This thread: Is the new Tesla battery something to get excited about? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board makes me wonder how much solar energy I could hope to generate if I put solar panels on the half of my roof facing SE. I would estimate the total area at maybe 250 square feet. I live in Montreal which means that at the winter solstice the sun does not get above 22 degrees and is up for 8 3/4 hours. Also there is a lot of dreary weather. Could I, using a storage battery, say Tesla’s generate enough for a 24 hour draw of 10A, about 1.1 kW? That would enough to operate my oil furnace, a circulating pump (which could be foregone in emergency since there is enough gravity flow to keep the downstairs warmish) the fridge and freezer. I am thinking of the ice storm of 1997 in which we had near constant rain (which froze) and I was without power for a week.
Twenty amps would allow some lighting and even the router and one of the laptops to operate. What does a microwave use (although that really doesn’t matter much if you have battery storage since you don’t operate it for long periods)? The thought of a repeat of that experience is frightening.
I just thought that there was no way I could generate enough power in this climate, but Tesla’s announcement seems aimed at me.