OT -- Solar panels...

[clueless]

changes every time I add a tank

:wink: I will show you my history over the course of last year as well as share the research I have with you at Feb CTARS meeting

 

[Triggreef]

:wink: I will show you my history over the course of last year as well as share the research I have with you at Feb CTARS meeting

Cool. Thank you.

I think I know who you are now, I sort of had a hunch.

 

[hans1976]

Keep in mind, if you install it yourself, you lose on the Energize CT rebate - around $.75 per watt. Also, the 255 watt panels are old technology. The panels I have seen lately are 335 watts, so you will need fewer.

 

[Dapperjman]

commited today went with Solar Electric Supply Co, out of Ca. Dealt with Stewart Wadsworth, very knowlageable and helpful. Quote was very complete stating exactly what you did or did not get. I'm putting the collectors landscape,6 across 4, down total of 24 not using micro invertors,but rather a single invertor. heat and electronics are not good friends and it would be very difficult to replace one within the array, in addition guy next door is allowing me to take down 6 of his trees. with that factored in it was a far more practical route The invertor brand name is Solaredge(I may upgrade this to allow for 8 more collectors) The collectors are American made Solarworld 280 watt. Based on the calcullation we did with the help of some software the had,we should get approx 8300 kwh per year that was valuble for me as i'm looking to replace one payment with a similar amt. Breaking it out monthly based on my current charges that would be $140/mos which is $17,500 at 5% over 15 years. Another thing I looked at was the amt of time and documentation to get the building permit. The cost to me by hiring someone to do the complete design $400. My grand total on equipment shipped to my door,including the design is $12,655. Tree removal,licenced electrician,installation by my roofer(roof abt 1 yr old) is going to be approx $3500. My final cost= $16000-16500 After applying credit net cost approx $11500. My cost/ kwh is between six and seve cents a far cry from the 20 cents i"m currently paying. Now that my hobby is not costing my wife who pays the electric bill anything (in fact ther is an excess) I can move on

So does your power utility pay you $0.20/kWh for what you generate? Most places don't pay the same rate that they charge.

 

[clueless]

you get credited with the meter is my understanding in speaking with the vendors as well as the state. the meter runs backwards which would make a lot of sense as the energy demand and potential for brown-outs is greater in the summer when the solar panels are running at their highest capacity. that is a great question,now you have me second-guessing myself I will call cl&p to verify.

 

[Dapperjman]

you get credited with the meter is my understanding in speaking with the vendors as well as the state. the meter runs backwards which would make a lot of sense as the energy demand and potential for brown-outs is greater in the summer when the solar panels are running at their highest capacity. that is a great question,now you have me second-guessing myself I will call cl&p to verify.

You're correct in that the meter runs both ways; however, I work for a utility and I know energy generated from the panels and put back on the grid is not worth the same. Ideally you would want to produce exactly how much you consumed so that you did get the full value from each kWh. Like you said though, you generate during the day, so that would be hard to do.

 

[clueless]

Dapperman thanks for the question I spent a couple of hours researching your question,unfortunately I can only adress those in Ct. The department within the state that is responsible for answering these questions is Eversource.com ph#1-888-783-6616. they were very competant and answered my questions effectively. In other states there are provisions and guidelines listed under Net-Metering. as of february of this year even if you provide 100% of your energy there will be a service charge of $19.25. Throughout the course of the year,it is net metering at retail. In other words if i generate 100 kwh and only use 80kwh than the 20kwh are banked and i can use them in the future. There is a consolidation period every March where the utility settles up with you. The excess is converted to a dollar amount,and based on ISO New England prices at that time your account is credited. This number could be as low as 5-8 cents. You receive a credit on your bill For me and probably most this is somewhat of a moot point. There is a declining rate of return for the additional kwh, that is why the grid-tie system is so attractive I wont be trying to store energy in batteries,consequently the panels are only providing a portion of my electricity demand,Come March i'm allready buying back power as the system is not close to operating at its full capacity. Would be a drag if it was in july-aug when I hope to be generating an excess. This information is germane to Ct so if you are from another stat same rules may not apply.

 

[Dapperjman]

Dapperman thanks for the question I spent a couple of hours researching your question,unfortunately I can only adress those in Ct. The department within the state that is responsible for answering these questions is Eversource.com ph#1-888-783-6616. they were very competant and answered my questions effectively. In other states there are provisions and guidelines listed under Net-Metering. as of february of this year even if you provide 100% of your energy there will be a service charge of $19.25. Throughout the course of the year,it is net metering at retail. In other words if i generate 100 kwh and only use 80kwh than the 20kwh are banked and i can use them in the future. There is a consolidation period every March where the utility settles up with you. The excess is converted to a dollar amount,and based on ISO New England prices at that time your account is credited. This number could be as low as 5-8 cents. You receive a credit on your bill For me and probably most this is somewhat of a moot point. There is a declining rate of return for the additional kwh, that is why the grid-tie system is so attractive I wont be trying to store energy in batteries,consequently the panels are only providing a portion of my electricity demand,Come March i'm allready buying back power as the system is not close to operating at its full capacity. Would be a drag if it was in july-aug when I hope to be generating an excess. This information is germane to Ct so if you are from another stat same rules may not apply.

I understand about the differing laws and regulations for other states, I was just curious. That's very interesting though, thanks for following up here! [emoji3]