Turnover
Well-known member
Is anybody using community solar?
Our solar production
- Thread starter mwalsh
- Start date
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dgpcolorado
Well-known member
My calculations suggest that my 3217 kWh of solar energy last year was 104% of my usage to fuel my car and run my house. My household use increased somewhat but the introduction of the first ever L2 public charge stations for EVs in this area last summer allowed me to decrease the home charging of my LEAF somewhat. Needless to say, it has been a couple of years since I last paid anything other than the basic service charge ($16/month plus a small county sales tax) to my local power co-op.
So, for two years now I have been entirely "sunpowered" for house and LEAF. As others have noted before: EV + PV = "bliss"
So, for two years now I have been entirely "sunpowered" for house and LEAF. As others have noted before: EV + PV = "bliss"
RegGuheert
Well-known member
I believe the latest addition of 2880Wp of grid-connected PV has brought our annual PV production to above our annual consumption. Unfortunately, the new addition was not completed until the end of June and we did not bank enough additional energy to get us through this wintertime without a bill. I guess year-round payments of only the basic fee ($11.60) will not begin until around April. We *may* manage to avoid a bill in January, but will almost certainly have to pay one in February.dgpcolorado said:
I'm looking forward to only ever paying the $11.60 monthly rental fee for the >4MWh battery!
I generated 6000kwh more than I used last year. We are going out of our way to use as much energy as possible. The Leaf will not be a part of this mix until we ship it to Hawaii in June. Even with the Leaf we will still be giving a lot more energy back to power co. than we use.
RegGuheert
Well-known member
Wow! That's a big difference!downeykp said:
With the high cost of combustion fuels, we have moved as many loads as we could to electricity. The propane oven and dryer have been replaced by all-electric units. While we still have our wood-pellet stove, we now almost completely avoid using it while ten years ago we used it almost exclusively for heat. The only holdouts around here are our gasoline-powered vehicles (the youngest of which is over 10 years old), our diesel-powered tractor and my wife's propane cooktop (she hates using an electric cooktop).downeykp said:
Agreed. At 7500 miles/year, our LEAF uses only about 2 MWh of electricity each year.downeykp said:
dgpcolorado
Well-known member
I've never actually looked at that number before; my mileage is similar and I have a wall meter to get accurate numbers:RegGuheert said:
Code:
miles MWh
2012 7329 1.816
2013 7543 1.784
2014 8530 1.713 [significant charging away from home for the first time allowed a longer (paved) route despite a degraded battery]dgpcolorado
Well-known member
HighDesertDriver
Well-known member
We first installed our original 6.3kWhr array in 2006 and enjoyed great service until 3 panels failed in 2012. I found 5 identical used panels nearby and put the array back into service while working warranty details with the manufacturer. They explained that we had panels from a bad batch and replaced 17 of our 36. With 5 spares still on hand, we added three to the array, raising power to appx. 6.9kWhr.
Late this past summer, two more original panels died and were temporarily replaced by our last two spares. The manufacturer got back with us, saying that they were no longer building panels and would either replace the entire array with approximately the same wattage of another brand or just buy back everything (including spares) per watt. An additional amount was included to hire an R&R crew and arrange for recycle pickup. We went with the second option because it offered a new 25 year warranty instead of the remainder of the 2006 warranty. After several delays, we are now back in full operation from 26 panels rated at 7.2kWhr. We got a better deal on a full pallet of 30 panels than a partial pallet of 26, so I'm watching production to consider adding two more panels to the array in late Spring. Our annual NEM bill with the LEAF has only been appx $100, so increased production offers little direct benefit to us.
Thanks to everyone here who offered suggestions and advice on our new configuration!
Late this past summer, two more original panels died and were temporarily replaced by our last two spares. The manufacturer got back with us, saying that they were no longer building panels and would either replace the entire array with approximately the same wattage of another brand or just buy back everything (including spares) per watt. An additional amount was included to hire an R&R crew and arrange for recycle pickup. We went with the second option because it offered a new 25 year warranty instead of the remainder of the 2006 warranty. After several delays, we are now back in full operation from 26 panels rated at 7.2kWhr. We got a better deal on a full pallet of 30 panels than a partial pallet of 26, so I'm watching production to consider adding two more panels to the array in late Spring. Our annual NEM bill with the LEAF has only been appx $100, so increased production offers little direct benefit to us.
Thanks to everyone here who offered suggestions and advice on our new configuration!
keydiver
Well-known member
RegGuheert said:
Has she tried an inductive cooktop? I put one in my guest house where my parents live, and my mom loves it. She can precisely control the temperature, and things heat up must faster.
RegGuheert
Well-known member
Thanks for the suggestion!keydiver said:
We're in the process of trying to find a 36" cooktop for a kitchen overhaul we are doing and we looked seriously into this option this morning. We were close to pulling the trigger until we realized that *literally* none of our existing cookware would work with the cooktop, including:
- Large set of Cuisinart Everyday Stainless cookware (up to 16 quart size)
- Iron skillet
- Aluminum pressure canner
- Anodized aluminum griddle
- Steel water-bath canner (with a ridged base)
I still like this as an option, but the result is the switch to induction will more than double the cost of the already-pricey cooktop.
AndyH
Well-known member
I use an inductive cooktop. Your Cuisinart pans might work - check with a magnet as there are different grades of stainless. My stainless pans work perfectly. The iron skillet and steel water-bath canner will work by themselves, though the ridged base might not be a good match for any glass top.RegGuheert said:
A plate like this would likely tame the canner's ridge, and also allow use of the Al pressure canner.
http://www.amazon.com/Max-Burton-6010-Induction-Heat-Proof/dp/B00213L3PK" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
RegGuheert
Well-known member
Thanks, Andy! I did that test and it was inconclusive. The magnet stuck to the *sides* of the pots, but not to the bottom. The difference is that the sides of the pan are just stainless while the bottoms have a sandwich of stainless with thick copper in between. Cuisinart has since discontinued this line and released some which are labeled "induction ready" or some such.AndyH said:
Those are both fairly cheap items, so I'm not opposed to purchasing an iron skillet with a coating on the bottom to replace the one we have.AndyH said:
I think that would be fine for canning, since it is not an everyday event.AndyH said:
We may purchase a cheap inductive plate and see how it does with our pans. The only thing is that I've read that some high-end inductive cooktops use a magnetic sensor to determine if the pan is in place or not. If the GE we are considering has that, then the Cuisinart pans likely will not work.
RegGuheert
Well-known member
January 2015 was pretty cloudy or snowy through most of the month. We had a couple of days of full sunshine (including today!), but one or two of those days saw snow on the house panels resulting in low production. The new panels allowed us to break 1 MWh in January for the first time ever, but I don't think this system will ever come close to the 1229 kWh PVWATTS predicts for the month. We'd have to have a LOT more sunny days than we've been having for that to happen.
Peak production day for January was today, January 31, at 73.853 kWh.
Below are all our numbers for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 along with the PVWatts predictions for the old array (PVW42: good through June 2014) and the new array (PVW54: good starting with July 2014):
Since installation, our system has produced 51.819 MWh as of the end of January 2015.
Peak production day for January was today, January 31, at 73.853 kWh.
Below are all our numbers for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 along with the PVWatts predictions for the old array (PVW42: good through June 2014) and the new array (PVW54: good starting with July 2014):
Code:
Month PVW42 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 PVW54 Units
---------------------------------------------------------------
January 916 669 869 822 857 1006 1229 kWh
February 702 158 1085 866 1054 915 kWh
March 965 0 1350 1152 1113 1240 kWh
April 1465 0 1465 1495 1338 1899 kWh
May 1583 0 1477 1491 1457 2074 kWh
June 1268 0 1478 1368 1521 1666 kWh
July 1448 595 1395 1406 1880 1902 kWh
August 1442 1347 1447 1333 1794 1875 kWh
September 1209 910 1295 1414 1577 1555 kWh
October 1304 931 981 1034 1258 1713 kWh
November 864 949 1041 1018 1227 1154 kWh
December 820 803 612 669 812 1108 kWh
---------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 13986 6362 14495 14068 15888 1006 18330 kWh
SilverLeaf
Well-known member
Production from my 33 230wDC SunPower Panels via Sunnyboy (SMA) 7000US Inverter (7.59kW DC)
2015 AC Production
Jan 863
2014 AC Production
Jan 1048
Feb 977
Mar 1347
Apr 1438
May 1476
Jun 1413
Jul 1346
Aug 1368
Sep 1242
Oct 1193
Nov 1053
Dec 844
2013 AC Production
Jan 910
Feb 1105
Mar 1328
Apr 1444
May 1474
Jun 1447
Jul 1284
Aug 1230
Sep 1280
Oct 1050
Nov 955
Dec 1005
2012 AC Production
Mar 1228
Apr 1217
May 1416
Jun 1325
Jul 1189
Aug 1168
Sep 1118
Oct 603
Nov 970
Dec 851
Link to my Solar Production - http://pvpwrev.webs.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
2015 AC Production
Jan 863
2014 AC Production
Jan 1048
Feb 977
Mar 1347
Apr 1438
May 1476
Jun 1413
Jul 1346
Aug 1368
Sep 1242
Oct 1193
Nov 1053
Dec 844
2013 AC Production
Jan 910
Feb 1105
Mar 1328
Apr 1444
May 1474
Jun 1447
Jul 1284
Aug 1230
Sep 1280
Oct 1050
Nov 955
Dec 1005
2012 AC Production
Mar 1228
Apr 1217
May 1416
Jun 1325
Jul 1189
Aug 1168
Sep 1118
Oct 603
Nov 970
Dec 851
Link to my Solar Production - http://pvpwrev.webs.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
WisJim
Well-known member
AndyH said:
Anyone actually use one of these plates with an aluminum pressure canner? We are thinking of an induction cooktop, too, but some of our cookware, like the pressure canner aren't available in any kind of magnetic material.
Jim
AndyH
Well-known member
Yes, I have one like it - that's why I said it would allow use of the canner.WisJim said:
It's essentially just a steel plate that activates the induction loop and heats up.The only remaining challenge with a canner, depending on size, is the weight of the canner and the strength of the glass cook top. I don't have a problem with the single induction 'burner' I use for canning or to boil things in a six gallon stainless pot, but one would have to check for weight or weight per square (insert unit here) limits for their cook top.
This PV system is awesome.
39 Panels on the Big Island.
This report provides energy production for 2014.
Month
Energy Produced
January 2014 1,077 kWh
February 2014 966 kWh
March 2014 1,037 kWh
April 2014 1,097 kWh
May 2014 1,411 kWh
June 2014 1,292 kWh
July 2014 1,133 kWh
August 2014 875 kWh This would have been higher but Hurricane Iselle left us w/o power for 11 days
Sept. 2014 1,421 kWh
October 2014 1,098 kWh
Nov. 2014 806 kWh
Dec. 2014 938 kWh
Total 13,152 kWh
39 Panels on the Big Island.
This report provides energy production for 2014.
Month
Energy Produced
January 2014 1,077 kWh
February 2014 966 kWh
March 2014 1,037 kWh
April 2014 1,097 kWh
May 2014 1,411 kWh
June 2014 1,292 kWh
July 2014 1,133 kWh
August 2014 875 kWh This would have been higher but Hurricane Iselle left us w/o power for 11 days
Sept. 2014 1,421 kWh
October 2014 1,098 kWh
Nov. 2014 806 kWh
Dec. 2014 938 kWh
Total 13,152 kWh
JasonA
Well-known member
Today is 1 year from PTO!! (officially ) and this system is just knocking it out of the park so far. As my "All USA" system thread was shown.. it was rated for.
Estimated Annual Energy Production 12,349 kWh/yr.. So far we just broke 14.0MWh (EDITED) yesterday!
Well it's dark.. and here's the final tally for 1 year in service..
For today..
37.7kWh
Peak Power: 5.59kW at 11:45 AM
Latest Power: 8W at 6:00 PM
February 2014......501 kWh
March 2014.........1,190 kWh
April 2014...........1,384 kWh
May 2014...........1,481 kWh
June 2014..........1,556 kWh
July 2014...........1,441 kWh
August 2014.......1,449 kWh
September 2014..1,226 kWh
October 2014......1,081 kWh
November 2014....832 kWh
December 2014....644 kWh
January 2015.......797 kWh
February 2015......386 kWh (something to consider.. this is the 1st half of Feb where as 2014 was last half and more days)
Total..............13,970 kWh Shows lifetime as 14.0MHh but 1 more day and it's there
) and this system is just knocking it out of the park so far. As my "All USA" system thread was shown.. it was rated for.Estimated Annual Energy Production 12,349 kWh/yr.. So far we just broke 14.0MWh (EDITED) yesterday!
Well it's dark.. and here's the final tally for 1 year in service..
For today..
37.7kWh
Peak Power: 5.59kW at 11:45 AM
Latest Power: 8W at 6:00 PM
February 2014......501 kWh
March 2014.........1,190 kWh
April 2014...........1,384 kWh
May 2014...........1,481 kWh
June 2014..........1,556 kWh
July 2014...........1,441 kWh
August 2014.......1,449 kWh
September 2014..1,226 kWh
October 2014......1,081 kWh
November 2014....832 kWh
December 2014....644 kWh
January 2015.......797 kWh
February 2015......386 kWh (something to consider.. this is the 1st half of Feb where as 2014 was last half and more days)
Total..............13,970 kWh Shows lifetime as 14.0MHh but 1 more day and it's there
RegGuheert
Well-known member
Very nice! Congratulations! That's about what our system ran at when it was ~10kW. Look at the 2012 and 2013 columns in my table above. With the extra 2880Wp running now, I hope to see 18MWh or more now. We'll see.JasonA said:Today is 1 year from PTO!! (officially
Estimated Annual Energy Production 12,349 kWh/yr.. So far we just broke 14.0kWh yesterday!
I'll edit later once today is over and official!
Can you please share a link to your public Enlighten site?
dgpcolorado
Well-known member
Are you sure that's right? That seems low for a 10 kW system unless it was fairly cloudy. (I made 12 kWh yesterday with just 2.17 kW of panels.) Just wondering.JasonA said:... So far we just broke 14.0kWh yesterday!
