December PV starting off crappy again.

[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.

 

[RV10flyer]

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

17kWh from 32kWpv today. Last week was worse. I had some 7-10 kWh days. I’ve been getting the dust knocked off of those old 100W Renogy. Desperate times when you’re putting 20 in series.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

17kWh from 32kWpv today. Last week was worse. I had some 7-10 kWh days. I’ve been getting the dust knocked off of those old 100W Renogy. Desperate times when you’re putting 20 in series.

You all running all electric or do you have another heat source?
That’s the majority of our usages.

 

[timselectric]

Most of my house is still on gas furnace.
More mini splits are in the plan.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Most of my house is still on gas furnace.
More mini splits are in the plan.

Ok that makes sense.
I was thinking “Damn am I just wasting energy?”

On mild days with no heat or air I use about 40 kw a day.

1-2 kw per hour.

The lights in the shop mostly pull that with occasional welder, drill, lathe, etc.

 

[RV10flyer]

You all running all electric or do you have another heat source?
That’s the majority of our usages.

It got down to 11F last week, with three dark cloudy days. Still running heat pumps for now. I can do fine on the dark warmer days above 20F at night. Wood burner is locked and loaded though.

 

[RV10flyer]

Ok that makes sense.
I was thinking “Damn am I just wasting energy?”

On mild days with no heat or air I use about 40 kw a day.

1-2 kw per hour.

The lights in the shop mostly pull that with occasional welder, drill, lathe, etc.

30kWh typical daily consumption on these warmer days above 20F. Consumption goes up drastically below 20F.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

It got down to 11F last week, with three dark cloudy days. Still running heat pumps for now. I can do fine on the dark warmer days above 20F at night. Wood burner is locked and loaded though.

Man I don’t know how you do it.
32 kw a day with Heat pumps?

The upstairs unit is new like 15 months old and is 18 seer.
The downstairs unit is 2015 and 16 seer.

Seems like 50-60% of my energy usage is environmental.

I have good insulation.

I used the FLIR to look for any heat losses and didn’t really see any..

 

[RV10flyer]

Man I don’t know how you do it.
32 kw a day with Heat pumps?

The upstairs unit is new like 15 months old and is 18 seer.
The downstairs unit is 2015 and 16 seer.

Seems like 50-60% of my energy usage is environmental.

I have good insulation.

I used the FLIR to look for any heat losses and didn’t really see any..

1.5T 16 SEER d/s, 2T 20 SEER u/s. My 80 gal wh uses 10-15kWh daily. I have 32 kW of pv. Consume about 30kWh daily. I don’t run the power shed mini until it gets below 20F. Plenty of heat losses and R-9 walls in power shed. House R-19 walls, R-30 ceiling. Set temps to 67F day, 64F night, that helps!

 

[Nobodybusiness]

1.5T 16 SEER d/s, 2T 20 SEER u/s. My 80 gal wh uses 10-15kWh daily. I have 32 kW of pv. Consume about 30kWh daily. I don’t run the power shed mini until it gets below 20F. Plenty of heat losses and R-9 walls in power shed. House R-19 walls, R-30 ceiling. Set temps to 67F day, 64F night, that helps!

Well I have an 50 gallon AO smith and it’s just the 2 of us so not to much hot water except for showers.
We do most of the laundry during the day when usually enough PV.

Powershed mini split hardly comes on.
It’s set for 50. Have R30 in ceilings and r19 in walls out there.

Downstairs unit is Trane 3 ton. Upstairs Lennox 2 ton.

Yea I keep house at 73 all day and night in winter so that’s probably why.
Summer 75. Just enough to knock down humidity.

I’m old so I guess that’s where it’s getting spent.

 

[rin67630]

It's not about the kW's you receive it's about how many hours you receive them

I suppose he was speaking about KWh received over the whole day.