What do you think about using solar panels for getting your own electricity?
Electricity, from the sun? It’s unpossible. You must be a witch!
I think that your question is so banal and off topic that you’re a budding spammer. Prove me wrong.
[quote=“Z-Waver, post:2, topic:185567”]Electricity, from the sun? It’s unpossible. You must be a witch!
I think that your question is so banal and off topic that you’re a budding spammer. Prove me wrong.[/quote]
Great reply! Coincidentally I have been looking at solar panels this week. I was thinking if I got about 4 of the 100w panels and maybe a small wind generator I could wire my house to power all of my DC items (Vera, Synology, Router, Modem, Cameras) from free energy. With the current cost of this equipment it seems it would take forever to get my money back on the investment.
mmmm, not such a silly question.
I have 3kw of panels and am thinking of programming Vera to shut certain appliances down during the day when Imports exceed Exports. (ie, when I need to Import power from the Grid).
However as I only use Vera thru the Night hours and I’m generating enough through the day to cover all of our requirements, it may well prove to a futile effort.
Eventual plans are to increase the panel size to 6kw, add a battery bank and go Off Grid, once I reach that point then a Vera system to control which Loads can be switched on may be required.
All very much pie in the sky ATM… 
but within the realms of possibility.
(of course I’d be stuffed if the Sun chose not to rise one day, that’s when the soothsayers and witches may be needed).
How much space did you have to dedicate to set up 3kw worth of panels? Is that all one group or did you break it up? I was considering a small start and then adding panels gradually. I have my house and a large detached building so I may break it up.
There all on a North facing roof (remember, I’m in the southern Hemisphere). It’s a collection of 12 * 250w panels running a 3.3kw Delta Inverter.
The planned upgrade will include 1.5kw (or there abouts) facing East and the same amount facing East.
The smallest practical size would be 1.5kw. Anything under that would wasted.
Are you suggesting that 1.5kw is a minimum size that will be effective or just that 1.5kw is what’s practical for you? A combination of solar and wind seems like it would be best for me, upgrading a little as I go. My concern is the longevity of the equipment. If it’s going to take 10 years to return my investment in saved electricity what are the chances that this equipment will fail within that time (especially wind generators)?
Jealous, jealous, jealous… off grid would be great. I have 3kW of solar tiles (built into the roof, see attached) they were installed at the end of March last year (graph of cumulative kWh generated, courtesy of DataYours.) However, we’ll never be off grid because ALL our heating and hot water comes from a ground source heat pump which, itself, uses much more than that at times (although it does generate 3 to 4 times as much energy as it consumes. Now that’s witchcraft!)
This may not make economic sense because if they are any distance apart you will likely need two separate inverters.
@Akoober - Thanks for posting real world data and pictures, I always appreciate that.
[quote=“akbooer, post:8, topic:185567”](although it does generate 3 to 4 times as much energy as it consumes. Now that’s witchcraft![/quote]I’m not understanding this statement. What generates 3 to 4 times what it consumes?
Your data graph shows ~2100 units, I presume kWh. That seems very low to me. I don’t expect to achieve the advertised and inflated panel specs, but I would have expected 4000+ kWh in 10 months. What latitude are you at? Are the panels north/south facing? Is there some limiting factor with your install?
The heat pump has a coefficient of performance (COP) of between three and four, which means its (heat) power output is equal to that factor times the amount of electrical energy actually used to power it. I have some Luup code running in Vera which calculates on the fly the Heating Degree Days (using data from the Wunderground plugin) and this has a correlation factor of 0.98 with my actual heat pump energy usage, so I know the control system is working very well indeed.
Your data graph shows ~2100 units, I presume kWh. That seems very low to me. I don't expect to achieve the advertised and inflated panel specs, but I would have expected 4000+ kWh in 10 months. What latitude are you at? Are the panels north/south facing? Is there some limiting factor with your install?
Oh, really? I’m at 52 degrees North, or thereabouts. It faces almost due south and is unshaded except for late afternnon/evening when there’s some shadow from the building on the west side. My expectation for a 3kW (peak) system would be around 2750 kWh per year?? Where are you??? I acknowledge that the conversion efficiency of this tile system is marginally less than a free-standing array, partly because of the lack of convection cooling to the back of the array. But it does look so much better.
I’ve got a 4kW system installed and it really is pretty good. Living in the UK we also get paid by the government (via the energy companies) to generate our own power - I’ve had mine installed for c. 4 years and got on the initial tariff which pays over 50 pence per KwH generated.
Now clearly it only works when the sun shines, but on average I’m earning about ?1600- ?1700 per year, tax free, this is inflation linked and guaranteed for a total of 25 years !
With a south facing garden and no tree in the way you can really make money whilst the sun shines.
I only get 14.9 pence 
…plus 4.77 pence per unit from the power company for the 50% that they guess I export (ie. it’s not metered)
Some forum about solar energy to recommend ?
thanks !!!
[quote=“akbooer, post:12, topic:185567”]I only get 14.9 pence
…plus 4.77 pence per unit from the power company for the 50% that they guess I export (ie. it’s not metered)[/quote]
I guess you installed much later on…still the chances are you paid less for your hardware because of that. I was just over ?10k for 4kw (almost) four years ago. I too get the 4.77 pence but that’s not really that much in ?
btw I use the CurrentCost plugin to monitor PV generation, electric use (and therefore export). I also use the same setup to monitor water and gas with some simple mods to the meters.
Oh, really? I’m at 52 degrees North, or thereabouts. It faces almost due south and is unshaded except for late afternnon/evening when there’s some shadow from the building on the west side. My expectation for a 3kW (peak) system would be around 2750 kWh per year?? Where are you??? I acknowledge that the conversion efficiency of this tile system is marginally less than a free-standing array, partly because of the lack of convection cooling to the back of the array. But it does look so much better.[/quote]I’m afraid I’m guilty of basing my assumptions on my own circumstance. I’m at 26 degrees North, so production is(should be) a lot higher. My area’s solar isolation is at least twice, if not thrice yours.
But, you have much more favorable rate conditions, so you have that going for you. While you could theoretically profit from sell back, my area’s rules eliminate any possibility of this. In fact, under present rules, it is not possible to accomplish even net zero with a grid-tie system.
There’s no doubt the in-roof tiles look so much better than the surface mount panels.
Thank goodness for that, I was starting to have terrible doubts about its performance.
I got a 9k system put in 4 year. already recoup all the cost. Now is gravy…save about $200 a month.
[quote=“st2288, post:17, topic:185567”]I got a 9k system put in 4 year. already recoup all the cost. Now is gravy…save about $200 a month.[/quote]Interesting. $200 savings for 48 months is $9,600.00 All the ~9kW systems I have seen cost more than $20,000.00 installed. Equipment alone would run greater than $15,000.00. You must have received massive subsidies to have already recouped your purchase cost.
Edit: I was only thinking in today’s prices. Four years ago a 9kW system would have cost closer to $40,000.00 installed.
I did get a massive Fed/State rebate.
Even without the rebate. I still think in the long term is a good investment. Electric rate will only go up.
Plus save a ton of co2 gas…
I did get a massive Fed/State rebate.
Even without the rebate. I still think in the long term is a good investment. Electric rate will only go up.
Plus save a ton of co2 gas…