Grid Tie Solar Photovoltaic System Install (1 Viewer)

[alia176]

I'm in NM and i think the rebate is 10%, or was in 2011. I'm not sure about 2012. I may just go for the federal tax credit and call it good.

I'll post of up some pics when the panels go up this spring. Not much to see now I'm afraid. Besides, I don't want to hijack this thread any more than I have already.

 

[jonharis]

I'm in NM and i think the rebate is 10%, or was in 2011. I'm not sure about 2012. I may just go for the federal tax credit and call it good.

I'll post of up some pics when the panels go up this spring. Not much to see now I'm afraid. Besides, I don't want to hijack this thread any more than I have already.

No hijack at all. I'm hoping people will post there systems here and their own experiences. Thanks again for sharing.

 

[jonharis]

So, the system has been in place for 4 weeks now, I can't technically use it yet, because Xcel is taking their sweet time installing the net meter. I can switch it on durring the weekends, it's producing more than I use durring the day which is great considering the season. Anyone else have experience with this? specifically Xcel's timing on getting the Net/Production meter installed?

 

[alia176]

So, the system has been in place for 4 weeks now, I can't technically use it yet, because Xcel is taking their sweet time installing the net meter. I can switch it on durring the weekends, it's producing more than I use durring the day which is great considering the season. Anyone else have experience with this? specifically Xcel's timing on getting the Net/Production meter installed?

That's good news but sucks that you have to wait to be hooked up, that's BS.

 

[-Spike-]

It would be good info if you post up the 1st 30 days of KWH produced.
What have you been producing per 24hrs so far?
This should be close to the lowest performing month of the year. Performance should only get better from here. Then post up the month of June for comparison.

How do you receive excessed power produced back?

Whatever happened here? Are you saying you aren't using the panels yet?

 

[jonharis]

Yep. Can't legally use the system until Xcel installs the net/production meter.

 

[alia176]

Xcel needs to come on site and verify that the utility disconnect is functional before they install a meter into the socket. Shame it takes so long though.

 

[jonharis]

So 2 months to the day, I finally got Xcel over here, partially thanks to some tactical Facebook posts on their page.


This is a beautiful thing! This is our production meter, finally installed by Xcel. It measures every kilowatt of electricity my system produces. I get paid 9 cents for each kilowatt the system produces. It's reading 2 here meaning I just made 18 Cents! spread out over a month it will equate to a check in the mail!



Also a beautiful site. This is the Net meter. It runs forward and backward depending on how much electricity I am either adding or taking from the grid. this 99999 means that it just ran backward by it's first kilowatt and I was producing more than I used.

 

[alia176]

Congrats dude, finally got her done!

Did they conduct any tests before installing the meter in the socket?

 

[jonharis]

Im not sure what all was involved with it. I was not home during the install. The installation was checked by the county code inspector prior to the meter installation and everything checked out.

I know the utility installer so I could ask him what was involved if there is something you are specifically interested in.

 

[jonharis]

Finally got the Enphase Enlighten system up and running. This allows continuous monitoring per panel of the system. Pretty cool tool to track production and efficiency. Will allow for easy troubleshooting if an inverter goes out or a panel does not perform to the guaranteed spec.

https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/Qqgt50795

There are a lot of cool things the system tracks like total production, carbon offset etc. I like that you can show a time-lapse of the day. It really shows the advantage of micro-inverters in my setup. Since I have shade on the east in the morning, only those panels are knocked out and the others can perform at full efficiency.

 

[haryv]

what is theft rate in your area?

There is a chance, depending how common panels are in your area, the panels could be stolen from the rooftop. Heard of it happening. Probably a good idea to install security cameras.

Second for diesel generator vs battery bank. BTW, why did you go with the micro inverters? Why not standard wall mounted inverters?

 

[jonharis]

There is a chance, depending how common panels are in your area, the panels could be stolen from the rooftop. Heard of it happening. Probably a good idea to install security cameras.

Second for diesel generator vs battery bank. BTW, why did you go with the micro inverters? Why not standard wall mounted inverters?

absolutely no concern of theft where I live. Panels are on the back of my house, are secure, and I am in a very low crime area. Ive never heard about it and there are a lot of easier things to steal Home owners insurance would cover anything like that. Enphase is more efficient than a standard inverter, makes troubleshooting easier, works better in areas where shade is a problem and is cost neutral compared to a traditional inverter.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Thanks Jon for posting the link to your Enphase Enlighten system- very helpful and a nice feature.

Based on your performance so far are you on track for your predicted payback goal?

FWIW - EnPhase (ENPH) just went public on Friday

 

[45Kevin]

Wow, excelent timing that I found this thread.

I was looking at this offer from my electricity provider.

ENMAX Price Options

It's for a 1.3kw system with a 15 year lease period.

In Calgary we get a lot of sunny days each year but we are considerably north of CO.

Lots of good info there Jon. I'll be doing some more research for sure.

 

[jonharis]

Thanks Jon for posting the link to your Enphase Enlighten system- very helpful and a nice feature.

Based on your performance so far are you on track for your predicted payback goal?

FWIW - EnPhase (ENPH) just went public on Friday

Give me another month for the numbers but numbers are looking good so far.

 

[jonharis]

Here is this months production. My last 2 Xcel rebate checks have been for $124 and $102. That is right about where I expected giving a 10 year payback at around $12k. My original estimate was $7K so that make a huge difference in the final system cost! Winter's checks will be less of course but I think the average will be close to $100. It is a great feeling getting an electric bill with negative numbers on it.

 

[alia176]

Booooyaaaahhhhhh! Very nice. I'll start a thread with my install.

 

[Big Green]

Im curious about solar....

I want to install solar panels on my home with a batt pack. I want to be completely off the grid, independent of service providers.

My question is,

What will i need? (besides the panels and batts)
What other sources of power generation are there? ( that work well, are feasible, and require low maintenance).
So, panels produce DC, could i wire some lights directly to the batt pack therefore i will have less power loss?

 

[jonharis]

Im curious about solar....

I want to install solar panels on my home with a batt pack. I want to be completely off the grid, independent of service providers.

My question is,

What will i need? (besides the panels and batts)
What other sources of power generation are there? ( that work well, are feasible, and require low maintenance).
So, panels produce DC, could i wire some lights directly to the batt pack therefore i will have less power loss?

With a screen name like that it only makes sense.

Here are some charts showing the difference between a off grid and grid tie system.





At a bare minimum for a DC offgrid setup you would need the panels, batteries and a charge controller. If you plan on utilizing this to power your home you need to convert the DC power into AC utilizing inverters or microinverters.

The main disadvantage of a grid tie system is that you are not energy independent or immune to power outages. If I have a power outage in my neighborhood I loose power too, even in the day time. I priced a battery backup and it added nearly $10K to my cost. Keep in mind I have a larger than average system. For that price I would rather install a whole house natural gas generator for $3-5K for the rare instances of a power outage. If the perverbial crap hits the fan I'll have other things to worry about than powering my house/fridge etc.