Hi Shreddy,
I've done a lot of installations around the lake and would be glad to help you in your research on powering your secondary home. You have some very hungry loads but that doesn't have to be a real problem
If you are currently grid tied your success will be based on the concept of net metering. As a kid do you remember seeing the old analog rotary electric meters spinning? and if they were under a heavy load they would spin at a really frantic rate. The new digital meters aren't as fun to watch, but the concept is the same. With net metering you would still see those expensive frantic forward wheel rotations when you fired up the hot tub for a starry evening, but at least you would be chewing through solar credits rather than hard earned dollars. Because of the infrequent usage of your home there will be plenty of days when even a small solar array will generate quite a lot of excess energy that will be exported into the grid and spin the meter steadily backwards building up credits on your Co-op (?) account at a rate of 75 cents on the dollar. The grid connection will allow you to consume power at whatever frantic rate your electrical service can handle, while the slow and steady buildup of credits when you aren't there will help to offset the luxury of your consumption. Yes it would be best if you incorporated some more efficient HVAC, lighting, hot water, etc, but if they are working fine just crank then and enjoy! Adding a few extra panels to a system design to accommodate the inefficiency of an older system is relatively inexpensive, upgrading a system to gain peak efficiency often is not. Crank those baseboards and window ac units, if you have enough solar power it won't add to your monthly bill and you also won't be creating any heavier carbon footprint.
Off grid is another matter and your power consumption needs to be carefully planned and controlled. That being said power limitation these days is totally not an issue. Powering a 200 amp panel 24/7 in late December is now an easy reality whereas even just five years ago it was a struggle. Two years ago I installed one totally off grid system, last year six, and I already have two booked for this spring once the ice goes out.
From a financial perspective, every time you send a dollar to the utility company to pay your monthly utility bill it is a pure expense and that dollar is spent and gone. If you divert that same outlay to the purchase of a solar array the dollar will now be spent on an equity that belongs to you. It is similar in concept to the difference between paying rent and paying mortgage.
Final note, and I bet a lot of folks on this forum don't know this, the NHEC has recently invested in their own 2.59
MEGA watt
solar array on Moultonborough Neck Rd. That is
8000 modules and if you look at it on Google Earth it is truly impressive. Is solar worth the investment in the Lakes region? Well apparently the Co-op thinks so!
Peter