Solar Production Greater Than Consumption

[GRMRC]

A quick survey.
How many months of the year does your Solar Production meet or exceed your Consumption?
Batteries count. Generators don’t count.

 

[pollenface]

12

 

[Mattb4]

With 6.2kW of PV and an average house need of 7-10kWh/day (previous to solar) I exceed my needs every time the day is sunny. But that is the rub. Not all days are sunny and it devolves on the battery to carry me through until a sunny day happens again. For instance I am on the second day of low PV production due to a snow event. If tomorrow is sunny I will need to catch back up for 3 days of production (2 of low and the normal day of use on the 3rd). Thus 3 times 7-10kWh = 21-30kWh to be made on the sunny day. It is doable with the 6.2kW arrays.

Luckily my area has much more sunny days than it has bad weather. I am going to add another 1.2kW PV to the total come Spring.

 

[jeeptj12]

12

 

[sunshine_eggo]

.
re-read the question...

 

[GRMRC]

.
re-read the question...

?

 

[Mattb4]

I should mention that unless you are feeding the grid you only produce what you can consume.

 

[OzSolar]

Somewhere around 10 months I'm net positive vs. the grid (thanks Matt), regardless of batteries.

November and February are iffy. December and January** are down to 50% or less. March through October are easily more solar than usage.

Like many, when the colder, shorter and cloudier days of winter arrive I have to lean on the grid which I don't mind at all.

**If I wanted to feed wood boiler every 3 days or thereabouts I could be almost a full 12 month but I choose to use the ground source heat pump for around 25 kWh day on the coldest days of the year. Usually I fire up the boiler for the coldest spell and run the radiant in floor heating. It's embarrassingly comfortable when it's -10F outside.

EDIT to add the details about winter heating

 

[timselectric]

10 so far.
Hopefully 12 , by the time I finish.

 

[GRMRC]

I should mention that unless you are feeding the grid you only produce what you can consume.

True. So for those who are not feeding the grid the “meets” portion of the “meets or exceeds” would apply. Yes?

 

[timselectric]

Whether you use actual batteries or the grid as your battery.
The question is the same.

 

[houseofancients]

In a normal year 11, this year only 9
Will be expanding my battery bank though, and just bought another pallet of 31 of the jinko tiger 550w panels, batteries will come online within a month or so, panels in spring/summer, as it requires quite the roof build over my outdoor kennels

 

[455dan]

I Don't Know, but definitely going to find out in 2025.

 

[dougbert]

answer in my signature below

Utah 5535ft, an hour SE of Salt Lake City
heat with nat gas

Average	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High	31°F	37°F	47°F	56°F	66°F	77°F	85°F	82°F	73°F	59°F	44°F	33°F
Temp.	24°F	27°F	37°F	45°F	53°F	64°F	71°F	69°F	59°F	47°F	34°F	25°F
Low	18°F	21°F	29°F	36°F	43°F	51°F	58°F	57°F	48°F	38°F	28°F	20°F

can reach -15F

 

[BentleyJ]

Well it used to be 7 months and now its only 3 months with the addition of the small Heat Pump pool heater.

 

[Zwy]

A quick survey.
How many months of the year does your Solar Production meet or exceed your Consumption?
Batteries count. Generators don’t count.

97.6% of consumption.

But I could use more.........

 

[Brett V]

12 months and I’m carrying a surplus with the power company.

 

[wpns]

Not sure yet, only been in service for 6 months, and the only time we bought grid power was over Xmas/NewYears/Solstice/FullHouse/Cloudy/Rainy holiday season. I'm going to guess 10 months, and more batteries wouldn't have helped, for a reasonable value of more.

 

[42OhmsPA]

9 YTD, hoping that changes to 10 at the end of Feb and 12 in a year.

 

[Brucey]

9 YTD, hoping that changes to 10 at the end of Feb and 12 in a year.

I may be able to do 12 months this year but only if I replace the propane furnace (which we don't use) with a pellet stove. Then I can give up the electric heat via oil filled radiators in the winter.

 

[Brett V]

I may be able to do 12 months this year but only if I replace the propane furnace (which we don't use) with a pellet stove. Then I can give up the electric heat via oil filled radiators in the winter.

I put in a Harman pellet stove 3 years ago and have been happy with it. Pellets this year were around $330 a ton delivered and I expect to use between 2 and 3 tons for the whole heating season. I'm planning to replace the mini split heat pump I have now with a high seer unit this summer so I'll get more use out of that as a heat source.

The beagles prefer the stove however...

 

[OzSolar]

Pellets this year were around $330 a ton delivered and I expect to use between 2 and 3 tons for the whole heating season

You bring up something I meant suggest earlier.

If folks could mention thier location's winter weather and what they use to heat with. EG: Average lows of 25F and a wood stove.

 

[42OhmsPA]

9 YTD, hoping that changes to 10 at the end of Feb and 12 in a year.

Central PA area. Temps could be anywhere from 10F-60F . It's been below freezing here for the past week.
Anthracite rice coal for heat, I've rarely used the mini-split lately.

 

[timselectric]

Average cold temperatures in the teens. But we do get down to 0°F for a few days, a couple of times.
Currently heating mostly with natural gas, but will be all electric, when complete.
May add a wood boiler some day, for an emergency backup.

 

[Brett V]

Central PA area. Temps could be anywhere from 10F-60F .

That’s in the same day!