Driving on Sunshine

[beeeerock]

Not sure what access you need to get the API info, but the SolarEdge instructions are here.

No site admin access on my page, so will have to talk to my installer... I suspect he's holding out on me... ;-)

With my smart meter and Rainforest device as well as a weather station on my LAN, there's plenty of data I'd like to be able to aggregate into some form of meaningful information.

 

[Zaxxon]

zaxxon I have enphase, okay to register on your site?

Absolutely--it's not my site. It's a team someone here started well before I joined TMC. The more, the merrier.

I've got Enphase as well, so if you hit any snags I may be able to assist.

 

[Bugeater]

Hey, this sounds great! I've had my solar since Mar 2012 and my S since Dec 2012. I too have enphase. I'll have to see if I can get mine on there too!

 

[bollar]

Hey, this sounds great! I've had my solar since Mar 2012 and my S since Dec 2012. I too have enphase. I'll have to see if I can get mine on there too!

There is an Enphase API built into PVOutput, so you'll have no problem signing up!

 

[Zaxxon]

I concur. The hardest part was getting a Weather Underground API key. The Enphase part was a breeze.

 

[Bugeater]

Hey, I'm on WU too! Just the computer hosting it has been offline for about 2 years now! Home remodel... I've got to set it back up.

 

[dhrivnak]

Chipper, I read the following in the CurrentEVents magazine put out by the Electric Auto Association. This is from the September issue.

PlugInsights’ mission is to amplify the voice of the driver to automakers,
utilities, regulators, charging networks, financial analysts, and the rest of the
plug-in car industry, and PlugInsights draws from a panel of 11,000 EV
drivers primarily located in the US.

........

The survey also looked at the relationship between solar ownership
and EV ownership as a lifestyle choice. 83% of EV drivers said they had solar
panels at home already or would consider installing them in order to get a
true zero-emission driving experience; there is considerable overlap between
EV ownership and solar acceptance, supporting the idea that EV ownership
is part of a “complete lifestyle” focused on reducing emissions.

So I am not the only one finding a clear link between EV ownership and Solar. It seems that many EV drivers are motivated over concerns for the environment and many EV owners take the next step to solar. Or maybe it is solar owners that take the next step and buy an EV.

 

[Chipper]

Chipper, I read the following in the CurrentEVents magazine put out by the Electric Auto Association. This is from the September issue.

PlugInsights’ mission is to amplify the voice of the driver to automakers,
utilities, regulators, charging networks, financial analysts, and the rest of the
plug-in car industry, and PlugInsights draws from a panel of 11,000 EV
drivers primarily located in the US.

........

The survey also looked at the relationship between solar ownership
and EV ownership as a lifestyle choice. 83% of EV drivers said they had solar
panels at home already or would consider installing them in order to get a
true zero-emission driving experience; there is considerable overlap between
EV ownership and solar acceptance, supporting the idea that EV ownership
is part of a “complete lifestyle” focused on reducing emissions.

So I am not the only one finding a clear link between EV ownership and Solar. It seems that many EV drivers are motivated over concerns for the environment and many EV owners take the next step to solar. Or maybe it is solar owners that take the next step and buy an EV.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! I NEVER said there was no link between the two. There obviously IS a link and I would not deny that. The 83% number above is misleading though. It says they HAVE solar or WOULD CONSIDER solar. Why would anyone NOT consider solar? I have solar on my roof and I would estimate that 83% of those I talk with about solar are interested and tell me they would consider it...if they had the funds, if their house faced the right direction, if they had no trees shading, if it were cheaper, if they could convince their spouse, if their homeowners association allowed it, if... Statistics are not funny things. They are mathematically determined. The method in which they are derived will determine their worth and veracity.

 

[dhrivnak]

Doug, another Tesla owner has gone solar. It covers his car and a good portion of his home. It is a 9KW array.

 

[RichardC]

As another point of reference, our 12 KW (DC) array in southern Ontario produces enough power to drive four Model S almost 20,000 km a year each.

 

[dhrivnak]

Solar is down but not out - Last week one of our inverters (what converts DC power from the solar panels to AC for use in the house) failed so we are down to half production. Fortunately SMA (Sunny boy TL) is covering it under warranty and they did a great job making it easy to install and thus replace. Hopefully we will be back to full production later this week. When it failed I had produced 103% of the power used for the house and both plug-in cars. I am still above 100% but just barely.

 

[nwdiver]

Solar is down but not out - Last week one of our inverters (what converts DC power from the solar panels to AC for use in the house) failed so we are down to half production. Fortunately SMA (Sunny boy TL) is covering it under warranty and they did a great job making it easy to install and thus replace. Hopefully we will be back to full production later this week. When it failed I had produced 103% of the power used for the house and both plug-in cars. I am still above 100% but just barely.

View attachment 104322

Hmmm... depending on how comfortable you are with electricity... and how long that inverter is going to be missing... you could tie ALL your panels into the remaining inverter. It will power limit to its rating but will produce a bit more energy... The UL rating requires that the inverter be capable of handling 2x it's nameplate... but this really only applies if there is a fault. If an inverter power limits to 7kW there is no difference between 10kW and 10MW of panels...

 

[dhrivnak]

I am impressed with SMA as an inverter company. It is a pain the inverter failed, but in less than a week I had a new one, no charge, under warranty. They engineered the unit for a quick and straightforward install. My first time doing something like this and I had it connected and running in just under an hour. They included a shipping label and was able to use the old box to send the bad unit back. My solar installer closed their local office so I decided to tackle it myself.

 

[dhrivnak]

I am hoping to soon publish a book “Driving to Net 0 - Stories of Hope for a Carbon Free Future”. I am looking for 6-12 people who have either dropped their emissions 75%, or are 75% below average and are willing to share their story. I am hoping each contributor will write a chapter on their journey and then we will pull it together an introduction.

The main goal is to share stories to help inspire others to take a similar journey. I fear that one reason alternative energy and EV’s have not caught on faster is that people are unsure of the new technology. With scientists saying we need to reduce emissions by 80% I want to share positive stories that such a reduction is not only possible but in many ways better. Please let me know if you may be interested. Thank you.

 

[Lloyd]

I have 9 years $0 electric bill for my home, including two electric cars 8000 square feet, pool, wine cellar 4 freezers, three refrigerators etc. 17.5 kW of solar and never going back. I'll go off grid if the utility changes the rules for solar generation. I built my own solar. PM me if you want more info.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Some of you have gigantic systems, especially compared to mine:

My 2170 watts of panels have produced all the electricity I needed to fuel my car and run my house since I expanded the array in 2012. I pay just the $16/month service charge to my local power co-op; the co-op is very supportive of renewable energy because the membership — we, the owners — believe in it.

I put in my first 700 W of panels in 2008 as "phase 1" of a future electric car, so I've been wanting to go to "EV + PV" for a long time. I added the rest of the panels in 2012 when I got some real data for how much energy would actually be needed for an EV. My panels weren't cost effective but I budgeted them as part of the cost of the car (originally a LEAF).

I adjust the pitch as seasons change from 55º around the winter solstice to 15º around the summer solstice (the picture above is at 45º and they are currently at 35º). For snow I use a window squeegee on a long painter's pole to pull it off, which is fairly easy when the panels are at a steep pitch.

Despite my small array, my total production is a respectable 15.349 MWh of electricity over the years.

 

[Ampster]

Nice work. Every local has different rates and economics. There are also ways, if you have a skewed TOU rate, that you can optimize your payback. As I have explained in other threads, Load load shifting can get you another megawatt of free energy. I think today the paybacks have reduced and pals are cost effective. Of course that all depends on where you live.

 

[dhrivnak]

We have reached a new milestone as we are producing over 100% of our electricity for the home and two plug in cars. So a sustainable future is now not only possible but relatively achievable

 

[MikeC]

I've been waiting to post in this thread since you started it, dhrivnak.

Just got my 9.7 kW system turned on. Hopefully it will cover the usage of our whole house, my 2013 Model S, and the 2016 Model X my wife should be getting this month.

It was tough to get a good photo because of the flat roof, but there are 29 panels total.

 

[dhrivnak]

Has anyone else has breaker issues with solar? In 16 years on my home I have never needed to replace a breaker. But with 3 years on solar I have had two of the three go bad on me. Fortunately it is an easy fix bu I do find it strange. They do not trip but seem to burn open.