Polygreensolar is not a Traditional Solar Shop….. We are an OFF GRID community solar factory buying group.
We started our factory buying group when we found the power Companies were out of control and drastically increasing their power charges.
We have been showing and teaching people how to get off the grid in low cost stages ever since . !
We have been importing as a co op group for over 5 -6 years.
There are many ways to Setting up an off grid Solar system with minimum risk to your home
Rather than setting up a massive single solar system which is very expensive and leaves you FULLY exposed if something goes wrong.
It pays to look at your home and break up the risk into separate mini solar systems, where ever possible….. And by doing this the benefits to you are enormous.
Firstly …. These mini solar systems can be done in affordable small stages…… And you can set them up over time as your pocket can afford to do it… See preparing to be grid free below
And after you have removed some of the home into micro systems.. The main solar system to run what is left in your home will be much cheaper to set up … and the inverter will be under far less of a load as well.
1….. Preparing to be grid free with refrigeration.
Question… What is the 1st thing you worry about if the power grid fails for a day or so?
Answer……The fridge and the freezer!
Most people think the common 240v fridge is a low power user and people try and keep it in an off grid home.. Because they see and believe the **** energy star rating at the shop.. This is very miss leading the truth is this rating is only with the door closed, once you open the door you will loose all of the cold air at your feet and the 240v fridge will use 3 times more power to maintain the cold back into this unit….
To explain….. Most 240v fridges use 300 to 380w @ 240v if you open the door of that fridge your compressor will start and use 300w to 380w if you open the fridge 4 times a day (with cold air loss) you are using 1.2kw to 1.5kw of Power !!!!!!!!!
The other thing most people do not fully understand is a 240v fridge may only use 4amps (true) but the Amps are at 240v!! (Many electricians confuse people with this power 4amp consumption figures) when going off the grid you need to go 12v or 24v at 4amps and NOT 240v @ 4amps!!!!
So if you are thinking of going off the grid the 1st thing you should really think about is to change over to a 12v DC solar powered fridge or freezer.. These work on the lower 12v or 24v @ 4amps.
And if you wish to better protect your home.
The common sense move with the 12v fridge and freezer it should really be set up on its own mini solar system … again for better home protection…. But you can also run them directly off your battery bank if you wish.
By having it on its own micro system.. This is another safe guard for your food in case you accidentally over use your main battery bank in your home…when you go off the grid
Please see attached picture of the 12v fridge / freezer and the example of the mini solar system….
NEWS FLASH!!!! We now have a 408lt chest fridge / freezer and 433lt freezer that only uses 60 watts!
2….Preparing to be grid free with led lighting
Led lighting can lower your power to a 1/4 of the power you currently use now.. Just by installing led lights into your current lighting sockets….
Or you can set up mini 12v system by using 12v Led lights (this is simple to do) and you can be removed from the grid totally with your lighting.
Example 1 …
A 240v 25w common light globe on the grid uses approx. $19 per year in power to light just 1 room…. (This is crazy!)
A 240v 5w led (which gives you light like a 60w light globe) only uses $4 per year in power to run…. So it pays for itself in less than a year!.
Now you can light up 4+ rooms to the same power you were using with the single 25w common old style light globe!
Example 2
Now you a using Led lighting the next option to be totally grid free with all of your house lights is to remove them off your power box and re run them off a small 12v 240v pure sine wave inverter, solar controller and solar panel and a quality deep cycle battery…
Example 3
A cheaper option still, Now using the 12v or 24v Led lighting option…
By re using wiring and using 12v and 24v led lights you have now removed the cost of a small 240v pure sine wave inverter.
This option now runs direct off grid and only requires a large solar panel a solar controller and a deep cycle AGM battery … and you can now run all of your home lights totally off the grid .
Example 4
We now have room by room Off the grid led lighting kits ……
Each kit has a 3w or 5w led light globe, a deep cycle battery, wiring and fittings and the kit also comes with a small solar panel etc.
This kit enables you to set up every room in your home as a separate mini solar system…..and is very affordable at $100 per kit.
3… Cooking. Preparing to be grid free
To prepare your home to be grid free you really must go gas with an all gas stove….they are still available for around $650 brand new..
Many are unaware an electric stove is consuming $70 to $100 of grid power each 1/4…
With a gas stove you can get up to 1 year of cooking on a 100kg gas bottle at a cost of approx. $140
4… Water pumping … Preparing to be grid free.
You also have some off grid options.
Example 1.
If you have to run a 240v hp pressure pump for your home this pump is probably costing you around $60 to $100 per 1/4 on your power bill.
You can set this pump on its own mini off the grid solar system with a small pure sine wave inverter, solar controller battery and solar panels.
By doing this your home will still run as normal with no change to it daily running.
Setting this pump up as a separate system, this is to reduce the risk of any power loss to the main home system …if someone forgets to check the pump !!!!!!.
Example 2
12v water pumps are another way of getting off the grid, the setup is very simple 1 x 12v pump either 5lts per min or 25lts per min
A solar panel, small battery and solar controller…..
5… Air conditioning … Preparing to be grid free.
We now have mini solar systems for off grid air conditioners….. (Still a bit expensive to set up but…)
Example 1
The cheapest option is the direct DC powered 24v / 48v 9000BTU air conditioner This will use less power compared to a 240v AC unit powered by your inverter (many people do not understand ) Each time you have the option of not using an inverter to transform the power to dc to ac .. You will be saving power
.
Example 2
The bigger air conditioners 9000BTU and higher are 48v and require batteries and more solar panels but they are good to remove yourself from the grid
By setting up these mini systems again you minimize the risk of over loading you main home solar system.
6… TV and computer monitors … Preparing to be grid free.
Many people are still unaware that the LCD, plasma and older TV monitors and TV tubes are too power hungry to run off the grid…
Simply change to a Led TV or Led computer monitor and you will cut you power consumption by 1/2!
We have a 12v Led 32inch TV available for $440
7… Solar hot water 100% off grid type … Preparing to be grid free.
With our solar co-op we only supply a simple off grid solar hot water system, it works on gravity feed or mains feed and it delivers real hot water!
We bring in 90lt 120lt 300lt and 360lt solar hot water systems.. Cost from $440.
To pump the water to the taps you use either a 100w 240v booster pump or a 12v water pump, solar panel, solar controller and small battery.
To boost the hot water when you have wet or cloudy you simply install a small simple low pressure gas system heater in line… this saves you heaps….
(Boosting with electricity is a major hidden money trap) (see photo below)
8… 100% Solar fans, solar exhaust vents, solar 12v ceiling fans… are also available
All these things above can be done in low cost stages.
9… Deep cycle batteries …. Preparing to be grid free.
Deep cycle batteries, you have a choice of 12v or 2v …..2v is the better option for the home system as it gives you more lead in the battery bank.
When we bring in your batteries they are made brand new and with the full amount of lead in each of them for maximum working life …. In many cases you will not know how long the batteries have been sitting on a shop shelf.
The main solar system…
Once you have removed the fridges and freezers and the air conditioner the lights the water pumps etc etc….
You will find that you do not require such a massive solar system to run what is left in your home!!!!!
Most homes may be very happy with a 1.5kw 2kw or 3kw system……
10… Off grid inverters …. Preparing to be grid free.
Off grid inverters have come a long way over the years…. We now have a heavy duty computer CPU chip, pure sine wave inverter that can assist you to take any home off the grid in stages … this inverter also can auto start an electric genset
Any questions please email me Maggie@polycore.com.au or maggie@polygreensolar.com or phone 0428 304 337 or 07 5465 8286
Regards Maggie August
Below a DC chest fridge freezer that only uses 60 watts..!
Both the 408lt and the 433lt only use 60 watts… @ 12v or 24v!
A common 240v fridge is around 260 to 350 watts @ 240v!
These 2 items below give you..
Massive power savings……. 60 watts @ 12v or 24v!
Simple low cost evacuated solar hot water systems
A 120lt solar hot water system is often ok for 1 or 2 people with average home use …
if you have a larger family then the 300lt or 360lt gives you plenty of solar hot water it does not have an electric element in it so it is perfect for setting up off grid living !!!
We have had reports that the 300lt will cater well for a family of 4.
If you do think you require extra hot water it is far cheaper to set up a small instant gas system And with a small gas booster that you switch in and out as needed …..
Then you will only spend a few cents in gas boosting. Compared to Dollars in electric power that will tie you to the grid forever!!
We are now bringing in Brand New Cast Iron wood stoves ….
These also have an oven ….. $1,100
