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  • solar power without using batteries?

    So I'm trying to use solar panels during the day to reduce the energy bills, without a) having a grid tie system, because the utility company around here is crooked, and b) without batteries, because I don't want to waste expansive space, and have half a ton of lead acid laying around. So the idea is to have the solar panels reduce the energy bill during the day only. How is this possible? I've been completely clueless until yesterday where 7 people told me it can't be done, and 1 person said you could use a grid tie system, with a power meter, and set the power meter to never send any power to the utility, that way the solar panels are combined with the outlet to result in reduced energy use from the utility, is this true? can this be done? If not what other ways are there to get the same result?

  • #2
    Originally posted by sergbot View Post
    So I'm trying to use solar panels during the day to reduce the energy bills, without a) having a grid tie system, because the utility company around here is crooked, and b) without batteries, because I don't want to waste expansive space, and have half a ton of lead acid laying around. So the idea is to have the solar panels reduce the energy bill during the day only. How is this possible? I've been completely clueless until yesterday where 7 people told me it can't be done, and 1 person said you could use a grid tie system, with a power meter, and set the power meter to never send any power to the utility, that way the solar panels are combined with the outlet to result in reduced energy use from the utility, is this true? can this be done? If not what other ways are there to get the same result?
    I spent some time looking at that a few years back. You could have an extra motor on your blower shaft, that runs
    off DC to unload the AC motor (such things have been done). You could pump all your water into a tower in the day
    time, and heat or preheat your water then. Cook only in sun, store enough thermal to make it through the night. A
    DC fridge runs on the sun and freezes some state change energy bags; a higher set thermostat supplies line power
    to the DC supply if the fridge isn't maintaining.

    The problem is, you are forced to use the power at the extremely limited times its available, really not the right time.
    It gets complicated fast, and the amount of energy that can be saved is limited. In other words you need practical,
    BIG TIME storage, and the current state of the art only gives you that in a grid tie system. good luck, Bruce Roe

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    • #3
      It's not necessarily a daytime only thing . More like a mid morning to mid afternoon only thing. The amount of power available is limited early and late in the day unless you have virtual or actual tracking. Even then the insolation coming in at a shallow angle isn't as intense.
      Last edited by littleharbor; 03-10-2017, 11:27 PM.
      2.2kw Suntech mono, Classic 200, NEW Trace SW4024

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      • #4
        There are many grid tie inverters that can be configured to not feed into the grid ( grid zero). This is not very efficient with out batteries as the system has no place to put power if there is no consumption. You still need a permit and an interconnect. It is an easier interconnect without any feed in.
        The power meter is not doing anything but telling the inverter the net power (consumption ). The inverter uses the invormation from the meter to regulate the production.
        OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

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        • #5
          You could use SMA SunnyBoy inverters in their "Secure Power" mode to produce up to 2000w each to dedicated loads during the daytime. Not very practical or economical, but it could be done.
          BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installed

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          • #6
            Originally posted by solarix View Post
            You could use SMA SunnyBoy inverters in their "Secure Power" mode to produce up to 2000w each to dedicated loads during the daytime. Not very practical or economical, but it could be done.
            this does NOT meet the requirement. It will not draw from the grid. Basically the "Secure Power" mode will provide power to the outlet ONLY when sun is sufficient to power the device, other wise it will be unpowered.

            OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

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            • #7
              That and it must be manually activated when the grid is down and deactivated when the grid is back to get the inverter to sync back to the grid.
              2.2kw Suntech mono, Classic 200, NEW Trace SW4024

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