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Old 02-24-2017, 05:34 PM   #23 (permalink)
aerohead
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solar farm

Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard View Post
I'm still hoping for aerohead to stop by and explain "[the] electric cooperative's solar farm photovoltaic power option". I suspect it would make the ensuing discussion moot.

In terms of a 'roll-your-own' grid tie; I would think a properly engineered retro-fit would incorporate a DC-DC inverter and a battery storage bank in some configuration.

Start at the loose end, 5V USB, a 12V LED lighting system, maybe a 24V utility circuit (refrigerators); but definitely a buck/boost circuit so you can run OEM vehicle components like the heat pump for a new Leaf.

Then think carefully about a grid intertie and how the economics and politics will shake out down the road.
The coop bought the real estate from a defunct peanut farm in Denton County and covered the whole field with PVs.And through a grid-tied synchronous inverter,wheels the power onto it's grid.
To enroll,requires a different meter ($20 extra/month),and you must purchase 200-kW-hr blocks of power ($25/each).
Typically,I use around 110-kW-hrs/month.So I'd be economically penalized switching to the solar.The typical Texas single family residence consumes an average 1,100-kW-hrs/month.Those folks wouldn't fell the same 'pain' as me.
The wind option increases my monthly bill by only $1.10 for most months.
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