For our last billing month, we pretty much produced as much power as we consumed. After credits for energy we pushed into the grid, we purchased only 4 kilowatt-hours of electricity from Rocky Mountain Power at a cost of $0.35. Our $9.03 bill was comprised almost entirely of mandatory charges and taxes.
Production continues to increase with the sun angle. Yesterday was clear and bright and it was our biggest day so far with 40.7 kilowatt-hours of production. Huge.
The best thing about it is those panels are sitting on my roof, invisible from the street or yard, and require practically no maintenance. Sweet!
Who did you go with for panels and installation? Any caveats or warnings for someone in the aves also considering solar? Thx.
ReplyDeleteWe worked with Creative Energies (CEsolar.com). Everything went very well. It was setup through the University of Utah community solar program (http://www.mycommunitysolar.org/ucommunitysolar/what-is-u-community-solar) which provided discounts on the purchase. For members of the "U community" it was a good program, but I think it is now closed. I don't know if it will be restarted.
DeleteCreative Energies did a full assessment of how much power we could expect to generate. Much depends on your sun exposure. We have about a best-case scenario. The economic benefits might be lower for others with poorer exposure. We did have to upgrade our older electrical service too.
There are tax rebates from the federal and state governments. I believe the legislature voted to phase out the latter this past session, so they will go down a bit each year. I would look into those and check eligibility. Rocky Mountain Power has discussed major changes (primarily draconian) for residential solar, but at present, I think those changes have not been implemented. I would find out about that.
Jim
I've had solar panels here in California since 2009. The state/city had a very attractive rebate program then.
ReplyDeleteEven though the rebates are gone, solar is still an attractive proposition here with SoCal Edison tiered rates in excess of 30 cents per kWh.
I was asked by a friend who wanted to install solar in Boulder, CO. The economics didn't work because his electricity was only 12 cents per kWh. Isn't Utah power similar cheap? What is the payback period for solar in years of saved power costs?
Our estimated "pay back" time was 8 years, although I consider that optimistic even though we have about a best-case scenario for solar production on our home. We have tiered rates here in the summer, but they peak at 14.5 cents per hour according to RMPs web site.
DeleteJim
It is also possible to purchase 200 kWh blocks of solar from Rocky Mountain Power, which is great if one is renting like me. One block nearly covers my monthly electrical and was only 2 cents per kWh this March than what I paid last March without it (~15.5 cents vs. 13.5 cents). Well worth it for people that care about greenhouse gas emissions.
DeleteFor SLC at this time of year, the sun's transit occurs right around 1:30, which coincides with your peak output. Thus, (assuming no clouds), your output could serve as a kind of sundial.
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious to know if the solar panels absorb enough heat from your roof that you notice if your home is cooler in winter and summer.
We replaced both the roof and added the panels in December. We have only been in the house since August. Thus, we don't really have a comparison to see if the panels themselves have any impact on home heating and cooling.
DeleteI always wonder about solar panels and snow. Are they dark enough and sloped/smooth enough that it all slides off soon after a storm?
ReplyDeleteWe're on a low-pitched roof. They don't shed snow well. After mid-February, it usually takes a day or two for them to melt off after a major storm. During winter, we just let them stay covered. We lose some production then, but not a huge amount given the low-angle sun.
DeleteWe have also considered the question of snow shedding, since we are in Ogden Valley, so get more snow. Our experience is that you need to consider how the snow slides. If you design the lower pa el edge to be at the roof edge, or a tiny overhang, the sheet of snow on the panels will slide off when temp come above freezing. Panel rows above must not create a "ledge" where things get stuck. Snow also hangs up easily on asphalt shingles if it lands on them.
DeleteWe sometimes use a soft (stiff foam) snow rake (Shuttsco, for car dealerships) to give the snow sheet encouragement.
This year the slide off pile (which included some snow shovelled off a flat roof) ended up high enough that we could climb on the roof without a ladder!
We have also considered the question of snow shedding, since we are in Ogden Valley, so get more snow. Our experience is that you need to consider how the snow slides. If you design the lower pa el edge to be at the roof edge, or a tiny overhang, the sheet of snow on the panels will slide off when temp come above freezing. Panel rows above must not create a "ledge" where things get stuck. Snow also hangs up easily on asphalt shingles if it lands on them.
DeleteWe sometimes use a soft (stiff foam) snow rake (Shuttsco, for car dealerships) to give the snow sheet encouragement.
This year the slide off pile (which included some snow shovelled off a flat roof) ended up high enough that we could climb on the roof without a ladder!
We have also considered the question of snow shedding, since we are in Ogden Valley, so get more snow. Our experience is that you need to consider how the snow slides. If you design the lower pa el edge to be at the roof edge, or a tiny overhang, the sheet of snow on the panels will slide off when temp come above freezing. Panel rows above must not create a "ledge" where things get stuck. Snow also hangs up easily on asphalt shingles if it lands on them.
DeleteWe sometimes use a soft (stiff foam) snow rake (Shuttsco, for car dealerships) to give the snow sheet encouragement.
This year the slide off pile (which included some snow shovelled off a flat roof) ended up high enough that we could climb on the roof without a ladder!
Our roof faces SE. Therefore production peak is late morning, not when sun is highest in the sky. Another factor is that heat dampens production slightly, so morning tends to be better when the air is cooler. The ideal scenario is blue skies with wind to keep the panels cool. You probably get more of that in Utah than we do in SoCal.
ReplyDeleteI have a municipal utility with summer marginal rates about 20 cents/kWh in winter and 23 cents/kWh in summer. Edison and PG&E marginal rates are 32 cents/kWh. It's hard for me to imagine solar penciling out at 14.5 cents/kWh, at a higher latitude with somewhat less overall sun.
After 6+ years my annual solar production is 9,855kWh. July averages 1,092kWh and December 471kWh. Between the snow and the inversions, December/January in Utah must be practically nil.
I don't have to worry about snow shedding lol. However when it doesn't rain for 6-7 months I have go up there with a hose every month or two to clean off dust accumulation
ReplyDelete