Raleigh Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) decision, details, numbers, and pictures (home, heat pump)

[RDUBiker]

Here is the first 30 days of production after the monitor was installed.
If you normalize for the impact of Sandy (5 days impact, estimated 15-20kWh per day production decrease for that time) we'd have been at about 725 kWh production which is about what you'd expect for this time of year. Suck it, power grid!

[Sherifftruman]

Wow. Pretty crazy to see the direct impact of a few days of clouds.

[RDUBiker]

Originally Posted by Sherifftruman

Wow. Pretty crazy to see the direct impact of a few days of clouds.

Yes, but also interesting how much power these things can still make even when the sky is very dark and you never see the sun.

[peperoberto]

Originally Posted by RDUBiker

Yes, but also interesting how much power these things can still make even when the sky is very dark and you never see the sun.

Is the red line your consumption and the green line production?

[RDUBiker]

Originally Posted by peperoberto

Is the red line your consumption and the green line production?

Correct. When you see green shading, the meter's running backward and when you see red shading, it's running in the normal direction.

[Sherifftruman]

How far in can you zoom that graph? Enough to see hour by hour or minute by minute usage?

[RDUBiker]

Originally Posted by Sherifftruman

How far in can you zoom that graph? Enough to see hour by hour or minute by minute usage?

It goes as low as 60 seconds on the X-axis.

[don6170]

Originally Posted by RDUBiker

Suck it, power grid!

Unfortunately, without subsidies, solar is still not a cost effective alternative vs coal and other sources. I do hope wind, solar and other technologies continue to evolve to where they can economically compete on their own.

[RDUBiker]

Originally Posted by don6170

Unfortunately, without subsidies, solar is still not a cost effective alternative vs coal and other sources. I do hope wind, solar and other technologies continue to evolve to where they can economically compete on their own.

Totally agree, but if you take advantage of said subsidies when they're available, it can be cost effective FOR YOU and pay back very quickly.

[peperoberto]

Originally Posted by don6170

Unfortunately, without subsidies, solar is still not a cost effective alternative vs coal and other sources. I do hope wind, solar and other technologies continue to evolve to where they can economically compete on their own.

This is probably not the venue for this, but do those estimates account for all the externalities, especially environmental ones, related to coal?