Building Reserve and Using KWH

[J.P.M.]

Only outdoors. Bruce

FWIW and if anyone cares, I often wear one in my Christian Science Reading Room. (bathroom). Just sayin'.

[bcroe]

maybe you should wear a mask

Only outdoors. Bruce

[SunEagle]

Experience today.

I started regarding running the hot air furnace blower as in conflict with
saving energy, even though it activated my electrostatic air filter. When
solar finally provided the energy for free, I started running the blower
10 minutes out of every 30 and noticed a dramatic reduction in dust in
the air, reading on my Air Quality Monitors, and actually visible.

Today we got hit with smoke from Canadian wild fires, visible and considered
hazardous to your health. It certainly affected my solar production, lowering
power by at least 15%. In my not-so-tight 70s home the monitor PM2.5
went from its usual less than 1, to 11. To counter this, I set my blower on
continuous operation. PM2.5 within a couple hours dropped to less than 2,
and by evening was far less than 1. I take this as vindication, that the
electrostatic air filter is truly effective at removing dust from the air I breathe.
Bruce Roe

matbe you should wear a mask

[bcroe]

Experience today.

I started regarding running the hot air furnace blower as in conflict with
saving energy, even though it activated my electrostatic air filter. When
solar finally provided the energy for free, I started running the blower
10 minutes out of every 30 and noticed a dramatic reduction in dust in
the air, reading on my Air Quality Monitors, and actually visible.

Today we got hit with smoke from Canadian wild fires, visible and considered
hazardous to your health. It certainly affected my solar production, lowering
power by at least 15%. In my not-so-tight 70s home the monitor PM2.5
went from its usual less than 1, to 11. To counter this, I set my blower on
continuous operation. PM2.5 within a couple hours dropped to less than 2,
and by evening was far less than 1. I take this as vindication, that the
electrostatic air filter is truly effective at removing dust from the air I breathe.
Bruce Roe

[bcroe]

In comparing my system to a 2 axis tracker near my latitude, I note a tracker difference
in kWh collected of about 10:1 between May and December. Of course the days
in Dec are shorter, but my fixed E-W array only has a difference of about 3:1. Not sure
this difference is enough to really matter.

But in the tracker pictures I always see clouds, which a tracker cannot compensate
for. Here I put a second set of panels on my fixed supports (which cost more than
the panels) and face them E and W. With clouds the light is dispersed, so ALL the
panels are active, nearly doubling my output. I believe this is why my Dec production
is much better. No other extra equipment is required, the E strings are simply
connected in parallel with the W panels, hardly any more weight or wind loading on
the supports. Bruce Roe

[bcroe]

i hope it works out for you Bruce

I would start out, do not hold your breath for results. But some thoughts are what happens
in 7 years when my original Net Metering contract runs out? With a 4/0 aluminum feed
out to the shed, I still have the original 3 X #4 copper also going out there, wired in
parallel with the aluminum to reduce losses a bit. But with a bit of work, the new box
would be primary in the shed, not a sub box. Then I might use the 4 ga for some other power
back to the house. One possibility is use the original #4 neutral for an unregulated 24VDC
supply, which could be regulated down to 12V or whatever to be low power backup to
communications stuff like TV ant distribution, internet connect devices, maybe a couple
lights in either building. The return would be the substantial #6 ground connecting everything.

The other #4 pair might be used to bring serious DC solar to the house, where it might be
dealing with heat pumps or the dual element electric water heater. Or….
Bruce Roe

[SunEagle]

Lately I am thinking about mini split Heat Pumps that can run directly on solar panels. All
the variable speed units start by creating Direct Current, then chop that to run an induction
motor. Inverting panel DC to line AC, and then back to HP unit internal DC sounds kind of
inefficient. I wonder what levels the HPs use, and what could be done toward leaving the
Power Co AC out of the picture? I am thinking of organizing some wiring to bring DC to my
house, no details worked out. I know my regular AC inverters will not allow a ground connection.
Bruce Roe

i hope it works out for you Bruce

[bcroe]

Lately I am thinking about mini split Heat Pumps that can run directly on solar panels. All
the variable speed units start by creating Direct Current, then chop that to run an induction
motor. Inverting panel DC to line AC, and then back to HP unit internal DC sounds kind of
inefficient. I wonder what levels the HPs use, and what could be done toward leaving the
Power Co AC out of the picture? I am thinking of organizing some wiring to bring DC to my
house, no details worked out. I know my regular AC inverters will not allow a ground connection.
Bruce Roe

[bcroe]

I thought half a century ago it was worked out, utilities were regulated monopolies which were
allowed to collect rates for a reasonable return. My electric was simple, there was a fixed charge
to cover keeping equipment maintained in place, and a variable charge directly tied to the
amount of energy I was taking. I am still following that, but with Net Metering the Po Co is
receiving some extra benefits. One is I am helping level there load by delivering my peak
power when my neighbors are running the AC. Another is keeping my surplus generation,
collecting for it from my neighbors EVEN INCLUDING the transmission charge, even though
there was no transmission cost past my street. We can also claim to be a bit more green.

Now we just put one of our IL politicians is prison for bribes from the utilities, but we have not
undone the improper regs he got passed. Not long ago the gas co was convicted of big time
fraud. I would like to see ALL of those found promoting fraud in prison, no more settlements
with cash payoffs coming from us the public, no saying no admission of guilt.

Currently I am doing my best to do OK while staying within the rules. I also have a security
light at the street transformer pole, get billed for that every month. I certainly feel they are
getting all they deserve, no feeling that I owe them anything. Meantime there is this shell
game which obscures who is doing what, I see it killed our regulated monopoly concept.

Last year a surge affecting many of us knocked out the TV, some GFIs, and the control
board of a door opener. I got the TV working again, but had to buy another control
board (the other door controls I designed decades ago are still fine). Po Co policy says
they will compensate for line fault caused damage. But when I submitted it, they refused
to pay, because THEY had not recorder the fault. Bruce Roe

[scrambler]

Ultimately, it is just a game of label, if they consider they need more money from us, they will take it and we have little ways to be able to review their math as we do not have access to all the business-related data and costs...

So the way I make peace with it is that as long as I am using the grid as my battery to send my surplus away when it suits me, and so I get credited for when I actually use some from the grid, then it is fair game I pay something for using the grid that way

[bcroe]

I see my connect fee as taking care of maintenance, and the energy fee as
proportional to the cost of buying energy. Fixed costs and variable costs.

If this is not true, the deal was already wrong when I just kept my bill total
under $20 (3 decades ago). Nobody ever said being frugal was wrong.
Bruce Roe

[Mike 134]

I think paying a fee for transmission is not so much about the physical transport of your power from point A to point B, but more about contributing to the maintenance and development of the grid, which you do depend on.....

YEP!!!! My thoughts too!!! Illinois did change the solar business model it is no longer one for one with new installations. They only pay for the energy generated. They did grandfather those of us who installed prior to the change.

[scrambler]

I think paying a fee for transmission is not so much about the physical transport of your power from point A to point B, but more about contributing to the maintenance and development of the grid, which you / we do depend on.....

[bcroe]

Not being part of the supplier bidding system, I am swapping kWh 1 for 1 between seasons,
no money is exchanged, paying the usual connect fee to keep facilities in place. Lately the
Po Co has said this is unfair, because I am not paying the cost of transporting energy from
the plant to my location. I say yes there is a cost, but it was paid in advance when
my neighbors used my power, but were billed for it including transport by the Po Co.
Bruce Roe

[Mike 134]

I never said any such thing. Go read it again. Bruce Roe

I saw this All the excuses for not allowing this are just a smokescreen to the truth. Bruce Roe" . Though is was about dropping the credit for distribution from your system.

What were you trying to say?