Getting the (non) Electric bill is now fun.....

TnAndy
TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
$14.50 credit last month

Guy just read it few minutes ago, and I estimate about a 21 buck credit this month. ( Solar produced 587kw/hrs.....we bought an additional 402 )

Hoping for a 300 buck end of the year check 2012 compared to $101 for 2011.

Comments

  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Getting the (non) Electric bill is now fun.....

    I certainly is nice to see the negative numbers an the bill.
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Getting the (non) Electric bill is now fun.....

    Nice! where are you located and what charges does the electric company have other than the per Kwh fee?

    I've got a $25 a month 'line' fee here and a 2nd one if I want to do "non-Net" metering or selling electric back to the company at wholesale rates...

    So does your inverter raise the voltage for the back feed? How much effiecency do you loose rather than a standard grid tie inverter w/o batteries?
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • TnAndy
    TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
    Re: Getting the (non) Electric bill is now fun.....

    They charge a $12.50 meter fee for the "buy" meter, nothing on the solar meter. Then the kw/hr is about 9 cents. The solar buyback is 12 cents over retail ( floats with it ), so it's 21 cents now.


    The sellback is based on battery voltage. Once it reaches a set level, sell back begins. Clearly with batteries in the system ( plus the charge controllers ), you loose some efficiency on sell back, so if the goal is JUST sell back, a battery based system doesn't make sense...that wasn't my reason for the system though......having power when the grid is down was, and the sell back is just gravy.