T wrote:
....
I have thought of solar panels on the roof, but the battery storage
involved takes a lot of space and is a fire hazard.

i only need a small amount of backup (so i can shut down
the computer in a good state) and to run an LED light if i
need one. as it turns out the computer battery back up
will do those things so i don't need a separate battery.

solar panels would be nice, but in the scale of things
water heating from sunlight is the best investment to
do at first. you can get hot water for a lot less than
full electricity replacement and then using solar to run
the pumps you can also use the extra heat in the winter.
where you are at with all the sun it pays for itself pretty
well. then once you have that up and running and it has
covered the expense of putting it in you can expand the
panels to supply the rest of your juice. stay on the
grid and don't bother with batteries if you can avoid them.

chances are that in the future you can have that all
incorporated in your car being plugged in so you won't
need two battery packs.


songbird