We have been 100% off grid for 4 years, no grid tie, winter months I run my Cummins propane generator for 2 hrs every 3rd day when there is extended days of clouds, love my solar
We are 100% Off-Grid with four 15KWh DIY batteries with a total of 60KWh, 14.6 kilowatts of ground mounted bifacial solar panels and 12 kilowatts from an EG4 18Kpv. On real bad days when needed, we use a 6.5 kilowatt Diesel generator running on waste veggie-oil sent through an EG4 Chargeverter directly into the batteries. Using the generator cost less to operate than the grid which is $0.18/kilowatt hours in our area. No electric bill is a good thing.
Every one has there OWN opinion on things like this. Mine is if I were set up and had the land and space like you do , I would not put them on the roof but would have some type of space where I would install ground mounted panels where if it snowed or if needed other maintenance I would not have to get on a slick roof. Pete on Just a Few Acers has a set up like this and he also has where he can turn the angel of the panels according to the season . Again not hating on what your doing or disrespecting you in any way ! I enjoy your videos and keep posting them !
The solar is what got me started watching you. More batteries are the key here. I sell nothing back to the power company. The buy back price they give you is insulting. It goes to show that they are not interested in working with you. It also shows their greed. They buy it off you at .03 and sell it for .15, a 400% profit and they have so skin in the game. I'll be eagerly watching the new project. I love your channel! God Bless and stay safe!
You're mentioning the 3 cents per kilowatt hour is one of the major reasons why I went a different direction. I live in a state in the southwest that encourages a lot of solar but the local power company is now ramping down the buyback to about half of what they sell it to you for. While not as bad as your situation still enough to dissuade me. Since the biggest consumption of electricity generally in any household in the US is by far the HVAC system, I decided to go with a solar system just for my heating and cooling. I purchased three ductless mini splits from signature solar that come with the solar panels in the kit. I installed everything and put my panels on the roof. The great thing about these units is that they are designed for direct solar connection. Once you install the panels you run the wiring down directly to the units and plug them in. They have the built-in electronics to switch from solar to grid when it's needed if you have it connected. I installed everything a couple of months ago and I just got my first full power bill from a solid month with the solar AC'S during the hottest part of our summer and I was absolutely stunned. My bill in June was $342, July was $242. Half of the month of July what's with the new units installed. That was with using large window ACs fully in June and half a month in July. My August bill which I just received with full solar $115. I passed out, got up, did several happy dances and couldn't stop smiling for quite a long time. While not grid independent, it was a terrific alternative for us. Great video! EDIT: for some of you who asked, I got my EG4 units at signature solar. signaturesolar.com/eg4-hybrid-solar-mini-split-kit-energy-star-certified-air-conditioner-heat-pump-ac-dc-12000-btu-seer2-22-1800-watts-of-solar-pv-kit-e0011/
solar panels and battterys are half the price this guy paid honestly now a days if you can get from top leading sources. its good cause the panels last 30 years and in 15 years the batterys will be super cheap when u go to replace next time.
@@davebruessow6842 sorry my friend I tried to post a link as a reply directly to you and it would so I put a link to the units I used in my original comment. I used the EG4 12K solar kits comes with everything you need except for the panel mounting hardware. Hope this helps.
Our home is off-grid solar for 18 years now. The array is 3.4 kw and supplies all of our needs for 10 months of the year. We do use propane for hot water, cooking and hot water and use around 90 gallons per year. However when the batteries are full the extra power goes to an electric hot water heater to preheat the water going into the propane waer heater. Our backup generator is a Listetoid CS rated a 3kw. hot water from the engine heats the floor of the house. Since changing to he LiFePo batteries the generator only 125 hours per year, so we don't get a lot of extra heat. We even run our pellet business on the system too. Guess I'm a geek too.
You could put "traction tape" on your roof where you need to walk... I've seen where people use the extra power their system makes to power the water heater or an extra one that's tied in to the water system...Thanks for the post
I think DIY is a stretch given your skill set and abilities. Love to hear about your system. More to the financials than what you purchase and what you sell. There is an investment cost. If I invested the installation cost, what would be my return? People also forget that they expect the power to be there when they flip a switch, every time. The power company has to have the capacity and distribution network to give all of their customers the power they demand on a moment’s notice. If you don’t use outside power for a month and one day you need all of your power requirements met, you expect the power company to be there when you flip that switch.
Excellent video. I am looking forward to watching Country View Solar. I have some suggestions: use grip paint where you walk on the roof or put up a walkway. Add a hose bib on the roof to facilitate cleaning the panels. I have found that cleaning off dust gives a power boost of 10-15%.
Looking forward to the new channel. Building a new house now with hybrid grid/solar to start with from construction. Built a barn off grid 100% with a propane generator backup. My goal is same thing to be 100% energy independent hopefully in next 5yrs
Thanks for posting the solar content and looking forward to more solar videos on your new solar channel. Low buyback price and sick of the utility is exactly why I went full off grid. There is something to be said for telling the electric utility you want your power turned of permanently.
Might sound like a strange 'tip' but get yourself fitted for Rock Climbing shoes and you'll have well better traction. They are tighter around your feet, so for roof work get used to the feel of them first before going on the roof. All the best from Liverpool, England.
Find twist connectors instead of push connectors. That will help create a tighter connection and prevent from coming undone or creating a fault. You can replace the existing push connections with twist. Are your panels in series or parallel? You can find appliances that run on DC so you do not have to convert and lose energy on your end.
Had you considered making some kind of frame for a 1/2" hardware cloth screen to put around your panels to keep out blowing leaves and prevent birds from getting in there. Could they be clamped or use a silicon type adhesive to prevent more drilling in the metal roof.
You have done a Fantastic Job thus far & I look forward to watching you Expand & Increase your System. This is a Major Accomplishment for you. 🏆. Most people like myself would have had to employ an electrican to install the system. You have done a Great Job!
Hi Evan, i have a 5.2kw system that includes a 5kw battery. Here in Ireland, we can sell back to the grid for 24 cent per kW. It definitely makes sense at them rates. Love the videos keep up the great work
Evan, it appears that you could benefit from some kind of alert system to those times when you have lost grid power. For someone with your background that should be easy enough to devise. I would suggest you set it up so that the alert goes to your and Rebekkahs smart phones. Keep up the great content. Since retiring and providing us with extra content ive been wondering how it has worked out since quitting your job. 😅
You’ll get it right. Sometimes it’s trial and error. You’ll get it worked out. I’d love not to be dependent on a power company. I enjoy learning about solar. You do a great breaking things down so it’s easier to understand.
Im in California. We have Solar. So far on our July bill we have a $780 credit. In November when there is less light is when the batteries might not charge all the way. But with the credit we should make it through till February-March when the batteries charge full, without paying for electricity. Having Solar has been very helpful when we had bad weather and the power went out but we didn't even know it
JudithB Very interesting!! I would like to do solar, but the startup costs are more then I can do right now. My electric bill is about $60.00 a month anyway, but solar would be a great backup. Great video Eban!!
Could you install some type of rail system up along where the shed roof drops down from the main roof? That way you could wear a harness with a safety strap that would slide along as you walked between the panels. Just a thought to mitigate some of the dangers of the metal roof in the bad weather.
Evan, contrary to the opinion of an earlier commenter, I believe that having an independent solar channel would prevent a decline to the viewership count of your original channel. Human nature is to be attracted to what you are familiar with. I suspect that subject matter that is comprised of higher technology, or that scary electrical stuff would cause people to check out. And because of the technological nature of your new channel I wouldn't anticipate a huge viewer or subscriber count. But, I think it would provide a valuable information source for those who are truly interested in alternative energy sources. I will be one of the subscribers.
I think a lot of people forget that there ard 2 parts to an electric bill. Generation and Distribution. When you as a consumer purchase electricity, you pay to have to produced for you and to be delivered to you. When you produce the power and sell it back, you get a lower amount because you are paying to access the grid to sell the power back. The price you receive already has the distribution charge removed. I sell back electricity. Currently, I receive 6 cents, while generation rate is 10 cents. To buy electricity it is about 14 cents. I look at it as a reduction in my bill. I have only had 1 month in 4 years where my bill was a credit. Keep in mind, I am an all electric house. Average usage is 1500 per month, while I produce an average of 1200 per month. Solor varies. My system is also 6 years old now. I am happy only having to a fraction of what it used to cost me. Note: if I switched to a propane water heater my usuage would probably be 600-800 per month. I would have a $0.00 electric bill but a $200 monthly propane bill (based on what my neighbor pays). It doesn't balance out, and it is far cheaper to just pay $80 a month for electricity. Sometimes, you just have to balance what you need vs what you want. $0 is great, but if you break the bank getting there, did you save money?
@arosenberger87 we have a propane on demand water heater. We use about 130 gallons of propane a year for the hot water heater and our cooktop. $200 a month sounds high.
If you had more batteries for storage, would you have made enough electricity to get you through the night to peak production time the next day and not needed to purchased any from the power company? I know you said you had some troubles with your system and ran less arrays for part of the time. With the additions to your system, will you now have enough battery storage to avoid buying from the power company? Can you have some indicator installed in the house to tell you when the grid goes down so you know not to use so much power and drain your batteries down? Like you said, if you had known the grid was down you would not have done laundry and cooked at the time. Do you have a service drop to the bank barn from the grid? Would adding solar there be a cost savings or not?
Looking forward to the new channel as I am total electric and the bills just keep going up. Hoping to get some idea of if I want to tackle doing a system myself . Thank you as I find this very interesting.
I'm currently working on my own off-grid (little by little). The way hardware is today, being fully scalable and modular, there's no reason to overbuild. Keep it small, pay cash, and own your mistakes (LOL). Thank you for sharing...
The cost for my house. Was 164.00 with ac in a 2450 sgft whole electric house. 1140kw. And 100x40 sgft shop 125.00 . But I do have "zone" solar for my freezers and solar generator for shop 2fridge2 freezer and fuel generators for house. 1 fridge 2 freezer. It works for my situation. It's the cost of more panels and more hook up.is out of my reach until I hit the lottery In west coast of Tennessee.
I just can't go with this, You've done a Great job, Looks Outstanding, I just can't justify the Cost of everything then the buy back is wrong price wise.... Just Saying.....
This is exactly why sell back solar systems just don’t work for me. You buy at $.15 but then sell it at three cents. We have to consider the input cost of the system. The system will never pay for itself at those rates. In the long run, you would be much better off and investing in storage and forget selling your power back to the company and just lower your dependency on grid power even then your system will not pay for itself over the long-haul, but you’re buying your own independence.
The state I live in we buy and sell our solar power for the same price. I would talk to your legislators about trying to change it so they have to buy it at the same rate. Good luck with your solar system.
my system is a little over 12kW of solar panels with less batteries...my power generation tracks closely with yours, but my monthly totals are less, probably because not all face the south and there's one tree and part of the roof that start blocking sunlight in the afternoon. Our electric company is very nice and just subtracts off any excess power I feed back from my overall usage. Biggest issue so far is voltage faults that cause the inverter to reset and the Generac backup generator we had installed at the same time is a PITA. (constantly looses WIFI signal and then doesn't work with the rest of the system is the main issue)
Excellent presentation. It makes it all the more interesting when you balance out the cost savings versus investment. Looking forward to seeing your new channel. I for one strongly believe in solar energy and the security it can provide during outages. Also would be interested in any state or federal rebates for purchasing the equipment.
Why not invest in a smart meter that can turn off large loads depending on the battery SOC? That will help conserve power and let the battery run as long as is possible and probably avoid the scenario you experienced.
Excellent.. I'm wondering if it would be possible to incorporate an electronic forklift as a power bank with extra handy use around the workshop.. when required.. stay safe 🏴
You might think about adding a small skirt along the upslope side of your solar-panel array, extending almost all the way down to the metal roof. That would keep most, if not all, of the leaves out from under your panels.
Dealing with the electric company here in Nebraska they wanted to charge us $35/month to have solar hooked up to the grid. And they gave us 20% of our cost for energy we sell to them. So just bought more batteries and aren't on the grid.
One thing to consider is spreading out your replacement cost of storage over time. Buying batteries at different times may help spread out that large replacement of batteries. New battery technology (longer life) may upset that apple cart one day but something to consider. Replacing your total storage system every 10 years (batteries) could be costly and overwhelming on a fixed income. Just a thought. Not a bad thing you are building the system over years.
Nice overview of your system. Isn’t storage your biggest need? It seems like with more storage you’ll be better able to fill in the gaps of lower system output to meet the demand.
I liked the video on your new solar channel even though it included details I don't really "get". Where is your bottleneck? Storage or production or both? Maybe strategically reduce consumption at certain times. I want to get on the bandwagon for all the obvious reasons. Just been too occupied with more important things to make it happen. I also have a vacant lot next to a transmission line. I would love to cover it with solar and just sell the power.
Helps to have an electrical background. I’m sure the info you imparted will help a lot of people decide whether they want solar or not. Can’t believe the power company only gives 3 cents for your power production.
Depends on politics. In Maryland, by state law, the power company pays the same price per kWh that they charge. Which makes those expensive batteries less useful for many houses. There are limits, however, to how many houses in a nieghborhood can sell back, so be a reasonably early adopter. I think this is because transformers somewhere in the grid are one way.
@@tractorsold1by their nature, transformers are bidirectional. The issue is really about generation and backfeeding power up stream (which raises voltages on lines. Utilities manage grid tied solar output by changing the power line frequency up from 60hz to tell grid interactive solar inverters to cut back (or or cut out entirely on older equipment) if there is more solar power + generated power being produced than consumed. Otherwise line voltages start spiking up which can cause cascading issues. If there is too much solar generation in an area over utility generation, the utility doesn’t have enough control over the frequency to push out changes to tell grid interactive inverters to cut production - again leading to grid stability issues.
Averaged over time, utilities in the Midwest pay about 3.6 cents per kWh for bulk power from large generating plants who deliver power to the grid on a scheduled basis at high voltages suitable for transmission and distribution. A price of 3 cents per kWh for unscheduled and intermittent delivery of low-voltage power to the local grid is roughly what it's worth. Most of the cost of electricity delivered to your home is the cost of building, maintaining, and operating the transmission and distribution network.
Appreciate you sharing the problems you are running into......any recommendations for eliminating those arch fault issues??? Considering you have lots of space, Would the electrical code be easier to deal with if you ground mounted the arrays, rather than roof mounted?
I went with solar and back up generator. solar we use it during the day and sell back what we aren't using. my electric bill has been $5 to 0 for about 8 months.
Thanks for the episode, I had wondered about the pros and cons of it! I wonder if my State of Missouri is a little more friendly on the sell back rate, something to check into I guess.
Your attention to detail is appreciated buddy....Maybe if you treated your power consumption more like you were OFF GRID.....you could do power hungry tasks on blue bird sky days where your production is in excess? I know you are one who pays attention to detail....but just asking if you alter your schedule at all depending on the weather.....something Jen and I find ourselves doing often....being OFF GRID, or if you ignore of go about your business as usual. Best wishes
have you thought about using dielectric grease on connectors to water proof and stop arcing. used on connector on doser autoleveling system that was burning up circut boards. apparentlly arcing in connector was causing the problem. after using grease no problems .
I think one cannot just count only power price ( either bought or sold, which at its best is still -$68 a month...) but has to add the cost of the whole system ( made to last 15 years max )
He’s running the max battery a single EP Cube can handle. To add more of the same batteries, he needs to add a second parallel EP Cube setup which he touches on in his new video on the other channel. Their system can run up to 10 inverters with 19kwh each…
Thanks for sharing Evan. You did a great job! You are fortunate that you are able to do this yourself. You also have a tertiary source with your gas generator still, right? That may be a wise idea at least for essential items. One of Ours would be our well pump. No electricity, no water and no flushing toilets! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Install some grit strips on the roof. They are used on commercial rubber roofs. Do they have any type of alerts or alarms for when it switches to batteries
Generally the agreement with the power company limits your output to 25k for selling per hour. . I've thought about it, but with mabe 3 hours sun maximum per 24hours over a year. It makes for a mity big system even though my monthly power use is around 450kwh at 0.0719c or basically a little over $50 a month, with $22.50 fee. . I'd say some propane appliances in the kitchen, and a propane dryer would really help smash out the peeks. Mabe some pre-heating on the line to the hot water tank. Going lp on the hot water will be a sizable increase in lp use over the other items. 0.01c
I see, just couldn't completely retire from the electrical job! When you were relating the fact that you didn't know the power was down right away, isn't there an APP out there in 'APP LAND' that would sink with your system and the grid to alert your phone that the grid has just gone down in a timely fashion?? (just wondering) Also, have you checked out Al Lumnah's (Lumnah Acres) panels that he put on the side wall of his shop building? Not sure of the true orientation of his building but may be an option when you run out of roof! Keep up the good work Evan! HAPPY TRAILS!!
Buy more batteries and stop the sell-back. Use what you make. Great video. Good job.
exactly what I did. Zero sell back and less hassle. Without AC I can run my house for 5 days just off the batteries.
@@muhdiversity7409 how big is your battery bank to get 5 days?
We have been 100% off grid for 4 years, no grid tie, winter months I run my Cummins propane generator for 2 hrs every 3rd day when there is extended days of clouds, love my solar
We are 100% Off-Grid with four 15KWh DIY batteries with a total of 60KWh, 14.6 kilowatts of ground mounted bifacial solar panels and 12 kilowatts from an EG4 18Kpv. On real bad days when needed, we use a 6.5 kilowatt Diesel generator running on waste veggie-oil sent through an EG4 Chargeverter directly into the batteries. Using the generator cost less to operate than the grid which is $0.18/kilowatt hours in our area. No electric bill is a good thing.
That is still the coolest system I’ve ever seen, it’s so neat and tidy , and obviously professionally done.
Every one has there OWN opinion on things like this. Mine is if I were set up and had the land and space like you do , I would not put them on the roof but would have some type of space where I would install ground mounted panels where if it snowed or if needed other maintenance I would not have to get on a slick roof. Pete on Just a Few Acers has a set up like this and he also has where he can turn the angel of the panels according to the season . Again not hating on what your doing or disrespecting you in any way ! I enjoy your videos and keep posting them !
The solar is what got me started watching you. More batteries are the key here. I sell nothing back to the power company. The buy back price they give you is insulting. It goes to show that they are not interested in working with you. It also shows their greed. They buy it off you at .03 and sell it for .15, a 400% profit and they have so skin in the game. I'll be eagerly watching the new project. I love your channel! God Bless and stay safe!
You're mentioning the 3 cents per kilowatt hour is one of the major reasons why I went a different direction.
I live in a state in the southwest that encourages a lot of solar but the local power company is now ramping down the buyback to about half of what they sell it to you for.
While not as bad as your situation still enough to dissuade me.
Since the biggest consumption of electricity generally in any household in the US is by far the HVAC system, I decided to go with a solar system just for my heating and cooling.
I purchased three ductless mini splits from signature solar that come with the solar panels in the kit.
I installed everything and put my panels on the roof.
The great thing about these units is that they are designed for direct solar connection.
Once you install the panels you run the wiring down directly to the units and plug them in.
They have the built-in electronics to switch from solar to grid when it's needed if you have it connected.
I installed everything a couple of months ago and I just got my first full power bill from a solid month with the solar AC'S during the hottest part of our summer and I was absolutely stunned.
My bill in June was $342, July was $242.
Half of the month of July what's with the new units installed.
That was with using large window ACs fully in June and half a month in July.
My August bill which I just received with full solar $115.
I passed out, got up, did several happy dances and couldn't stop smiling for quite a long time.
While not grid independent, it was a terrific alternative for us.
Great video!
EDIT: for some of you who asked, I got my EG4 units at signature solar.
signaturesolar.com/eg4-hybrid-solar-mini-split-kit-energy-star-certified-air-conditioner-heat-pump-ac-dc-12000-btu-seer2-22-1800-watts-of-solar-pv-kit-e0011/
solar panels and battterys are half the price this guy paid honestly now a days if you can get from top leading sources. its good cause the panels last 30 years and in 15 years the batterys will be super cheap when u go to replace next time.
Makes perfect sense where we live (SW). What units did you install (EG4, Airspool, ...)?
@@davebruessow6842 sorry my friend I tried to post a link as a reply directly to you and it would so I put a link to the units I used in my original comment. I used the EG4 12K solar kits comes with everything you need except for the panel mounting hardware. Hope this helps.
Thanks for posting Evan
Our home is off-grid solar for 18 years now. The array is 3.4 kw and supplies all of our needs for 10 months of the year. We do use propane for hot water, cooking and hot water and use around 90 gallons per year. However when the batteries are full the extra power goes to an electric hot water heater to preheat the water going into the propane waer heater. Our backup generator is a Listetoid CS rated a 3kw. hot water from the engine heats the floor of the house. Since changing to he LiFePo batteries the generator only 125 hours per year, so we don't get a lot of extra heat. We even run our pellet business on the system too. Guess I'm a geek too.
You could put "traction tape" on your roof where you need to walk... I've seen where people use the extra power their system makes to power the water heater or an extra one that's tied in to the water system...Thanks for the post
Maybe try to put a piece of flashing on the edge of the solar panel that is trapping leaves?? just a thought..............
It sounds like your biggest need is more storage. If you're producing as much as you use, you just need it available when you need it.
I think DIY is a stretch given your skill set and abilities. Love to hear about your system. More to the financials than what you purchase and what you sell. There is an investment cost. If I invested the installation cost, what would be my return? People also forget that they expect the power to be there when they flip a switch, every time. The power company has to have the capacity and distribution network to give all of their customers the power they demand on a moment’s notice. If you don’t use outside power for a month and one day you need all of your power requirements met, you expect the power company to be there when you flip that switch.
Excellent video. I am looking forward to watching Country View Solar. I have some suggestions: use grip paint where you walk on the roof or put up a walkway. Add a hose bib on the roof to facilitate cleaning the panels. I have found that cleaning off dust gives a power boost of 10-15%.
Looking forward to the new channel. Building a new house now with hybrid grid/solar to start with from construction. Built a barn off grid 100% with a propane generator backup. My goal is same thing to be 100% energy independent hopefully in next 5yrs
Thanks for posting the solar content and looking forward to more solar videos on your new solar channel. Low buyback price and sick of the utility is exactly why I went full off grid. There is something to be said for telling the electric utility you want your power turned of permanently.
Might sound like a strange 'tip' but get yourself fitted for Rock Climbing shoes and you'll have well better traction. They are tighter around your feet, so for roof work get used to the feel of them first before going on the roof. All the best from Liverpool, England.
Find twist connectors instead of push connectors. That will help create a tighter connection and prevent from coming undone or creating a fault. You can replace the existing push connections with twist.
Are your panels in series or parallel? You can find appliances that run on DC so you do not have to convert and lose energy on your end.
Had you considered making some kind of frame for a 1/2" hardware cloth screen to put around your panels to keep out blowing leaves and prevent birds from getting in there. Could they be clamped or use a silicon type adhesive to prevent more drilling in the metal roof.
You have done a Fantastic Job thus far & I look forward to watching you Expand & Increase your System. This is a Major Accomplishment for you. 🏆. Most people like myself would have had to employ an electrican to install the system. You have done a Great Job!
Hi... Sir, Evan and Mam Rebecca thanks you for showing your video homestead bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋👍👍👍
Hi Evan, i have a 5.2kw system that includes a 5kw battery. Here in Ireland, we can sell back to the grid for 24 cent per kW. It definitely makes sense at them rates. Love the videos keep up the great work
Evan, it appears that you could benefit from some kind of alert system to those times when you have lost grid power. For someone with your background that should be easy enough to devise. I would suggest you set it up so that the alert goes to your and Rebekkahs smart phones.
Keep up the great content. Since retiring and providing us with extra content ive been wondering how it has worked out since quitting your job. 😅
Evan I look forward to your new channel.
I like to watch you work.
You’ll get it right. Sometimes it’s trial and error. You’ll get it worked out. I’d love not to be dependent on a power company. I enjoy learning about solar. You do a great breaking things down so it’s easier to understand.
Lots of pretty cool info on how the future will look. Thanks for sharing with us.
👍👍👍👍👍👌Great news on the new channel, I really enjoyed your installation videos and look forward to joining the new channel!!!
Yes I can remember that video from last year mate. And this is one more great video and hopefully you are all doing well mate.
Thx
Im in California. We have Solar. So far on our July bill we have a $780 credit. In November when there is less light is when the batteries might not charge all the way. But with the credit we should make it through till February-March when the batteries charge full, without paying for electricity.
Having Solar has been very helpful when we had bad weather and the power went out but we didn't even know it
Thanks for sharing. This past year would have been really tough for someone that knows less than you, which is most of us. 😊
Love your analysis and presentation. Thanks!
Great video. Just a thought. Must be a way to place a small light upstairs to let you know when you are on solar power.
Hey Evan, I think you did a great job.
You're getting the info you need to increase your efficiency and understanding what to do to improve on your costs. Thanks, have a good weekend!
JudithB Very interesting!! I would like to do solar, but the startup costs are more then I can do right now. My electric bill is about $60.00 a month anyway, but solar would be a great backup. Great video Eban!!
Thank you, Evan!
Your solar install series really got me looking into solar. I’m in the process of doing a 20kW ground mounted array, grid tied.
Great stuff! Never a dull moment!👍
Could you install some type of rail system up along where the shed roof drops down from the main roof? That way you could wear a harness with a safety strap that would slide along as you walked between the panels. Just a thought to mitigate some of the dangers of the metal roof in the bad weather.
Candles may be enough to stop that little room dropping below freezing. Candles are cheap and won't use electricity like the space heater.
Evan, contrary to the opinion of an earlier commenter, I believe that having an independent solar channel would prevent a decline to the viewership count of your original channel. Human nature is to be attracted to what you are familiar with. I suspect that subject matter that is comprised of higher technology, or that scary electrical stuff would cause people to check out. And because of the technological nature of your new channel I wouldn't anticipate a huge viewer or subscriber count. But, I think it would provide a valuable information source for those who are truly interested in alternative energy sources. I will be one of the subscribers.
Awesome video Evan !
I think a lot of people forget that there ard 2 parts to an electric bill. Generation and Distribution. When you as a consumer purchase electricity, you pay to have to produced for you and to be delivered to you.
When you produce the power and sell it back, you get a lower amount because you are paying to access the grid to sell the power back. The price you receive already has the distribution charge removed.
I sell back electricity. Currently, I receive 6 cents, while generation rate is 10 cents. To buy electricity it is about 14 cents.
I look at it as a reduction in my bill. I have only had 1 month in 4 years where my bill was a credit. Keep in mind, I am an all electric house. Average usage is 1500 per month, while I produce an average of 1200 per month.
Solor varies. My system is also 6 years old now. I am happy only having to a fraction of what it used to cost me.
Note: if I switched to a propane water heater my usuage would probably be 600-800 per month. I would have a $0.00 electric bill but a $200 monthly propane bill (based on what my neighbor pays). It doesn't balance out, and it is far cheaper to just pay $80 a month for electricity.
Sometimes, you just have to balance what you need vs what you want. $0 is great, but if you break the bank getting there, did you save money?
and remember you have to break the bank every 15 years. Risky business IMHO 😄
@arosenberger87 we have a propane on demand water heater. We use about 130 gallons of propane a year for the hot water heater and our cooktop. $200 a month sounds high.
$1500 a month? Are you running a welding shop?
@@nautilusshell940 I think 1500 is kilowatt hours of electricity.
If you had more batteries for storage, would you have made enough electricity to get you through the night to peak production time the next day and not needed to purchased any from the power company? I know you said you had some troubles with your system and ran less arrays for part of the time.
With the additions to your system, will you now have enough battery storage to avoid buying from the power company?
Can you have some indicator installed in the house to tell you when the grid goes down so you know not to use so much power and drain your batteries down? Like you said, if you had known the grid was down you would not have done laundry and cooked at the time.
Do you have a service drop to the bank barn from the grid? Would adding solar there be a cost savings or not?
Well done and very well spoken video. Thank you 👍
Looking forward to the new channel as I am total electric and the bills just keep going up. Hoping to get some idea of if I want to tackle doing a system myself . Thank you as I find this very interesting.
Wow, installed that all yourself Evan. I am really impressed great job brother.
Very interesting and transparent review, Evan. I’m going to recommend your new channel to my son-in-law. Good job!
I'm currently working on my own off-grid (little by little). The way hardware is today, being fully scalable and modular, there's no reason to overbuild. Keep it small, pay cash, and own your mistakes (LOL). Thank you for sharing...
Great job
Could you reduce the slippery roof by spraying spray something to make it safer???👍👍
Looking forward to the second year review, especially after ironing out the faults and issues.
The cost for my house. Was 164.00 with ac in a 2450 sgft whole electric house. 1140kw.
And 100x40 sgft shop 125.00 . But I do have "zone" solar for my freezers and solar generator for shop 2fridge2 freezer
and fuel generators for house. 1 fridge 2 freezer.
It works for my situation. It's the cost of more panels and more hook up.is out of my reach until I hit the lottery
In west coast of Tennessee.
I just can't go with this, You've done a Great job, Looks Outstanding, I just can't justify the Cost of everything then the buy back is wrong price wise.... Just Saying.....
This is exactly why sell back solar systems just don’t work for me. You buy at $.15 but then sell it at three cents. We have to consider the input cost of the system. The system will never pay for itself at those rates. In the long run, you would be much better off and investing in storage and forget selling your power back to the company and just lower your dependency on grid power even then your system will not pay for itself over the long-haul, but you’re buying your own independence.
Nice love solar videos. I have a 6000 watt solar system
Awesome information , great video ! Heading to the new channel now ! Thanks for sharing !!!!! 😊🙏👍❤️
Thanks Evan!
Good to hear your overview thoughts on solar which was most interesting. Dan
Evan , for slippery roofs buy some Non Slip Bathtub Stickers. Really cheap way of solving slips on a roof.
The state I live in we buy and sell our solar power for the same price. I would talk to your legislators about trying to change it so they have to buy it at the same rate. Good luck with your solar system.
my system is a little over 12kW of solar panels with less batteries...my power generation tracks closely with yours, but my monthly totals are less, probably because not all face the south and there's one tree and part of the roof that start blocking sunlight in the afternoon. Our electric company is very nice and just subtracts off any excess power I feed back from my overall usage. Biggest issue so far is voltage faults that cause the inverter to reset and the Generac backup generator we had installed at the same time is a PITA. (constantly looses WIFI signal and then doesn't work with the rest of the system is the main issue)
Excellent presentation. It makes it all the more interesting when you balance out the cost savings versus investment. Looking forward to seeing your new channel. I for one strongly believe in solar energy and the security it can provide during outages. Also would be interested in any state or federal rebates for purchasing the equipment.
Why not invest in a smart meter that can turn off large loads depending on the battery SOC? That will help conserve power and let the battery run as long as is possible and probably avoid the scenario you experienced.
It all good get more battery if you can
Excellent.. I'm wondering if it would be possible to incorporate an electronic forklift as a power bank with extra handy use around the workshop.. when required.. stay safe 🏴
You might think about adding a small skirt along the upslope side of your solar-panel array, extending almost all the way down to the metal roof. That would keep most, if not all, of the leaves out from under your panels.
Dealing with the electric company here in Nebraska they wanted to charge us $35/month to have solar hooked up to the grid. And they gave us 20% of our cost for energy we sell to them. So just bought more batteries and aren't on the grid.
do you not have any concerns as to where and how your batteries are made
I live in the UK and I honestly can't remember ever experiencing a power outage
Hello E & R
One thing to consider is spreading out your replacement cost of storage over time. Buying batteries at different times may help spread out that large replacement of batteries. New battery technology (longer life) may upset that apple cart one day but something to consider. Replacing your total storage system every 10 years (batteries) could be costly and overwhelming on a fixed income. Just a thought. Not a bad thing you are building the system over years.
Good looking system.
Nice overview of your system. Isn’t storage your biggest need? It seems like with more storage you’ll be better able to fill in the gaps of lower system output to meet the demand.
Evan why don't you add a wind generator to help charge the batteries also add a generator back up to the line ?
I liked the video on your new solar channel even though it included details I don't really "get". Where is your bottleneck? Storage or production or both? Maybe strategically reduce consumption at certain times. I want to get on the bandwagon for all the obvious reasons. Just been too occupied with more important things to make it happen. I also have a vacant lot next to a transmission line. I would love to cover it with solar and just sell the power.
What you've missed...and it was essential and critical information...is how much the entire system would cost at retail (including the cost of labor).
Helps to have an electrical background. I’m sure the info you imparted will help a lot of people decide whether they want solar or not. Can’t believe the power company only gives 3 cents for your power production.
Depends on politics. In Maryland, by state law, the power company pays the same price per kWh that they charge. Which makes those expensive batteries less useful for many houses. There are limits, however, to how many houses in a nieghborhood can sell back, so be a reasonably early adopter. I think this is because transformers somewhere in the grid are one way.
@@tractorsold1by their nature, transformers are bidirectional. The issue is really about generation and backfeeding power up stream (which raises voltages on lines. Utilities manage grid tied solar output by changing the power line frequency up from 60hz to tell grid interactive solar inverters to cut back (or or cut out entirely on older equipment) if there is more solar power + generated power being produced than consumed. Otherwise line voltages start spiking up which can cause cascading issues. If there is too much solar generation in an area over utility generation, the utility doesn’t have enough control over the frequency to push out changes to tell grid interactive inverters to cut production - again leading to grid stability issues.
Averaged over time, utilities in the Midwest pay about 3.6 cents per kWh for bulk power from large generating plants who deliver power to the grid on a scheduled basis at high voltages suitable for transmission and distribution. A price of 3 cents per kWh for unscheduled and intermittent delivery of low-voltage power to the local grid is roughly what it's worth. Most of the cost of electricity delivered to your home is the cost of building, maintaining, and operating the transmission and distribution network.
Appreciate you sharing the problems you are running into......any recommendations for eliminating those arch fault issues??? Considering you have lots of space, Would the electrical code be easier to deal with if you ground mounted the arrays, rather than roof mounted?
You should put some of that skateboard tape up on the roof. It should blend in color wise and it would give up grip where you’d need it.
Love your channel.
Subscribed and liked your new channel.
Good luck with it pal
Great review. Thanks
I went with solar and back up generator. solar we use it during the day and sell back what we aren't using. my electric bill has been $5 to 0 for about 8 months.
Excellent!
I think most rooftop panels have a wire mesh round the sides to prevent birds etc?
Thanks for the episode, I had wondered about the pros and cons of it! I wonder if my State of Missouri is a little more friendly on the sell back rate, something to check into I guess.
It sounds like you need to double up your batteries to cover the whole day and avoid buying during peak hours.
Your attention to detail is appreciated buddy....Maybe if you treated your power consumption more like you were OFF GRID.....you could do power hungry tasks on blue bird sky days where your production is in excess? I know you are one who pays attention to detail....but just asking if you alter your schedule at all depending on the weather.....something Jen and I find ourselves doing often....being OFF GRID, or if you ignore of go about your business as usual. Best wishes
have you thought about using dielectric grease on connectors to water proof and stop arcing. used on connector on doser autoleveling system that was burning up circut boards. apparentlly arcing in connector was causing the problem. after using grease no problems .
I think one cannot just count only power price ( either bought or sold, which at its best is still -$68 a month...) but has to add the cost of the whole system ( made to last 15 years max )
$0.63 per Kwh here in Central California.
I wonder if just a little more battery storage would get you there since you were so close.
He’s running the max battery a single EP Cube can handle. To add more of the same batteries, he needs to add a second parallel EP Cube setup which he touches on in his new video on the other channel. Their system can run up to 10 inverters with 19kwh each…
Thanks for sharing Evan. You did a great job! You are fortunate that you are able to do this yourself. You also have a tertiary source with your gas generator still, right? That may be a wise idea at least for essential items. One of Ours would be our well pump. No electricity, no water and no flushing toilets! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Install some grit strips on the roof. They are used on commercial rubber roofs.
Do they have any type of alerts or alarms for when it switches to batteries
Apparently there is, now, as of June. I just setup the notification.
Solar Power is really indeed addictiv! 🖖😉
Is there not like an app or something that can shoot you a notification when the battery backup kicks on so you know the power went out??
Have you thought about adding a wind turbine to your system for when no sun or help charge overnight
Generally the agreement with the power company limits your output to 25k for selling per hour.
.
I've thought about it, but with mabe 3 hours sun maximum per 24hours over a year. It makes for a mity big system even though my monthly power use is around 450kwh at 0.0719c or basically a little over $50 a month, with $22.50 fee.
.
I'd say some propane appliances in the kitchen, and a propane dryer would really help smash out the peeks.
Mabe some pre-heating on the line to the hot water tank. Going lp on the hot water will be a sizable increase in lp use over the other items.
0.01c
I see, just couldn't completely retire from the electrical job! When you were relating the fact that you didn't know the power was down right away, isn't there an APP out there in 'APP LAND' that would sink with your system and the grid to alert your phone that the grid has just gone down in a timely fashion?? (just wondering) Also, have you checked out Al Lumnah's (Lumnah Acres) panels that he put on the side wall of his shop building? Not sure of the true orientation of his building but may be an option when you run out of roof! Keep up the good work Evan! HAPPY TRAILS!!