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Not to mention if the POCO's can get the net metering payback reduced like they did in Nevada.
IMO it is a gamble to purchase a system that over produces with hope of getting back that investment based on how much my extra generation is worth to someone else.
Maybe in CA where the rates keep going up and the people keep complaining about it but do nothing to stop it.
Heck, my POCO is Duke Energy and it is now considered the worst electric utility in the country yet my rates are now ~ $0.095/kWh for the 1st 1000kWh which is lower then they were 8 years ago. It is hard to complain about that cost which unfortunately makes it real hard to justify installing a personal solar pv system. The payback could exceed 15 years in most cases.Comment
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Thanks for the lively discussion guys...
Getting back on topic, I understand that trying to offset tier 1&2 usage is not really cost effective but I want to leave enough margin for myself if I plan to buy another EV. Model 3 is coming out and 25 yrs is a looong time. So who knows what will happen to EV landspace in that timeframe. Looking at my numbers with 120% system, I will use up almost all the energy with my EV and second AC. (ignoring TOU for now). So I dont think I am over by that much.
What happens when I buy another EV? Also, my kids are young (< 10 yrs), I am sure my energy usage will go up as they grow older.
Looking at all this, I "think" 120% or ~6kWh system is where I want to be.
Now i am back to drawing board about string vs micro inverters? Yes, I understand the cost difference but my bigger concern is system life over 25 yrs. I would love to save some money now by going with a cheaper system but not at the cost of compromising future performance or reliabilty or production. I dont mind the extra expense now for better odds of not having a problem down the road.
I like the LG panels (deciding between 310 vs 320) because of their specs and looks. So most probably thats what I will pick.
Uptill now I was thinking of going with Enphase M250 or S280 and am okay with the cost of such system but after reading some more, I am not so sure I want micro-inverters! I am pretty handy around the house but hate going on the roof and equally hate the idea of calling someone every so often to take care of a issue. Again, I would rather spend a little extra right now for better odds of not having a problem.
Comments?Comment
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I don't think you should ignore TOU because that's likely the best plan for you if EV charging is significant portion of the your electric usage. Modeling using tiered rate plan won't be accurate. I have PG&E and EV and switched to EV-A. The modeling result is quite different from tiered rate plan. Also, PVWatts model seems to be only accurate within 20% (a big range) due to weather variation (El Nino seems to have impacted my solar production significantly). On top of that PG&E changes rates to complicate things further. For example, the most recent PG&E rate changes increased partial-peak and peak rates significantly which increased my NEM credits significantly since I export most of my solar production during partial-peak and peak hours even though my overall solar production has been significantly below PVWatts model. So, it's looking like I will get to using a lot more A/C in the summer for free. All in all, I don't think it's practical to project with high accuracy given all the variables. Lastly, I think you can get better pricing for LG/Enphase in the Bay Area.
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OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNHComment
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I actually think offsetting tier 1&2 makes perfect sense. With my system cost, if it works flawlessly for 20 yrs, and with PVWatts' conservative estimation, my initial investment (not counting time value) works out to 6c/KWh which is cheaper than any tier currently and most likely in the future, but more than the wholesale generation credit of 4c/KWh. So selling back is normally not economically. I'm sure with EV-TOU factored in, my cost would be way less than 6c/KWh.
My guess is that EV will play a major part in the future of transportation. Think about self-driving and shared economy etc. So your electricity usage may very well go up in the future, but unless it will for sure happen in the next few years, budgeting 30% over capacity in anticipation might be a tough sell. You can always add more panels with SolarEdge or Enphase later if you have to. With SolarEdge, if you plan to add panels later, it would be sensible to oversize your inverter slightly eg. SE6000 instead of SE5000, so at least you don't have to change it later.What happens when I buy another EV? Also, my kids are young (< 10 yrs), I am sure my energy usage will go up as they grow older.
Looking at all this, I "think" 120% or ~6kWh system is where I want to be.
LG 310/320 is a solid choice even if it's slightly more expensive. Personally I think the SolarEdge P300-400 optimizer is a better match and safer choice than Enphase S280.I like the LG panels (deciding between 310 vs 320) because of their specs and looks. So most probably thats what I will pick.
Uptill now I was thinking of going with Enphase M250 or S280 and am okay with the cost of such system but after reading some more, I am not so sure I want micro-inverters! I am pretty handy around the house but hate going on the roof and equally hate the idea of calling someone every so often to take care of a issue. Again, I would rather spend a little extra right now for better odds of not having a problem.
Comments?16xLG300N1C+SE6000[url]http://tiny.cc/ojmxyx[/url]Comment
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Your young kids will use more electricity as they get older but if they're like my teenager, as they get older, more and more of their electricity will be super off peak. I think my kid is a vampire, taking a nap after dinner, then staying up all night.
Looking to save on the inverter, I don't know if the Enphase Envoy box is required? I assume one would always want it even if not required. That's a $500 replacement with a 2 year warranty. I've said in some of my other posts, this was a big negative about Enphase for me. I've not had anyone downplay or say that's not something to worry about. If one of these boxes has to be replaced every 6 years, that's expensive.Comment
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If there's a minimum charge, sometimes it makes sense to offset all but that chage, otherwise you're generating $10 more electricity / month but not getting paid for it, as it were.
But hey, if you're planning for a bigger load soon, or even if you aren't, it's hard to calibrate things that exactly.Comment
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work, possibly. They will have a different MPPT hunt due to the wider range (8V to 80V vs 8V to 48V).
The max DC input amps is lower than the P320, as is the ISC rateing
the P320 should be used for high performance for the higher amp input capability (13.75 for P320 vs 12.63 for P400 and 12.5 for P300)
and higher short circuit amp ratting (11 for P320 vs 10 for P400 and P300).
Some (lower) high performance modules will fall in the range of the P300 and P400
OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNHComment
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I think I am decided on the system size and panels. Just going back and forth between Enphase vs SolarEdge. I do have partial shading some hours of the day.
I already have quotes for enphase at $3.65.
Trying to get a quote for SE system with optmizers for same panels.
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Got the quote from same place for SE300 optimizer and SE7600 with same panels lg320s. Its 1.5k cheaper at $3.38/Watts
I am fine with the price of either config but my biggest concern is long term reliability...
Decisions... decisions...Last edited by activemind; 05-18-2016, 06:56 PM.Comment
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