My Boat Storage powers my house
 

Any else do this? I couldn't help myself, the state gave me $35k toward this system. Gives me more money to put gas in the boat. Grid tie, no batteries. When this pic was taken it was making about 6.5kw of 220. Doug

thats awesome! question, so does that make it so you never have an electric bill? and what kinda maintenance do those require? cleaning and the like or do they take care of themselves?

josh.

very cool :cool: Doug.

I may want to hear more about this. Is the great state of NJ still kicking back on these systems in '08 and beyond?

Let us know the details of install and cost. I would love to do that on my barn.

I would be interested as well. I am buildign a new garage right now (if the weather would cooperate).:mad:

How did you go about getting the Gov to pay for it?Forms or web site to go to? I have been thinkingg about this as well. It would be nice for the Electric company to cut me a check every month:D

It is very cool to watch my meter go backwards. These numbers will be different depending on the state programs and location sun wise. The state of N.J. had a rebate program but I think they use SREC's now. (solar renewable energy credits) Check out njcep.com. I'll try a quick summary. System $65K rebate$35K,$30k out of pocket. The system is 8160 watts DC, should make aprox 10,000Kwh. (48 panels 170 watts each) about $1600 worth at present local rates. There is a $2k federal tax credit. Where I do better is with the SREC's. I should get 10 a year ,they trade kind of like a stock. I figure I should get a check for about $5K a year plus I get the electric. So far this year from Jan 1, I have made more than I have used by about 180KWH. A/C in the summer will take care of that. There really is no maintenance, I have thought about cleaning the glass. I use the grid like a battery, the extra electric I make during the day I take out at night or rainy days. I might have missed some things. The picture is of the inverters.Doug

I know that they have a plan for this in TX, but don't know yet how it works. My father looked into a turbine a few years ago when they were being pushed, but the math didn't work out. Not enough average windy days or something.

These solar panels would work great on our boat docks down here though, and give me an excuse to build an even bigger one.

Jeff, Try www.dsireusa.org And anybody else for their state program info. They call my system PV or photovoltaic. Doug

Didn't see a program for solar panels, but I did find a possible incentive to remodel the house. Need to read further.

I didn't see anything for Houston:angry-smiley-038:
I'll ask my boss how he is doing it with the new building
Austin Energy - Solar PV Rebate Program
Last DSIRE Review: 01/23/2008

Incentive Type: Utility Rebate Program
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: Photovoltaics
Applicable Sectors: Commercial, Residential, Nonprofit, Must be Austin Energy Customer
Incentive Amount: Residential and Commercial: $4.50/watt AC;
Equipment manufactured (60% minimum) in Austin: up to $5.60/watt AC
Maximum Incentive: Residential: the lesser of $13,500 or 80% of invoiced cost;
Commercial and Non-profit: the lesser of $100,000 or 80% of invoiced cost
Eligible System Size: Not specified, but incentives are capped
Equipment Requirements: Must use pre-approved modules and inverters (those listed by the California Energy Commission). PV systems must carry a 5-year warranty from the installer in addition to a 10 year manufacturer warrantee on inverters in residential applications without battery back-up.
Installation Requirements: Must be grid-connected. Must use a solar installer from the Austin Energy Registered Installer List. Solar installers must be certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) within two years of becoming a Registered Installer.
Program Budget: $2,950,000 (FY 2008)
Ownership of Renewable Energy Credits: Austin Energy
Expiration Date: 10/01/2008
Project Review/Certification: Pre-installation inspection will determine rebate eligibility; final rebate determined upon post-installation inspection
Website: http://www.austinenergy.com/
Energy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebates/Solar%20Rebates/index.htm



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Summary: Austin Energy's Solar Rebate Program, launched on June 1, 2004, offers a $4.50 per watt incentive to eligible residential and commercial customers (including nonprofit organizations) who install photovoltaics on their homes or facilities. For solar installations that use PV equipment manufactured in Austin, the rebate is $5.60 per watt. For residential customers, the rebate program will pay 80% of customer invoiced cost or $13,500, whichever is less. For commercial customers, the rebate program will pay 80% of customer invoiced cost or $100,000, whichever is less. Rebates will only be paid for approved systems installed by approved solar contractors according to the established technical requirements. Depending on the commercial rebate amount, approval from the Austin City Council may be required.

The City Council initially approved $933,000 in funding for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004. For 2005, $2,000,000 was budgeted for solar PV rebates and $500,000 for PV installations on municipal buildings. For 2006, the solar PV rebate budget was raised to $3,000,000, while $450,000 is being allocated for PV installations on municipal buildings.

Austin Energy will provide net metering for customers with solar systems. Any net excess generation at the end of each month will be credited to the following month's bill. However, the credit will be less than retail value -- calculated by multiplying the net kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity fed into the grid times the current fuel charge.

An additional requirement is that the renewable energy credits (RECs) and other environmental attributes from participating in this program must be transferred to Austin Energy.

In 2003, the Austin City Council set a 20% by 2020 renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for Austin Energy with a solar goal of 100 megawatts capacity in the community by 2020. Austin Energy will install demonstration solar projects at schools, libraries and community centers, and is partnering with other city departments to develop the first ‘affordable’ net-zero energy subdivision in the country, a 100-home subdivision in the city’s southeast district.


Contact: Conservation Information Center - Solar Rebates
Austin Energy
Solar Rebate Program
721 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: (512) 482-5346
Fax: (512) 482-5409
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.austinenergy.com

Awesome stuff.

$4.50 a watt that is a good rebate,it says $4.50 A/C but I think they mean D/C. I think I got about $4.30 rebate. Retail installed has been about $8.00 a watt depending on system size and availabilty of panels. Doug

Mine said 10KW maximum what does that part mean?

N.J. also now has a 10k limit on residential. It means the max they will give a rebate for is 10K D/C. ie example 50 200 watt panels. 10k D/C in N.J. will make aprox 13,000 KWH A/C per year. Thats aprox $2000.00 in electric or $166 per month. These are my guesstaments. Sun and electric price dependent for your area. Doug

How much roughly per panel?

Depends on watts, mine are Sharp 170's. They make a alot of different sizes 160,165,170,175,200,208 ect. I think about $850 each for mine. Doug

2500 kwh here per month equivalates to 158$ So would that mean about 5 months worth would be the maximum buy back at 10k per year?

$158 for 2500 works to .0632 cents per kwh, we pay over double. I'm not sure what you mean by buy back. You would have to check with somebody in your area about how many kwh from the d/c panels. Most local installers know the in's and out's of each states programs. Doug

Thanks for your help, very interesting reading.

Imho, at 6 cents per kwh electric cost it's hard to justify. Doug

Very interesting. This got me thinking if the electric companies are only willing to buy back so much (like the 10k a yr) why not size a system that could power the whole house and cut the power from the electic company so you don't pay them a dime. Don't know if this would work????

To do that you would have to have a large battery bank to store the energy for night and rainy days.Just a guess:D

i believe you would be correct. any updates on the system ? how did you make out thru the summer with the AC and stuff ? any issues ?

Excellent...

Approx. 6 yr. pay back period...

Nice...

Divenstar :rolleyes:

I was thinking about branching out my Co. for solar power.
Checked into it, and it's great thing for hoses if you live there longer then 3-5 years. FLorida is way to transient, plus fwe wanted to cover up their "nice" roof tiles. PLus then there are the condo gestapo's. Commercial application is good but costly initial investement.
Different states gives you dif. insentives.
PM me if you interested.
SOS. "Solar Operating Systems, LLC."

By U Boy - If you find anything out about Houston - PM me. As high as my roof is over the trees - I'd have a fair shot of getting the rays needed.....

The 10K D.C limit is just a N.J. thing for the amount the state is willing to help pay for a residence. There are NO Batteries. You use the power company as a battery. ie, I made more than I used in March,April,May,June. That covered my summer A/C load. My electric bill since Jan start up have been $2.20 each month,which is the min service charge to read the meter. So far this year it has made aprox $2000.00 in electric, plus I got a check for $700 for solar energy credits (SREC) for the first few months of the year. No muss,No fuss, it's made about $2 since I got up this morning. The only downside is the money you have to put up front to do it. But I figure I'm making more than 10% on my money. Check some of the links I put up. Doug

TX doesn't pay you for the excess power that you feed back into the grid. Only benefit is that you don't have to pay them for what you are making yourself.

Maybe one day, but not right now.:mad:

The question is ,do they net-meter? So far I haven't been paid for what I put into the Grid. But can you put it in than take it out as you need it? It's not cost effective to make to make to much. My house has a 2 way meter what goes in and what goes out. The differance I either pay or get credit for. Doug

THe answer is no. If it goes back into the grid, then you just gave them free power. I checked on this stuff back in the summer. They are supposed to be making changes very soon, but as far as I know it hasn't ahppened yet.

How much do they weigh and what is the expected lifespan of the panels?


.

The Sharp 170's on my building weight 37.485 lbs each. They tell me it's the same as if you added an extra layer of shingles. The town did want the truss specs before they would issue a permit. They are warrented for performance for 25 years. I am told the lifespan is at least 30 years. At 10 years I might need a inverter change. Doug

Thats very cool. Sounds like you did your homework on it!

You answered my next question too. Thanks.

BTW you now have enough carbon credits to run your boat WOT all the time. :drink: