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Old 05-26-2015, 12:35 AM
 
747 posts, read 1,008,571 times
Reputation: 355

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dave it's a 20kw generac (air cooled--i could care less about the noise, but it's very quiet relatively speaking, as the unit is well insulated) running off of a 500 gallon tank which for our general use would last a looong time if it came to that. it powers everything--water well & various filtration systems, a/c, heat (if winter), etc. etc., and the switch (transfer switchgear) is all automatic. it came with the house, thankfully!

solar and backup is a novelty. i'd be willing to bet the current bennies will get lobbied outta existence eventually by the power co's, which is why tesla is doing the stackable thing. i'm guessing they figure a handful of the 10kw packs on a house and affluent early adopters won't care that the power company won't buy excess capacity, it'll be "cool" to be self-sufficient, as it were.

it was the prior owners who had the system running for many days (it was 10+ days if i recall; either way, in the area power was out generally for 10-14 days). and they only burned a nominal amount of the propane in the tank. we could probably go a month or more on a full tank, depending on power load.

Last edited by SJNE17; 05-26-2015 at 12:45 AM..
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:34 AM
 
281 posts, read 404,349 times
Reputation: 91
The reason the amount they pay you ($.02) is what they say it costs for pure electric generation. What you pay ($.15) has all their other line costs,employees, vehicles etc. included. They took out every last $.00000001 from the generation price so in states where you are free to buy electric from other companies, they can't compete.

Our bill has a $.000160 per KWH charge for solar requirements. They don't just nickel and dime you, they $.0001 you to death. Our bill used to have a price of generation to compare. Now they have a phone # to call that takes a minimum of 30 minutes. Electric utilities are only one small step above Comcast.
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:36 AM
 
Location: Punta Gorda and Maryland
6,103 posts, read 15,054,358 times
Reputation: 1256
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarborRat View Post
Thanks AZ. So in a net metering state a battery system would not save anything. For some reason I thought the excess power during the day was sold back to FPL at a reduced rate, I didn't realize those extra Kw's went into a "bank" for you to use later. That changes everything.....
I'd like to learn more about that. So you can generate electricity, and the utility banks the power you generate for you to use later when you need it? How does that work? Does that mean you don't need any battery's to store your energy? Does it reverse your electric meter when it generates more than you use, and moves the meter dial forward as you use it later when its isn't generating enough for your needs?

I think the battery system is the very expensive part of the equation here in Florida, and as I stated earlier, the heat here in Florida kills battery life. Plus there is a lot of maintenance in operating a bank of batteries.
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:50 AM
 
Location: P.C.F
1,973 posts, read 2,264,527 times
Reputation: 1626
They Bank It theoretically...aka you are building up a Credit that you have coming..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big House View Post
I'd like to learn more about that. So you can generate electricity, and the utility banks the power you generate for you to use later when you need it? How does that work? Does that mean you don't need any battery's to store your energy? Does it reverse your electric meter when it generates more than you use, and moves the meter dial forward as you use it later when its isn't generating enough for your needs?

I think the battery system is the very expensive part of the equation here in Florida, and as I stated earlier, the heat here in Florida kills battery life. Plus there is a lot of maintenance in operating a bank of batteries.
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:59 AM
 
Location: New Jersey/Florida
5,818 posts, read 12,600,312 times
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To all that think that solar adds to the resale of a home. It's all in the eyes of the beholder. I passed on 2 homes up north with solar for sale JUST for that reason. Maybe I'm an old fart but I wouldn't put solar on my house for FREE. Just one more headache. I would bet I'm not alone with this thought and some others in the older generation.
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Old 05-26-2015, 09:07 AM
 
Location: Punta Gorda
2,609 posts, read 2,809,171 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN View Post
To all that think that solar adds to the resale of a home. It's all in the eyes of the beholder. I passed on 2 homes up north with solar for sale JUST for that reason. Maybe I'm an old fart but I wouldn't put solar on my house for FREE. Just one more headache. I would bet I'm not alone with this thought and some others in the older generation.
Yeah, you are an old fart lol
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Old 05-26-2015, 09:11 AM
 
Location: P.C.F
1,973 posts, read 2,264,527 times
Reputation: 1626
Quote:
Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN View Post
To all that think that solar adds to the resale of a home. It's all in the eyes of the beholder. I passed on 2 homes up north with solar for sale JUST for that reason. Maybe I'm an old fart but I wouldn't put solar on my house for FREE. Just one more headache. I would bet I'm not alone with this thought and some others in the older generation.
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Old 05-26-2015, 10:25 AM
 
Location: california
7,302 posts, read 6,892,923 times
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To preserve our first Computer from spikes and brown outs in our area. I. Made my own UPS before I knew they existed.
It consisted of a battery. Charger .a gel cell. Battery and an inverter.
Eventually got solar panels to supliment the battery charging so we could eventually eliminate the battery charger .
This action may have been more expensive.but it saved our equipment many times .
My system is built on my shop trailer so in the event i move it goes with me.
Some panels are 30 and40 years old all different.all contributing .
Battery systems smooth out the power supply and with LED 12 volt lights .significantly .more efficient.
I am still tied to the grid for running heavier loads but for the most part my solar reduces my dependency on the grid by 75 %
There are new batteries available being developed but for now I am using 6 volt deep cycle golf cart batteries.
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Old 05-26-2015, 02:08 PM
 
281 posts, read 404,349 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN View Post
To all that think that solar adds to the resale of a home. It's all in the eyes of the beholder. I passed on 2 homes up north with solar for sale JUST for that reason. Maybe I'm an old fart but I wouldn't put solar on my house for FREE. Just one more headache. I would bet I'm not alone with this thought and some others in the older generation.
You may not be alone but I bet you are surely in the minority. Why would you not want something for free that reduces or eliminates your electric bill?
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Old 05-26-2015, 02:18 PM
 
281 posts, read 404,349 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big House View Post
Does it reverse your electric meter when it generates more than you use, and moves the meter dial forward as you use it later when its isn't generating enough for your needs?
Basically. Your meter is replaced with a meter that has 2 readings. One reading is how much electric you bought from the electric co. The other reading shows how much of the electric you produced got sent back to the power grid for the electric co. to sell to someone else. Your electric bill would be "Net" of those amounts. Net Metering.
Your system would have no batteries at all.
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