If you are in DFW, don't hesitate to reach out: 972 675 7725 ( call or text) or shoot me an email: info@solartimeusa.com If you are not, you can also reach out, I do solar consultations and quotes review all the time :) Other than that, leave some thoughts down below! :)
Hi martyna , am zain with energy engineering and 3 years experience in solar project management with USA based Solar companies , i do freelancing on Upwork and in top 3% talent . I can provide you design plans set within 90$ ... Let me know if we can work . Thanks
I've worked for multiple utility companies in my lifetime. As much as we want to see them as the enemy. Truth is: they are the ones that invested billions of dollars in the grid not us. I'm not suggesting everything they do is above board. I've seen the scams firsthand. My advice is to design a system large enough to handle 100% of your load, without planning to sell any of the power back. With the price of solar panels dropping, the price of inverters dropping and the price of battery storage dropping it is still a huge expense, still payback is typically around 7 years. Obviously everyone's needs are not the same so there is no cookie cutter solution. I just don't think it's fair to look at utility companies as if they are the bad guy. With the price of solar dropping more and more people are going off grid so you can't really blame them for putting in limits. I do find it comical (and hypocritical) that the people of California LOVE to preach about how green they are, then they turn around and protect power companies allowing them to gut net metering.
I am also in TX, in Garland, with Garland Power and Light, I get 1:1 down to zero and when I go negative, I get about 8.2¢ per kWh, I had a -$40 bill last month. Another really cool thing is Garland is we have a combined electric, water, trash bill, so any negative credit from my solar goes towards the bottom line. My solar helps to pay my water bill!
Why you have 26K subs , you should have over 500K , because info you are giving is so helpful and so accurate , also very very honest. TNX. I use 5kw Solar in Thailand String after watch your videos and with the price of less than 4500 USD it cut my bill over 50% up to 65 % and I use AC during Day most of the time.
I don't do buy back, we are "Off GRID" only. I don't sell my electricity at ridiculously low rates, I use it or store it. Eliminating the grid bill all together, was always my goal. $16,000.00 later, we get buy or do without...
From my experience owning solar for 8 years. I wish i would have gone bigger. My 100% offset is not cutting it with panels getting dirty (drops production ) or panel degradation etc. with the push for electrification of everything- EV, heatpump ac and water heater etc. When sizing consider what your future needs will be. Its not EASY to add panels coz 2/3 of the cost is installation. Better get it all done at one time so you are not losing too much on labor costs.
I agree with your thinking. The original installation on my rooftop was about right but could not keep production uop with the summer heat from mid-may through September. Adding panels to the west facing side really mad the difference, especially in the late afternoon when the heat and humidity really kick up. Once the local provider starts to complain about excess over production, I can shut one of the strings during the winter/fall months.
Thank you for sharing. Thats definitely a point of view, do you mind sharing what inverter set up you got back then? Maybe its worth it now to add to your system, since 30% tax credit can be applied to the additional panels as well. My family home got a 27 kw system that was oversized at about 150%, we used to generate a ton of credits and even got a check for 3k back from Green Mountain energy for the power the bought back from us... unfortunately they changed the policy and now most of providers in our area will kick you off the plan if you are over producing too much on those best buybacks. So we are forced to shop around every few months, for now or just use more power at home, so we dont net negative.
@@solartimeusa 5.9 kw system with solar edge with optimizers. Adding to my system now would kick me off of NEM 1 (pge cali) which is a 1:1 credit to NEM 3 wholesale rate buyback. Thats another thing to consider when sizing with the thought of adding in the future. Being grandfathered to a really good net metering complicates things if your utility will kick you off of your existing agreement if you make any changes to your system.
@@derekr5327 Depending on what size requirements are for NEM1.0, you can add on to the system providing you don't exceed a certain size limit and knowing what that is... 🙏
Great video Martyna, excellent work. I am in Southern California and the rates are first tier 2:09 42.5 cents a KW and 2nd tier is 52.5 cents a KW. Buy back is between 3-5 cents a KW. Total rip off. Battery is required to make is worth it here
WTF..... Please forgive my language that is crazy.... I have read so much about changes in the policy, and they supposedly wanted to force homeowners into battery adoption and shaving their peak demands.... Thank you for sharing.
@@solartimeusa The residential solar market used to be California was 50% of the sales came from California. With the changes to the buy back rates forcing all solar to include battery backup and with interest rates between 7-10% interest, the California solar market sales are down 80%. Most solar companies have gone out of business.
@@jayroth9798 I really hate it… so many people with systems with no service. I just hope Texas will Not follow suit. The battery intro needs to be gradual. Not forced like so.
Martyna, All good things discussed! I would like to add that even though your system might/could be oversized(like mine; 13.5kW + 25kWh Batteries-5), there are changing circumstances that can work in your favor 1) utility cost increase 2) My battery sizing is maxed out, short of mounting on the inside of the garage(currently exterior of the garage), but in the future technology will change and allowing to increase battery size, pending any future battery composition of materials used. I say this as in CA, the LACoF(Fire) codes are so behind, my installer/owner knew more than the LAco Fire (to include the Chief!). 3) In CA, i have Southern California Edison(SCE), which allows for the use of the solar/battery before PTO(Permission to operate), BUT one can't collect solar sold back to the grid until PTO is granted(also a discrepancy between Enphase NEM3.0 rates and SCE)! I'm currently still waiting for Fire to inspect installation of batteries... Hope this helps🙏
Great summary. The City of Tallahassee, FL offers true 1:1 net metering via kWH hours tracked within the smart bi-directional meter. Their connection agreement says they can zero out the balance annually, but they never have since they would have to change out the meter. It's the best net metering program I have heard about.
Here in Gainesville, Florida I enjoy 1:1 net metering with Gainesville Regional Utilities -- the most expensive electric rates in the state at about 18 cents/kWH. With 10.8 KW on my roof, I usually have a small carryover at the end of the year, which GRU then credits me at the wholesale rate of 5.6 cents per kWH, thus it doesn't behoove me to add any more panels. If GRU switches away from net metering, then it's batteries here I come -- I have already set aside a savings account specifically for that purpose.
Great video Martyna. You forgot to mention on the net metering or buy back plans, you still have to pay the Transmission fee (TDU). So on the one to one plans, it's not really 1 to 1 still have to pay some TDU fees. Where i am at it is about 5 cents KW. Also should talk about 'Real Time Market Rate'. Some providers offer this as a buyback but what does it mean, how does it work?
10:45 Yes, batteries give users a level of impedance. Grid goes down, power stays on. Your spot on on sizing the system. I recommend that everyone, take advice the from the video, very well done as well at the series. ❤
Good content! My Electric provider in Oklahoma only buys excess power at the wholesale rate which is usually about $.02 per KWH. The billing is net usage per month with credit for overproduction. During spring, fall and winter I earn credits of about $2 to $10 and usage rates are fixed. During the summer they have a TOU rate so I use batteries to make sure I never have net use during the high rate between 2 and 7 pm. My system isn't big enough to cover all my power in the summer, I think mainly because I have an old 10 SEER A/C. My usage looks a lot like your chart at the 5:40 point. Next step is to put in a heat pump and level out the usage over the year so the system is more cost effective. My electric company also limits solar to 125% of power consumed.
It's hard to tell with the lack of detail in the billing calculation. As a net buyer of electricity most of the summer months they don't show if the extra solar produced during peak hours is credited at the higher wholesale rate. The one month I was a net seller (September) I did see a higher value for the peak hours in the credit.
We live in upstate NY and have net metering meaning kwh for kwh. There is a $26 charge that is always charged if your bill is zero. In effect the grid is our battery.
That is the best out there. Good for you! Lets hope in the future they grandfather you into it, if they ever decide to change. :) Thank you for sharing!
Martyna, I live in Western NY close to Niagara Falls. Yes, the Net Metering in NY is the best. Kwh per Kwh. I can also add that you can cary over your credits from year to year. I signed a 20-year contract with New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG). There is a basic connect charge based on you solar array size. On May 17th, 2023 my 4.6 array was turned on. I am close to the one year anniversary and have a 1,500 kwh credit now. I have learned that NYSEG prior to me getting solar always estimated my usage at least 100 kwh more each month which is the reason I have all the extra credits. I will be adding 5 additional panels to support the EV I am getting this month. Also, am getting a 30 kwh Battery. I will benefit from not having power outages and be ready for when the SHTF coming soon at a theater near you😂. I am running 11 Sunpower 425 w panels and micro inverters. I love my array. My cost after tax credits is $8,700. Not bad I think. I did see your video about string inverters vs micro inverters. You had kahones to stick your neck out. Jak ci Wisi?😂😂 I still like my micro inverters but will rethink future panel installs. The 5 additional panels I am having installed this month will be DC Coupled. BTW, there is an in-depth video about micro inverters/power optimizers and string inverters. Here is the link to "Gary Does Solar" : PART 1 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9GvhDhCSJgo.htmlsi=EazO65D3DYLSfrRO PART 2 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ESpsdMFEFZo.htmlsi=HdDlobain2_GZxBc Enjoy!!
Thank you Martyna for taking the time toi deliver this segment. ** Please note, I would warn your customers to stay away from the variable or "market pricing" buyback. While they advertise a buyback of up to 25 cents per KWhr, this is extremely rare case. Variable market pricing is done in 15 minute increments and typically they may buy back your electricity at less than a penny per KWhr and selling it to you at 11 cents or higher. You will have a large bill during the summer. My provider is TXU and currently I am on their 1:1 match program. I can carry credits up to $1,000 through the end of the contract. At least for today, they are not capping you at the month and allow the carryover. The only costs I incur is the monthly fee and ONCOR charges. Whlie my neighbors and relatives are screaming about their $500-$700 summer bills, I average $35 for the ONCOR fees. Thanks again and looking forward to more of these typoe of videos, you really dived well into the battery vs no-battery situation.
Thank you so much for sharing and you are so so right! Side note I just signed my family up for the TXU plan. I am working on a 4 year update video on our family house in Lucas. :) Thats coming out soon. You are so right about those RTW!!! I hate how misleading it is.... " up to 25 cents!" - almost never happens!
Hello Martyna. Love it when you post videos. We just returned from DFW after viewing the solar eclipse. I live in Nevada with a tiny 4 kWh system containing ten panels. NV Energy charges about 13 cents per kWh and pays a net metering rate of 75%. Our system covers all our electricity, but they keep raising all the other basic service fees. Now they want to double or triple the basic fee because so many people are switching to solar. Monopoly is ripping us off!
Hi, Thank you for the comment and I hope yall liked spending time in TX! :) It was definitely an EPIC day! Thanks for sharing the rates... I am sorry about those base fees... hopefully one day you can add enough battery and solar to say BYE and go off grid!
@@solartimeusa I also decided not to get a bigger system because I didn't want the energy monopoly from profiting from my solar investment. I would love to get off the grid and become energy independent someday. Sincerely, Andrew
Some states are trying to pass rules where you get charged per KW of solar installed too. I believe that was shot down in Cali but watch and see - they will try to do it again and likely in other states. They will also make it illegal to go off-grid too - bet on it! The utility friendly politicians need to GO.
Great video! At this time our buyback is 1 to 1 in Maryland with SMECO as our provider. Our solar company, Energy Select Solar from St Mary's county, sized it right at close to 100%.. Sometimes it produces a little over, sometimes a little under.
I’m in east Texas and on Panola Harrison COOP. Our rates run .09 to .11 cents per kWh. When I installed mine 2 years ago they were giving.05 cents per kWh sell back and recently they cut it to .03 cents. At the .05 I could build credits and cancel out a $9.00 monthly fee, at .03 I can’t build credits for the hottest part of the summer. When I asked why they cut the buy back rate since they haven’t cut sell rate they couldn’t offer a reason.
I'm sorry to hear that. coops tend to do better with"grandfathering " people into previous buybacks. Maybe in the next few years when batteries make more sense, you will be able to get a battery and then flip them o**! :D Thank you for sharing.
Could you explain a good TOU example? I do not wish to monitor credits from utility company. Would rather build a small enough system with battery to off set peak cost. Maybe also charge a little of the battery with off-peak grid rates.
electric cost =$ 0.098 / 1-kwh, buy back = $0.03 / kwh. don't forget, they also charge fees, taxes and delivery fees. TARA ENERGY. Located in Arlington TX. I'm currently trying to get a battery bank to cover my night time electric usage. I would love to cut the power cable.
Co-op south of Dallas has monthly net metering and I don't mind excess solar going to the grid. Was targeting 14kW of panels for growth and future EV/PHEV. You made me compare pvwatts monthly results, 10-14kW, against my highest recent year. 10kW of panels exceeded 6 of 12 months and only required grid 802 kWh total for the summer months - less than the cost of an additional panel. But 10kW still seems a bit small with the lower panel prices.
You can always go bigger, but the only downside to it is, that some retailers like chariot do not like what's called " net consumer" they kicked me off their plan because I exported too much! :) Prices are very low now for sure so going bigger might be an idea worth considering.
Thanks Martyna. Very helpful video and very timely, now that most if not all REPs do not provide net metering here in Oncor service area in Frisco. That said is there a REP who is still net metering.
I’m in Beaverton (suburb of Portland) Oregon and get a 1:1 payback which is great but I’ve heard they’re thinking about changing this in other parts of Oregon. My only problem is the true up they do at the end of the year. I over produced and that gets donated by PGE to low income customers. Problem with that is the true up was in March and I didn’t produce enough to cover my usage in April and couldn’t use my excess (because it was donated the month before) so I ended up having to pay $192 in April. I found out that I could change the true up month so I changed it to April. I’ll still get the short end of the straw one month a year but shouldn’t be as much in April.
In the UK, we bought a house where solar was installed in 2011 under the FIT scheme. At that time, for 25 years you'd get paid an inflation linked amount for what you generated, and then another amount for export. The export is paid as 50% of what you've generated (whether you use it or not). The generation rate for us is currently is ~72p and deemed export ~5p. I think that makes our generation rate about 90 US cents per kWh. These sorts of offers are long gone, and the householder that bought this originally paid a significant sum for it, before moving out 4 years later. We're essentially reaping the return of their capital expenditure.
@@solartimeusa the capital cost was £14.5k for 2kWp in 2011 - at USD/GBP exchange at the time, and inflation adjusted the install cost a cool ~ $32,305. The elderly couple were ripped off. The tariff itself is limited to the size of the original installation (or can be pro-rated out as needed). It's worked out well for us, as the payments cover a significant portion of our annual energy bill.
Thanks for the discussion. I'm hesitant on a solar implementation as the usual location is on the roof. I've had roofers say they will need the system brought offline before they do any work on my roof. Our limited land in NYC makes adding more capacity an issue. Not sure if ConEd will buy back electricity anyway. Thoughts?
I intentionally had the rep set my solar system at 120%. Unfortunately, i was switched from 1:1 to 4:1 in Texas a year ago. No batteries, so yes $100 electric and a loan from my solar. Not happy.
That's another can of worms, but I do want to open that! Need to work on a video on how to tackle an idea like that for people. I do highly recommend WIll Prowse ( here on youtube). He is a great guy for DIY projects with off grid.
I have net metering and my system 10,080 watts used to give me a zero monthly bill. But my utility is always trying to get rid of net metering. MREA has lawyers that fight them. But they have been able to add on charges. So now my bills are almost $100 a month. So I really want to go off grid. I love Will's videos. But would really like to know what you would come up with. Thanks for what you do.
Ohio AEP - we have 1 to 1 net metering. Went live almost 1 year ago. We made it thru 1st winter with still having credit. We have propane heat - and thinking about using more electric heat next winter especially during sunny days to use up the power - credits are good for 12 months. We have a 15kwh ground mount unit. We have to export about 100kwh a month to pay for the meter fee, distribution, etc. after that it’s credit. Best investment I have made. We have 10 yrs before retirement- so will be paid off by then and free power when living in fixed income.
Yes I’ve seen people in the NE talking about replacing their gas furnaces for electric because they make enough solar to cover it. I would love to eliminate that dumb propane bill.
in Thailand they give you 50% net metering.... and you have to pay utility to approve this request and wait couple months for decision. Or you can just slap ongrid inverter on your house and spin old style meter backwards to get 100% back. Just don't spin it to negative and you should be fine
Thanks for the video! Where I live we use a chariot and they do 1-1 but anything we buy we get charged extra by oncor! Anything we buy we always get slapped with extra 4 cents on each kWh 🤯
NOVEC in NOVA still pays 1:1 in credits but they do have a monthly service charge no matter what. They wipe the slate yearly - in January of course. My solution on my next install when I move South where 1:1 doesn't exist will be batteries so I need the power company as little as possible even at night. I've yet to sell credits, I cannot figure out what the heck to do with that.
great video. i would rather run the pool pump 16 hrs/day, and/or buy mini splits and un them, than give any excess KW away to the flori-DUH power companies. ps, who was the cutie in the background? please introduce us. 🤗🤗
I know..... some of these utilities are truly ripping people off. Here is a short intro to Maxi : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bS9QVicnch8.html ( he made an appearance...:) Also here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-je0QQUeTKuw.html haha :) He is glued to my feet :D
I’m using off grid inverters with batteries even though I have 200 amp grid service. TXU and Reliant offer free at night service so I can run my big loads after 8 pm or top off batteries. I don’t want to sell back to the utility because of the extra hassle of permitting and danger of back feeding. If I did have extra solar output in the daytime I wouldn’t care if they benefited from it. The problem is, they don’t need it during the daytime because the solar farms are exploding and I’m really surprised that they still have 1:1 net metering in Grayson and Collin Counties. When the utilities get their own batteries I’m convinced the net metering will be gone. They produce solar power for about $.04 KWH and won’t pay you more than it’s worth.
Hello. Loving your videos, I've learned quite a lot. Question, let's say I'm using an off-grid string inverter and my battery is fully charged, but there's still power being produced by my system. Where does that extra power go? I would still wanna have my grid connection, but not selling back power to the grid.
In a good and correct set up, if your battery is charged and your home is not using any production directly the system should shut down until the usage reemerges. That's exactly to have a place for the power to go. Just like with water, if you cant get more filled into your bucket and the house doesn't need it, the well has to be turned off.
What is your opinion on solar trackers for the sun, they claim that can produce 40% more than fixed panels mounts. Also about micro inverters is good or not.
I personally dont like micro inverters. I have a video about why I prefer string, but in this one you can se my ground mount in my home. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dNa2A25U_gk.html&lc=UgwLCWpN58uj2_toLBd4AaABAg I want to test the trackers but i feel like it adds more maintenance because we add the extra motor that6 has to work. Maybe for the cost of the motor we add a few more panels and we avoid any more possible points of failure.
Electric Utilities have very quickly learned to deal with Solar at least in the N. Texas area. My ROI has been destroyed as a result. I have a TXU buyback Plan which was recommended to me by PowerToChoose. First, they have a monthly charge to have a Buyback. I guess their computers can't figure out what Plan you're on. Next, they don't reimburse for the Distribution Provider - which is nearly 1/2 your bill. Then, you get a credit for your Production, but much less than you produced (I guess your Production goes 1st to what you consume). As a result, my June Bill was $210 even though I produced 1062 kWh that month. I don't have a Battery yet, but I'm sure they'll figure something out before I invest some more. Electric Co-ops are great, but only if you're in their service area. Good Luck to all you others!
I have heavy usage in the winter for electric baseboard but very little in the summer. How would that work out for overproducing in the summer but underproducing in the winter?
It depends on what buyback you have available. If you could get 1 to 1 net metering, you just size the system to where you build up a credit in summer for the high winter usage. But if Net metering is not an option. I would not suggest going too big on system size.
Hi Martyna... When building a new home, do you recommend waiting one year or more before configuring a solar system, or is it possible to estimate the system requirements based on data available from the start?
Hi! A reputable company in your area should have data on homes similar size and its possible usage. So for example in my area, we can pretty accurately estimate usage, and then I always like to start small. Now you don't have to have full 12 months, you can wait to see 1-3 months to see if the forecast the company did is pretty accurate :) I hope that's helpful. You can also reach out to me directly via email: info@solartimeusa.com
I think that some oversizing has benefits as long as you do not have to pay for zending kWh to the company as sometimes is the case in The Netherlands. On moments during the days in summer with full sun can be the case, some people switch off their solar system. When you still get payed for each kWh zend to the company you are getting payed, even is it only 80%, 50% or 10% of the kWh importing price, you have at least more kWh from your PV installation at clouded days (which we have a lot) or in winter, so you have to buy less. In summer you do have over production which still return a small income. The benefit for to company is also small as kWh pricing is then also low between the coupled countries in Europe.
I’m in Delaware and interested in getting solar system with bi-panels and a BLUETTI EP900 + B500 Home Battery Backup system. The net metering with my energy provider states “the amount of energy we deliver to you minus the excess amount you send back to the smart grid” which I believe is good. What’s your opinion? Thanks.
Hi Aaron, Do you plan to do the system yourself or will you be hiring a contractor/installer? Solar systems usually are divided into 2 groups. For DIY customers ( bluetti, anker, ecoflow etc) and those who hire installers instead ( enphase, tesla powerwall 3, SMA, Sol-aredge etc). A lot of installers will not do the DIY style jobs just because its harder to put a warranty on those, but if you would do it yourself, then Blueetti is a cool idea for sure! :)
Gemany here. We pay around 25-30 €-cents for the kWh and get about 8 cents back for each kWh we put in the system. A couple of years ago it was a nice option to oversize because you could get 20-30 cents back. But photovoltaic systems were also more expensive back then. Nowadays it seems to make more sense to go with a PV system that is a little under your current power consumption and potentially buffer with a battery if you have the money to spare. Power outages are not really a problem here.
Danke! :) German was my second language, but unfortunately as I didn't practice after highschool i lost most of what I knew. Thank you for sharing, and yes i agree, going smaller is now in a lot of cases very smart.
In Seattle we have 1:1, with the zero-the-balance event on March 31st. With a 7kw system we"gave" the city-owned utility about 1 MWh per year. Now we have a heat pump, and our generation falls almost a megaWatt-hour short on that date, which led to a $146 bill in April.
Heat pumps use so much power. Did you check out the inverter/variable speed heat pumps? They are supposed to be more efficient than the traditional heatpump.
Very informative. Thanks for making this video. I think it is important to include the possibility of an Electric Vehicle (or 2) in the total electric load when looking at how much solar to purchase. Electric Vehicles substantially increase the total power usage (depending on miles driven)... and the cost savings of powering up your vehicle at night using the solar stored earlier in the day will make a big difference. People might not have an Electric Vehicle now, but if they are planning on getting one it could be a big issue if they didn't size the system to take charging the car(s) into account.
Very very true! I drive one and with my commute to work I put 8-15 kwh per day... 20 work days per month, I use 300 kWh for just work commute. Totally agree!
@@solartimeusa Well, that's basically an entire daily budget of Solar just for your vehicle. There is a "downside" to the method of charging house batteries during day to then charge the car battery at night methodology. Since it is basically the "house budget" worth of charge, you are essentially losing 1 cycle of your total. So for example, if you estimate that your house battery can handle 3650 cycles (10 years), and you use your EV for 5 years... you burned up your house battery 2x faster. Even worse is using your "Car" to run your house, because the car battery pack is much more expensive. The 2 ideas I have for that are: #1 Charge your car at work at the low low price or work from home and charge for free. #2 Find a battery that doesn't care about cycles... like NiFe or something (Tho NiFe is pricey). What are your thoughts about losing house battery cycles to car charging, is there a good solution for that?
South central Missouri credits about .02 for extra sent to the grid. The first year they allowed the credit to lower the total monthly bill now they only allow credits to be used to pay for the KWh you bye. Every customer pays $32 per month for service plus a handful of extras. I always make more than I use so last year my bills ran around $10. Now they steal all extra and sell it to others and my bill is $32 each month. Next for me, change LP water heater to electric and use electric space heaters in the winter. Might run an extension cord to the neighbor and give them some free power.The sad part is Missouri law says all extra produced will be credited to next months bill and if anything is left after a year is lost. Hard to fight the Missouri Electric Co-op club.
I have had solar for 5 years now. The state and federal offset (our tax money) paying half allowed me to buy without a loan. I enjoy not paying for electric other than the $16 a month hook up fee, and on Long Island (as of now) the kw is banked 100%. I expect all this to eventually change and the stealing of electric with no compensation should be a lawsuit. I agree that batteries would reduce the cost of electric during the winter months but I have to circle back that the electric being bought was you own electric to begin with
On PVA dimensioning, battery sustainability, grid serviceability: Since every kWh with a low CO2eq footprint is important, I am in favor of maximum utilization of existing roof surfaces and sealed surfaces (south, east, west roofs and also flat north roofs, facades, noise barriers, parking lot and street canopies...). The PV energy fed into the grid thus displaces coal and gas-fired power plants. If the electricity grid is overloaded by too much (PV / wind) power, storage systems (Li-ion, pumped hydro storage, redox flow...) can be charged with it or the energy can be used for hydrogen (P2G / P2L: Power to Gas / Power to Liquids) (low overall efficiency and therefore high electricity demand). Industries such as chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the steel and cement, aviation and shipping industries, as well as other energy-intensive processes, are likely to require immense quantities of hydrogen / eFuels from PV and wind power (to reduce their climate impact). In order to get away from fossil fuels and their climate and health damage as quickly as possible, it makes sense to install as much PV power as possible on the roof. With the increasing electrification of applications (heat pumps, induction stoves, electromobility, etc.) and more electricity consumption due to technological developments (data centers, smart devices, etc.), the demand for electricity is likely to rise sharply. PV systems usually have high fixed costs due to electricians, scaffolding, planning, paperwork, etc. The costs per kWp PV output are therefore significantly lower for 30 kWp than for 10 kWp (or even just 5 kWp). Always remember that the PV inverter can often be oversized with a small PV yield reduction (approx. less than 2% loss with 1.2-fold oversizing of an east-west PV system with a 30° inclination). Batteries are relatively harmful to the environment: the CO2eq emissions per kWh of capacity are approx. 60 to 200 kg. For 10 kWh of battery capacity, at least 1000 kg of CO2eq are blown into the atmosphere. If several hundred GWh of battery capacity are now sitting around in the basements of homeowners, this means climate damage of several hundred thousand tons of CO2eq. Added to this are many valuable resources such as high-purity copper, which is used in raw quantities. The environmental damage caused by Li-ion batteries would be significantly less if the batteries relieved and supported the power grid. This can be achieved, for example, through peak shaving and grid frequency support. Unfortunately, this is not yet possible in every region or is often not implemented. The grid expansion costs are therefore significantly higher and the grid is much more unstable. Batteries at grid level would be desirable, as grid support would be simpler and the total costs per kWh would be significantly lower than for home storage. Of course, it is unpleasant if the grid operator does not allow full feed-back into the grid. There seem to be many grid operators who don't think much of sustainability. Entertaining RU-vidrs on the subject of sustainability: Just Have a Think, Simon Clark, Climate Town... All in for "Stop Ecocide".
Martyna, w trakcie edycji video zglosnij nieco audio bo w stosunku do innych twój kanał jest zbyt cichy a po obejrzeniu twojego kanału muszę pamiętać o sciszaniu bo inne kanały są znacznie głośniejsze...
we pay pg&e e 52 cents kw they pay back 8 cents very bad 8 cents per kWh According to PV Magazine, NEM 3.0 is a 75% reduction that takes average export rates from 30 cents per kWh to 8 cents per kWh when it went into effect on April 14, 2023.
:( Thank you for sharing and yes, NEM3 cause a ton of businesses to close down due to lack of a good net metering option policy for homeowners in Cali...:(
Idaho Power has changed to the "buy back" model. In one month, I made 1400 KW, but I bought 1000 KW resulting in a bill of $49. It's their push for people to buy batteries.
Price changed as of January this year. If I had my system installed by Dec 2019, it would have been eligible to stay on net-metering. Mine was installed a year after that with no mention that net metering might change.
I suspect all north Texas companies will end up offering real time wholesale buyback which forces you to compete with every other solar producer. I hope battery prices continue to drop because that’s the only option that puts the control back with the home owner.
In North Carolina I am using Duke Energy Progress and I have what is called a hybrid net metering 1:1 plan (at 11 cents per kWh). When my credited kWh brings my bill down to zero then the rest of the kWh are credited at 3.4 cents per kWh. Unfortunately there is a minimum bill also that makes it very difficult to get to zero, but if you can get the bill to zero then you can earn credits at 3.4 cents per kWh that can be carried month to month. Also, there used to be full 1:1 net metering but that has been removed last year. And even the plan I am on now isn't guaranteed for new Duke solar panel customers because only a certain amount of people can get the plan per year. If the hybrid net metering plans are all taken, then the only plan customers can get is time of use.
Thank you so much for sharing. Thats interesting, so its kinda like the net metering capped at import, but you can get some at import at those 3-4 cents. Can you tell me if you sized the system for 50,70 or maybe 100% usage production?
@solartimeusa I sized at approximately 102% in preparation for a plug-in hybrid in the future. I really hope battery costs come down fast to make solar as attractive as it was with true 1:1 billing.
Energy supplyers price to me in Lithuania are 0,25€/kwh. I get back all 100% not used power from supplyer for 0,06€/kwh. And still if I cant consume my all generetad eletricity after 2yrs I can get cash from goverment like 0,18€/kwh😊
I live in Texas, in a rural area about 60 miles West of Houston. Our electric utility provider, San Bernard Electric Cooperative, is showing a "Distributed Generation Credit" (buyback) rate of 6 to 7 cents per kwh. That's probably around half the rate that we pay for our electricity, but it's definitely better than nothing. They say that this rate is based on the "avoided wholesale power cost", which is the cost San Bernard EC would have incurred had they been required to purchase the energy from their wholesale power supplier. On the surface, at least, this does seem like a reasonable policy. I'm looking into a residential solar system here, in large part as an alternative to a "whole house" generator system that we have considered for backup power. Rather than invest several thousand dollars in a large generator and propane fuel tank, which will rarely see any use, I'm thinking that putting the money into a solar/battery system may be a better option for us here.
The avoided cost policy is not bad, and the system just needs to be sized properly. You are very right. If you need help in the future looking for a solid installer, I dont do work in that area but I can help you do research on reputable companies.
Yes and no, batteries are becoming extremely important. I am in the North Dallas area with a 19W system which was designed to be 110% over my needs. In the beginning it was great the law makers changed laws and utility companies changed the way they sold the power to us. Champion Energy is one of the worst where 1 month I made 1400KW and used 1100 that month and had a bill of $139. Yeah I dropped them so fast once I caught this. Its seems for now Green Mountain is the lessor of the 2 evils. In the beginning with them I used to have solar credits that would roll over year to year but when my contract after 3 years came in renewal I lost that. Now like you said its a monthly credit that gets settled at the end of the month. My system was designed in year usage not a monthly usage so its not working the way it was designed. So in my case a battery wall would solve this dilemma but at what cost? I would need a large one that would cost me 30k to 40k that would need to be replaced every 10 to 12 years, hmm. not yet worth the cost but it would be a solution and get me off grid.
Battery will be the solution just not yet. Did you check out Gexas or Chariot buyback? Those ones have good 1 to 1 ( + Oncor TDU fees on the power BOUGHT ).
Only great in full sunny daylight in the middle of a day. I know, I have an array which only makes good money from my UK Government subsidy. I pay 31 pence per kWh for my grid electricity plus a fixed monthly fee, I get 14.7 pence per kWh for my excess solar and no return on that fixed monthly fee.
Thank you so much for sharing. Thats interesting, so your buyback is at about 50% of the value you pay. I wonder if you sized your system to offset 50 or more % of your consumption?
Even if you are grandfathered in to a contract most utility companies have the ability to manipulate connection and other charges. In late 2022 the connection charges, taxes and other charges in my area were about $10.00. Then slowly they keep raising the costs. latest bill was just at $20.00. I wouldn't be surprised if next year those cost double again. I guess we will see. Net metering rate is 75%-1 Nevada
I just noticed that there are some new taxes. One called Expanded Solar Access Rate, second is Renewable Energy Program and third is Energy Efficiency Charge. These new taxes add about $2.00 to the bill. Not sure if these are only for solar panel wielding customers or not?
I think there is a need for a comunity interchange of electricity and cut out the utility companies to the largest extend. Why give back electricity when it is sold to your neighbour with a profit. Comunity Batteries, Watersilos, or something of that kind would be a solution for to use at night.
I was looking into Solar for my parent's house and I looked into the power company's contractual agreement. They only pay you based on the generated energy cost, and they bill you for the transmission fee (because the grid and the power company are different entities, and the grid still charges you for using it.) On top of that, if you generate energy credits they expire after a set time period and/or at the end of the year. So it's not even worth generating power into the grid. If you do push energy back on the grid, you'll pay to transmit it and the credit that the generator has granted you may just go away. So I bought an off-grid inverter with grid connect for backup. If they need power, the grid is there to fall back on, but the goal is to generate enough power during the day to charge the batteries, run the house, and partially drain the batteries at night to keep the appliances running.
Oh that's so good to hear. Thanks for sharing the solution, and yeah it would be a silly idea to sell back any if you have to pay for transmissions. So yeah ideally is to have a set up that is set to never export any power. Do you mind sharing what products as far as inverter was used?
@@solartimeusa Sure, I ended up going with two EG4 6000XP inverters, the new EG4 indoor wall mount batteries, and about 14kW of panels. We haven't installed anything yet (just got everything two weeks ago!) and I'm leaving enough room to add a third inverter and/or battery if the need arises. Having three inverters would also mean that if one should fail for some reason, the other two should carry the load of the house while we get a replacement. (Home loads are never over 10kW) Payoff time on it is also helped by the fact that the energy rates just went up 18% overall in December.
Forgot to mention that Duke recently started a Renewable energy rider fee and who knows what that's really for and otherwise my bill would have been ZERO!!
I used Duke energy's net metering tool on their web page. It asked for my ZIP code and immediately spit out I needed a 10 KW system. Just for giggles I increase it to 12 kw. IMMEDIATELY it said a 1 million liability policy was required. Lol. I don't blame them for not wanting people to make money off of them, because they would go bankrupt. Just thought it was amusing.
@@powerguymark Let me guess: Florida? If so, the 10 kW is an AC limit, you can have about 11.7 in actual DC panel capacity. That's how state regulations define a "Tier 1" system. I'm in FPL territory and am putting in 11.2 kW DC, 9.8 AC. FPL already approved it as Tier 1, now just waiting on the building department to approve the plans.
@@solartimeusa 2 to 5 cents but I am calling Edison this Monday apparently there may be some bonus amounts in summer months where one gets bonus amounts per kilowatt from 4-6pm
wayyyyy over my head!! now if you need tax info I'm all over it. We are in the middle if quotes, but listening to this I'm confused. How in the world can I wrap my brain around this. I was thinking to get 35 panels instead of 25 that they recommend. Guess not? plus we live in snow country Nov till Apr....but sun every day...
Here in Puerto Rico we have 1:1 net metering, and the excess is paid at end of fiscal year at $0.075 per KWh. Though it could change depending on the politics. I think it is better to discharge battery 50% every night, makes a huge difference in the bills.(I understand this might not work for everyone) Other topic, Natron has a sodium battery with UL certification. 50k-100k cycles. Please try to get one and test it. Read the specs and it sounds interesting. Uses modbus so I think you could plug and play that with a solark. But you know more than me about that.
You’re missing buy all/sell all disaster. My utility buys all power from solar then sells back to me for a $.01/reduction per kWh. So instead of paying .13/kwh I’m paying .12/kwh. The PV/inverter cannot be wired into your home first, it must go to a meter for utility buy. So to even charge batteries, you have to pay utility the .12/kwh rate. Self consumption model is gone and does not exist.
@@solartimeusa i ran the math, basically it seems to be at this time, i produce enough kwh per month to cover my needs, for the most part, if i could store it, but the cost of the batteries, and the life cycle of all the components still does not justify the added cost. until they come out with a cheaper battery option, i would still have to be hooked to the grid, especially over the winter months, which is 1.31 cents a day + taxes. my system over the summer months runs between 40 to 55kwh per day, as in the winter months theirs days the system only produces 5 to 10 kwh per day. my system is a ground mount system, and i take all the snow off first thing in the morning. wis.
AN OVERSIZED SYSTEM IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT ANSWER! (most of the time, certain Utilities do not allow oversized systems) Why? Because Utility rates are going up minimum 6% every year. In California they went up 11% in SCE territory this year and will go up 26% next year. The only way to account for this and future proof your system as much as possible, is an oversized solar system. What is the #1 complaint when Homeowners went solar and sized it at exactly 100% offset? Answer: I wish I would of added more panels in the beginning!! This has already been proven because 40% of our business is expansion systems from another company not sizing the system correctly the first time. This is because a 100% isn't really 100%. You need to factor for Solar Panel Degradation, Battery round trip efficiency, Seasonality, Infinite Utility Rate hikes and also Solar Fever... Some solar panels will degrade only 9% over 25 years like the REC Alphas and other panels can degrade up to 15% or more over 25 years. So this means a true 100% offset over 25years should really be closer to 115% to get the most out of your system. But what about Batteries? Batteries do not charge themselves. Depending on the model, Battery round trip efficiency is around 80 to 90% to charge them. If you are using your Battery for Time of Use or Self Consumption daily, this needs to be factored as well. Seasonality Sunlight during the winter is shorter than in the summer, to continue to fully offset your utility bill in the winter oversizing will prove to be beneficial, especially if you are running heat pumps for heat in the winter. Solar Fever Solar Fever is when a Homeowner goes Solar and they increase their usage significantly because they what to use the solar system they have invested in. This is why it is important to ask your Homeowners if they have been living on an energy diet. Most Homeowners do not run their A/C or their Pool Pump as much as they would like. What is the fix? Oversize! So for an optimiz solar system, I would factor extra offset 10 to 15% - Panel Degradation 10 to 15% - Seasonality, Battery efficiency 10 to 15% - Infinite Utility Rate Hikes, Solar Fever In my experience most Homeowners like the Sweet spot between 130 to 140% offset to truly zero out their Utility bill for many years to come....
Some utilities have managed to get rules passed that don't allow this or that cap generating capacity. In Florida where I'm looking I'm told you cannot have more than 11.5KW without a million dollar homeowners insurance policy. Thankfully an 11.4KW system produces more than rated from what I've seen :)
@@solartimeusa It is net. The utility co. is kind of sneaky about it. Technically the import and export rate are the same 8.5c. The 2.5 cent difference was hidden as a per kWh "delivery charge" that gets tacked on. I didn't notice it for several months. Now I use my batteries at night and build up credit most months.
not always.. My Melissa house has 1 to 1 and we only pay the base fee every month, since our winter over production covers our summer bills. I think it will really depend on the situation.
I don't believe net metering is fair to ALL customers...You should only be credited the avoided cost ... The part of your bill for supply is the only offset...The utility cost of the energy at that time... You should get 0 off the distribution portion of your bill..
Solar power is a waste of time and money. Buy a Tesla, and you'll save thousands of dollars over 15 years and more than solar power ever will. My power company gives me 20% off my power because I own a Tesla. Wind power is even more stupid. Commercial solar takes up land that was used for farming. If someone speaks loud enough, of course, there will be solar followers🤣. It costs $20-25 a month to charge my Tesla travelling 11,000ks a year at home so why would I ever want solar.
I respect your opinion but if you can get a 1:1 plan or something close, solar is like a bond starting at about 5% interest and goes up in value everytime the utility company raises their prices. And after maturity (when you break even) your return become 100%. But as stated Solar isn't for everyone. Some would rather have a quicker return on investment.
