Quote from: speedyrazor on December 26, 2021, 11:21:39 AM

Thanks for your reply.
If I look at whats currentyl being used, I use a smart plug which reports the power usage, its reporting:

Single PC, with x3 1080 Ti's
Current Power: 39.0w
Daily Average: 0.94 kWh

So, I was thinking of just buying enough to support this small rig to start with.
I have a south facing garden. I have a single story kitchen extension, which has a flat roof, south facing, so could easily mount a some panels there.

With all the above in mind, It's also a bit of a hobby, and learning about green energy, what would I need to purchase? Is there any alternative options to power this?

Kind regards.

I think the simplest approach is to think along the lines of "the rig uses ~1kWh per day, so if I generate (and use) at least that, it'll offset the cost of running the rig." That way you don't need to worry about a battery or similar.

I did a quick calculation and my 12 panel plant has generated an average of ~9 kWh per day over the 10 months it has been installed. So 2 panels will (roughly) give you 1.5 kWh per day, more than enough.

So you would need the panels and a basic inverter plus the grid switch/connector and installation, general cabling etc.. You might also want/need a monitor to keep track of it - mine has a Wi-Fi dongle that allows remote monitoring. Maybe £1000-1500? Remember this is generating 240V AC and is connected to both your house and the electricity grid so it needs to be done right.

All this to save yourself the cost of 1 kWh per day - the price cap means that electricity costs no more than about 21p per kWh! If it costs £1000 it'll take about 9 years to payback the cost of the installation at 1.5 kWh per day.

So the actual answer is to pay the 21p!