Ok, I'm now getting intrigued. Have an electrician coming next week for an all-house overview, possible panel upgrade, etc, etc.
Not looking to pull the trigger ASAP on the whole enchilada, but thinking:
Phase 1:
SNAP Panel (or similar) - get clear idea of load requirements
Single battery bank – LiP bank, agree on modularity being key, can add capacity later as needed, fill from grid for the moment
That gives me short-term power backup, smart control over the distribution during outages (often enough we have a generator, rare enough we don't have a built-in auto-on generator), and needed Information for the phase 2...
Phase 2:
Solar panels / wind vertical turbine
Add to battery bank
The latter is actually useful here, winds are variable but for about 4 months of the year in winter, they tend to blow more often than not, and up to 50mph for sustained periods. A small unit may be worth it, and hell, fun to play with if nothing else.
Those silly online estimators keep coming back to about a 26kW solar install, which seems excessive, but at least gives me a ballpark before getting better info from a smart panel.
Pros: Modular, incremental, spreads out costs
Cons: Any confidence that today's tech setups will be compatible with a future solar install? I mean, spark is spark, but...
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