Solar - 8kW Hybrid Inverter w/10kWh (upgraded to 20kWh in Sept. 2022) ESS/battery (not DIY)

[KhunLA]

Solar production past 3 days has been just OK, and looks like the next week, probably 5 to 7 of the next 10 days, is going to be the same.

 

 

Good .. not brutally sunny & hot, and no 'feels like' 5-10+ degrees added to ambient temp.  Can actually get by with just fans, although still enough produced to run the ACs, if not too abusive.

 

Bad ... takes a good part of the day to recharge the ESS.  Instead of topped up before 1000 hrs, it's taking till 1400 hrs.   Although you can tell when I charged the MC.   Got back from the park with the dog just as it started to drizzle a bit of rain.

 

 

Also backed a Cheesecake for about 1 hr worth of appliances, and wife on the sewing machine, all day.   Certainly not charging the car, though don't need to.

 

The rain part is, just an annoying (if on scooters) drizzle now & than.   Shies are almost 100% clouds, light, allowing sun through, to very ominous dark gray, but not much rain.

 

A bit better than overcast & heavier rain, as that would probably knock production down to 10 ish kWh a day.   Needing 6kWh over night, if minimal AC, or just fan on, while sleeping.

 

Edited September 3 by KhunLA

[KhunLA]

That forecast is spot on ... again.   Another gray day ahead.  Although, already producing a bit more than using.  That's with 1 AC going in the bedroom.

 

 

[KhunLA]

Sadly, our Solar System has hit a milestone, with our digital meter, installed about 2 weeks after Solar was installed, and almost 25 months to the day, on the digital meter. 

 

It broke the 1000kWh mark ... 

That's the same, as a few of our one month Solar production & consumptions numbers.  Took 25 months instead of 30 days.

 

So not quite 'off grid' ... average 40kWh a month, for ~฿130 a month.

 

 

Damn overcast skies & owning a BEV car.  Somedays, you just got to use the grid to charge the car.  Like today, since overcast this week, haven't bothered.  Then the bank calls and tells you that your visa extension paperwork is ready.   Say what, only took 3 days instead of a week.  Oh crap ... got to charge the car.

 

And now, charging, as ran it down to 28%, going to Imm office about 250kms R/T.  And plan on going O&A tomorrow 🙄

 

On the flip side, have produced 16+ MWh & consumed 15+ MWh.

For a saving from PEA of ~฿64,000  without even considering the petrol savings of what it would cost for 17k kms worth of liters of 91 @ ฿36 (~฿43.7k)

 

 

Guesstimate would be about 250kWh went to house/inverter, average 10kWh a month & 750+ going to the BEV (car), average 30kWh a month.

Edited September 20 by KhunLA

[KhunLA]

 

[KhunLA]

If planning on having Solar & BEVs for transport, then size you system accordingly, if wanting to be almost off grid. We did not, but have plenty of excess solar ... usually 

 

An example of local exploring and charging with solar.

Edited Wednesday at 03:37 AM by KhunLA

[KhunLA]

Interesting stuff ... 

 

... ours are inside, in AC comfort, along with hitting 100% everyday.  We wake up with ESSs @ ~60%, so usually 8kWh or less overnight of our 20kWh of ESS.

 

Going to put a small system outside soon, and already thought about using a shed with small AC unit.  Maybe in conjunction with a chicken coop.

 

 

 

 

[UWEB]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Interesting stuff ... 

 

... ours are inside, in AC comfort, along with hitting 100% everyday.  We wake up with ESSs @ ~60%, so usually 8kWh or less overnight of our 20kWh of ESS.

 

Going to put a small system outside soon, and already thought about using a shed with small AC unit.  Maybe in conjunction with a chicken coop.

 

 

 

 

But who is discharging his Solar Batteries to zero, I guess nobody.

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Going to put a small system outside soon, and already thought about using a shed with small AC unit. 

There are a number of heat sources in solar power production some of which don't care if the ambient temperature goes up a bit (within reason).

 

There is no point to waste A/C power trying to keep inverters etc. at 25ºC. It would be more energy efficient to enclose just the batteries and control the temperature of that enclosure.

 

That figure of 25ºC is an older standard, particularly important for lead acid batteries, which can be increased to 30ºC for LiFePO4's and Lead Carbon batteries.

 

Added to that I have long been advocating to charge batteries to less than 100%. It is far less stressful on the chemistry and will prolong the battery's life if it is only charged to (say) 95%.

Edited 4 hours ago by Muhendis

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, UWEB said:

But who is discharging his Solar Batteries to zero, I guess nobody.

 

Yea, I certainly wouldn't, and actually couldn't in reality.  Would take a week of little production and heavy use.  If the weather is that crappy, I probably wouldn't need the ACs that much.  OK, could charge the car overnight, but that would be silly.

 

After the 2nd bank was added, don't think they've ever been below 50%.

 

45 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

There are a number of heat sources in solar power production some of which don't care if the ambient temperature goes up a bit (within reason).

 

There is no point to waste A/C power trying to keep inverters etc. at 25ºC. It would be more energy efficient to enclose just the batteries and control the temperature of that enclosure.

 

That figure of 25ºC is an older standard, particularly important for lead acid batteries, which can be increased to 30ºC for LiFePO4's and Lead Carbon batteries.

 

Added to that I have long been advocating to charge batteries to less than 100%. It is far less stressful on the chemistry and will prolong the battery's life if it is only charged to (say) 95%.

 

Knowing me, well, the wife, she won't be building a shed just for battery, but small sitting area.   Going by the small greenhouse she built, sized about the same as 1 bdrm / 1 bath single story detached house.  Bigger than the daughter's newest condo rental, I think.

 

But honey ... your figs take up a lot of space ... 🙄

[Muhendis]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

 

Knowing me, well, the wife, she won't be building a shed just for battery, but small sitting area.   Going by the small greenhouse she built, sized about the same as 1 bdrm / 1 bath single story detached house.  Bigger than the daughter's newest condo rental, I think.

 

But honey ... your figs take up a lot of space ... 🙄

 

Ahaa. 

The wifey.

That's a heat source I hadn't considered.

You could be quite reasonably consider a 3MW inverter A/C for that I expect.

Any further talk of your 'figs' and I will be tempted to report you.

Edited 1 hour ago by Muhendis