Here's the layout of our system. The set to the right is on the east side of the roof, the center set on south (the original solar was only on the south face), and that one little panel is on the west (added only because Don wanted the system to be 10 KVA or more).
KVA is the non power measure of the voltage multiplied by the amperes. KVA is not a measure of true power it is a measure of the level of apparent power.
A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a measure of energy. So a 1,000 watt drill needs 1,000 watts (1 kW) of power to make it work, and uses 1 kWh of energy in an hour. That's why, if you leave a TV or computer on standby, it is still using power and creating a kWh cost on your energy bill.
A MWh is 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh). An MWh is the amount of electricity generated by a onemegawatt (MW) electric generator operating or producing electricity for one hour. On an electric bill, electricity usage is commonly reported in kilowatt-hours.
Our electric usage from May 20 - June 19, 2018 was 575 kWh. From 5/18/18 - 6/21/18 (my tracking is easiest looked at by week or month), our system generated 1276.43 kWh. So, we generated more than twice our usage. This ratio has pretty much held true since the system was turned on in late March 2018.
Clearly, winter, with more cloudy days and shorter daylight hours, will have our usage going up, and our generation decreasing.
Our plan, with PGE, provides for them to buy power back from us at the same rate at which we pay them. Overage from high solar production is banked, to cover those winter months. But any overage at the end of our contract year (end of March), transfers to those enrolled in low income assistance programs.
The fantasy, you know, in my energy nerd of a household, is, if we are really generating a large surplus, as our natural gas appliances age and fail, we'd replace them with electric versions. Currently, (hah, see what I did there?) we have a gas hot water heater, dryer, stove and fireplace. The electric versions of the hotwater heater and dryer less expensive to buy, and could potentially be powered at no charge. The gas fireplace and gas stove will most likely remain powered by gas, in any case.
And yes, our electric usage is high. I'm driving an electric car these days, and charging at home. Your monthly usage should be lower.
Studies continue to be done, looking at the value of solar electricity in a real estate transaction. Here's a link to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study, Selling into the sun. There is lots of depth to the study, but here are a few nuggets. In general, across states, a premium of $15,000 is attached to an average 3.6kw system. The larger the system, the lower the per panel or kw premium. And the, there is the idea of "green cachet". This indicates, potentially, that there is a fixed component of PV home premiums that occurs regardless of system size. This might indicate that a green cachet exists for PV homes in our sample. In other words, buyers might be willing to pay something for having any size of PV system on their homes and then some increment more depending on the size of the system. If you are selling a home with solar, be sure the lender and appraiser know about this study. Until recently, we did not have a solid study showing the values of solar, and many appraisers work under old, outdated information.
If you're considering putting solar on your house, we really liked working with Imagine Energy
And, as always, I'm glad to talk about solar and energy efficiency, especially in relation to real estate! leslievjones@gmail.com 503-312-8038.
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