What is Your Monthly Maximum Minimum Solar Output

[rays427]

Just wondering what others have experienced as maximum and minimum solar output. We have a 12 KW system in Northern California (between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe) and our maximum monthly output in the summer averaged 58.47 Kwh per day and the minimum monthly output averaged 7.19 Kwh per day. Maximum output was in June and minimum is in December. Total output for the year was around 12,400 Kwh. Our yearly use was about 21,000 Kwh with maximum use of about 2000 to 2200 Kwh per month in December, January, February and June. We have propane as a heat source. We have some tree shading and our roof system is 1/4 facing South, 1/4 facing West and 1/2 facing East. We are on the PG&E EV-A rate and our cost for electricity last year was $840.

My system has 4 sets of panels (4 inverters). I assume the shading and location of the panels is causing the big difference between Summer and Winter Output. I wonder what what the increase would be with micro inverters?

 

[gnxs]

Our system is exactly half the size of yours (6kw) and uses a single Fronius Inverter. We've had it since late 2012 and it's consistently produced about 7.5 MWh each year. Our best days typically see about 40 kWh of power produced. We're in the far Western suburbs of Chicago.

 

[RichardC]

We have a 12K array north of Toronto which produces around 15 MWhr per year using two 5K string inverters.

 

[Solarguy]

We have a 15.25kW array with two SMA string inverters and it produces between 20 and 21 MWhr a year. All the panels face due West.
Located on the east coast of Central Florida. All electric house, electric bill is $9.05 a month with net metering from FPL. Peak is in May at about 2500Kwh and the low is December at about 1100Kwh.

 

[Sharkbait]

We have a 6.6 kW array consisting of 24-LG Mono X, 275w panels, 24 Solaredge optimizers, and Solaredge inverter, fixed tilt at 19º facing due south (180º). We don't get many cloudy days in the high desert. System produced 12.4 MWh last year with highest month being May (1.3 MWh) and lowest month being December with about 650 KWh of production. With mandatory distribution fees last year, we paid less than $100 for the entire year.

 

[Shopi01]

View attachment 172618 We have a 15.25kW array with two SMA string inverters and it produces between 20 and 21 MWhr a year. All the panels face due West.
Located on the east coast of Central Florida. All electric house, electric bill is $9.05 a month with net metering from FPL. Peak is in May at about 2500Kwh and the low is December at about 1100Kwh.

Hello Solarguy, I am located on the FL panhandle and would like to install solar on my house. My avg use is 1,600-1,800 with daily charging of i3. Peak use is around 2,000kw in the summer months. Seems like your setup is optimal for our needs. Who did you use to install? Did you get any state or local assistance?

 

[Solarguy]

Hello Solarguy, I am located on the FL panhandle and would like to install solar on my house. My avg use is 1,600-1,800 with daily charging of i3. Peak use is around 2,000kw in the summer months. Seems like your setup is optimal for our needs. Who did you use to install? Did you get any state or local assistance?

Dimitar,
The installer I used covers Central Florida from coast to coast but not all the way up to where you are on the panhandle.
Florida Power and Light (FPL) did have a very lucrative rebate program when we installed the system 4 years ago. The rebate covered $20,000 of the cost and the Federal Tax Credit of 30% off the total bill brought my out of pocket costs down to less then $7,000. FPL no longer offers the rebate but the Fed Tax Credit is alive and well. As far as I know there are no State rebates.
Hope this helps.

 

[cfsaxNY]

Just wondering what others have experienced as maximum and minimum solar output. We have a 12 KW system in Northern California (between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe) and our maximum monthly output in the summer averaged 58.47 Kwh per day and the minimum monthly output averaged 7.19 Kwh per day. Maximum output was in June and minimum is in December. Total output for the year was around 12,400 Kwh. Our yearly use was about 21,000 Kwh with maximum use of about 2000 to 2200 Kwh per month in December, January, February and June. We have propane as a heat source. We have some tree shading and our roof system is 1/4 facing South, 1/4 facing West and 1/2 facing East. We are on the PG&E EV-A rate and our cost for electricity last year was $840.

My system has 4 sets of panels (4 inverters). I assume the shading and location of the panels is causing the big difference between Summer and Winter Output. I wonder what what the increase would be with micro inverters?

I have a 5.8kw system. First full year of usage was 2015. 4,598.3kWh produced. February was only 27.6kWh due to constant snow on panels. April has days of 25.6kwh. Best overall month is August 597.9kWh but no daily peaks over 25kwh like in April. I think I will be eligible for the performance guarantee credit.

 

[rage_777]

Just wondering what others have experienced as maximum and minimum solar output. We have a 12 KW system in Northern California (between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe) and our maximum monthly output in the summer averaged 58.47 Kwh per day and the minimum monthly output averaged 7.19 Kwh per day. Maximum output was in June and minimum is in December. Total output for the year was around 12,400 Kwh. Our yearly use was about 21,000 Kwh with maximum use of about 2000 to 2200 Kwh per month in December, January, February and June. We have propane as a heat source. We have some tree shading and our roof system is 1/4 facing South, 1/4 facing West and 1/2 facing East. We are on the PG&E EV-A rate and our cost for electricity last year was $840.

My system has 4 sets of panels (4 inverters). I assume the shading and location of the panels is causing the big difference between Summer and Winter Output. I wonder what what the increase would be with micro inverters?

I only have a 3kW system in Southern California, but I get around 5-6 MWh a year with Enphase micro inverters. Low is usually in Nov/Dec about 150 kWh/month, high in Aug around 650 kWh.
Although I have been having issues with my micro inverters lately, had to change 4 of them in the past year. My installer says I'm the only one experiencing these issues, even though I have read some installers here on the forum saying Enphase micro inverters fail a lot.
My bill from SoCalEdison used to be $1 - $2 a month, but now it's up to $10 minimum.

 

[jomo25]

Just got our 9kW system operational in Scottsdale 6 weeks ago. Back then we were averaging about 43kWh per day. But we're up to about 66kWh per day now. In total, It covers our daily usage at this point, even with a MS and Leaf. Of course there are off-peak/on-peak variances that I'm trying too rectify by running more stuff on peak (pool pump, dishwasher, washing machine,etc.). Don't know what it will look like in the summer yet for consumption and production since we only moved into the house late last fall.

 

[liuping]

Although I have been having issues with my micro inverters lately, had to change 4 of them in the past year. My installer says I'm the only one experiencing these issues, even though I have read some installers here on the forum saying Enphase micro inverters fail a lot.

I have 33 microinverters and have had 0 failures (4 years so far), but we might be in the perfect climate for them here ins San Diego. Not too hot or cold year round...

 

[liuping]

Our 8.3kW system produces the least in December or January and the most in April or May each year.

The worst month so far was 645kWh in December 2014, for an average of 20.8kWh per day

The best month so far was 1430kWh in April 2015, for an average of 47.7kWh per day.

 

[FlatSix911]

Here is 6 years of Solar energy production with a 3 KW system in Northern California ... average output is 3.7 Mwh per year.
1 Megawatt hour = 1000 Kilowatt Hours (Kwh)

 

[SageBrush]

View attachment 172618 We have a 15.25kW array with two SMA string inverters and it produces between 20 and 21 MWhr a year. All the panels face due West.
Located on the east coast of Central Florida. All electric house, electric bill is $9.05 a month with net metering from FPL. Peak is in May at about 2500Kwh and the low is December at about 1100Kwh.

I rarely see roof setups of PV that I consider aesthetic. Yours looks great.

 

[rays427]

FlatSix911, what is your variation from winter to summer? I live in a heavily forested subdivision where most homes have shading. In fact solar is not practical for most of the homes in our area. Attached is a picture of one of 4 arrays. This one is facing east, two face west and the one facing south is on the second story. The south facing array doesn't get much shading but the others do.

 

[FlatSix911]

FlatSix911, what is your variation from winter to summer? I live in a heavily forested subdivision where most homes have shading. In fact solar is not practical for most of the homes in our area. Attached is a picture of one of 4 arrays. This one is facing east, two face west and the one facing south is on the second story. The south facing array doesn't get much shading but the others do.
View attachment 172903

I have significant seasonal variation due to tall redwoods that shade the solar panels in the Winter months. Detailed graph below:

 

[aesculus]

I rarely see roof setups of PV that I consider aesthetic. Yours looks great.

How about this one?

 

[SageBrush]

How about this one?

That is pretty nifty too ! What is the efficiency and cost per watt ?

 

[aesculus]

That is pretty nifty too ! What is the efficiency and cost per watt ?

It's a Dow product.

Now your world revolves around your roof.

 

[aesculus]

My 2.8 kw system (which actually delivers no more than 2.5 kw at its finest hour, average peak during summer is around 2.2 kw) produced 3,921.93 kWh last year.

It's on a 45 degree pitched roof with a little morning and evening shading and aligned a bit to the West from South.