GarySaf
New Member
Hello,
I’m planning Solar for my property and been reading through all the different posts and designs and hoping to get enough of a plan together to apply under Nem 2 (California - PGE) for a grid tie by the end of February 2023.
My biggest challenge in understanding / planning this out is the size of the property, annual usage and some unique install issues and hoping for some guidelines and where I might be completely off in my understanding and where things look realistic.
I have a home and barn and for 2022, my total PGE usage was 48000 kwh.
Planning for the next 3 years of usage there’s an upgrade our irrigation pump from 5hp - 10hp, an additional air conditioner for the barn and an added mini spilt for the home and at least 1EV, potentially 1 - 2 Electric UTV’s.
Realistically I think I should plan an additional 50% which would put my annual usage at 72000 kwh
Under the net metering agreement the usage for both meters would be aggregated, so essentially the grid tie would only be connected to the house and any surplus would offset the usage of both meters.
That particularly works really well as the barn would pretty much have to be dependent on grid power due to the irrigation and high usage at night.
So, here’s where my starting assumptions are - please correct where I’m seeming very off base or any different ideas.
Panels: 98 panels +/-
Presuming each panel produces an average approximately 2kwh per day (based on a few neighbors solar setup), to offset 72000 kwh annually, I would be looking at around 98 400w panels.
(72000 / 365 days / 2kwh per panel = 98)
Inverters:
Here’s my biggest confusion and I think the biggest cost concerns. Not tied to any brand but just seeing what others have successfully done, it seems I have a couple different directions.
1. If I went with something like the Sol Ark 15k’s, I not clear on whether I can get away with 2 or need 3?
2. If I went with the Schneider XW Pro Hybrid, it seems I need 4? 4 is also the max stacking capability it seems.
3. Any other inverter setup I should consider, as the expense is concerning especially on the Sol Ark's. Again, because of offsetting the barn usage, the grid tie is important, but perhaps I could lower the number of panels for now and later move some parts of the house on a separate off-grid system - Not sure if permitting on this would force me off Nem 2, but definitely a consideration to help keeps costs manageable.
Batteries:
For the moment, I haven’t even begun to consider batteries, as the whole project is already seeming quite expensive, but this would be the next step, when I have a handle on the panels, inverters and other costs.
Distance from panels to garage:
One of my other concerns is the wiring and costs for this as the panels would have to be 350 ft from the main meter.
There is 2 inch empty underground conduit laid out, but I wasn’t sure what I should consider specifically for the distance and how this might affect the overall plan.
So, that’s roughly where I’ve gotten - would appreciate any thoughts, ideas or suggestions.
Thanks, Gary
I’m planning Solar for my property and been reading through all the different posts and designs and hoping to get enough of a plan together to apply under Nem 2 (California - PGE) for a grid tie by the end of February 2023.
My biggest challenge in understanding / planning this out is the size of the property, annual usage and some unique install issues and hoping for some guidelines and where I might be completely off in my understanding and where things look realistic.
I have a home and barn and for 2022, my total PGE usage was 48000 kwh.
Planning for the next 3 years of usage there’s an upgrade our irrigation pump from 5hp - 10hp, an additional air conditioner for the barn and an added mini spilt for the home and at least 1EV, potentially 1 - 2 Electric UTV’s.
Realistically I think I should plan an additional 50% which would put my annual usage at 72000 kwh
Under the net metering agreement the usage for both meters would be aggregated, so essentially the grid tie would only be connected to the house and any surplus would offset the usage of both meters.
That particularly works really well as the barn would pretty much have to be dependent on grid power due to the irrigation and high usage at night.
So, here’s where my starting assumptions are - please correct where I’m seeming very off base or any different ideas.
Panels: 98 panels +/-
Presuming each panel produces an average approximately 2kwh per day (based on a few neighbors solar setup), to offset 72000 kwh annually, I would be looking at around 98 400w panels.
(72000 / 365 days / 2kwh per panel = 98)
Inverters:
Here’s my biggest confusion and I think the biggest cost concerns. Not tied to any brand but just seeing what others have successfully done, it seems I have a couple different directions.
1. If I went with something like the Sol Ark 15k’s, I not clear on whether I can get away with 2 or need 3?
2. If I went with the Schneider XW Pro Hybrid, it seems I need 4? 4 is also the max stacking capability it seems.
3. Any other inverter setup I should consider, as the expense is concerning especially on the Sol Ark's. Again, because of offsetting the barn usage, the grid tie is important, but perhaps I could lower the number of panels for now and later move some parts of the house on a separate off-grid system - Not sure if permitting on this would force me off Nem 2, but definitely a consideration to help keeps costs manageable.
Batteries:
For the moment, I haven’t even begun to consider batteries, as the whole project is already seeming quite expensive, but this would be the next step, when I have a handle on the panels, inverters and other costs.
Distance from panels to garage:
One of my other concerns is the wiring and costs for this as the panels would have to be 350 ft from the main meter.
There is 2 inch empty underground conduit laid out, but I wasn’t sure what I should consider specifically for the distance and how this might affect the overall plan.
So, that’s roughly where I’ve gotten - would appreciate any thoughts, ideas or suggestions.
Thanks, Gary