Since many of us are not at home during the day, the power produced by your solar will be lost unless you change the way you live or get batteries.
So you need to run the dish washer in the morning, the washing machine in the morning, wait until light before boiling a kettle for some tea? Making breakfast etc etc.
You need to cook dinner in the evening before sun down as well and as some already mentioned only run the electric heading during the day.
Its a bit inconvenient no...
Might be worth trying to find out more? Delaying/Saving for both at the same time. Solar + an Electric Car I am sure in time it be am option when you get a new car .
I figured if I don't do the grid tie, then I could do everything myself. For grid tie, I think you need a licensed electrician to sign off and apply for net metering.
The power is not lost but re-injected to the grid directly, as of 2023, i get Chf 0.186/Kw for my electricity in Vaud.
Fantastic idea and when you need the car there is no battery capacity in the car.
Who covers the battery warranty ?
You would need an inverter, some Mitsubishi have the capacity.
You can only use the power once, either to make a cup of tea or drive somewhere !!
Installed system: 17 kW of panels, plus 15 kWh of battery storage
The below covers the Summer months of June, July and August . Obviously, this is the time of year when the system is running at it's best.
4000 kWh of power produced by the solar panels.
3000 kWh of power exported/sold to the grid.
1000 kWh of power used to run the house.
10 kWh of power purchased from the grid.
Each night we would use between 3 to 7 kWh from the battery, and the battery was recharged each following day. So we were 99% self-sufficient, saving us about CHF 200 in power bills and earning us more than CHF 400 in sold electricity.
As the days get shorter and our heating needs (heat-pumps) increase, we know that our self-sufficiency level is going to drop. Indeed, yesterday it was so grey and overcast that our battery was not able to completely top-up and early this morning the battery ran dry and we started importing some power from the grid for the first time since April. As I type, the battery is starting to refill, though as it is grey and overcast again I doubt it will fill up before this evening.
Our Billing is by 4 quarters and runs Apr, May Jun. The 3rd quarter has not yet been billed, but I can see the production online for Jun, July and August to compare.
It is 3818 kWh from 24 x 400watt panels - 9.6kw
The tech here is also getting better, so more power for less panels..
Obviously it is also related to their positioning? When you research the subject you find differences like this when panels are placed not just in the wrong direction or should I say the best direction but also an optional angle? an angle that is linked to where in the world your place is?
I think it is becoming common knowledge that south facing panels generate more power, but did you know that the angle said panals are placed at can make a difference too.
To our East is a ridge which shadows us from the morning sun a bit. To our South are neighbors and their trees which also cast their shadows across our roof a bit.
For your battery answer I answered already my opinion in another thread, see below. ..
Hi all,
First post but been a reader for many years. Living in CH for 20 years. My 2 cent.
We installed a heat pump a year ago. Totally worth it! Cost 40k, got 8K subsidy (BaselLand) just paid to us, tax benefit worth 10k (could deduct entire invoice from tax bill) so net cost around 22k. Our electrical bill before was 1k now about 3k. We had oil before and roughly paid 3k for annual oil supply (now 5K) and 1k for service of old oil system (bought house 4 years ago but system was old, constant winter repairs needed). So an average yearly (based on last 2 years) cost of 5K with oil and service. So 2K savings a year. The heat pump will pay for itself in 12 years, 15 years if oil goes back to previous levels. As we don`t have a service contract with the heat pump. Plus we gained a whole room in the cellar, before an ugly place, now retiled and put to great use and without the horrible smell.
For solar I`m now very interested but was very confused. This forum helped a great deal. I was completely thrown by the use of the battery. As if you include this is makes no financial sense at all. 10k a battery (we would need 2 for our needs and your have to replace every 10 years). After realizing the battery was more of a need to feel to be `off grid`it makes no sense financially first but practically also. As in summer when battery is full you still need to sell excess and in winter still buy from grid.
So for calculations I used the IKEA solar est which I read here and elsewhere is pretty accurate ball park. We have a 120m2 roof with good solar coverage. I entered we would need heat pump usage and electric car etc. We would need a 16.0 KWp system (about 40-50 panels) which would produce 16,000 Kwh a year. Lucky for use in our region you can sell back to grid to provider at 18.75c / KWh. So 3k a year if you sold all. Meaning our electrical bill would be <1k a year. Selling in summer and buying in winter.
Costs worth it for solar? Got 2 quotes so far without battery, both around 40k. Subsidy about 7k, 10K tax rebate, so 23k net. Again due to heat pump our electrical bills are now 3K falling to 1K if we implement based on calculations. So again a 12-15 year repay strategy. So with our experience of heat pump I`m 100% in now. Just have to be patient with a 12 months waiting list. :-).
Also see below for CH opening up to solar, prices to feed grid will only go up.
We searched 5 quotes from local power company etc to local companies best quote and references were from guys you don`t supply them but manage the process like project managers. Very impressed! Worst quote and impression from talking to contact was local power company, basically said well get back to you in a year :-) Now we should have everything installed by March next year.
Also the type of solar panel is very important, we bought Sun Power MAXEON (430wp) rolls royce of sun panels with a 40 year guarantee, that says after 40 years still has 80% efficiency.
I may sound like a crazy sales person for solar company but I`m not, just did heavy research for a few months before I bought, just maybe a help to fellow people you like me were so confused as if worth it or not. As said above depends on your enegry needs!
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Re: Solar for the home
Quote:
roegner
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Why avoid batteries (serious question as I am looking into solar panels as well)?
Thanks
You need batteries cause solar produces power only during the day and not at night [obviously]. So you need to use it or lose it in effect.
Since many of us are not at home during the day, the power produced by your solar will be lost unless you change the way you live or get batteries.
So you need to run the dish washer in the morning, the washing machine in the morning, wait until light before boiling a kettle for some tea? Making breakfast etc etc.
You need to cook dinner in the evening before sun down as well and as some already mentioned only run the electric heading during the day.
Its a bit inconvenient no...
Was trying to reply to post above, makes no sense, in winter they are useless, in summer you would sell to grid, plus the cost, have to renew every 10 years and you lose enegry going to battery and from battery.
But I don't really see your linkage between heat-pump (which we have) and solar panels in that the heat pump runs when there is little sun at night and through the winter. A system well over your annual usage costs more and you are selling the excess production to your electric company at, in our case, just over half the amount it costs to buy.
But yes, you are doing good things to help the supply of energy...
Maybe from asteroid mining, but that is further away in the future than we have time do do it.