help getting startes

System · September 2007

i posted earlier but did not give enough info. i live in texas, my house is one year old. my appliances are new. i just had solar shades put on all my windows. in the fall radiant barrier to be installed in attic. a yearly kwh average is 55 kwh a day. i pay .135 a kwh. i want to cut back on my electric bill and help the enviroment. i have a 1200 watt wind turbine on the way. i would like it to be grid tie so i don't have to mess with batterys.what size panels should i start with

mike95490 · September 2007

Re: help getting started

Start with as much as you can afford !
55KWh a day is a prety hefty load, does it vary much summer/winter ? Do you have any rebate programs in Texas, that may help.

Do you want it Installed for you, or are you going to "do it yourself" ?

Don't get too hopefull about the Turbine (can you cancel the order?) unless you are in a good wind zone - less than 13MPH, and there is really not much power there. Is your turbine a grid-tie version ?

You need a un-shaded location for the PV panels, even a small shadow will greatly impact their power output. (like a vent pipe on a roof)

BB. · September 2007

Re: help getting startes

Realistically, you are probably looking at $0.25 per kWhr (+/-) for grid tied solar power. If you are a do-it-yourself person with lots of experience (or have a good friend that is a licensed electrician), purchase used/seconds solar panels, and have a utility with very relaxed rules on installing grid tied systems, you might bring the costs down by a third to half.

If you have rebates, that can help bring the costs down too (but, usually increases the before rebate costs because of the licensed/approved installer and list price purchases for components).

You best bet is still to see what can be done for conservation--I am guessing that you have a big A/C bill? Have you installed/converted to a ground sourced heat pump type system (wells/pipes/etc. underground instead if a regular in-air condenser)?

Are all of your other appliances converted to gas/propane/solar thermal hot water/etc. that you can? Using solar PV panels is generally the last choice for generating heat (room heating, range, clothes drier, hot water, swimming pool, etc.). Solar Thermal systems (hot water, hot air) are much better for this (cheaper for components, much less roof area required). And, many times, solar hot water/air lends itself to a do-it-yourself type project (fewer rules/regulations vs grid tied solar).

If your utility supports Grid Tied Solar, and gives you 1 year net metering--you have a good place to start. Many smaller utilities don't allow grid tied solar, and some utilities only allow 1 month net metering or only pay you a fraction of the cost for any excess power you generate.

In California, I can get a Time Of Use (TOU) plan were I pay $0.09 pkWh for off peak, low usage, but up to $0.50 pkWhr for on peak, summer, over 1,000 kWhrs/month usage. So, a solar system with my billing could (worst case), offset $0.50 per kWhr billing--and even at my low usage (8 kWhrs per day), it still offsets $0.29 / kWhr peak summer usage for me (my, after rebate/tax credits system generates power around $0.14-$0.17 per kWhr).

But that was a 3,500 of solar panels (3kW rated Grid Tie) system that cost about $30,000 list to install (including permits) and generates around 4,800 kWhrs per year.

To offset your entire bill, you would need a system, at least, 3-4x the size of mine.

-Bill

help getting startes

Comments

Categories