Climate protection: Operation Solar System

For many years, Mr. Claw and I had been thinking about installing some sort of photovoltaic system. Last year we finally got serious and purchased 12 320W solar panels in late fall. Mr. Claw started researching mounting, storage, inverters and everything else we would need.

For this project we chose an off-grid system that can run parallel to the power grid but is isolated from it. Its main tasks are charging our Chevy Bolt Gypsy Danger and running a mini-split air conditioning system for the workshop.

The first thing to do was to install the solar panels. Nine panels fit nicely on the south-facing carport roof. As creaky old folks, Mr. Claw and I were very grateful for the help of a nephew who helped us get the panels on the roof and secure them in place. The remaining three panels are mounted like a canopy on the south side of the shop.

Connected in series, all 12 panels together produce approximately 3480 watts at 480V. This output works well with the next part of the system, a Bluetti EP 800 with 3 B500 battery packs. This gives us 15 kWh of storage capacity. This is not the cheapest option, but it is far from the most expensive. Mr. Claw was put off by DIY sites and forums that were not helpful, but tended to mock people who asked questions. But that’s the internet!

To make the most of the power, Mr. Claw installed a circuit breaker that leads to a service panel. The car charging circuit and the air conditioning circuit, both 115V/20A, are in service. There is plenty of scope for expansion with multiple circuits.

At the moment we are And with our own solar power!

The idea behind it is, firstly, to have a place of refuge that is not dependent on the Texas power grid in order to keep a cool head in the difficult times ahead and, of course, to be able to drive with solar energy.

All of the planning and most of the labor was done by Mr. Claw. I just helped glue the lines, lifted and secured some parts, and made sure we could pay the large credit card bill. This project was not done for financial reasons, so the “payback period” is irrelevant. Mr. Claw took on this project because it seemed interesting, and it seemed like the right thing to do for both of us to reduce our carbon footprint and strain on the fragile Texas power grid.