I'm building a house on AC and thinking about whether to install solar panels. I am on "the grid" but I would like to supplement that with my own power.

Any advice on here from people who have done this? How do you protect the panels in a storm?

Thank-you!

Excellent idea......bolt them down with stainless anchor bolts.

Relaxed, do you think the waste of money is in the cost of installing solar panels, or in making them storm resistant?

I'm not sure how solar panels would be a waste of money as when I do the math of how long it would take to pay for the cost of them it seems reasonable enough. Though that is doing the math with how much they cost to purchase here in California...

My power is as reliable enough, however it is more getting rid of most of my monthly electricity bill in the process.

Relaxed! Did you change your comment while I had the window open to respond?

Forgive me if this question sounds silly, however, do you think it is necessary to put anything over them in the case of a storm, or would being bolted down very, very well be good enough?

bolting down won't be good enough. there will be flying debris. you know, boats, golf carts, lawn chairs, tree limbs etc. These will shatter the panels.

I should not worry about damage in a severe storm or a hurricane. All the protection in the world will not save your property in the event of a force 4 or 5 Hurricane. Get the panels and the rest of your property insured.
The ONLY important thing in a hurricane is to get you and your family OUT (OK, pets get a ticket too) Let the insurance company pay for eventual replacements. You can buy new panels but human life is what matters.

Thanks for the advice Chris.

I just wasn't sure if it would make sense to put something over them in the same way there are shutters over windows to help in less severe storms.

Does anyone have solar panels? What do you do?

most people dismantle and store the panels. There was a huge solar panel field here on the island that was destroyed by Hurricane Keith - about $2m worth of damage. I don't know if they were insured or not.

Preparation for a storm takes a few days - you have to have a plan, write it down on a check list.

Indeed your lives are the most precious, but a few hours of planning and preparation can provide peace of mind, and might permit you to have something to come home to after the storm.

I had them ...........when real power came.......it became obvious that expanding the system and competing with the grid was too expensive............I sold them......and installed a 3000 watt UPS with AGM batteries......works great they stay charged and protect the system from bad voltage fluctuation.....yes |I changed the post......people usually do not like the truth......cost benefit ratio in this case does not work. As an engineer I can not honestly recommend going green at this level yet, the time will come though.

Interesting. I live in California and it seems everyone is talking about the benefit of installing solar panels, and I even know a few people who are working in the area.

Is there something different about doing this in Belize? I don't know what you mean about "competing" with the grid.

The costs of installing and maintaining a mini system as opposed to paying for electricity from your supplier and using it wisely. You will never recover your investment , simply look at your rate and consumption and then compare that with the hard costs of solar........watt per watt.........solar is still too expensive if you have a choice between the grid and a stand alone system.

You may want to be more concerned about fresh water and how to get it and conserve it. However, I am sure that is another thread.

Interesting info Relaxed. Makes sense that it is not quite cost effective to do something like that here. Hopefully that will one day change.

Any thoughts on wind versus solar?

I have a survival bandanna in my big first aid kit it tells you how to make fresh water if you have to.

We still have solar panels from before BEL was in our neighborhood. When there is a hurricane threat, we take them off the roof and store them in the house. If BEL is knocked out (as they usually are) we are able to put our panels back in place and have power to most of the house until BEL is restored with a generator as secondary back up.

Relaxed is talking about everyday useage consumption of water. You would be shocked if you realize just how much water you use and how many times a day you turn on a faucet.

The solar panel costs here will not be comparable to using the BEL service - but if the service isn't available where you build you may have to use solar & wind with a back-up diesel generator to keep your reserves topped up.

Amanda is correct.....in that it is shocking to measure and monitor the amount of water in daily consumption. Water catchment , ie. cisterns, are really the only true survival tool . Once you have one and you manage it you will truly appreciate your water. The flip side is also, waste water management. On an island it usually has devastating consequences to the water table. Resent studies in Xcalak Mexico saw that the levels e-coli and related bacteria in the region between the land mass and the reef , spiked radically once electricity was introduced to the village. This pollution combined with phosphate's from laundry is creating issues with the reef. The results are staggering, increases in water consumption from the use of electric pumps,(related appliances (laundry)) and dry wells during the dry season, which rarely occurred before with hand drawn water wells.

I'm shocked at Amanda calling a tap a faucet

Me speaky the American.

I have both solar and wind at my house in CC. The wind provides more power than I can use and the solar is my backup. The problem in Belize is that BEL doesn't buy the excess you might produce. How much power will you use during the day. Frig and water pump are it for me. I don't have A/C which take lots of power. The guy who installed my solar panels says I produce 15 amps at 24 volts (my batteries operating voltage). Don't know what will happen to the panels in a hurricane, they haven't been up for very long. I had to have wind and solar since I'm on the north island of CC and we have no grid there.

I have two big solar panels with two 12v battery in my yard,I use solar panels for Energy saving bulbs (15 watt)4 bulbs in my yard, 4 bulbs in my house.it seems bright enough everynight until morning.