How did your solar fare during the January '24 freeze?
- Thread starter EastTexCowboy
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timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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Nope
Kentucky
Nope again. lol
I have a 48vdc Hotspot mini split. It's been purring right through. 4° F, yesterday.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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Not when the sun is reflecting off the surface.
It would be cooler if I were there for pleasure. (Actually in the water)
but in full safety gear, not so much.
Zwy
Emperor Of Solar
That is a minimum of 12Kw of PV. What are you seeing for PV yield in good sun? The EG4 6500EX will clip PV input to 3.9Kw per MPPT and that is all you will get per MPPT. How did you arrange strings, any shading, etc?
61 Kwh should get thru a day in a 1200 sq ft house. Now if the sun doesn't shine for days,there isn't much you can do except switch to grid or run a generator if totally off grid.
I'd look at PV yield per day. If the weather doesn't cooperate, not much you can do.
My place is also 1200 square feet. Daily consumption, about 5kWh give or take - and I do have a dryer (heatpump version). I have 60kWh storage right now (100kWh soon). At 5kWh this means I can get 12 days of autonomy. As long as you can take heating out of the equation (and that includes water heating/heating in a dryer, etc.) you should be able to get your consumption down a lot. I heat with wood (central floor heating and masonry fireplace) and use about 30kg per day for heating and hot water at -30C outside, at a temperature of +24C inside (Why? Ask the wife...). The heat pump only comes into the picture once I have solar production again, somewhere in February.
Schneider should work, but you won't have communication.
Plum Crazy Rob
Solar Enthusiast
Lovely. Much ado about refrigerants, and we end up with.....Propane
EastTexCowboy
Solar Wizard
It varies here. It was running 9.5 cents but when demand is up it goes up to as high as 13 cents. This past month's bill it was 11 cents.
EastTexCowboy
Solar Wizard
I don't think I've seen any feedback on this thread on systems installed outdoors, but I could have missed it. I'd like to hear how those are faring in low temps. Maybe @Markus_EG4 could give us a report on the EG4s with the Power Pros he installed a few months back?
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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What a wonderful day.
Well, for January. lol
Nothing but sunshine in the sky.
Well, for January. lol
Nothing but sunshine in the sky.
tomy2
escape artist
Lucky you! all cloudy on west coast, just had to let the grid charge batteries so they are ready for a big storm tonight. good thing is that the rain ends tomorrow for ten days of mostly sun.
tomy2
escape artist
Is that a whole house unit that connects to a ducting system? I never see anything like that advertised around here. probably overkill for this climate usually.
tomy2
escape artist
ours is 38 cents now and will go up to 50 cents this summer . I need to get more battery before then. I need one that can go outside, at least 15 kw, if anyone knows of deal on one.
Last edited:
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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It was just a teaser. Preparing for a week of rain. lol
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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It's a standard type ductless mini split.
80….?… hell I start heat stressing at about 75…
.at 80 degrees I go looking for a place with dim lights and beer signs in the window…
can’t take that kinda heat no more…
ksmithaz1
Solar / EV Junkie
75? You must mean 75C? Yea 75 is pretty hot, doesn't get much over "45" here sounds like you are in an oven ?. . . Rainy here today, accumulations of < 0.1" for the next few days, just gloomy and damp.. This will be the worst stretch of output since I put in the panels. 24KWH yesterday, will not make it to 15 today. I might have to pay some of those peak 0.11/kwh rates tomorrow.
75F …..we Americans still use old fashion temp numbers up here in tha hills…
6F was the lowest it got here. The heatpump in my computer room is the fancy one with built in backup heat and has worked flawless thru it all.
The older ones without the backup heat do nothing at these temps. They sit there is that "warmup" phase and never actually start heating. I guess I need to make sure all future units have backup heat.
Grid never went out so I never ended up running on battery power any.
The older ones without the backup heat do nothing at these temps. They sit there is that "warmup" phase and never actually start heating. I guess I need to make sure all future units have backup heat.
Grid never went out so I never ended up running on battery power any.
tomy2
escape artist
Both…and on a mountain.
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
North,
NW Ontario, the Relative Humidity runs between 45-100%, but most of the time 65-75% all year round.
EastTexCowboy
Solar Wizard
No personal experience with them but Signature Solar and Current Connected sell the EG4 Power Pro, which is rated for outside. I referenced that one earlier hoping Markus with EG4 would give us a report on how his fared during the freeze.
I wasn't thinking it would have a problem with the cold since it has a built-in heater, I would have been more concerned with it not having an active cooler for summer
Bleedingblue
Solar Enthusiast
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I have 19kw in solar panels, 148.8 KW in lithium for a 2000 sqft house.
Heat with a osburn fireplace insert. Temps got down to 0 with windchill down to -15. Hasn't been above 32 in 10 days now. Never worried about cold temperatures in the house. It was hot! I had to open the door a few times to lower the temperature. I even have old metal windows that has ice on em lol.
I have yet to see my panels above 50% with a full day of sun in the winter in 2 years. Even with back to back days of full sun. Normally in the winter here we might have 4 or 5 days of sun a month.
I'd like to at least double my battery bank to 300,000WH minimum and up my panels to 40kw.
Also get a genny with a 1000 gal propane tank. Genny needs to be able to power everything and charge batteries. So maybe a 20k?
Heat with a osburn fireplace insert. Temps got down to 0 with windchill down to -15. Hasn't been above 32 in 10 days now. Never worried about cold temperatures in the house. It was hot! I had to open the door a few times to lower the temperature. I even have old metal windows that has ice on em lol.
I have yet to see my panels above 50% with a full day of sun in the winter in 2 years. Even with back to back days of full sun. Normally in the winter here we might have 4 or 5 days of sun a month.
I'd like to at least double my battery bank to 300,000WH minimum and up my panels to 40kw.
Also get a genny with a 1000 gal propane tank. Genny needs to be able to power everything and charge batteries. So maybe a 20k?
I see we have another competitor: who gets to 1MWh first!
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