Solar panel fun

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Solar panels are going up today! Only two months earlier than they told me, so frantically applying for home equity loans to kite it over for a couple of months until I get it paid off. Should be interesting to see how long it takes for them to install it. It's a 6 kW system, so it's not extremely big.
 

Opsimath

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Solar panels are going up today! Only two months earlier than they told me, so frantically applying for home equity loans to kite it over for a couple of months until I get it paid off. Should be interesting to see how long it takes for them to install it. It's a 6 kW system, so it's not extremely big.
Very exciting!! I have wanted solar for decades! Will be extremely interested to hear how the installation goes and how well it serves you afterwards!
 

fronobulax

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Good luck.

Intellectually, I'd like solar but it's not feasible with current local regulations. The power company won't buy power from me (or give me credit) when the solar produces more than I use and they won't allow "direct" connections. That is changing but it is still a few years out.
 

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It's only Philly that has *any* solar program, so, they push the payoff time. That does not include inflation, so that can be misleading a bit. I would think that any place with a lot of sun would be ideal, apparently installations can withstand hurricanes too.
 

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Good luck.

Intellectually, I'd like solar but it's not feasible with current local regulations. The power company won't buy power from me (or give me credit) when the solar produces more than I use and they won't allow "direct" connections. That is changing but it is still a few years out.
Weird. The state gub'ment here actually passed a law requiring utilities to cut an actual check for that.
 

fronobulax

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Weird. The state gub'ment here actually passed a law requiring utilities to cut an actual check for that.

Power company here is actually the town government which adds a layer of bureaucracy. Virginia is encouraging solar but the expected regulation isn't in place. Coolest thing is that there is a proposal that instead of building a coal fired plant that only gets used to handle peak demand the power company builds a battery farm and buys solar from consumers to keep it charged. Peak demand is then met by the batteries.
 

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Been on solar for near two decades now, best most reliable power I've ever had, and it's true sine wave, very clean, and not overpowered, doesn't hurt old tube gears designed for 117V, which is exactly what it's running right this second.

No sun right now, raining but the power's holding fine.

It's like a ship, with a power center, and I being very automotive, I love that it's a 12V system, can read the voltage from bed, right now at 12.6V, which is fine. During the day we get up to 14.9V even over 15V if equalizing the batteries (automatic), and that's pretty hot for 12V batteries.

For a $720 in new panels a few years back, we're able to run 2 large fridges and a fully stocked freezer 24/7, the same $1200 ProSine inverter doing the job reliably since bought new bout 18 years ago.

Don't buy Harbor Freight junk.

Imagine, not having a power bill?


I'm not very grid friendly, an aging monstrosity that needs to be buried as it constantly starts fires and more.

Not only we're off the grid, but there's no grid power within miles of our house, no poles/lines to crash into trees, really lowers the anxiety levels for me.

Last raging fire we had here, started just a few miles down was a power line crashing on a tree as a lady drove by and saw it. Burned 600 acres in one day, people lost pasture, fences, cows, barns, houses.

Then the lineman come, put it all back up, the heroes, and then you just wait for the next one. Thanksgiving blackouts that last 2 weeks, etc.

No thx.
 

Nuuska

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I live in a house in suburb - one side of roof within 2 degrees straight to south.

And I love the concept of solar panels.

Two things are keeping me from installing it :

- I'm 71 years young ( that "young" there might be self-deception . . ) - and at our energy cost and panel system cost the payback time is longer than my expected lifetime. If I should win in the lottery and have more money than I need - then I'd order one - MAYBE ! ! !

- MAYBE above comes from the fact, that there are two wonderful trees, that put shadow on east edge most of the time - so only a small panel system could be put in without harming my pretty linden and bird cherry.

Over here selling extra energy to power company is normal - but they only pay us peanuts - so that is not really that interesting. Saving the world would be a better reason - but I can not afford to be the saviour.
 

Nuuska

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If in months - or even few years - panels would be no-brainer.

In my case we are talking of about 20 years.

1kWh today including taxes + everything else = about 0,06€
 

crank

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It's about 6 years to break even here and that is close to our time frame for selling and moving... There is debate as to whether solar panels add or detract value from your house.
 

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I'm not retiring for another year, so I'm just going to pay it right off from my earnings.
 

Guildedagain

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I'm not doing the math that way

Hear hear. To us the payoff is instant, we have power. It's like buying a basic car, who thinks about a payoff? You need transportation, and it will devaluate as you drive.

3 panels/electrical bits $1000
Charge controller $620
Inverter $1200
Batteries, 2 x @ 640 - $1280

$4100 divided by 18 years = $227 a year, $18 a month, $.63 a day.

The best power, the most restful, in control of your own destiny and no outages for $.60 a day.

I call that a bargain, the best I ever had.
 
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It should take me six months to pay it off. As stuff breaks, they will be replaced by electric equivalents. By the time my kids get the house, panels should be cheap and more efficient.
 

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They finished around 2:30.

solar.png
 

chazmo

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Nice! You only used about 20% of what you generated! Neat! Give us a rundown after a week or so and see what you're averaging, Steve!
 
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