I have a tiny diy kiln for testing all sorts of thing including the maturation temperature of native clays and homemade glazes. It operates off a single 300 W solar panel in the back yard. A $2 Arduino and a power MOSFET control the temperature profile. There's still a childish delight in seeing it operate all day long on just sunlight. :)
Lucky you! Im in ca and with heat set st 55 in winter my electric bill is still 300.00 a mo. Can't get solar until I cut down trees but just the permit is 1k PER tree. .I love ca weather but hate Ca costs
I have 12 panels on my roof for my small energy usage (no air conditioner.) Most days i use way less than I produce. In San Diego with solar, they do a once a year charge for electricity. Despite the fact that most days I use way less than I produce, my cost for the whole was almost even. In had a $38 credit. Two reasons. One is that they have a $10 a month charge for the net metering and they pay wholesale when you produce more than you use during the day but at night they charge retail for what you use. I am still a happy camper but the savings is much less than I would have thought. Perhaps I will get a battery backup system and use that at night but that is an expensive proposition.
I am an off grid potter too! I use solar for my wheel and a gas kiln! Love this ♥️ I have an idea for a future video! Sinks! Slab, coil and wheel thrown. I am in the process of designing a sink and would love to see your take on sink designs. Thank you for the great video’s and positive pottery vibes 💪
Amazing. Congratulations!!! The video is beautiful. All. The shots from the air are spectacular. Let us know later how solar energy functions with the kilns.
Hi Jon, I want to thank you so much for making this video, I've just finished my preliminary drawings for my own studio and it also has solar panels!! I'm so glad to see that it's possible, and I am so grateful for the details provided in this video 👍👍👍
Great to see this happen, Jon! I remember, when I bought a large (and beautiful!) bowl as part of the Kickstarter campaign, that this was on your list. So great that you were able to persevere and make it a reality! We have had a grid-tied solar power system for 4.5 years now. It’s been great and powers about 56% of all of our usage (including the kiln). Our utility, though, only pays 30 cents on the dollar when “net”metering. So, this Spring, we are adding more panels and 2 Tesla Powerwalls! That will do a few things - first, we will generate more solar power (about 30% more), second, we will directly use most if not all of the power we generate (no dollars lost in the trade with the utility) and third, the system will be a backup power source in the case of an outage. In theory, the grid could go down permanently, and we would have power, without the need to burn fossil fuels in a generator! Maybe you’ll want to consider adding battery storage to your system, too, some day. Cheers!
Hello from Tasmania Australia 👋 I only have a 16 panel system but have micro inverters on each one which will mean each panel operates independently. I’ve only had it for a month and am still waiting for it to be connected to the grid. My current kiln is very small and only costs about $6 per firing but I’m planning on adding a bigger kiln soon. Love your energy John 😊
Yahooooooooooooo! I am so excited for you guys! Thanks again for sharing more of your journey with all of us! You are so inspiring! And Merry Christmas!
We also have solar. 60 panels on the house and pole barn. Last year no electric bill. We are just south of Duluth. Winters are dark. I have fired my kiln half full with out heart ache.
Florida Power & Light will add solar panels to its farm based on how much you want to offset your power usage. You tell them what your goal is; they build and maintains the panels; you pay the upfront costs over time; and your power bill drops to as low as $0. Of course, in Florida, there is a lot of sun and you don’t have to worry about hurricanes ripping panels from the roof.
Do you have a video that focus on technique for throwing on the wheel while standing? I want to switch my wheel to standing instead of sitting. Also the solar panels are super exciting congratulations.
We have 36 panels on our house and garage roof. The energy that the panels create go to the grid and offset your electrical usage. They don’t actually run the kilns - which is what some people may think it does. I run 3 different sized kilns during the year and we also have energy efficient heat pump and appliances. Our total electric bill each month is a lot less. The minimum we pay is about $11, during summer months, which is the connection fee to to power company. We don’t have the solar batteries that store power for the few times we lose electricity after big storms. The main benefit of solar is a reduced power bill at your house & studio, but the initial cost of this is very expensive.
You will definitely want to be aware of when you start and finish your firing. I have net metering in CA and when the extra is going to the grid, they pay wholesale prices but when you pay for electricity after the sun goes down you pay retail prices so you want to fire as much as possible when the sun is shining. So plan as much as possible for firing on a sunny day starting early in the morning so when your kiln is at top temperature, it is midday and you are producing the most solar energy. Good luck. Definitely going to save you some money. I hope you will be willing to share with us all how much savings it is.
Its been a few years since this video and I haven't heard you say much about it since, Any chance of a quick update video to see what the reality of this project has been? Has it been able to produce more than the kilns are using? any unexpected costs etc?
Thats Awesome! Thanks for the Reply! I don't know if electricity prices have gone up as much as they have up here in Canada, but if so you must be glad you got this solar in place when you did!@@Jonthepotter
It’s been 2 years.. any chance for an update on how solar powered kiln firing measured up to your expectation. Love to hear some key learnings from your experience. Thank you.
Good for you! Dont make the bill paying error I did when going solar. I kept getting bills for the gas half of my energy and kept paying them. It turned out that the power co had created a new account for my gas and I was paying to the electric one. Oh Well....
So does the solar system run your house as well? And do you have a battery to store the electricity? That would be awesome where we live. We have power outages when the wind blows, a thunderstorm, snowstorm, pretty frequently. We live in the country where we have to use an electric pump for our well. Sooo when the power goes out, we don’t have water to drink, wash dishes, flush toilets or even wash our hands. It’s a super pain to hook up our little generator just to have some light (and internet...priorities!) Solar with a backup battery would be wonderful!!! Electric to run the kiln would be a bonus.
Backup batteries for solar can be really expensive. They may be helpful for nights and when there are power outages but again at sometimes over $10K may not be worth it for everyone.
There are plenty of hand-building techniques, to make functional wares. Just an option until you have access to a wheel. Also in regards to that, keep an eye on auction sites, where both wheels and kilns tk come up for sale.
This is something I have wanted to do ever since I knew I wanted to buy a kiln and hopefully one day have a studio. I’m excited to see how this works out for you! Do y’all get hail up that far north? We get it a lot in North Texas (DFW area).
Hi Jon, I live in Alberta and I am building a small pottery studio in my backyard. What do you use for a heat source in your studio? I want to avoid forced air heat and need a reliable,safe system so the place doesn’t freeze in winter. Thanks for any info you can share!. Love the solar panels!! My dream set up!!
This is Great!! I have been toying with the idea of solar for our home. my husband is a bit leary, so maybe you can at least anser me this. What happens if you need to replace your roof? or if a storm/tree etc. damage a solar panel? I would assume you would have to encour that cost or is it covered by insurance? Thanks in advance
Hello Sir I want to know all the technical knowledge of the glaze like it's temperature it's compositions and defects or errors and equipments . Where I can get these to study . Please help
I LITERALLY HAVE HAD THIS PLAN FOR OVER 6 YEARS FOR MY FUTURE HOUSE AND FUTURE AT HOME POTTERY STUDIO!!! Can we contact and connect with you if we have any questions?
I would like to know what is power consumption of your kilns. How long do you need to have a kiln run? About your system; I wonder if shading is a problem anytime. It is easy to see that one or other or perhaps both groups are not optimally oriented for facing the sun or optimal tilt so I wonder how much this affects the KW hour generated on average.
Jon! I have a very important question from a fan of yours, what's the best clay to use for mugs and teapots? I have a Desire to start a shop and I don't know any good clay formulas :( they all crack and even turn into dust.
Would love to know how you are storing the power you catch. We have been wanting to fire 100% off grid & it’s a concern if the kiln cuts out. Does your on grid power just pick up if your batteries run out of stored power mid fire?
HI John I have been playing with the idea of going solar with only my kiln. Have you by any chance keep track of how much power is used during your firings?
My Ceramics text book from college had a small segment about a kiln that was heated using only solar energy. It wasn't an electric kiln powered by solar electricity, but instead only used only the captured and retained heat from the sun. It took forever to fire and had space for a single piece, but it's pretty cool to know it is possible, despite not being practical.
We are all solar. Totally off grid. For now almost 20 years. Will never go back. Built our own propane kiln. Over insulted. This will blow your mind. Last week. Last firing of the year. 3.5 hrs to reach cone 6 but held it back for 30 min soak. Was sure the glazes would jump off. Craze or pinhole. They were fine. Already sold most. But back to solar. Built our own house. Started with 2 panels and one golf battery now have have 12 panels and 8, 120 pound batteries. We have yet to run out of power. Love solar. Get totally off grid if possible
@@keithlightminder3005 but true. When kiln is at cone 6. Outside so cool you can put your hand on it and bricks feel cool. Next day when inside of kiln is cool. Outside bricks are hot
I hate to be a Karen... But is it normal for professionals to work on a roof without safety harnesses? I assume you are in the US, home of the lawsuit. One would think that would be considered negligence on their part, but then again, I've heard the colloquial story of the robber that fell off a ladder and sued the homeowner, sooo.
I have a tiny diy kiln for testing all sorts of thing including the maturation temperature of native clays and homemade glazes. It operates off a single 300 W solar panel in the back yard. A $2 Arduino and a power MOSFET control the temperature profile. There's still a childish delight in seeing it operate all day long on just sunlight. :)
We have 52 solar panels and 9 or 10 months out of the year our electric bill is $13.00. Love it
Lucky you! Im in ca and with heat set st 55 in winter my electric bill is still 300.00 a mo. Can't get solar until I cut down trees but just the permit is 1k PER tree. .I love ca weather but hate Ca costs
I have 12 panels on my roof for my small energy usage (no air conditioner.) Most days i use way less than I produce. In San Diego with solar, they do a once a year charge for electricity. Despite the fact that most days I use way less than I produce, my cost for the whole was almost even. In had a $38 credit. Two reasons. One is that they have a $10 a month charge for the net metering and they pay wholesale when you produce more than you use during the day but at night they charge retail for what you use. I am still a happy camper but the savings is much less than I would have thought. Perhaps I will get a battery backup system and use that at night but that is an expensive proposition.
Coming up on a year using solar. Not only for pottery, DDD printing , charging our 2012 Nissan Leaf and the house.
You will be a happy camper.
Yesterday produced 31.53 kwh consumed 21.26kwh.
I am an off grid potter too! I use solar for my wheel and a gas kiln! Love this ♥️ I have an idea for a future video! Sinks! Slab, coil and wheel thrown. I am in the process of designing a sink and would love to see your take on sink designs. Thank you for the great video’s and positive pottery vibes 💪
I was just telling my dad yesterday that I want a cute little shed studio with solar panels!! Hoping to have a real space to work by the end of 2021.
Amazing. Congratulations!!! The video is beautiful. All. The shots from the air are spectacular. Let us know later how solar energy functions with the kilns.
Hi Jon, I want to thank you so much for making this video, I've just finished my preliminary drawings for my own studio and it also has solar panels!!
I'm so glad to see that it's possible, and I am so grateful for the details provided in this video 👍👍👍
Great video!! Always nice to see such a happy client!
Very cool...keep us posted on this!
Congratulations!!!!good for u and the planet 🌎, so tyvm!
This is wonderful! I'm very excited for you! Thanks for sharing.
We love our solar, bills under $8/month, and all the rebates from WA state paid for it over five years!
That’s a great break even time window, Wow!
Good to hear you got solar up. Cool stuff
Great to see this happen, Jon! I remember, when I bought a large (and beautiful!) bowl as part of the Kickstarter campaign, that this was on your list. So great that you were able to persevere and make it a reality!
We have had a grid-tied solar power system for 4.5 years now. It’s been great and powers about 56% of all of our usage (including the kiln). Our utility, though, only pays 30 cents on the dollar when “net”metering. So, this Spring, we are adding more panels and 2 Tesla Powerwalls! That will do a few things - first, we will generate more solar power (about 30% more), second, we will directly use most if not all of the power we generate (no dollars lost in the trade with the utility) and third, the system will be a backup power source in the case of an outage. In theory, the grid could go down permanently, and we would have power, without the need to burn fossil fuels in a generator! Maybe you’ll want to consider adding battery storage to your system, too, some day. Cheers!
Nice solar project! I noticed that Canadian Solar is the product you selected. From a proud Canadian, I know they work better than expected!!
This is such a great idea! Looking forward to seeing the klin firing results☺️
Hello from Tasmania Australia 👋 I only have a 16 panel system but have micro inverters on each one which will mean each panel operates independently. I’ve only had it for a month and am still waiting for it to be connected to the grid. My current kiln is very small and only costs about $6 per firing but I’m planning on adding a bigger kiln soon. Love your energy John 😊
Yahooooooooooooo! I am so excited for you guys! Thanks again for sharing more of your journey with all of us! You are so inspiring! And Merry Christmas!
Super interesting. Hope you keep us in the know about your usage.
We also have solar. 60 panels on the house and pole barn. Last year no electric bill. We are just south of Duluth. Winters are dark. I have fired my kiln half full with out heart ache.
Florida Power & Light will add solar panels to its farm based on how much you want to offset your power usage. You tell them what your goal is; they build and maintains the panels; you pay the upfront costs over time; and your power bill drops to as low as $0. Of course, in Florida, there is a lot of sun and you don’t have to worry about hurricanes ripping panels from the roof.
Do you have a video that focus on technique for throwing on the wheel while standing? I want to switch my wheel to standing instead of sitting. Also the solar panels are super exciting congratulations.
We have 36 panels on our house and garage roof. The energy that the panels create go to the grid and offset your electrical usage. They don’t actually run the kilns - which is what some people may think it does. I run 3 different sized kilns during the year and we also have energy efficient heat pump and appliances. Our total electric bill each month is a lot less. The minimum we pay is about $11, during summer months, which is the connection fee to to power company. We don’t have the solar batteries that store power for the few times we lose electricity after big storms. The main benefit of solar is a reduced power bill at your house & studio, but the initial cost of this is very expensive.
You will definitely want to be aware of when you start and finish your firing. I have net metering in CA and when the extra is going to the grid, they pay wholesale prices but when you pay for electricity after the sun goes down you pay retail prices so you want to fire as much as possible when the sun is shining. So plan as much as possible for firing on a sunny day starting early in the morning so when your kiln is at top temperature, it is midday and you are producing the most solar energy. Good luck. Definitely going to save you some money. I hope you will be willing to share with us all how much savings it is.
Its been a few years since this video and I haven't heard you say much about it since, Any chance of a quick update video to see what the reality of this project has been? Has it been able to produce more than the kilns are using? any unexpected costs etc?
It produces enough to cover about 85 percent of the kiln/studio usage!
Thats Awesome! Thanks for the Reply! I don't know if electricity prices have gone up as much as they have up here in Canada, but if so you must be glad you got this solar in place when you did!@@Jonthepotter
Awesome! Keep up the good work😁👍
What my friends doing in fennville Michigan she had all her barns covered
Yeah if you take barn rooves, in plowable land and such and turn it into a solar generator you can end up easily being a net exporter of power.
Jon! This is amazing! I'd love to put solar in the woodshop someday...gotta get it insulated first!
Nice one Jon, doing your bit to be sustainable, hopefully good for business too 👍🏼
I juuuuuuust noticed that the JTP symbol looks like a mug! Thats so cool! Kind of embarrassed that it took me so long lol Congrats on the Solar!
great happyfor earth Thanks JTP
It’s been 2 years.. any chance for an update on how solar powered kiln firing measured up to your expectation. Love to hear some key learnings from your experience. Thank you.
That’s rad dude congrats
Good for you! Dont make the bill paying error I did when going solar. I kept getting bills for the gas half of my energy and kept paying them. It turned out that the power co had created a new account for my gas and I was paying to the electric one. Oh Well....
I clicked so fast! This is amazing!!
Congratulations on your solar panels! Love the fall colors in your video, you live in a beautiful area! 😊
So does the solar system run your house as well? And do you have a battery to store the electricity? That would be awesome where we live. We have power outages when the wind blows, a thunderstorm, snowstorm, pretty frequently. We live in the country where we have to use an electric pump for our well. Sooo when the power goes out, we don’t have water to drink, wash dishes, flush toilets or even wash our hands. It’s a super pain to hook up our little generator just to have some light (and internet...priorities!) Solar with a backup battery would be wonderful!!! Electric to run the kiln would be a bonus.
Backup batteries for solar can be really expensive. They may be helpful for nights and when there are power outages but again at sometimes over $10K may not be worth it for everyone.
i wish it was easy to do pottery right now, i dont have my own wheel but i love making pottery even though i'm only a beginner, it's so fun!
There are plenty of hand-building techniques, to make functional wares. Just an option until you have access to a wheel. Also in regards to that, keep an eye on auction sites, where both wheels and kilns tk come up for sale.
@@benpatterson4452 huh, thanks for the advice!
I'd love to see the setup in the house.
This is something I have wanted to do ever since I knew I wanted to buy a kiln and hopefully one day have a studio. I’m excited to see how this works out for you! Do y’all get hail up that far north? We get it a lot in North Texas (DFW area).
You are amazing!!!!🥳
Hey Jon great video as usual ✌️🤙 I was wondering the halfmask you have I can’t find your video where you have the link for it. What’s the mask called?
Hi Jon,
I live in Alberta and I am building a small pottery studio in my backyard.
What do you use for a heat source in your studio? I want to avoid forced air heat and need a reliable,safe system so the place doesn’t freeze in winter.
Thanks for any info you can share!.
Love the solar panels!! My dream set up!!
This is Great!! I have been toying with the idea of solar for our home. my husband is a bit leary, so maybe you can at least anser me this. What happens if you need to replace your roof? or if a storm/tree etc. damage a solar panel? I would assume you would have to encour that cost or is it covered by insurance? Thanks in advance
Hello Sir
I want to know all the technical knowledge of the glaze like it's temperature it's compositions and defects or errors and equipments . Where I can get these to study . Please help
I LITERALLY HAVE HAD THIS PLAN FOR OVER 6 YEARS FOR MY FUTURE HOUSE AND FUTURE AT HOME POTTERY STUDIO!!!
Can we contact and connect with you if we have any questions?
Your kid looks exactly like the kid in “white ribbon” movie. So cute 😍😍
Will you have to remove snow from the panels in the Winter or will the panels clear themselves with the sun's heat and energy?
I would like to know what is power consumption of your kilns. How long do you need to have a kiln run? About your system; I wonder if shading is a problem anytime. It is easy to see that one or other or perhaps both groups are not optimally oriented for facing the sun or optimal tilt so I wonder how much this affects the KW hour generated on average.
Jon! I have a very important question from a fan of yours, what's the best clay to use for mugs and teapots? I have a Desire to start a shop and I don't know any good clay formulas :( they all crack and even turn into dust.
Would love to know how you are storing the power you catch. We have been wanting to fire 100% off grid & it’s a concern if the kiln cuts out. Does your on grid power just pick up if your batteries run out of stored power mid fire?
HI John I have been playing with the idea of going solar with only my kiln. Have you by any chance keep track of how much power is used during your firings?
Génial !!!!!!!! great idea !!!
My Ceramics text book from college had a small segment about a kiln that was heated using only solar energy. It wasn't an electric kiln powered by solar electricity, but instead only used only the captured and retained heat from the sun. It took forever to fire and had space for a single piece, but it's pretty cool to know it is possible, despite not being practical.
Nice bro
What size are your kilns?
What was the SIU mug in the intro? curious.
❤❤❤
We are all solar. Totally off grid. For now almost 20 years. Will never go back. Built our own propane kiln. Over insulted. This will blow your mind. Last week. Last firing of the year. 3.5 hrs to reach cone 6 but held it back for 30 min soak. Was sure the glazes would jump off. Craze or pinhole. They were fine. Already sold most. But back to solar. Built our own house. Started with 2 panels and one golf battery now have have 12 panels and 8, 120 pound batteries. We have yet to run out of power. Love solar. Get totally off grid if possible
Over insulated, lol.
@@keithlightminder3005 but true. When kiln is at cone 6. Outside so cool you can put your hand on it and bricks feel cool. Next day when inside of kiln is cool. Outside bricks are hot
i watch another channel, White House on the Hill, and you guys look so alike.
I would love to send your some of my work, how do I do that sir!
Read the video description.
Hola puedes traducir al español (castellano) porfa gracias 🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱👍
😃
Not to be that person. But I see no PPEs.
It’s because they are outside
@@ranibowunicorn oh no I'm not just talking about the masks. I'm talking about harnesses and stuffs.
I hate to be a Karen... But is it normal for professionals to work on a roof without safety harnesses?
I assume you are in the US, home of the lawsuit. One would think that would be considered negligence on their part, but then again, I've heard the colloquial story of the robber that fell off a ladder and sued the homeowner, sooo.
👍❤👍❤👍