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[willieG]

mine is grid tied for a 20 year contract ((or i guess until Hydro 1 (my provider) goes broke)) i have a 20 year rate of 80.2 cents a KW hour.

What did u have in the panel? 96,000      Return on investment.     this year was my first full year and made just under 15,000       does it help your bill much?     it does nothing for my bill, i have a seperate meter that says what i put out and another meter that says what i take in, i pay for what i use and they pay me for what i send, and i like that...i pay about 15 cents a KW hour and they pay 80.2 cent per KWH         Measurements     i have two towers that follow the sun (up and down and side to side to keep the panels  in the optimum position with the sun) and each  one has 26 panels that are about 3' x 4' feet ( i think) perhap tmorrow i will take a photo and post it. the only proble with being tied to the grid..when the grid is out so are my panels. this is a safety  thing, the panels the way they are hooked up  nedd to "feel" incoming power in order to work. If they do not "feel" this power  (like when the grid is down) then they can not back feed the grid and electrocute any unsuspecting lines man working on what he thinks is a dead wire
 
i will measure the panels for size tomorrow and post a photo if i remember

[Bull]

Cool, I would love to see them Willie

[RSI]

mine is grid tied for a 20 year contract ((or i guess until Hydro 1 (my provider) goes broke)) i have a 20 year rate of 80.2 cents a KW hour.

What did u have in the panel? 96,000      Return on investment.     this year was my first full year and made just under 15,000       does it help your bill much?     it does nothing for my bill, i have a seperate meter that says what i put out and another meter that says what i take in, i pay for what i use and they pay me for what i send, and i like that...i pay about 15 cents a KW hour and they pay 80.2 cent per KWH         Measurements     i have two towers that follow the sun (up and down and side to side to keep the panels  in the optimum position with the sun) and each  one has 26 panels that are about 3' x 4' feet ( i think) perhap tmorrow i will take a photo and post it. the only proble with being tied to the grid..when the grid is out so are my panels. this is a safety  thing, the panels the way they are hooked up  nedd to "feel" incoming power in order to work. If they do not "feel" this power  (like when the grid is down) then they can not back feed the grid and electrocute any unsuspecting lines man working on what he thinks is a dead wire
 
i will measure the panels for size tomorrow and post a photo if i remember

The panels are still making power when the grid is down, the inverter just shuts down. You should be able to tie into the DC connection at the inverter and run a normal non-grid tie inverter off it. If you want power when the sun is down you would need batteries.

Solar panel prices are really coming down lately. I have seen them for under $1 per watt lately.

[willieG]

mine is grid tied for a 20 year contract ((or i guess until Hydro 1 (my provider) goes broke)) i have a 20 year rate of 80.2 cents a KW hour.

What did u have in the panel? 96,000      Return on investment.     this year was my first full year and made just under 15,000       does it help your bill much?     it does nothing for my bill, i have a seperate meter that says what i put out and another meter that says what i take in, i pay for what i use and they pay me for what i send, and i like that...i pay about 15 cents a KW hour and they pay 80.2 cent per KWH         Measurements     i have two towers that follow the sun (up and down and side to side to keep the panels  in the optimum position with the sun) and each  one has 26 panels that are about 3' x 4' feet ( i think) perhap tmorrow i will take a photo and post it. the only proble with being tied to the grid..when the grid is out so are my panels. this is a safety  thing, the panels the way they are hooked up  nedd to "feel" incoming power in order to work. If they do not "feel" this power  (like when the grid is down) then they can not back feed the grid and electrocute any unsuspecting lines man working on what he thinks is a dead wire
 
i will measure the panels for size tomorrow and post a photo if i remember

The panels are still making power when the grid is down, the inverter just shuts down. You should be able to tie into the DC connection at the inverter and run a normal non-grid tie inverter off it. If you want power when the sun is down you would need batteries.

Solar panel prices are really coming down lately. I have seen them for under $1 per watt lately.

i dont have A inverter, i have what is known as micro inverter, 1 for every panel, 52 panels and 52 inverters
i do think there would be a way to bypass the safety device for the grid if i was going off grid. i may just write teh company and ask them
 as for prices..yes i think they are coming down but so is the price the government here is paying. i think the price for a contract now has gone to about 60 cents pe KWH but i am not sure, there is talk of lowering it again soon

[Scott7m]

The fact they pay you 80 cents and u pay 15 is good for you but sounds like the fleecing of America lol

I wish I could find out about govt programs for this type stuff. How did you go about that?  So the panels were 96000??  What % did uhave to pay

[willieG]

scott im in canada..i borrowed every cent all i needed was collateral. witht he government contract the banks did not require down payments. this was a govenrment incentive to get green power going here in canada on a small scale level

[Scott7m]

I see..  There are similar programs here, but to hire someone to do the leg work through the 168392 levels of govt, it kinda makes it not feasible. 

It's nearly impossible to wade through the bureaucracy.  However, I'm still interested and think you have a great thing going.

[willieG]

i too hope it works out..i think i am about one of about 4000 that are hooked to the grid and there are about (last i read) 16000 applications. there are a lot of windmills going up also for power but they are in teh megawatts..big players or lots of investors

[Scott7m]

Just checked online and our provider will only pay .12 per kw... 

[mcarter]

Scott, wouldn't that be .24 per kWh?

Also, willieG, I would seem to think that there would be a switch that would be available to kill power to the grid in the event of power outage, allowing you to have backup power without toasting the linemen.  Thats how my transfer switch works for my backup generator.  I envy your solar grid!

Michael

[beeman]

i talked to skystream wind gen and they do the same if power gos down so dose power from windmill  for safty on line man but . found out you can instal a diconect going to the main lines  i was told it only takes 12v and the board will think there is still power and start back up

[Scott7m]

Nope, Just 0.12 per kwh

Bee man be careful with sky stream, heard a lot of bad about em

[Scratch]

I'd like to stay warm if anything ever went down.  But if the SHTF, I'd probably just relocate to a warmer state.  What I'm concerned with is power outages.  Not the couple hours ones but the couple days ones.
I'd like to get a generator to power my two Taco pumps and the stove. 

You think a 3000W generator would be enough?

Don't really care about lights, or fridge.

[Scott7m]

Scratch.  In a real disaster, how would you relocate? Do you have fuel storage? 

In a true disaster gas pumps won't be in operation period.  Now power, water for those on the system will quickly run out, no stores open.  Chaos

[beeman]

scott they had one of there display at santafae day when i talked to him  butttt i am to poor to buy been looking at building my own with solor power  just thinking