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Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

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Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#141

Post by smileysteve »

eagerpace wrote: post #136

I would love to have just enough solar to flatten my peak usage on the hottest days of the summer. They naturally coincide with tons of sun. I don't need a huge system to be all solar all the time or even care about credits from the power company. I just don't want a $300 bill in the summer and a $50 bill in the winter. Has anyone designed a good solution for this?

Solar or battery (to load shift for nights and weekend pricing)

HVAC being so much of a load is tricky for smaller battery systems.

My best small step is dehumidifying with battery

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#142

Post by [deleted] »

blackjack_ wrote: post #119
kccqzy wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe it's somewhat common to have a small solar panel just on your balcony (i.e. not permanent attached to the building) and simply plugs into a nearby wall receptacle. https://www.theverge.com/24150901/ecoflow-powerstream-review... For those wondering, the article did discuss the safety matter of using a power outlet as an inlet. And the article also points out that while this is allowed in several countries in…

We are starting to have this in the US, in fact I have a company coming by to do an install of a system like this on Monday. Technically you should be able to mostly diy it, but it uses a smart panel that gets attached to the main to prevent backflow, which needs an electrician, and for now they are running its own circuit.

[deleted]

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#143

Post by [deleted] »

rtkwe wrote: post #106
kccqzy wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe it's somewhat common to have a small solar panel just on your balcony (i.e. not permanent attached to the building) and simply plugs into a nearby wall receptacle. https://www.theverge.com/24150901/ecoflow-powerstream-review... For those wondering, the article did discuss the safety matter of using a power outlet as an inlet. And the article also points out that while this is allowed in several countries in…

Wild. I wonder how they deal with the back feeding issue. Is there something about the home wiring in those countries that prevents it? (or do they just not care and line workers know to check if a line is truly dead?)

[deleted]

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#144

Post by QuercusMax »

eagerpace wrote: post #136

I would love to have just enough solar to flatten my peak usage on the hottest days of the summer. They naturally coincide with tons of sun. I don't need a huge system to be all solar all the time or even care about credits from the power company. I just don't want a $300 bill in the summer and a $50 bill in the winter. Has anyone designed a good solution for this?

In Oregon we have the Community Solar program, which I've heard good things about - rather than building your own rooftop solar, you invest in a solar farm subscription as part of your electric bill, and receive credits for power produced. I haven't signed up for it yet personally but I've heard good reports from some other folks.

https://www.oregoncsp.org/

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#145

Post by potato3732842 »

aeyes wrote: post #137
WillAdams wrote: post #77

Does anyone have a good link/step-by-step for doing some sort of home solar system where: - it's sufficiently small-scale that no building permit is required - it looks nice enough that neighbors won't complain - the wiring is essentially plug-and-play The best approach I've been able to come up with is to purchase a medium size battery pack such as is used for glamping (glamour camping), plug it into the wall and co…

Hybrid Inverter. Main power and solar power go in, house power goes out. No feeding of solar power to the grid so no permits. You can add a battery if you want to reduce your reliance on the grid. Or use it with a battery but without solar panels as a whole house UPS.

>No feeding of solar power to the grid so no permits.

If it becomes popular the slimy solar farm developers and the utility will join hands to hire a lobbyist who will ensure the rules get changed to close the loophole.

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#146

Post by potato3732842 »

blitzar wrote: post #38
danans wrote: post #31

Based on what I see in the photo in the article, PV array codes in Puerto Rico must be quite different from those in California, because the arrays seem to cover almost the entirety of the roofs. In California fire access codes [1] prevent the entire roof from being covered like in PV that. 1. https://energycodeace.com/site/custom/public/reference-ace-2...

Likely because they have building codes that prevent the construction of houses from matchsticks.

It has nothing to do with construction and everything to do with rainfall.

I can throw a lit road flare into my back yard and nothing will happen, because I don't live in a glorified desert. PR is an order of magnitude wetter than where I live.

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#147

Post by 0cf8612b2e1e »

hinkley wrote: post #125
pythonbase wrote: post #37

Solar power is working wonders for rural and urban Pakistan. In fact, we became the largest importer of solar panels.

India has had good luck building solar panels over irrigation canals. The shade substantially reduces the evaporation losses in the canal system. The framing is a bit tricky of course.

California announced they were going to do the same.

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#148

Post by ellisv »

brk wrote: post #86
WillAdams wrote: post #77

Does anyone have a good link/step-by-step for doing some sort of home solar system where: - it's sufficiently small-scale that no building permit is required - it looks nice enough that neighbors won't complain - the wiring is essentially plug-and-play The best approach I've been able to come up with is to purchase a medium size battery pack such as is used for glamping (glamour camping), plug it into the wall and co…

There is a ton of DIY solar info online, but it is very much regionally dependent. Both for permits and system design. Here in Florida, I can get high output from an average panel, but there are a lot of permit issues (and rightly so, a poorly installed panel can become a severe hazard in a hurricane). Where I lived in Michigan, there weren't many permitting or zoning issues, but I'd need 3-4x the number of panels to…

Also in Michigan.

I primarily want to generate enough solar to run my AC in the summer because that’s the dominant electricity consuming appliance in our house (except for the EV).

At least with DTE you receive credits for your production, which you can use within 12 months. So generating an excess in the summer to offset the winter is a viable strategy.

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#149

Post by turtlebits »

WillAdams wrote: post #77

Does anyone have a good link/step-by-step for doing some sort of home solar system where: - it's sufficiently small-scale that no building permit is required - it looks nice enough that neighbors won't complain - the wiring is essentially plug-and-play The best approach I've been able to come up with is to purchase a medium size battery pack such as is used for glamping (glamour camping), plug it into the wall and co…

Depends on your jurisdiction, but roof mounted solar installs generally don't need building permits. Electrical permits on the other hand are almost always required.

If you actually want to offset cost, don't buy a portable battery pack. Get an AIO solar inverter and a server rack battery. They're generally plug and play - wire the panels to it, connect the battery.

If you want to run your home loads, the cheapest/simplest way (without going grid-tie) is to have an electrician add a critical loads panel supplied by your inverter output, then plug your inverter in to the grid for backup (in case no solar or batteries are low).

Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

#150

Post by tills13 »

ferguess_k wrote: post #110
pkirk wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is the case only if you want to give your surplus back to the grid. If you avoid that, you are only limited to a maximum power of 20kW of solar panels installed.

20kW seems to be ample for home usage. Half should be good enough.

I recently got a 10kWh system installed and it should cover about half my usage. I live in meh-irradiance Canada. Full coverage of my bill in summer, pathetic generation in the summer. So yeah, sunnier places like Italy 10kWh would be perfect -- especially for places with heat pumps and warm winters.
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