Unintended consequences of Solar that we see

[OffGridForGood]

Here is a topic that has been bouncing around in my head for a bit:
Most of the members here have solar PV, and have made decisions based on electrical codes, building codes, physical conditions...What are some of the unintended consequences of your solar PV system?

I will start with a few I dealt with, or see amoung the forum members on a regular basis:
Cutting trees - darn things are huge solar power HOGS and if in the line of my array, they Got To Go
Avoid roof mounting - Roof mounting comes with it, inconvenient code requirements - building a ground mount avoids the code requirements.
HOA/municipal rules - move to the country and build what I like!

 

[OffGridInTheCity]

We did solar and rain harvest. I built both systems to be in cooperation with grid and city-water - e.g. I can simply turn off solar and the pump-house and live as if they didn't exist, however.....

Now that I have them, the side-affect is I feel obligated to use them! Very glad solar turned out to be about the lowest maint system I have around the house. The rainharvest requires more effort than solar.

 

[45North]

Monitoring, upgrading and maintenance of off-grid solar is an ongoing responsibility - usually by one main enthusiast in the house. If the system's primary operator becomes unavailable the remaining family members may not have the skill set or sufficient interest to "jump through the hoops" to keep it running.
The beauty of being on the grid is, as long as the bills are paid you're free to turn your attention elsewhere, go on with your life and pursue other interests.

 

[Rednecktek]

Trying to make instruction sheets on how to use the system in a way that Idiots... err... Jocks... err NEPHEWS can understand.

All the time figuring out WHICH trees to drop.

Leaves!!!!

 

[EastTexCowboy]

We ended up installing a mini split in the garage to keep the system functional in the summer. The unintended consequence is we now have another 400 sq ft of climate controlled storage space, which is wonderful. I'm sure there are a number of others, but that's the one that comes to mind.

 

[Eber]

My unintended consequences were simple, I got hooked and cant stop adding more panels.

 

[rhino]

Conversation starter, especially delivery people.

 

[Danke]

My unintended consequences were simple, I got hooked and cant stop adding more panels.

Sounds like you’re suffering from TS. May want to see a doctor.

 

[Danke]

Sun dimming.

 

[DIYrich]

Poor people subsidizing through higher rates, rich people who can afford, and take advantage of tax credits, to install solar.

Poor people having energy insecurity because of increasingly unreliable electric grids, whereas wealthy people can install batteries.

 

[OffGridForGood]

As I built out my initial small DIY solar system I needed to learn more than YT video's could ever offer, leading to reading posts on the forum and later joining the forum as a member when I felt I had something constructive to offer.
Joining the forum has been a wildly successful learning experience beyond anything I would have expected!
Unintended consequence - the hours spent reading posts!

 

[Kiwi2000]

A young lady that lives down the road said if the power is ever out for an extended period of time, she's coming to my place for a shower because I'll have hot water.

 

[OffGridForGood]

The other unintended consequence - having a large stationary set up just begs for a more mobile one - so I built a 24volt mobile using the MPP 2724 inverter and 311Ah DIY pack, which is still kinda heavy, so then built the super portable 12v set up with the MPP 1012 !

 

[OffGridForGood]

Monitoring, upgrading and maintenance of off-grid solar is an ongoing responsibility - usually by one main enthusiast in the house. If the system's primary operator becomes unavailable the remaining family members may not have the skill set or sufficient interest to "jump through the hoops" to keep it running.
The beauty of being on the grid is, as long as the bills are paid you're free to turn your attention elsewhere, go on with your life and pursue other interests.

I read Tim's post (in another thread) where he details his plans for a complete manual, and wiring diagram to go with his system. I have to admit, this makes perfect sense, and I should do that 'one day'...
Meanwhile I put the label maker to work and got labels on all the key items to make the system easier to understand.
I leave for a week or two at a time, for work, and had to decide how to set the system up for these periods of time: I cam up with a relay triggered by a timer to switch on/off grid charging during off-peak ToU each night.
I picked midnight to 4AM for the system to charge batteries. This is done easily by using USB setting, and with the relay open, the system runs on solar and battery. When the relay closes then the grid charges the battery for a four hours during the lowest cost time of day. Having the large ESS I have been able to build makes this work perfectly, since daytime solar (if available) has some room in the battery bank.

 

[45North]

I read Tim's post (in another thread) where he details his plans for a complete manual, and wiring diagram to go with his system. I have to admit, this makes perfect sense, and I should do that 'one day'...
Meanwhile I put the label maker to work and got labels on all the key items to make the system easier to understand.
I leave for a week or two at a time, for work, and had to decide how to set the system up for these periods of time: I cam up with a relay triggered by a timer to switch on/off grid charging during off-peak ToU each night.
I picked midnight to 4AM for the system to charge batteries. This is done easily by using USB setting, and with the relay open, the system runs on solar and battery. When the relay closes then the grid charges the battery for a four hours during the lowest cost time of day. Having the large ESS I have been able to build makes this work perfectly, since daytime solar (if available) has some room in the battery bank.

I was thinking more about other people's lack of interest regardless how well documented the system is.
Also, the trouble with highly automated systems is who's going to re-tune it when things get out of synch, which they inevitably will sooner or later.
In my experience secondary users are seldom as keen as the original system's champion.

 

[OffGridForGood]

I got a pretty keen grand-daughter !
She and I built a few E-bikes together, and when she visits, she always wants to see any changes/ up-dates to the off-grid-solar since last visit.
She is only 11 years old, but pretty interested. I built her a workbench in the shop to suit her height, with all her own tools.
She gave me an Amazon gift card for Christmas with a note "so Papa can get more things for his inventions"

Maybe she will take over operation of the Solar Power Plant once I am gone.

 

[JRH]

The biggest consequence I notice is a lot of my money is now gone….
Not fair…its all a capitalist plot by the boomers . I want free Govt solar gear..and free Labor… and a free EV too.

 

[Johneb]

I got a pretty keen grand-daughter !
She and I built a few E-bikes together, and when she visits, she always wants to see any changes/ up-dates to the off-grid-solar since last visit.
She is only 11 years old, but pretty interested. I built her a workbench in the shop to suit her height, with all her own tools.
She gave me an Amazon gift card for Christmas with a note "so Papa can get more things for his inventions"

Maybe she will take over operation of the Solar Power Plant once I am gone.

I bet she will take over before then and start making upgrades.

 

[zanydroid]

Turnkey grid tie solar is so common in California, that nobody comments on how nice my one-person self-install looks.

Other than the city inspector.

 

[wattmatters]

Cutting trees - darn things are huge solar power HOGS and if in the line of my array, they Got To Go

We removed an enormous blue gum however it was a danger to our home being just a couple of metres away. It was going whether or not we got solar PV. No idea why previous owners let it grow where it was. Else I keep a row of jacarandas lopped each year for their own benefit / aesthetic reasons and it has the side effect of reducing Winter shading of panels.

Cutting trees - darn things are huge solar power HOGS and if in the line of my array, they Got To Go

All 46 of our panels are on the roof. I plan to add another 24 over time. Field arrays here (Australia) are far more expensive and have various extra regulatory requirements. It's way cheaper/easier to use your roof.

HOA/municipal rules - move to the country and build what I like!

The rules here don't change city v country - our regulations are far more harmonised across the entire nation, with a few minor differences in each distribution zone (mainly about the limits to export power).

For me it was all the extra monitoring and analysis of energy data driving different solutions for our energy production, storage and consumption. It helped to significantly reduce our consumption and to load shift other consumption.

End result, more time spent on Excel.porn