Bad days for Solar Production.

[timselectric]

All that you have to do is produce more than you use, on most days.
This week, that's not happening for me.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

98

Jesus, how many charge controllers do you have?
That’s a lot of panels.
You’ve got a big battery there also.
What is kw rating?

 

[Skypower]

It was pretty dark today and PV was zip. Solar assistant had triggered a charge during off peak. I’ve got at least three days ride through if the grid and sun don’t help but I got a generator that can bring it back to full in six hours if the first two sources fail.

 

[timselectric]

Jesus, how many charge controllers do you have?

Just 3 at the moment.

That’s a lot of panels.

Not enough, yet.

You’ve got a big battery there also.
What is kw rating?

76.8 kwh so far.
Also not enough, yet.

 

[GXMnow]

I guess I can't really complain too much here. My production is certainly down, but nothing like the ratios in this thread.
My Enphase system is only 16 x 300 watt panels for just 4.8 KW total. That small system made 15.4 KWHs on 12/01 and 15.3 KWHs on 12/02 So I am doing a bit over 3 sun hours still. It's not quite enough to keep up, but it is getting me well past 9 pm after it goes to the lower overnight rate. So I have been manually kicking it to charge a bit from grid at the cheap rate.

My DC system is not doing as well. I think the shadows are playing havoc with the cheap MPPT controller. My 2,000 watts of panels only made about 5 KWHs each of the last 2 days. That only 2.5 sun hours. The really bad rainy days were much worse, but here, we don't get too many of those. I had a day where my 4.8 KW Enphase system only made 1 KWH, but this year, my worst day in Nov. still pushed 3.8 KWHs.

Tomorrow will be interesting. The forecast shows it being sunny to 10 am, then partly to mostly cloudy the rest of the day. And then cloudy again all day Monday. Then we may see sun again Tues. and Wed.

Dec. 20th is the winter solstice. After that, the days will start getting longer again, and the sun angle will start to come back up and clear the tress more too.

 

[timselectric]

December 21st

 

[GXMnow]

Just 3 at the moment.

Not enough, yet.


76.8 kwh so far.
Also not enough, yet.

My DC system is all on one cheap MPPT controller. I may get a second and see if it works better. Also tempting to compare a Victron to my BougeRV one. The price is actually reasonable now, I would have gotten the Victron if it was this cheap last year.

You can never have too many solar panels. I am just running out of room to put them.

My battery is ONLY 36 KWHs. It's "enough" as long as I only have one really bad day, or two partly cloudy days, in a row. It can cover that just fine, but a second real bad day, and I am going to drop to grid power. When that happens, I typically force some grid charge at the cheap rate still so I can run off battery through the peak rate time, even with little to no sun.

 

[Balrog006]

December 21st

It only gets better from there ?

 

[timselectric]

It only gets better from there ?

I hope this year the 21st is a good day.
I would like to know what is the best I can expect.
Last year it was raining, here.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

D

 

[JRH]

Well the good news is in 19 more days the days start getting longer each day…
plus the angle of the sun improves each day…..

as the old Merle song said.

“ If we make it through December” …
” things gonna be alright I know.”

 

[timselectric]

Each year I do better.
Hopefully next year will be the win.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Each year I do better.
Hopefully next year will be the win.

That’s what I was thinking this year.

 

[timselectric]

That’s what I was thinking this year.

Me too. lol

 

[Nobodybusiness]

It was pretty dark today and PV was zip. Solar assistant had triggered a charge during off peak. I’ve got at least three days ride through if the grid and sun don’t help but I got a generator that can bring it back to full in six hours if the first two sources fail.
View attachment 180877

Why does TOU kick in for grid charge at 80%SOC?

At least that’s what it looks like..

 

[Nobodybusiness]

I currently have 51 panels for the 14.5kw array and I get between 350kwh and 550kwh of useable power in Decembers over the last 5 years.
I'd have to do at least 200panels (4 x 350kwh) to run the house on all electric and a much large battery as it can literally be 5-7 days in a row of very limited PV.

I can only repeat.... 200 panels? - AGHHHHHH - don't have room for even 100 panels - AGHHHHHH!!!

Yea that’s one of the reasons I got the biggest panels I could to limit space.

You could have the entire property covered in panels in this dreary weather and it wouldn’t matter now.

I just make enough on Sunny days in winter to cover all electric house.
If I get any overcast or rain then I’m running a deficit.

I know this is probably a silly question before I ask but maybe get higher amperage panels to add too and replace one at a time your lower wattage panels.

Or Do like Tim said and just parallel the crap out of them.
I know in the summer I’ll be able to leave my AC on sub freezing 24/7 because we paneled so much for winter.
We will have kw to burn then.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Well the good news is in 19 more days the days start getting longer each day…
plus the angle of the sun improves each day…..

as the old Merle song said.

“ If we make it through December” …
” things gonna be alright I know.”

January wasn’t to bad for us last year.
Just December.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

My DC system is all on one cheap MPPT controller. I may get a second and see if it works better. Also tempting to compare a Victron to my BougeRV one. The price is actually reasonable now, I would have gotten the Victron if it was this cheap last year.

You can never have too many solar panels. I am just running out of room to put them.

My battery is ONLY 36 KWHs. It's "enough" as long as I only have one really bad day, or two partly cloudy days, in a row. It can cover that just fine, but a second real bad day, and I am going to drop to grid power. When that happens, I typically force some grid charge at the cheap rate still so I can run off battery through the peak rate time, even with little to no sun.

You running the entire house on 36kw?
I wish I could do that..

 

[Skypower]

Why does TOU kick in for grid charge at 80%SOC?

At least that’s why it looks like..

My winter time setting. I simply move both ends of the red line up for darker skies

 

[Nobodybusiness]

My winter time setting. I simply move both ends of the red line up for darker skiesView attachment 180897

I gotcha..

Your loads look low compared to mine..

 

[timselectric]

Today I made 16.2 kwh and used 22.4 kwh.
So, I had to use 6.2 kwh from the grid.
December sucks.

 

[Skypower]

I gotcha..

Your loads look low compared to mine..

It would be even lower if my sons tropical fish died

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Today I made 16.2 kwh and used 22.4 kwh.
So, I had to use 6.2 kwh from the grid.
December sucks.

I made 9.7 and used 60.
Another battery deficit that will have to be made up via Grid or Generator.

Yea December Sucks..

 

[Nobodybusiness]

It would be even lower if my sons tropical fish died
View attachment 180898

Oh damn. ?. Well fish are good for mood stability.

I don’t see Heat pumps on there?

You use gas, wood or something else for heat?

 

[timselectric]

Actually November wasn't great either.
My battery bank hasn't seen 100% in 18 days.