I live in a small cabin up on a hill where electricity is not available. I power my laptop with a 120 watt solar panel that is attached to a regulator, the regulator is attached to two 98 amp hour gel storage batteries. I went with gel batteries because they are safer to have indoors. The regulator is so the solar panel won’t overcharge my batteries.
Most days the solar panel collects enough energy that I can power my laptop all day long, but when the sun doesn’t shine, I have to start up my small Honda generator, attach a battery charger to my storage batteries, and charge them up. I bought the Honda EU2000i because it is small, light, quiet, and fuel efficient. I have used 10 gallons of gas since November to charge my batteries and vacuum my cabin. Last year I only used 5 gallons but last year I didn’t have Internet.
Total price for the whole system:
120 watt solar panel 650.00
Pole 100.00
Rack 275.00 I bought a rack that is big enough to hold another panel in case I decide to enlarge my system.
Two 98 amp hour gel batteries 400.00
Regulator 125.00
Wiring and PVC pipe to bury the line in. 20.00
A 12 volt plug, like the cigarette lighter you have in your car, that attaches to the batteries- I got the cigarette plug for my laptop so that I can run it directly off 12 volt. 10.00
Honda generator for days when the sun doesn’t shine. Online from Mayberry. 900.00
Battery charger– The charger is one that can safely charge gel batteries–not all of them can. 100.00
Total: $ 2580.
My source of knowledge on how to set up my system came from reading the Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook and the guy at the local solar shop, who would draw pictures of how to set it up on the back of old envelopes.
Phone came up here a couple of years before I moved here; the neighbors think someone made Verizon do it, because for laying 3 miles of underground line, through very rocky land, they only netted 4 customers. They charged us all 650 dollars to hook up but I don’t think that even begins to pay for what it cost to put it in. They didn’t put a pedestal anywhere near my cabin so first I had to get Verizon to install a pedestal at my drive way, which took a year, Then I had to find a person with a cable burying rig to come and bury cable from the pedestal up to my cabin–about 800 ft. That gave me dial-up internet.
