Solar Power update

April 23 it went in.  

5 days later my meter was read and my bill is the same as month before.

However,  current power generation stats, and some of my data is incomplete without the data logger and analog kwh sub meter on the way to be installed.  

Power generation starts around 0600.  However it dos not pass a couple hundred watts till around 0645.

Starting out the morning with usually 35-50% battery charge.  As I switch back to shore power anywhere from 1830 to 1930.

Supper is here, so it is hot as hell, and getting hotter.  We are running multiple swamp coolers, and some air conditioning on the shore power or using the excess generation to run the air conditioning when the batteries are full by 0930-1000.  Night time low temp has not been below 80 degrees.  

However this year making more of a effort to acclimate to the warmer temps, vs last years holed up in the air conditioning in the summer of endless lockdown and the subsequent 2000+ dollar electric bill for the year.

180ah @48v used telco batteries are simply not enough to store enough power to run 24/7

I need at least 4 maybe 8 more batteries and likely another 2-4 panels to cut the cord entirely.

However if push came to shove and shore power went off, I could get by 10x better than last year.

I do have a remaining un-used 12v 1kw inverter and cheap PWM battery charger in the house, unused.  I have been seeing these really cheap flex panel 100 watt 12v panels for 20 bucks online.  I bought one to see if it was legit.  If it is fake i got 7 days to return it for a refund.

My rated 2190 watt panels are maxing out at 1.7kw power generation.  I saw some spikes to 1.8 but it does not last long  Apparently all the panels are like this.  Over promise.  

Even still with only 4 panels half the day is off grid.  

Biggest power consumer is the fridge.  I called in the Whirlpool service tech to clean it on the inside.  It is 15 years old after all.  Tech cleaned it for 12 bucks.

I did discover that the wife had the vents blocked on the inside of the fridge also.  I kept wondering why the fridge was running nearly continuous. She has been instructed, but she does whatever she wants anyways.  

At the moment at 1430 on a Sunday afternoon.  Not a cloud in the sky but the panels are not facing direct to the sun so the power gen is down to around 1kw.  Batteries are full, and running the aircon 15 min on 30 min off in the bedroom.  

So far the system has crashed three times.  All three times with the instant electric hot water heater in the shower.  So basically no hot showers except on shore power, or maybe with a upgraded thickness battery cable.  I only have 6ga battery cable at the moment.  I ordered some 2ga welding cable leads to use as the battery cables, but not arrive yet.  Remains to be determined the cause.

During the week day, we run the microwave oven, induction stovetop, hot water kettle, coffee pot, fridge, 3 swamp coolers, computers, and other assorted modern conveniences easily.

Based on last weekends observations and this weekends observations so far anyways, I am generating several kwh more than I store or use during the day.  Which if I can store it for the night time, I can get less hours on shore power.  

Additionally one house resident is working night shift online, which means that he is pulling 500 watts per hour on average with the PC and swamp cooler+bedroom fans.  

I also stuck in one of those solar outdoor lights in the back yard.  I have one in the shop that lights the shop gate at night.  It runs all night and only a small 8x10 inch or so panel is hooked up.  The back yard also is lit all night now.  Considering getting a couple more to install indoors for the living room, and kitchen.  "free" night time lighting in a separate system from the main one.  at roughly 14 bucks delivered, for everything  panel, wire, light and battery... its dirt cheep.


Still waiting for the bluetooth data logger to arrive.  It is somewhere in customs at the moment.