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[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Snax

As a field service technician, I see so many homes with running streams nearby that don't utilize micro-hydro, I die a little inside each time. Most people have no clue about that.

I've seen similar situations too. Sometimes even some makeshift resorting to an old car alternator, a battery and eventually some inverter could already do the trick, since some appliances are either also available in 12-volt options meant to be used on board of a vehicle or can resort to an inverter.

[NeilBlanchard]

Originally Posted by Snax

I'm just curious as to people's thoughts on photo-voltaic panels for their homes.

- Do you have them?
- Are you seriously planning to get them?
- Do you use a battery backup?
- Do you directly charge an EV with them? Would you?
- Is/was having solar power a factor in deciding to own an EV?
- What would you do differently now if starting from scratch?

I'm not really interested in the politics of clean vs. dirty power etc. (There's another thread for that.)

We have a 10.1kW rooftop PV array. And we have 2 EV's - we have had 2 for over 5 years.

My plan / hope is to get a battery system to be able to use electricity rather than feeding the grid, and to be able to use the panels when there is a grid outage.

If you are asking about charging the EV's from the battery - then that is not very likely. We do plug the EV's in during a sunny day, when we can.

Yes - we have long hoped / planned on having both solar PV and EV's. The benefits of each is greatly enhanced by the other.

I am not sure what you are getting at in your last question - can you explain what you mean?

[NeilBlanchard]

Originally Posted by Stubby79

Over priced here, plus limited sunlight hours...so not happening as things stand.

Our electricity is all hydro generated anyway, and 10c a kwh...as much as I'd enjoy being off-grid, there's no real point.

You have a bit more sun than Germany, and even places like Orkney have some solar PV.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

My plan / hope is to get a battery system to be able to use electricity rather than feeding the grid, and to be able to use the panels when there is a grid outage.

That's also what I would consider to do if I weren't living in an apartment instead of a house or a country estate. Having some power storage would be desirable when time comes for some scheduled maintenance to the power generation system too.

[Snax]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

I am not sure what you are getting at in your last question - can you explain what you mean?

Don't read too much into it really. Mostly wondering if people would size their array larger or smaller, start out with a battery backup, or avoid it altogether, etc.

I keep looking at the battery backup thing, and the electronics and panels I would need still pale in comparison to the cost for a solid battery. (My free 10kW generator will do for now, though a propane conversion remains on the to-do list.)

I did pickup 1.2kW of Grape Solar panels locally this week, and I've been researching what I need to do to add them onto the current system. Fortunately the legal hurdles appear to be just a new net metering agreement and electrical permit. No other permits required as they will technically be added as a wall mounted awning.

Frankly, I wish I would have had the resources to do the entire system earlier before the state tax credit evaporated. Now as a DIY add-on, the cost factors remain the same, but I HAVE TO DO ALL OF THE WORK! :P

I should have had them wire in a genset outlet outside as well as a critical loads panel and EVSE outlet. I probably could have included that all for the tax credit!

I did just discover last week that EWEB, our local utility, offers a $300 rebate for an EV purchase. That check is supposedly already in the mail.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

That's also what I would consider to do if I weren't living in an apartment instead of a house or a country estate. Having some power storage would be desirable when time comes for some scheduled maintenance to the power generation system too.

You can use grid tie power when the grid goes out.
Just need a sunny boy SPS serries inverter.
Only thing is it will only produce power while the sun is up, as it does not use batteries.

[redpoint5]

I don't see the point of battery backup at all unless the solar system is off-grid entirely. A generator is a couple hundred bucks new. Who cares if it burns a gallon of fuel every other year?

The only way I see a battery as useful is to game TOU pricing to charge them up when electricity is cheap and discharge when they are paying top dollar for electricity.

[Snax]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I don't see the point of battery backup at all unless the solar system is off-grid entirely. A generator is a couple hundred bucks new. Who cares if it burns a gallon of fuel every other year?

The only way I see a battery as useful is to game TOU pricing to charge them up when electricity is cheap and discharge when they are paying top dollar for electricity.

The truth is that economically, aside from disaster preparedness, TOU really is the only way they make sense for grid connected locations. Disaster preparedness is my primary focus.

I'm thinking it may make more sense to just store a lot of propane.

I'm not a harcore prepper or anything. I just keep flashing back to the fact that Puerto Rico is still a shambles, and I have little doubt about the current administration's lack of resolve to help out our home state much.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I don't see the point of battery backup at all unless the solar system is off-grid entirely. A generator is a couple hundred bucks new. Who cares if it burns a gallon of fuel every other year?

Sometimes I do wish going off-the-grid. Would also not disconsider a genset as a way to get rid of waste cooking greases and eventually supplement it with biomethane

[oil pan 4]

I want to go off grid as much as possible.
Last agriculture auction I went to I got a 250 gallon propane tank and a 1,600 gallon water tank for rain water catchment.
Propane is more for convince, small price to pay to keep my wife around.