Anyone have solar?

[shonrt1]

If we're going to build them, I don't understand why we're not building them as carports. And for businesses with parking lots, there are acres of currently single use property available.

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The Evansville IN Regional Airport has installed solar over their short term parking lot and they claim they have cut their electric bill in half with the system. Plus, as a regular user of this lot, it’s great to be able to have covered parking, especially during the hot summer months.

 

[shonrt1]

I get that, I assumed you were referencing market value, not replacement.

Yes, I first misunderstood your comment and added another reply. Sorry.

 

[InOmaha]

We have public power here. It's cheap.

I did the solar calculations using my lot, coincidence angles, hours of sunlight, irradiation tables, etc. Compared to use loads throughout the day.

I'm a power plant design engineer, so I did my own real study.

It never pays off, because our power is like water here, cheap and plentiful.

My home weatherstation collects solar data now in case I want even more accurate data for another study.

 

[shonrt1]

We have public power here. It's cheap.

I did the solar calculations using my lot, coincidence angles, hours of sunlight, irradiation tables, etc. Compared to use loads throughout the day.

I'm a power plant design engineer, so I did my own real study.

It never pays off, because our power is like water here, cheap and plentiful.


View attachment 474794

My home weatherstation collects solar data now in case I want even more accurate data for another study.

You’re lucky. have a brother who lives in Houston. His wife keeps his house ice cold. We compared electric bills one day. Our bills were $5 apart. He used 4x the power I used. Electricity is not cheap in Southern IL!

 

[Westtown Willy]

I live in Illinois. We are a deep blue state (thanks to Chicago). Our government hates fossil fuels. They are not going to do anything that would discourage investment in alternative energy. I’m not the least bit concerned about them changing the IL RE tax laws to tax solar installations.

You’re kidding right , as if there’s every been a governing body that’s done things in the public interest consulting silly things like logic and rationality rather than their own self-interests, particularly in blue states. When the time is right (after the shift to ‘alternative energy’ is complete), they’ll fit it all right up in there where the sun don’t shine. They can ‘hate fossil fuels’ all the live-long day AND bludgeon their loyal subjects at the same time, look no further than the oval office for exhibit A.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

We have public power here. It's cheap.

I did the solar calculations using my lot, coincidence angles, hours of sunlight, irradiation tables, etc. Compared to use loads throughout the day.

I'm a power plant design engineer, so I did my own real study.

It never pays off, because our power is like water here, cheap and plentiful.


View attachment 474794

My home weatherstation collects solar data now in case I want even more accurate data for another study.

same. Ours is a flat 8.8 cents/kWh all year plus a $28 monthly service charge with our rural electric co-op. My average bill is $130 on a 2 story, 3000sf house, and HVAC is heat pump with electric backup so I don't get the relief of ultra cheap winter bills that gas heat houses do. July and August have a lot of highs over 100 and lows above 80 so there's no opportunity to open the windows and cool off.

Speaking of energy savings things that don't pay off...high end, high SEER AC systems are the same in a lot of climates. I helped a buddy run the numbers on his house in Pueblo, CO (desert, not the rockies most people picture) and past 16 SEER the payback was beyond the life expectancy of the equipment.

 

[InOmaha]

You’re lucky. have a brother who lives in Houston. His wife keeps his house ice cold. We compared electric bills one day. Our bills were $5 apart. He used 4x the power I used. Electricity is not cheap in Southern IL!

If I did solar, it would be a system just big enough to run my AC load at the hottest time of the year. When it gets really hot here there is normally a high pressure system that pushes out the clouds. I'd aim the angle for max production in the July-August months.

So the load matches peak solar. I'd size it for battery backup to run overnight. Then if the power went out for a long time I'd stay cool and anything else I could get out of it, like TV, charging, etc., coffee maker, would be gravy.

I'm waiting for batteries to get better.

I'd build and install it myself seperate of the utility. I'm not spending thousands on something I don't have control over.

 

[KennethS]

Think about where it goes…..
Typically on the roof

I was walking the dogs this morning and noticed a flock of pigeons sitting on top of the solar panels on a roof. Got me to wondering how much pigeon poop builds up on those panels, and how that would impact electricity generation.

 

[InOmaha]

I was walking the dogs this morning and noticed a flock of pigeons sitting on top of the solar panels on a roof. Got me to wondering how much pigeon poop builds up on those panels, and how that would impact electricity generation.

Our large scale solar plants have a reference panel. When dust (or whatever) accumulates and the power degrades X percent from reference, it signals they need cleaning. That can be manual cleaning or automated. The reference panel is cleaned by plant personnel on a schedule.

 

[Daryl]

We have public power here. It's cheap.

I did the solar calculations using my lot, coincidence angles, hours of sunlight, irradiation tables, etc. Compared to use loads throughout the day.

I'm a power plant design engineer, so I did my own real study.

It never pays off, because our power is like water here, cheap and plentiful.


View attachment 474794

My home weatherstation collects solar data now in case I want even more accurate data for another study.

Wish our rates were that low. We pay .40 cents per KWh. Yesterday the PUC gave PG&E the okay to raise rates above that.

 

[InOmaha]

Wish our rates were that low. We pay .40 cents per KWh. Yesterday the PUC gave PG&E the okay to raise rates above that.

I would have Solar in SoCal. Of course it's required now too. If you pull a permit to do any work in your house it's now required you add solar to the project and have gas lines removed to the home.

Wind is a better option here but I couldn't put up a tower and turbine because of zoning laws

Yeah..... government.

 

[KennethS]

Our large scale solar plants have a reference panel. When dust (or whatever) accumulates and the power degrades X percent from reference, it signals they need cleaning. That can be manual cleaning or automated. The reference panel is cleaned by plant personnel on a schedule.

So what does a residential customer who is an elderly person with no reference panel or maintenance personnel do?

 

[Apparition]

I would have Solar in SoCal. Of course it's required now too. If you pull a permit to do any work in your house it's now required you add solar to the project and have gas lines removed to the home.

Wind is a better option here but I couldn't put up a tower and turbine because of zoning laws

Yeah..... government.

The oil refinery near us is putting in hundreds of acres of solar panels on what used to be crop ground.

Locally our power is nuclear and I spend on average about $110/month for 4 levels and 3000 sqft with an electric heated garage.

 

[Daryl]

I spend on average about $110/month for 4 levels and 3000 sqft with an electric heated garage.

That would cost you over a thousand dollars a month to do that here.

 

[Apparition]

That would cost you over a thousand dollars a month to do that here.

My neighbor has solar panels on their roof and two teslas.

 

[InOmaha]

So what does a residential customer who is an elderly person with no reference panel or maintenance personnel do?

Hope for rain or clean them every month?

 

[cliffish]

That would cost you over a thousand dollars a month to do that here.

I do that almost every month now

 

[CreepinDeth]

Delete

 

[CreepinDeth]

Also, consider this. Most of the homes in my neighborhood are of similar size and floor plan. You are a buyer looking at 2 homes. One of them has is a conventional home and pays about $400 a month for electricity in our market. The other has a solar installation and the electric cost is $14 a month. Which one is more marketable, and in turn, will bring a higher price?
I didn’t install my solar to save the world or make my house more valuable. Those were just extras that came with the install. I did it because it made financial sense and it has been a great investment.

You did the install yourself and theres no debt obligation contract to a 3rd party??

Give us the details , Im curious what your total cost was if this is the case. What panels?? Your utility bill being $400 seems pretty high for that size home esp in IL. We lead the nation iirc with 11 nuclear plants

Mine is $250 a month at its peak and Im in Chicagoland (high cost of living) with a 4200sq ft home. my stove and dryer are gas tho, so maybe thats the big hit?

We are nuclear power fed from Byron

 

[KennethS]

Hope for rain or clean them every month?

The last time it rained here was September. And that was barely enough to get the street damp.