Solar Powers My Model S

[preilly44]

So I just had my panels installed (19.25kw) and I'm waiting for the electric company to switch out my meter to a netmeter so I can be paid for my overproduction. They shut off the system until the netmeter is installed but the installer hinted that I could turn on the system and get free electricity, I just wouldn't get paid for my over production. I wasn't planning on doing this but I just read an article that said my electric company has the slowest average time out of the 13 states in the study (78 days average to swap out the meter).

What are your thoughts and what would/did you do?

Thanks!

 

[andrewket]

Be careful .. Some meters will show usage regardless of the direction of the flow. So you would be paying your utility for the kWh you over produced.

 

[ohmman]

Be careful .. Some meters will show usage regardless of the direction of the flow. So you would be paying your utility for the kWh you over produced.

^^^ yep. Be very careful. It could still work out for you but you need to know how your production vs consumption will look.

 

[dhrivnak]

I too urge caution as with my old meter it could not tell direction so I paid for BOTH usage AND production.

 

[ohmman]

I too urge caution as with my old meter it could not tell direction so I paid for BOTH usage AND production.

Sorry to double post about this, but that's how my meter worked. Since PG&E took over a month to turn me up, I just turned mine on mid-day, cranked the pool pump, charged the Tesla, and did everything to make sure I'd consume every kW, then turned it off when I was done. This works because you net out prior to it hitting the meter.

 

[David_Cary]

My wait was only like 10 days but it was summer and I just froze the house when the sun was hitting the panels. Definitely worked out for me.

 

[WentOffGrid]

I was not aware of a 24kW residental limit in NY. why is that so?

Sorry, it's 25kW. Written into the NY State law, this is from the DEC website... "New York State law allows net metering for solar photovoltaic systems up to 25 kW in residential buildings, and up to 2 MW in commercial and industrial settings"

I am not sure why, but my hunch is because the infrastructure can't take it on a bright sunny day if everybody went all-out PV. Orange & Rockland (the utility here) recently stopped issuing PV permits for one of their areas due to this

 

[bollar]

also to those with experience, my builder used a engineered roof web truss system built using 2x4's spaced 24" on center. I have a huge south facing roof, 6/12 pitch. something like 70'x 20'. Will a roof system like this support a massive solar array system?

You imply that your house was built recently. Almost all houses built in the past 20+ years can support the weight of a solar array. Basically, a solar system weighs less than a second course of shingles. When your system is designed, the type of roofing system on your house, plus required wind & snow loads will be taken into account to assure the design meets code.

- - - Updated - - -

I am not sure why, but my hunch is because the infrastructure can't take it on a bright sunny day if everybody went all-out PV. Orange & Rockland (the utility here) recently stopped issuing PV permits for one of their areas due to this

That may be the excuse, but it seems unlikely that distributed solar generation could generate more electricity than the grid can take. It would be interesting to see any of the utility's technical documents on the topic.

- - - Updated - - -

I'd also like to make my periodic pitch to share your PV data at PVOutput and join our Tesla Owners & Friends team!

Our 17kW system provides a bit more than 80% of our household usage, including car, of course.

 

[gnxs]

6kW System grid-connected utilizing ComEd's RRTP (Residential Real-Time Pricing) program. Hoping a Model 3 will be ready to replace the Focus Electric when the lease is up in late 2017.

 

[mspohr]

So I just had my panels installed (19.25kw) and I'm waiting for the electric company to switch out my meter to a netmeter so I can be paid for my overproduction. They shut off the system until the netmeter is installed but the installer hinted that I could turn on the system and get free electricity, I just wouldn't get paid for my over production. I wasn't planning on doing this but I just read an article that said my electric company has the slowest average time out of the 13 states in the study (78 days average to swap out the meter).

What are your thoughts and what would/did you do?

Thanks!

I had the same problem when they installed my solar system. They told me I had to keep it shut off until the power company installed a new meter. However, the installer "hinted" that I could just turn it on myself and he thought my old meter would just run backwards. It was a very old mechanical meter. I tried it and it did run backwards when I was generating excess so I kept the system on. The power company did show up a month later to install the new meter and they weren't upset that I had the system on. The new meter shows separate totals for power going each way and my bill now shows both totals and the net charge.

 

[FlasherZ]

I had the same problem when they installed my solar system. They told me I had to keep it shut off until the power company installed a new meter. However, the installer "hinted" that I could just turn it on myself and he thought my old meter would just run backwards. It was a very old mechanical meter. I tried it and it did run backwards when I was generating excess so I kept the system on. The power company did show up a month later to install the new meter and they weren't upset that I had the system on. The new meter shows separate totals for power going each way and my bill now shows both totals and the net charge.

Some electronic meters cannot handle bi-directional energy flow - in my case, they replaced my electronic with mechanical. Our co-op serves rural areas so it's still cheaper for them to have someone drive around the county for 2 days at the beginning of each month rather than needing all the expensive smart meter stuff.

 

[Lloyd]

17.5 kw. Net ZERO bill with PG&E with two EV's ! Self installed.

 

[yobigd20]

You imply that your house was built recently. Almost all houses built in the past 20+ years can support the weight of a solar array. Basically, a solar system weighs less than a second course of shingles. When your system is designed, the type of roofing system on your house, plus required wind & snow loads will be taken into account to assure the design meets code.

it's being built right now. framing/roofing/drywall already done. siding being done now. interior being trimmed and finished. i made sure the rear south facing roof was pretty friggin big.

 

[mobe]

Getting ready for my 20.13kw install. Excavation almost done. Next comes a 104x 12 x8" concrete pad.

 

[SPXMike]

I have 7 kW on the roof. Just commissioned a couple months ago. But since last week I can charge for free at work so I'll probably be in pretty good shape until late summer when my wife kicks on the dual 30-year-old 4 ton AC units.

 

[preilly44]

Thanks for the responses. Is there anyway I can tell? I have a newer digital meter that has lines on the bottom that move across to the right when i am using electricity and to the left when I am producing more than I am using.

Thanks again!

 

[ohmman]

Thanks for the responses. Is there anyway I can tell? I have a newer digital meter that has lines on the bottom that move across to the right when i am using electricity and to the left when I am producing more than I am using.

Sure, start charging your car, turn the inverter on, and see how fast/which way the meter is moving. Remember, the meter only sees what the net is. Your panels generate electricity, you use it, and the remainder is returned to the grid (or the deficit is consumed from the grid). So if you can slow down the progress of those lines on the meter, you're winning no matter the situation. You just might have to actively manage turning it on/off.

 

[tezco]

11Kw system at my house, and over 25,000 carbon free miles so far.

 

[Curryx]

Anyone have any suggestions on getting a small system started, say just for charging the car and running things in the garage.

 

[neko]

5.7 kW rooftop system. In the midwest, so there is snow, low winter sun, and partial shade from neighboring trees to deal with. We've only had the system since August, but it looks like over the course of a year, it will at least cover the car, and some part of our household use. Less than I would like, but it's what the geography will allow. Net metering and real-time pricing from ComEd, so I charge at night when the rates are a fraction of the day-time costs.