Use for excess energy without sending to grid?

[justinm001]

In all of those studies they used the wrong sand.

Must have needed moon sand

 

[Solarisium]

I know many of folks here installed solar to have freedom from the grid and to consume as much as they wish. But one reason for some of us was to save the planet from excessive warming due to the greenhouse emissions from power plants . With excess generation/ warming or overusing electricity, we might be contributing to the planet warming. I’d still rather use solar energy to heat up a tank of water than fossil energy.

Electric vehicle? Certainly it is the best use for solar power!

Replace anything that uses fossil fuels with electricity and you are enhancing your green impact on the planet!

How about an electric vehicle charging station? It needs some up front investment but you can safely and securely sell electricity to EV owners who don't have solar!

 

[Danke]

Must have needed moon sand

Yep, that’s what I use.

 

[timselectric]

It really holds heat that long?

That's what they claim.
Of course it would depend on the size and insulating.
I'm going to use the earth to insulate.
I have a source of free sand.
My only expense would be the piping and heater. I'll know how well it works, in a few years.

 

[TomC4306]

With excess generation/ warming or overusing electricity, we might be contributing to the planet warming.

Huh??
We are talking about solar generation, right?
How exactly does over consumption of solar generated electricity contribute to man-made global warming? Woo...
Kinda talking out of a hole that under normal circumstances doesn't produce sound.

 

[hwy17]

How exactly does over consumption of solar generated electricity contribute to man-made global warming?

Solar with batteries is already in the single digits EROI. It's quite possible for excessive system size or short usage duration to drag that down near or below 1.

Both of them are mined with diesel and manufactured with coal power.

 

[timselectric]

Both of them are mined with diesel and manufactured with coal power.

For now because it is the most cost effective way.
In the future. Lithium based batteries will be the shuned fossil fuel.
Nothing can be considered "good". Without having something "bad" to compare it to.

 

[TomC4306]

excessive system size or short usage duration to drag that down near or below 1

I disagree with the premise but, so what?
I don't know how you can spend more money and improve your ROI.

 

[Bkord]

Hi, I’ve had solar for few years and have recently invested in a battery. I am on a feed in tariff (FIT) so sending power back to the grid is a bit of a waste to me, I get paid for what I generate, not what I send to grid.

My question is this - if I have used the majority of electric I need for the day and my battery is full, what can I use the remaining solar generation for rather than send it to the grid? I have been doing extra washing machine loads and dishwasher but am now at the point where everything is spotless.

Should I look to come off of the FIT tariff? This would be worse for me in the cooler months when I don’t export anything.

Is there something I can use at 800-1kw that could make me money?

Thanks for reading
Jon

Could you sell it to the neighbor? If you have a neighbor.

 

[hwy17]

I disagree with the premise but, so what?
I don't know how you can spend more money and improve your ROI.

I'm just laying out a logical case where a solar system could end up emitting more than not installing one.

If you would have spend 10 years in a home living on $20k of grid power, conservatively because it feels like a waste vs. $30k of solar equipment and enjoying tons of excess, it's not out of the question at all that the front loaded emissions that went into making the solar and battery products are higher than the running emissions of using the utility power.

It's Jevon's Paradox.

 

[TomC4306]

$20k 10 years $166/month.
My electric bill was $225/month.
I spent $7k building a 6kw split phase system with 5.9kw of used panels.
15.8 kwh of battery.
My electric bill is half what it was. And continuing to decline.
I don't think Jevons paradox is operative in the current environment.
At least not with respect to DIY solar.

 

[hwy17]

Not for you or I or most of us. But there are people.

 

[justinm001]

That's what they claim.
Of course it would depend on the size and insulating.
I'm going to use the earth to insulate.
I have a source of free sand.
My only expense would be the piping and heater. I'll know how well it works, in a few years.

Idk where you are but the ground temp here in Ohio is 54 degrees all year round. Not sure how great of an insulator dirt or clay is.

Although my house has a geothermal system and we've been trying to figure out where the water coils are in the yard/woods and can't. One winter I used a flir all over my yard and no noticable change in temp in one area over another. Even if you start at 600C and hit 100C by winter it's still an effective use of free energy.

But then again someone might complain you're contributing to global warming...

 

[SeaGal]

Of course it would depend on the size and insulating.
I'm going to use the earth to insulate.

Sounds a good plan. If you bury them at least 3000m deep, then your sand should remain at 100 degrees C minimum. The Earth has been doing a good job of insulating its heat over the last few million years. ?

I'm just laying out a logical case where a solar system could end up emitting more than not installing one.
If you would have spend 10 years in a home living on $20k of grid power, conservatively because it feels like a waste vs. $30k of solar equipment and enjoying tons of excess, it's not out of the question at all that the front loaded emissions that went into making the solar and battery products are higher than the running emissions of using the utility power.

If you take a conservative usage (say 5MWh per annum) over 10 years, that would be 50MWh of electricity consumed from the grid. Assuming grid is 50% renewable (obviously varies, but about that for UK in summer), then to front load those emissions would assume that more than 25MWh of energy is consumed in the manufacture + distribution of 16 PV panels, an inverter and some bits of wire? I'd be surprised if it took that much to make them.

 

[hwy17]

in the manufacture + distribution of 16 PV panels, an inverter and some bits of wire?

I'm talking about with batteries. Grid tie comes with a lot more complicated assumptions when you're consuming fuel power at night and then netting it out with overproduction.

 

[timselectric]

Idk where you are but the ground temp here in Ohio is 54 degrees all year round.

About the same here in Kentucky.

Not sure how great of an insulator dirt or clay is.

I'd say pretty good. Since it stays that temperature all year long. And isn't affected by summer and winter.

Although my house has a geothermal system and we've been trying to figure out where the water coils are in the yard/woods and can't. One winter I used a flir all over my yard and no noticable

Probably vertical wells.
And you wouldn't notice a temperature change at the surface.

 

[RandomPlanet]

Just Chiming in here.....
I also run an L3 LTC/DOGE miner *WHEN* Excess power is available, AND I slow charge my EV.

All of this is down with the help of some Scripting usingh Solar Assistant and Home Assistant.
I am able to monitor State of Charge for Baterry Bank / PV Flowe and State of charge for the Tesla.

My thought (Like yours) is to not let the Panels rest.

** My Question about this : Do the Solar Panels wear out faster if they are ALWAYS producing power vs sitting idle when Batteries / load dont require energy ? Assuming both scenarios where the panels are always exposed to dun.

~RandomPlanet

 

[hwy17]

I believe panels age slightly faster unloaded than loaded, due to the higher internal voltages. But I'm not sure of that.

 

[Hedges]

Not for you or I or most of us. But there are people.

I've probably moved to that realm.
Spent $100k, got $50k rebate, for 10kW GT PV system almost 20 years ago.
Due to surplus production, I switched from gas to electric resistance heating.

I've since added panels oriented WSW (because time of use peak is later in the day) and battery inverters.
Now I can run A/C etc. during daytime power outages, and keep power on at night.

Idk where you are but the ground temp here in Ohio is 54 degrees all year round. Not sure how great of an insulator dirt or clay is.

More important is whether water runs through the sand.

Sounds a good plan. If you bury them at least 3000m deep, then your sand should remain at 100 degrees C minimum. The Earth has been doing a good job of insulating its heat over the last few million years. ?

It is at equilibrium between heat loss and heat produced by the giant fission reactor underground.

While natural gas is found together with oil, helium is recovered from natural gas and attributed to radioactive decay.
Could it be that when we burn natural gas we are actually utilizing carbon free (carbon producing??) nuclear power? And if we did not, that unused methane would eventually burst forth, with global warming potential much greater than CO2?

That is, does methane also get produced by radioactive decay? Or does the helium just happen to get trapped where Dino Diesel and Natural Gas congregate?

Helium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[hwy17]

Are you experimenting with abiotic petroleum origin theory? Heresy!