Wasting Solar = Biggest Bang For Your Buck. Here’s Why

When we discuss off-grid solar solutions with our clients, Bert often says, “We’ll just throw more panels at it.” Why? Because this approach is actually the most cost-effective way to give our clients the capacity they need year-round in our rural environment where land is abundant, and space is often not a constraint (more on that later).

But there’s a method to the madness. Let’s look at the rationale.

The curve below is the actual data from the companion app of our solar charge controller (SCC) for our primary solar field consisting of 15 LG 315W panels. The first three are the same—from a sunny summer day. The fourth one was from a (relatively) cloudy winter day, with the purple line illustrating the maximum solar yield.

Figure 1 shows how the panels ramped up and maxed out the SCC’s capacity soon after sunrise. The purple curve in Figures 2 and 3 shows how we could yield as high as 4,725W if we plunk a lot of money to increase our SCC capacity. But we didn’t, so we maxed out at 2,000W.

On that bright summer day, we let 2,500 W of power go to waste, with peak power harvesting at just 40%!

But it isn’t as bad as it seems because we don’t hit peak power all day. By the end of the day, we collected around 65% of all the energy we could have generated from the panels if we had unlimited SCC capacity. More importantly, the stored power can comfortably take us through the night.

However, the story is slightly different on a cloudy winter day. The purple line in Figure 4 shows how we captured 95% of the power our solar panels would produce. Since the SCC is right-sized based on our typical consumption pattern to generate adequate energy, we didn’t have involuntary candlelight dinners.

Why don’t you have higher SCC capacity so you waste less peak power during the summer?

It’s not just about adding SCC capacity—which will drive up the cost of our system. 

We produce enough power during the day to meet our consumption needs. To capture the excess energy, we would need more battery capacity—the most costly component in a solar power system. We'd be wasting money if we had too much battery capacity and didn’t use up the excess energy before the sun rises again!

A phased approach to continuous improvement in action

During a few 100-degree days, the higher power demand means we use more energy than usual during the day for cooling, and the batteries can’t charge up to 100% before the afternoon when the sun angle changes. 

To generate more power so the batteries can charge up to meet our demand at night, we added 4 panels and an SCC to our modular and expandable system. 

“Wasting solar power potential” is often the most cost-effective way to go solar in rural areas

More solar panels in your system allow you to produce energy even when there’s less light (e.g., during a winter afternoon). As such, the batteries can charge longer and store more energy for nighttime use.

But it isn’t just about using any solar panel in any environment. The trick is to lower the costs of the entire panel system to maximize its cost-effectiveness.

“Throwing solar panels at the problem” is often the most efficient way to get the most power per dollar spent over a year here in Caliente (or other rural settings) because of our unique approach to off-grid solar that dramatically reduces the costs associated with panel installation:

We use refurbished solar panels

Brand-new panels cost around $120 to $400 each, while refurbished ones are around $80 each. We source ours from a trusted vendor who tests all their panels (retired from commercial solar fields with most of their capacity still intact) and guarantees power output. 

Plus, land is abundant here, allowing us to add extra panels to compensate for the slightly lower output while adding resiliency to the system — and still come out ahead (by a lot!)

Why aren’t more people using refurbished panels? The answer is quite simple. These panels aren’t approved for grid-tied systems, i.e., most suburban installations. Since they have few suitable applications, the law of supply and demand makes them very affordable.

We collaborate with property owners to cut expenses

Solar system installation isn’t just about having some guy come to your house to hook up a few wires. If we drill into your roof and walls, we must consider liability and spend an arm and a leg on insurance. 

But we got one thing going for us here: Almost everyone living on a ranch is pretty handy. We involve the property owner in the implementation process to eliminate all the “cover our ass” shenanigans so we can pass the savings to you. 

Yes, you’ve gotta drill a few holes, turn a few screws, and lift a few 2x4s along with us. But that’d easily save you a few thousand bucks. Worth it?

We skip the expensive mounting contraptions

Solar installation on a suburban lot is expensive because you must use costly, type-approved mounting systems to secure the panels to the roof. And you must take down the installation if you have to repair or replace your roof!

Why go through all the trouble if you can throw a bunch of panels on 10, 20, or 40 acres of land and anchor them with some good old oil pipes and Unistrut? 

By securing solar panels on the ground with our assistance, you can eliminate the costs (and risks) of drilling holes in your roof and the expensive mounting systems required by such installation.

A solar power solution optimized for your ranch

Our customized approach allows us to tailor each solution based on a client’s unique environment and needs. Meanwhile, our modular, expandable design will enable you to grow your system to meet evolving requirements (adding a workshop? No problem!) and spread out your investment—paying only for the capacity you need when you need it.

Learn more about our off-grid solar solution and get in touch to schedule an onsite consultation.