ᐅ Solar System for Garage or Main House Connection?

Created on: 17 Feb 2015 14:44
M
mbrandhu
Hello everyone,

A brief background: I own a fully renovated historic building from 1920. The garage is a prefabricated unit, located separately across the street from the property, see image.

Since I have a plug-in hybrid vehicle and plan to renovate the garage (adding an electric gate opener, lighting), I will need electricity there in the future.

My question now is what would be more cost-effective or practical—or even possible: a house connection or a solar power system?

I requested a quote for an off-grid system—15kWh (5,300 Wh) storage capacity, 1kWp photovoltaic panels, 3kW inverter. The total cost for the complete system is about 5,000 euros. The system is from the following provider (although not the exact model, as it was specially configured for me with a discount): actually there is a link here, but the terms and conditions prohibit this!

The batteries used are: actually there is a link here, but the terms and conditions prohibit this!

The car’s battery pack has 4kWh (1,400 Wh), but the seller recommended a 15kWh (5,300 Wh) storage capacity to charge the car, as battery capacity is reduced in winter.

Solar power system:
Advantages: free electricity, environmentally friendly driving.
Disadvantages: high initial investment (?), possibly insufficient electricity in winter (although I use the car less during winter, the additional battery pack shuts off below -5°C (23°F) for safety reasons, and the combustion engine is primarily used for heating), aging and possibly weaker batteries in winter.

House connection:
Advantages: independent, simpler, no maintenance, potentially cheaper?
Disadvantages: Is it even possible?, excavation work, non-renewable electricity, ongoing costs, electricity costs per kWh, must be installed officially by a qualified professional, permits and bureaucracy.

My question is whether anyone has experience with this topic, especially whether a separate house connection is even feasible for a freestanding garage like this, and if so, what approximate costs I should expect.

My gut feeling is that the photovoltaic system would pay off after just a few years.

Thank you very much!

Best regards,
Markus

We moderators also have nothing else to do than to correct T&C violations. Regards, Yvonne

Aerial view of a residential area; two houses on a street are marked with red outlines.
BauPaar8 Mar 2015 06:15
Alternatively, maybe use the garage’s main connection, meaning from another connection in the house via a sub-meter? This definitely saves on the main connection costs – but I don’t think it’s advisable to ask neighbors, as it’s probably not allowed?!
K
klblb
8 Mar 2015 06:54
Exactly, tapping electricity from another house and billing it through your own meter.

Or simply have the local electricity provider install a connection to the garage. The cables would likely run directly in the public road area in front of the garage.
BauPaar8 Mar 2015 07:35
Well, a full direct connection of your own is quite expensive, including both the connection fees and the monthly charges.