Bob's Solar Project

At some point, I'll turn this blog around so that it reads like a proper story--not told backwards. For now, however, I'll just place this simple summary at the top and postdate it so it will stay there. (It is actually 10/7/05 as I write this.) This way newcomers, like those who come to the October 8 solar tour, can quickly access the basics of the project.

Here are the main elements of the solar-electric system in my house:

• 84 Unisolar SHR-17 shingles (1428 watts), 12 series strings of 7 shingles each
• Outback MX60 maximum power point tracking charge controller
• Outback FX2548 2500 watt, 48 volt inverter
• 8 Rolls-Surrette S-530 deep-cycle solar batteries (530 AH)

Here is a photo of the shingles on the roof:


Here's a photo of the power panels, inverter, and charge controller in the basement:


Links to the major equipment suppliers and other useful sources of information are on the left. Details about this project and how it was done are in the archives, also on the left.