[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Bigmike18

This an interesting topic,, I wonder why we as village residents don’t ask that solar fields be built by the villages on some lands not suitable for construction. Or lands outside the villages,, perhaps we could generate enough electricity, that the entire villages area would be energy neutral.

Because the village residents would not be willing to pay a lot more money for their electricity. Only about 1.5 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. comes from solar, as compared to 63 percent from fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas. Generating electricity from fossil fuels is much cheaper than solar.

[biker1]

Tesla Powerwall (lithium-ion based): 13.5 kWh for $7.6K and a 10 year warranty (I assume warrantied to maintain 70% of initial capacity) and multiple units can be installed. Probably not the lowest cost but probably one of the best technical solutions. Going off the grid would not be cheap.

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

"Your bill won't go to nearly $0.00 because you will always be paying a "customer charge", and any other charges if you are still connected to the grid, currently $24 per month for SECO, and that is where the recent increases have come from."

A good reason for buying the battery storage as well and going "off grid". However, can anyone enlighten me on the cost of a typical "whole house" battery and its likely lifespan?

This is an interesting read:
7 Best Batteries for Solar Panels 2019 [Including Buying Guide]
but I should like to hear any personal experience too.

Thank you

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Because the village residents would not be willing to pay a lot more money for their electricity. Only about 1.5 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. comes from solar, as compared to 63 percent from fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas. Generating electricity from fossil fuels is much cheaper than solar.

If all the residences installed solar would that eliminate the use of oil, natural gas and coal for the production of electricity for the Village?
How would this be done?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

If all the residences installed solar would that eliminate the use of oil, natural gas and coal for the production of electricity for the Village?
How would this be done?

Maybe, but who would pay for it? See Post No. 10. Most people cannot afford to install the panels. The people who install solar panels can afford it, and they do it because they believe in energy conservation. Which is fine. But, I don't think it is a good financial investment, especially when the Federal tax credit is totally eliminated in 2022.

[Rosebud2020]

As many have commented, solar is a great way to go for a multitude of reasons.
However, from all I have read, a retrofit is generally not a cost-effective thing to do, mainly because of costs and payback.
Solar as a new system for a new home is an entirely different story.

The Green Key development on Lake Ella Road is a success story; if you aren't familiar with it, it's worth a visit.

I have full solar in my northern home (the tempered glass panels shed snow like a metal roof) with battery backup (auto switch when power is out) - haven't paid for electricity in years. @TV having solar and battery added (tesla) and I'll enjoy living and driving (tesla) by the power of the sun. 30% tax credits run out by year end. (down to 26%) so act fast to help save the planet!

[Arctic Fox]

Originally Posted by Bigmike18

This an interesting topic,, I wonder why we as village residents don’t ask that solar fields be built by the villages on some lands not suitable for construction. Or lands outside the villages,, perhaps we could generate enough electricity, that the entire villages area would be energy neutral.

It amazes me that new Rec Centers don't have solar installed on the roof when they are built (and the old ones when they get new roofs). It is space that can't be used for anything else and, since Rec Centers use the vast majority of their electricity during daylight hours, would provide sufficient electricity to run the air-con, pool heating and hot showers etc. Since TV can buy in bulk, the cost of solar should be cheaper than buying electricity in.

[TCRSO]

As background, we have lived in an off grid home (Florida Keys) and currently own to off grid homes in Canada. Solar works (as long as you are not trying to run AC). It is not in our view as economical as grid electricity. The one economic exception would be using a solar powered pump on a swimming pool.

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by DAIII

I have full solar in my northern home (the tempered glass panels shed snow like a metal roof) with battery backup (auto switch when power is out) - haven't paid for electricity in years. @TV having solar and battery added (tesla) and I'll enjoy living and driving (tesla) by the power of the sun. 30% tax credits run out by year end. (down to 26%) so act fast to help save the planet!

I have not paid a lot of attention to batteries as I was concerned that when we had a couple of cloudy days the batteries may run dry. Can you tell me your experience with reliability and how big a battery back up you have? I figure I use about 1000 watts a day but it varies a lot by the time of year. I would guess that I might need a two or three day backup for the summer.

[joldnol]

Florida should make solar more consumer friendly

[biker1]

I don’t know what size house you have but it would not be unusual to be using 40 kWhs per day during the summer.

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

I have not paid a lot of attention to batteries as I was concerned that when we had a couple of cloudy days the batteries may run dry. Can you tell me your experience with reliability and how big a battery back up you have? I figure I use about 1000 watts a day but it varies a lot by the time of year. I would guess that I might need a two or three day backup for the summer.

[biker1]

How would you suggest that be accomplished?

Originally Posted by joldnol

Florida should make solar more consumer friendly

[Packer Fan]

Originally Posted by Jimbo120

Great discussion, glad there are others out there looking at solar

To start your journey get your last year's electric bill and get a calculation from PVWatts Calculator of potential power production and to size your unit (This is a government site where you can select historical solar radiation data from near your home, I used data from under a mile away) I paid just under $2500 per KWH for my top end system.

As far as panel placement, put as many as possible on the southern exposure and the rest on the east side as afternoon storms make the western exposure less productive ! Every solar installer will ask for your electric bills for the last year and be able to project how many panels will fit where by using Google Earth. My installer, Unicity, provides a cell phone (not WiFi) based system where I can look at each panel performance and daily usage and production data. So far I am selling a little more back to SECO than I am using.

Energy Sage is an excellent site to learn about the different panels available. I purchased the most efficient panels for Florida Panasonic with EnPhase digital inverters. One caution, don't have Energy Sage send contractors to you because if you deal direct your price may be cheaper. I found excellent contractors thru the Panasonic Site which lists their best contractors.

On the question of payback, I did not consider the lost investment cost of my purchase. Nor did I figure anything for maintenance as my warranty covers product, labor, and roof penetrations for 25 years. My thought was that I am locking in the cost of electricity and figure my next car, if I have to buy one, will be electric. Unless your system size is very large (I think over 6.2) you do not have to carry any extra insurance. Your homeowners should cover it.


Also be aware that the 30% tax credit is scheduled to be reduced in 2020 not eliminated. My understanding is that resale is higher but I do not plan to care about that 20 years from now.

Thanks Jimbo120

My main concern is Hurricanes and roof replacement. Will they survive a hurricane and is there a warranty for this? Also, what happens when you have to replace the roof?

[Packer Fan]

Originally Posted by Bigmike18

This an interesting topic,, I wonder why we as village residents don’t ask that solar fields be built by the villages on some lands not suitable for construction. Or lands outside the villages,, perhaps we could generate enough electricity, that the entire villages area would be energy neutral.

I can answer that one. We looked at going solar for our manufacturing plants so I understand the calculations. They would have to cover a HUGE area - like the are of all the land they own that they have not built on to supply all of TV. The most efficient way to do this is with panels on the roofs of homes - it is basically free space. The problem is that the power grid is really not built to handle the up and down production if every house had solar panels. The panels are also not cost effective. When they get down to like $6000 a house instead of $13-14K, that will be when the discussion changes and everyone starts installing panels.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Packer Fan

I can answer that one. We looked at going solar for our manufacturing plants so I understand the calculations. They would have to cover a HUGE area - like the are of all the land they own that they have not built on to supply all of TV. The most efficient way to do this is with panels on the roofs of homes - it is basically free space. The problem is that the power grid is really not built to handle the up and down production if every house had solar panels. The panels are also not cost effective. When they get down to like $6000 a house instead of $13-14K, that will be when the discussion changes and everyone starts installing panels.

See Post No. 10. The panels for my very small house would cost more than $20K before applying a 30 percent tax credit. My current electric bill for the entire year is only about $1,000.