On line and legal

[billvon 3,121]

After months of calling people in Sacramento, sending paperwork to and fro, fighting with inspectors, and making stupid little signs, I finally got grid-intertie approval for my solar power system. I can now legally send power back to the grid! It's been running before (the actual _work_ only took a few days) but I can now do it legally. I'm going to be sending about 360 kilowatt-hours a month back to the grid, minus what I use (about 170kwhr/mo.) I'm going to have to get an air conditioner or something to use the extra power.

[JJohnson 0]

No shit. Congratulations. That is pretty cool. Does this basically eliminate your electric bill? If so what was the cost to install the whole system?

Do you got a complete list of materials and prints? Heck you got a complete package to sell?

JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

[Guest]

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After months of calling people in Sacramento, sending paperwork to and fro, fighting with inspectors, and making stupid little signs, I finally got grid-intertie approval for my solar power system. I can now legally send power back to the grid! It's been running before (the actual _work_ only took a few days) but I can now do it legally. I'm going to be sending about 360 kilowatt-hours a month back to the grid, minus what I use (about 170kwhr/mo.) I'm going to have to get an air conditioner or something to use the extra power.

That rocks, Bill! Kick their ass till it megahertz...!

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[Cajun 0]

Do they actually pay you for power you send back?

[Muenkel 0]

Bill,

I would expect nothing less. Congratulations.

Chris

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Chris

[rhino 0]

You selling them yet bill???

[AggieDave 6]

Now, if only you could produce 1.21 Gigawatts...

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[diverdriver 7]

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Now, if only you could produce 1.21 Gigawatts...

Yah! From household garbage! That's the ticket!

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Bill,

Let us know how this works out - my friends and I have been talking about this ever since we returned from Mexico and saw the fairly simple setup down there at the place we stayed.

What I haven't been able to find online is the Total Cost of Ownership for the setup to compare it to the long term savings buying from the grid.

Also, what type of upkeep does the system require?

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[andy2 0]

[QUOTE]Now, if only you could produce 1.21 Gigawatts... [/QUOTE]

[doc] The only thing capable of producing 1.21 gigawatts would be a BOLT OF LIGHTNING!!!!![/doc]

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let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[freeflyz 0]

Just need some trash and a food prosessor then POW there you go!

[base704 0]

you truly are a "greenie" huh?

You can get a lot more done with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone.

[nacmacfeegle 0]

"I'm going to have to get an air conditioner or something to use the extra power. "

Get even more gadgets!Seriously though, nice one Bill!

--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[billvon 3,121]

>Does this basically eliminate your electric bill?

Yep. I still get charged for gas, but I just put in a solar hot water system as well, so gas will be for cooking and the dryer only.

>If so what was the cost to install the whole system?

Around $8K with some careful Ebay shopping. The CEC refunds about half of that. It's around an 8 year payback in this neck of the woods.

>Do you got a complete list of materials and prints? Heck you got a
>complete package to sell?

List of materials is pretty easy:

9 NT-R5E1U Sharp 175 watt panels
2 TileTrac rack mount kits (for tile roofs)
1 SMA SunnyBoy 2500 inverter
1 Square-D 600V DC disconnect
1 Home Depot lockable AC disconnect
Conduit, wire, nuts+bolts

[Katzeye 0]

Bill - teach me how you did that! We have tons of sunshine here in Hawaii and electricity costs more than gas (but less than a hooker). I would love to throw up some panels and save some $$$!

LA*

Is a chicken omelette redundant?

[Muenkel 0]

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so gas will be for cooking and the dryer only.

What? You don't use a clothes line? Sometimes you can be really environmentally selfish!

Chris

_________________________________________
Chris

[billvon 3,121]

>You selling them yet bill???

I would but getting the parts is the easy part. Even the wiring is pretty easy. It's the approvals that are the hard part.

[billvon 3,121]

>Bill - teach me how you did that!

Take a look at http://www.homepower.com/magazine/guerrilla.cfm - there are loads of people doing it without all those approvals. (I'm profile 13 BTW.)

BTW it turns out that for every $1 you spend on energy savings stuff you save $10 on a solar power system. Efficiency is a lot cheaper than solar; flourescent bulbs, better water heater insulation etc is really cheap.