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Solar Powers My Model S
- Thread starter jimmy82abn
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Haha, no I wish brother, that's total for the last 4 weeks it's been running. App on my phone let's me see usage per panel by total, month, week or day. I built it at 104% offset to account for charging the model s.
The utility company here in California offers an EV charge rate but I don't know if it is worth it to change over to it from the Net Metering rate we started on.
In the winter we seem to be making 30 to 40Kwh per day.
The utility company here in California offers an EV charge rate but I don't know if it is worth it to change over to it from the Net Metering rate we started on.
In the winter we seem to be making 30 to 40Kwh per day.
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whitecotton
Member
That's awesome I'm so jealous. I'm stuck with my little hobby 300 watt system. It does keep my electronics running though 
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16.25 kW system here but I'm in AZ so my utility is different. Right now I'm on a 12-7 on-peak plan and I'm looking to switch to the standard, tiered-rate plan. Reason being, I waaaay overproduce during on-peak vs. off-peak.
As far as selling the power back, does CA give you a better rate? We get $.03/kWh and it's a statement credit at the end of the year for any remaining excess, not a check in the mail. Since I produce more than I use, anything beyond my personal consumption has a paltry ROI.
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Very Nice man, love the set up. In California PGE pays us back at $0.04 Cents for extra (Dam Gangsters!) while they charge us anywhere from $0.16 Cents in Winter to $0.42 Cents in Summer. So Yes ROI on Extra is not great but with the Fed 30% Subsidy I can totally see building the system larger then you need. I mean who wants a True Up Bill from the Utility Company at the End of the Year?
I just built out 43 LG Neon2 310 Watt Panels to produce 20,000 Annual KWhrs. It should be a 13.5 kW system overall but I did buy the larger inverter for an extra $400 in the event I do want or need 8-10 more panels. The inverter they wanted to give me was only able to do the 43 panels, the next model up will do just over 50.
I see what you mean about going to Tier Rate because yes having extra power in summer selling back at say $0.42 cents peak while pulling extra from them in winter ways much more in your favor.
Did you pull a 240V 50AMP charger to the garage also?
I guess one positive to consider by going bigger....should PGE become like the rest of them and attach new "profit loss" fees for solar users and reduced buy-back like NV just did, you can more easily cut the cord and bring in battery backup. Maybe a bit extreme of an idea but an idea nonetheless.
I have 3 inverters. Is adding more inverters later an option for you?
Luckily, a 50A NEMA 14-50 was already installed in my garage.
Our new home is about half done.
One of our goals is to produce as much energy as our house and both Teslas use on an annual basis.
Unfortunately, the roof and solar panels are not complete yet, but this is a rendition from the architect.
By the energy modeling we are just short. However, we are confident that we can produce as much solar energy annually as we use.
One of our goals is to produce as much energy as our house and both Teslas use on an annual basis.
Unfortunately, the roof and solar panels are not complete yet, but this is a rendition from the architect.
By the energy modeling we are just short. However, we are confident that we can produce as much solar energy annually as we use.
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Same here,I have a small 3.5kW system. Enough to drive the car for a year on solar and then some. Just net metering and no TOU rates here.
OConnorStP
Member
My setup is 21kw, 14kw in front of the house and 7kw on the garage. We build up a big surplus in the summer and consume it in the winter. This year we peaked at about 4900 KWhours surplus a month or so ago and we've started nibbling away at it as the heating season kicks in and the days get short. We may not quite make it this year because we only lit the system up in late June, but next year we should produce a little more than we consume
I have a 9.5kW roof mounted system. It supplies about 90% of our usage, but since we're on EV-A, it generates about 120% of our electric bill. At the end of the year (true-up period), we usually end with a pretty sizable credit but forfeit it to the utility. I'm not terribly concerned about the economics of it, I'm more burned about the fact that I'm not fully offsetting my consumption. So we're going to add panels this summer and try to net out.
Once you've had solar, it's hard to imagine letting that sunlight go to waste.
Once you've had solar, it's hard to imagine letting that sunlight go to waste.
I ended up taking 7 solar bids at our house and what I found is that some panels are working at 16% efficiency vs others that are 18%+.
I also saw some panels were 250 watts then some 265 and ultimately what I chose was a 310 watt panel.
I just lit the system in December so I'm anxious to see how we true up next year.
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Wait so what did Nevada just do? They changed the game for solar due profitability going down?
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This looks legit, I think if the sun hits you just right you will be dialed in.
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That is a serious set of panels. How's snow, can it slide off ok?
I also saw some panels were 250 watts then some 265 and ultimately what I chose was a 310 watt panel.
I just lit the system in December so I'm anxious to see how we true up next year.
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Wait so what did Nevada just do? They changed the game for solar due profitability going down?
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This looks legit, I think if the sun hits you just right you will be dialed in.
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That is a serious set of panels. How's snow, can it slide off ok?
They're allowing the utilities to change the landscape back in their favor. The utilities say solar producers aren't paying their fair share for the grid. Less users to make a profit from means more of the burden goes to non-solar users. So to make up for profit loss, they charge you. I can understand some of the argument but only to an extent. I can most definitely understand paying a grid fee and meter fee but an additional penalty?
Anyhow, NV is creating a gradual 5-year increase in the fee for solar users and I believe they slashed the per-kWh credit amount by 75%. Pretty soon utilities will have you paying full price to use their grid half the time while you let them idle the plant during the day.
tstafford
Active Member
I just reached out yesterday to a consulting/installation company here in Nashville to see what it would cost to do a small system on my detached garage. I'd like to get the MS and the garage office off the grid. Small step, I know, but every little bit counts.
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
24 kW DC, way more than my Tesla needs. The Model S can't get to the panels, nor would a Model X be able to get there, either. There is a reason why I keep the 2000 Jeep Cherokee.
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