If you are considering installing a solar electric system, you obviously have to think this through very carefully. To hold costs down, you might want to begin with a small, grid-connected system. You can install 10 50-watt panels, giving you a 500-watt system, which would cost around $5,000. (Modules will cost $200 to $300 each, a rack will cost a few hundred dollars, a disconnect will cost a little over $100, and an inverter will cost $2,000 to $3,000. Installation by a professional might cost $2,000 or more. Total system cost will be $5,000 to $10,000.)
At this point, you’ve got the main components of a full-fledged solar electric system. That is, you’ve got all of the expensive hardware in place. You can then add modules as your finances permit, so long as you have sized your inverter properly. (I recommend oversizing the inverter initially to match your projected future demand.) You can even add a battery bank at a later date, if you want. And you could eventually disconnect from the electrical grid entirely if you feel comfortable that a stand-alone system will work for you.
Efficiency First!
If you decide you are going to join the growing legion of solar electric homeowners, the first thing you need to do is to make your home as efficient in its use of electricity as humanly possible. You’ll save a fortune on your solar electric system if you do. As a general rule of thumb, every dollar you invest in efficiency will save you $3 to $5 in system cost. Thus, a thousand dollars invested in measures that cut electrical demand by 25–50 percent can save you $3,000 to $5,000 in system cost.
While you are at it, be sure to eliminate or reduce phantom (ghost) loads. Although individual phantom loads are small, remember that they’re on 24 hours per day. Many tiny loads in a house add up and servicing them can add substantially to the cost of your system.
Learn more about phantom loads here.
Learn more about Powering Your Home with Solar Electricity.
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