ACOPOWER 100w 12V Compact Monocrystalline Solar Panel Module (Panel Only) Expired

Sure, I can suggest a couple ways that might help reduce your expenses. But keep in mind, a lot of the possible uses weigh heavily upon how much you're willing to spend to buy x number of panels and infrastructure.

1.
A. With one panel you could use a small charge controller, an old battery and an inverter to power non-critical small/infrequent power draws, like window fans, patio lights, external flood lights and things of that nature. You would be saving money on your bill by not using electricity from the power company.

B. With a dozen of these panels, one or more 200ah LiFePo lithium battery($650) and a 3 KW inverter you could easily run small appliances like a dorm refrigerator, a microwave, and for shorter periods, even heavier wattage draws like a small toaster oven, coffee maker or hotplate. You can do much more during the day while the sun is shining and your batteries are already topped off. This would all be considered "off grid" because even though you might be still at home you won't ever be connecting any of the equipment to your house wiring in any fashion.

2. See if your power company has a "Net Metering" program. Net metering is an agreement between you and the power company in which allows you to put energy back onto the electrical grid using special equipment, effectively rewinding your electrical meter. You save because the amount of electricity you produce offsets a portion of what you use. This means you can effectively use the power company to "bank" all of the power that your system produces, even when you're not using it directly.
⚠️This is huge because you don't have to spend $600-$800 each for multiple batteries, and because any power that would have been produced when your batteries were full would have been completely wasted. By net metering that power doesn't have to go to waste. You also don't have to deal with the significant energy losses that occur when converting electricity from your solar panels to the charge controller, and then to charge the battery, and then to later use that energy with a power inverter. The power loss between these steps can easily lead to 40-60% of the net energy being lost and wasted as heat from those devices. Which is pretty awful when you think about it. You don't really have to worry about any of that when you do net metering.
With net metering all you really need is a special type of inverter that is called a "tie grid inverter" that directly and immediately converts the power coming from the solar panels into usable electricity that is fed back into the power grid through your meter as it is produced. A tie grid inverter is a special type of inverter that has built-in safeties and it's the only type of inverter that you can ever connect to your house electrical system.

A lot of cities require a permit for installing solar panels on the roof of a building (because the modifications have to follow the same building codes that are required for roofing) but it is much simpler to get a permit if you are setting up your panels on a rack support system directly on the ground. After you have your PV system installed and approved, you would then schedule an installation inspection from the power company where they would come out and swap your standard electrical meter for a special net metering meter, and then inspect your generation system to make sure that it is safe to run while linked to the grid. It's only at that point that you can get the okay to connect the tie grid inverter, and the power company worker will witness and verify that it is functioning correctly and not causing problems.

It's a bunch of work up front, but after that, you can pretty much just let it be and allow it to passively offset your energy usage. If you have a big enough system and you produce more electricity than you use, most companies will give you a credit towards your bill. If you have a big enough credit to offset any service fees the utility company will either continue giving you a credit to your account or cut you a check at the end of the year (at a significantly reduced rate) for the value of the credit.

I have two locations with panels and wind turbines that produce an excess of power(25kw) and because I have three locations on my single account, the excess is applied as a power credit towards the electrical usage of the third building, which is kind of cool.

It's important to note that most utility companies have a minimum kilowatt power generation requirement before they will even consider setting up net metering at a location. My local utility company requires a minimum of 1.2 KW of power generation before they will allow you to do net metering, which on paper would be at least 12 of these little 100 watt solar panels.

If you are big into DIY and are willing to put in the time to learn what is required to safely install a PV system, this is totally doable, but you'll have to expect to spend a significant amount of time and about $1,000-$1,300 or so to make it happen. let's say $750 for the panels after tax, $129 for a good 1,300w tie grid inverter, let's say $80 for the electrical cable, splitter/merge connectors, fuses and misc, and the rest comes down to how you're going to mount it.
If you're going to put it up on the roof, you'll need to pay for the permit to the city, ($50-100), $100-150 for the roof rail system and then pay for labor to have it all installed.
Some cities will allow you to set up solar panels on the ground on dedicated metal frames anchored to the ground without needing a permit, and that's something most people can build with materials from the hardware store on their own over the course of a weekend. This will allow you to save a few hundred dollars on labor and materials. You'll need tools like a grinder or cut off saw, but at least you'll have the tool afterwards instead of just paying labor.

If you're going to be going much larger than 1,200 watts, or aren't comfortable doing this kind of work then you really should contact an electrician that specializes in photovoltaic / renewable energy systems. It's a booming industry and there are a lot of people out there that can help guide you through the process while providing valuable services to make sure it gets done right and to code. Many states have renewable energy credits that you might be eligible for if you have a renewable energy system installed by an approved vendor that can significantly offset the cost of Labor and even some of the materials depending on the total rebate.


Anyway, it's worked out really well for me to build my own systems, but it is 99% up front time, energy and cash.

Contact your power company and ask them about their renewable programs and if they have net metering available.

Hope this helps. 👍

Yes, that's correct. Mono always beats poly in everything but price, so if you have a choice between the two at the same price always go with the monocrystalline. 💎

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💡The coupon will drop down in $5 increments for a few days and then be removed entirely. If the seller's repeating pattern continues the seller will put the $20 coupon back on in one or two days. Just check back on it later. 👍

5/7- Coupon/Deal is live again.

In pretty much all places in the US, you cannot attach solar directly to a residential circuit that is connected to the grid. It is illegal to backfeed the grid without proper permits and safety equipment (remote controlled breakers, etc). It's a safety concern for line workers.

Additionally solar puts out DC power. Your house is AC. You would need an inverter between the two. You would also need to place panels in series to raise the voltage since US standard voltage is 120VAC. You'd also need to see fire control permitting in your area. This isn't a simple DIY project.

Maybe you could lower your bill by building an electric "island" on your property using battery banks and these panels for specific use DC power. 2x 12v panels in series gets 24vdc, a standard battery voltage. You can parallel those series strands to raise current. You'd still want a charge controller to protect your battery bank. You can use your battery bank to power DC loads like LEDs. My uncle built an islanded solar power system in his barns because it was cheaper than running 120vac from the utility (just in installation costs). He runs lights and water bucket heaters in the barn. You can also get DC converters to step down from 24v to 5v which is an electronic standard that things like your phone use.

In my opinion, this product by itself is not something that saves a typical home owner money. It's good for remote locations like out buildings, RVs, etc. If you want to add solar to your house, find a qualified contractor who will get bulk pricing.