Solar Power... why so expensive? why so confusing?

[Lowdown3]

That doesn't make a whole lot of sense what they told you. But then again most of my equipment is late 90's tech, and I don't know a lot about "grid tie" systems. I don't see much point in that.

[trkarl]

Are you talking about something like these?

http://www.dcpower-systems.com/product_detail.aspx?gid=9&pid=22760

There are no " special" connectors that "only" connect to grid tie inverters. All the inverters have a positive and negative where you connect the panels if it is strictly grid tie or battery bank if it is a hybrid or off grid. It is usually a set screw or something similar for the grid tie only inverters.
Panels produce dc and there is no way the laminates would know which type of inverter it was connected to.

The older panels just had junction boxes and you had to wire them yourself. The new panels or laminates in this case have mc connectors where you just plug them into each other. However you must purchase or make the cable with a male and female connector to connect the + and - of each array to the combiner box or grid tie inverter. usually they are made from 12 or 10 gauge wire.

You could wire the laminates to a combiner box and then to a charge controller for a battery bank with no problem as long as the voltages are all with in the specs.

[tarheelsman71]

exactly like those. I finally after 3 weeks got someone to return my phone messages and got hooked up with a guy at Saint-Gobain the holders of certainteed Solar. He told me on the phone that the units were not sold a la carte anymore and that the only way that you could use the unit was withthe grid tie system and could not be used with a battery bank. Now he might have been giving me the run around so he could concentrate on sell a bajillion laminates to come commercial interests, but when I kept pestering him he basically said "NO. You cant do that." Oh well I will find my solar unit somewhere. And I definitely dont want the tie in system.

[trkarl]

Well he's lying to you. Just google unisolar pvl-136 and you can even buy them on Amazon.com if you want to. As far him saying "NO. You can't do that." Well, "YES. You can do that."

You just need to do or have done for you the wiring to the combiner box and then to the charge controller.

[HLorfing]

hey guys have yall seen this new form of wind energy? imagine having 50 of these!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qpPW32ukiM

[Fido]

Be VERY careful with portable propane heaters inside. Carbon Monoxide is a big concern. If the room is not well vented it will build up quickly and spread to the rest of the house making everyone ill if not DEAD. Remember CO is odorless and colorless. Its symptoms are easily passed off as the flu.
Another concern is fire. These heaters give off a lot of heat so make sure you have the proper clearances around the heater.