Can Solar Panels Power My Whole House-Including A/Cs?

Question

Hello, I'd really appreciate some input on the subject of solar power panels.  I've ready a lot and I've learned a lot in the recent months by Googl'ing and I realize it's a big undertaking and in order to generate a small amount of KWH it takes a lot of hardware/installation.  I've been very interested for some time in this subject, not so much for my needs here in California (where my average monthly electrical bill is roughly $65, even when I run the A/C in my studio from time to time), but more for the time I spend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where electricity is about 10 times as expensive and where the price per KWH increases every 2 months.  

My question is; how realistic would it be to attempt to power a house in Brazil using solar panels?  Of course it would be preferable to completely power the house with solar power, though partial solar power would also be helpful. It is hot in Rio 9 months out of the year (sometimes even all year long), and when it's hot there is plenty of sun.  The cost of electricity is so high in Brazil (roughly 6 times higher than the US...and it goes up every 2 months or so) making it unaffordable to run A/Cs for most people.

1. Is there any way that I could run between 3-5 wall A/C units in a house, or one central A/C unit for the whole house (all day and all night) as well as to run the rest of the house's appliances (fridge, freezer, TVs, computers, lights, etc) using solar panels?  I realize I'm asking a lot and I'm not sure how many KWHs it would require to run all of the above-mentioned, but is there a chance it could be done by only using the roof of the house as the resting area for the panels?  If so, how much would it cost in hardware/installation to generate that much electricity?

2. I've seen solar panel systems on TV shows that apparently generate DC and then it gets converted to AC and then something else happens so that it can be used directly for the house...and when there is an excess of electricity, it feeds that solar-generated electricity back into the city electricity which turns back your meter.  I have also seen systems that have battery arrays that are charged from the solar panels and then the house is run off of the batteries.  Which of these 2 methods is best?  (In my case, there may be one month where we're not at the house and one month where we are...could the "off months" be used to store generated electricity?)

3. Does anybody know if it would be better to seek to purchase solar panels in Brazil, or cheaper to import them from another country?

4. Has anyone heard of the SolCool Solar-Powered A/C? http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/07/16/solcools-solar-air-conditioners/ could this be a solution for those of us seeking to power A/Cs from solar panels?

Thank you for taking your time to read this.  Looking forward to your answers!

®PsychologyGuy · Accepted Answer

Woah...way to much info for a question...so I'm going to write my answer based on JUST the question and not the book of additional information you posted.
My understanding is no, solar power isn't there yet. However, you could greatly reduce your energy costs by supplementing your home with solar power. How much really depends on where you live. For example, in the arctic Minnesota area where I am from, solar would not be the greatest thing. We get a lot of snow fall in the winter (thus covering the solar panels till they could be cleaned off) and we have some very short days in the winter with a lot of overcast days (thus reducing or eliminating the effectiveness).

I think it would still be a worthwhile investment if you plan to live in the home long enough to allow the solar panels to pay for themselves.

Anonymous · Answer

I agree with the other responses that solar power alone won't be enough to power your home, but a combination of wind and solar might do it.  Have you considered the do-it-yourself approach.  You could build a small network of wind generators and solar power generators to gradually start eating away at your electricity bill.

Buying wind turbines and solar panels is extremely expensive, but getting started with home wind and solar power doesn't have to be. You can find instructions for free on the internet for how to tackle these kinds of projects. To get something a little more detailed and user-friendly, you'll probably want to buy a manual.

The most popular resource is called Earth4Energy and it sells for about $50. It provides step-by-step instructions for building a 1,000 watt wind turbine and solar power systems of various sizes as well. Depending on the cost of materials, the wind generator and the most basic solar system can be built for as little as $200 each. If you're committed to generating your own power, it's an alternative you could consider.

iceman · Answer

Ok, Now for the fun!

Powering a House ( How big a House? Sq ft.? ) I'm Guessing Average House---2 Bedroom 2 Bath + living Room + kitchen. 2,000 Sq. Ft.
5 tons of Air Conditioning Required.
60 amps at 230 VAC Just for Air conditioning.

Is Natural Gas Available--for Stove? For Heat? For A Generator?
Wind Power---is it Windy there?
Diesel Generator---? bio-Diesel?
Gasoline Generator---Gasoline Price? Brazil

Powering a House Solely off Solar Panels is Probably NOT Feasible For you. it Would Probably Take 100,000 sq. ft of solar Panels to Supply the Electricity Needed For Supply ing Power to A/c Unit and Everything else.

1) To Live Off the Grid---Power is Generated By Other sources-Solar, Wind or Generator or a Combination of Both or all.
2) Power is then Stored in Battery's in a Battery Room.
12-60 Battery's. Depending How Much Power you Want to Store?
3) Battery's are wired into an inverter and this converts Power To 115V Electricity.
4) Powering the House( Except the Air Conditioning Unit) off Solar and Wind Combined is Easy and Feasible. or Solar alone.
Lights,Radio,Tv,Stereo,Computer,Toaster, ---no Problem All Draw Very Little Power Relatively Speaking.
Power Consumption is Measured in Watts---
60 Watt Light Bulb---
750 Watt Hair Drier---
1,200 Watt Toaster---
2,300 Watts Air Conditioner---20 amps x 115 Volt=2,300 Watts
400-750 Watts Average Computer---

Look up Solar Homes---
Living Off the Grid---
Think Living on a Sail Boat or Power Boat at Sea For a Month---How do They Do it??? Wind Generators & Solar Panels Charge Battery's,Battery's Store Power For Use,inverter converts it to 115v.
or use Battery Power Directly for 12vdc Refrigeration and Lighting.

Hope this Helps...
www.OcRefrigeration.com

Anonymous · Answer

Solar panels can get outrageously expensive, but once up they pay for themselves over time (a very long time).  If there is a good breeze where you are, you may want to consider, in addition, wind turbines (which can also cost a good chunk of change).

What I would consider is finding out from maybe a local university of the possibilities of geo-thermal heating and cooling.  While it is expensive as well, it is also a terrific way to save on power needed to cool a house, letting you use any sort of solar/wind combo for electricity.  I would suggest having the solar/wind power batteries to store and run electrice devices, which would include your pumps for geo-thermal.

Porfirio · Answer

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Can Solar Panels Power My Whole House-Including A/Cs?

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