Solar power - WTF?

**carpathian** · 04-04-2019, 12:33 AM

Our little 'island style shack' here in Big Isle is all off grid on small Goal Zero yeti 1400 setup.

I'm not super impressed . The sales guy had slick pop up shop in Costco last year and promised repeatedly that setup would run entire house hold easy.

The goal zero is nice because compact unit with inverter and battery and digi readout etc.

But the panels don't come close to producing the what they should I figure. Got 8x 30 amp panels and rarely pull in more then 100 total and this is in Kona blazing sun!

Works fine for charging phones and will do lights at night and fan during day but small fridge is too much.

Living out of cooler with ice at the moment...

Oh yeah Hawaii Electric hookup is $6000

And there are several commercial building with panels on north side

**4matic** · 04-04-2019, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by neufox47

Bump. Looking at solar for the house before the 30% tax credit expires. Any updates in the last 18 months?

I've had mine for 15 months. Pretty happy. I used Petersen Dean Roof and Solar to get the combined warranty. In retrospect I got a great price because the remote salesman kept sweetening the deal. The downside was the roof part. PD bids the roof out to independent contractors and it was slow to schedule and complete (6 months+). One guy did my roof.. Also, the inspectors for PD did a half ass job with site cleanup. The solar part was a surprise. It took them maybe two hours to tack it down and done with it. I got a little more generation than the estimate but 2018 was a mild and sunny winter. I don't drive an EV so I don't see benefit to battery panel with net metering. I suppose you could figure out a way to use battery power during high cost periods but passive mgt. is good enough for me.

I have panels on three different aspects to follow the sun.

**neufox47** · 04-04-2019, 07:37 AM

What did you pay per kw? Also how long is your warranty and is it full or only parts?

**4matic** · 04-04-2019, 08:04 AM

$17k for 5mkw and $13k for roof. 50 year roof and 25 year solar. Fully transferable

PetersenDean Solar has one of the best warranty options in the solar industry, which covers you for 25 years and guarantees a certain level of production

https://petersendean.com/warranty/?s...SAEEgIzYfD_BwE

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**4matic** · 04-04-2019, 08:20 AM

I wanted the combined warranty so I wasn’t shopping that much on price.

I got the attic wiring so I didn’t have pipes running across the roof. It cost $500 and took 30 minutes. Mine was easy. I have two skylights which also add to the roof cost.

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**4matic** · 04-04-2019, 09:22 AM

I edited. Mine is 5mkw and I produced 6.3mkw in 2018

**grskier** · 04-04-2019, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by 4matic

I edited. Mine is 5kw and I produced 6.3kw last year

6.3kW as an avg? like you were over performing?

Usually you'd report out total generation in kWh, as that's how you pay your bills.

I'd assume, depending angles and where you're located that a 5kW unit that's new may be able to generate 6.3MWh for the year...

**4matic** · 04-04-2019, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by grskier

6.3kW as an avg? like you were over performing?

Usually you'd report out total generation in kWh, as that's how you pay your bills.

I'd assume, depending angles and where you're located that a 5kW unit that's new may be able to generate 6.3MWh for the year...

That’s exactly right. Sorry for the retardation. My total production for 2018 was 6.3MWh.

**grskier** · 04-04-2019, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by 4matic

That’s exactly right. Sorry for my retardation. My exact total production for 2018 was 6.3MWh.

Are you net metered?
What do you pay for your electricity per kWh? we're about $.10.. I have a 4.2kW system.. I haven't checked in forever what are production has been as I haven't connected our new inverter to the web.

**4matic** · 04-04-2019, 09:58 AM

My tier 1 rate is .198 KWh. Yes, net metered.

Heat, water, and stove are gas but I like AC in the summer and have a heated floor and radiator in the bathroom

**skivan** · 04-04-2019, 12:17 PM

FYI Pretty sure you can add cost of anything you need to do to the roof in your tax credit calculation. 13k * 30% ain’t bad. Still some time before tax day!

I did a 4.6 kw system 1 yr ago, totally by myself (save some buddies lifting panels) and it was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve done at my house. Payoff will be quick, even w Idaho’s cheap power bc I did labor and just paid for equipment and permits.

5.8 mwh generated! And after tax credits I think I’m ~4.5k into it. I really liked renvu for supply of panels, inverter, and racking.

**neufox47** · 04-05-2019, 12:47 AM

We are looking at a 15kw system. Currently looks like our cost recovery should take about 7 years. Electric isn’t cheap here and isn’t getting any cheaper with pg&e.

**neufox47** · 11-12-2020, 01:46 PM

After putting solar in here, we are now unexpectedly moving. Actually looks like we won’t lose any money on the deal. We ended up with a 10kw system and in our first year it saved us about $4,500. Cost after rebates was $22k. We will have it for 18 months so around $6750 of electric bill savings. Since the warranty transfers and it is not on the roof it adds about $15k to the house according to the appraisal.

Separately, the new house doesn’t have solar and is in need of a new roof within 5 years. Anyone have experience with the Tesla Solar roof? They are quoting me $41k including the tear off and minor sheet / pigtail work for the roof with 8kw of electric production. 5-6 month lead time which is fine. Seems like an absolute steal. Concrete tile roof would be massive money about $80k. Asphalt shingles $26k and neither of them include tear off or decking / pigtail work, never mind solar.

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**sirbumpsalot** · 11-12-2020, 02:02 PM

Funny timing...I just pulled up this old thread yesterday after a state rep and sales person came by with a pitch. I figure I need a 7 kW system at probably $15K-$21K minus the 22% tax credit....However I looked at my bills. $60-$80 a month....not gonna be worth it to me. Would have to install on roof.

**RootSkier** · 11-12-2020, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by neufox47

We will have it for 18 months so around $6750 of electric bill savings.

Before you installed your electric bill was $375 a month? Holy sweet jesus.

**Dantheman** · 11-12-2020, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by RootSkier

Before you installed your electric bill was $375 a month? Holy sweet jesus.

Mind bottling. Does he have electric heat, maybe?

**Danno** · 11-12-2020, 02:39 PM

Does he live with my wife, perchance?

PB · 11-12-2020, 03:53 PM

One of the unforeseen costs of WFH.

**Mazderati** · 11-12-2020, 04:01 PM

24-hour high fidelity porn streams. Son of a ...

**neufox47** · 11-12-2020, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by RootSkier

Before you installed your electric bill was $375 a month? Holy sweet jesus.

House is 100% electric, electric heat takes a lot of energy. Also have a well, and irrigation fed by a canal that we pump up 100 vertical feet. In the summer we pump about 1,500 gallons a day. We also have a hot tub, I work from home from an office shed and the window ac unit runs a lot. And we converted our garage to a gym and put a window ac in it, so each workout would result in running the ac for at least 45 minutes (run time not total time). We also had a baby. Unreal the amount of hot water a little baby takes.

Pre-solar our annual spend was $4k on electric. They recommended a 7.5 kw system, but we oversized to 10 kw. Electric bill was $500 for the last year, so we are still a little undersized.

**ötzi** · 11-12-2020, 07:03 PM

Well either that or maybe try turning a light off once in a while. Call me crazy.

**Skistack** · 11-12-2020, 07:11 PM

You’re not telling us about the grow op in basement.

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**neufox47** · 11-13-2020, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by Skistack

You’re not telling us about the grow op in basement.

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Also, PG&E rates are $.24-$.36 per kwh.

**ötzi** · 11-13-2020, 08:16 AM

oof. Is that all in? Here they split it between generation and delivery but together it adds up to ~$.15

Solar in Mass. is a great deal, we have net metering and a state-regulated secondary market for renewable tax credits. This month I had a zero bill, banked $247.00 in energy credits and I average about $275.00/mo. for the sale of the tax credits so I'm basically getting paid to use electricity. All I have to do is report the meter reading to the tax people once a month, they take care of the rest.

We burn though the banked energy credits when we run the AC but the rest of the year we bank them so it ends up the year about a wash in power costs but I'm still getting about $4,000.00/yr. for the tax credits. System cost about $18K 5 years ago and it's more than paid for itself at this point.

**smmokan** · 11-13-2020, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by neufox47

House is 100% electric, electric heat takes a lot of energy. Also have a well, and irrigation fed by a canal that we pump up 100 vertical feet. In the summer we pump about 1,500 gallons a day. We also have a hot tub, I work from home from an office shed and the window ac unit runs a lot. And we converted our garage to a gym and put a window ac in it, so each workout would result in running the ac for at least 45 minutes (run time not total time). We also had a baby. Unreal the amount of hot water a little baby takes.

Pre-solar our annual spend was $4k on electric. They recommended a 7.5 kw system, but we oversized to 10 kw. Electric bill was $500 for the last year, so we are still a little undersized.

Holy Jesus. Granted it's just my wife and I (outside of Boulder, CO), but we haven't had a utility bill of gas + electric over $110/mo in the last 18 months. In the shoulder months (spring/fall), it's usually around $70. I would love to install solar, but it doesn't come close to making sense.