax in Nevada so at 15kwh of battle born batteries it's around $15,000.
I don't know where he's buying battle born batteries below $800 even after sales tax. Take the 11,875 divide it by 15 to get the 15kw they're about 791 a piece.
@@gabrielmartinez3171 Quit replying to me. You're watching Will's vids where he builds raw cell batteries right in front of your eyes and then you say "gee how did he get Battleborn batteries so cheap they're the only batteries in existence". You're being a nitwit on purpose and for what reason I cannot fathom.
I know that you say it is not expensive, but my car recently died and i don't have 15k to buy another 2nd hand car. I really get it's "cheap" but cheap is relative. These amounts are not affordable in my situation. But it's great to see how much prices have dropped. Also i pay currently around 600dollar/year for my electricity would be more if i had an airconditioning but that's not an option. But it's great to see this information, thanks a lot
I replied to someone on your other video yesterday that didn't believe you with some estimated calculation. This spills it out very clearly again. Too many excuses all over the place...
yeah and like Will said, sales tactics throw everything off if someone calls an installer for estimates, even if it's non-grid-tied, which might be another reason for people being misinformed/disbelieving. a salesperson wants the most commission they can squeeze while appearing to give a good deal... I watched my brother work his magic many times as a GC. another thing that throws it off is G'vt manipulation of the market which can affect the cost drastically depending on where you are (here in NY, you can only get the govt rebates & tax breaks if you use "approved" installers, so that leaves DIY solar in the shade
I think the best thing to do is start. I found a couple cheep panels bought a deep cycle on clearance and before i got into much inverting or anything I simply started by figuring out what LED bulbs and tape would work on DC 12V looking in automotive and decorative lighting kind of places and just started changing especially wet bathroom kitchen fish tank and kids play aria to run on my 12V system its cheap safe and always works. I have done lots more over time but I sure learned a lot and I think no matter what I end up doing the 12V lighting will be kept
