nicobie said:
I figured that I'd need a dc to ac inverter for the car to the house ac. (about $1300)
That is a lowball price for a whole house inverter, probably only get about 1.5 -2.0 KW and square wave or modified sine wave at that price.
For a lot of appliances to work right, you need pure sine wave. Resistive loads don't care what sort of AC (or even DC) they get, but things like air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators etc. don't like square wave at all, and aren't happy with modified sine wave.
I consider these to be the minimal for comfortable living:
http://www.solar-electric.com/inverters-controllers-accessories/inverters/maenin/maensiwainac/maenms4040wa.html
"SHTF temporary stuff, Just running the absolute necessities, yeah, you can get by with less.
Doesn't what comes with the panels have a auto interface switch to protect lineman when the power goes out?
No. You need something like this...
*
http://www.solar-electric.com/installation-parts-and-equipment/electrical-devices-transfer-switches-noise-filters/autrswandgea/pmts-50.html
and it absolutely must be installed by an approved electrician on any grid tied system, and inspected by the power company.
And doesn't the solar system already provide 220ac that I can use to charge the car?
No. Most individual solar panels have a nominal output of between 12VDC and 48VDC... And even if you put them in series to make 220V, you need an inverter in between them and your battery charger if you want 220VAC ...
I must be missing something. :?
Missing a
lot of things, unless I misread your first post.
* UNLESS...Perhaps you meant a complete 'turnkey' solar system, rather than merely 4KW of solar panels?
If you have a link to whatever solar panels or system you are getting, or can post a full description of all the stuff that is coming, then I can help you out better. Plus the battery pack specifications of whatever E-car you are thinking of getting, to see how practical it would be to use your car for power storage.
and how you actually intend to use it... Merely SHTF use, or regular use.
Now if it is
just SHTF you want it for, and run an extension cord or two in through the window, not tied to your regular wall outlets, then you can get by on less.. But even then, it wont be particularly practical, as you will likely have to reconfigure your battery pack to match the inverter.
