New True-up bill- another year on the books

Our yearly PGE bill for our electricity used that we did not produce-  The actually charges would have been $64.20 for the year, which would have been pretty good by itself.  But due to credits we get for being a grid-tied producer of electricity for PGE, that was knocked down to $15.38 for the year which is pretty close to free at that price. . .

Whats this? The next bill from PGE has a $31.00 climate credit which the bill says will be given to residential customers twice a year. That makes our electricity cost free for the year, and next year, and as long as we can keep our cost at or around $15 a year, free for the foreseeable future. . .

Some updates on odd items. . .

My Prius is now approaching its tenth year anniversary.  And I am happy to say that my mileage is still steady in the 50 mpg or more range.  In the last few days I have made multiple trips up into the foothills near home requiring freeway use, around town driving and trips to an elevation of just under 2,000 feet elevation. Overall mpg for the past few days is 52.2 mpg. Not bad for an ten old hybrid.

The tank-less water heater is going strong.  Our PG and E gas usage in summer is around $5.00 a month.  It makes all the difference in the world to not have to reheat a 50 gallon tank to leave sitting and cooling after use- and all day for that matter.

Solar panels are still going strong.  We are nearing the end to the higher use charge (and our higher rate of repay for that extra production.)  I doubt our true-up bill will be as low this year as the less than $20 it was last year.  This year it was a bit warmer- particularly last month when we had to use the air conditioner for the first time and last time this summer.  I still wish we had put in more panels originally.  Not worth going into debt to get a possible 4 cent a kilowatt hour payback for the extra production.

2012-2013 True-up period- PG and E and low rate of PG and E refund for excess production

We have just finished the most recent true-up period this month.  For the year, our electricity cost from the true-up bill was just under $20.00.  Not too shabby.

And, we wondered about adding a bit to the system to get to the point we would over produce for a change.  We were told that it would not work that way.  We could shoot for the $20 mark, which may only take an additional panel.  It would not be economical to just add a panel or two just to get that cost down.  And in the event we went over, PG and E would only reimburse us at the rate of four cents a Kilowatt hour.  What a deal for them. Not too different than it used to be actually when they would just lob off the excess production at year end and not let us use it or reimburse us for it.  Four cents?   Yikes. I guess we are at their mercy if we are on the grid.  Oh, and there is also this. . . No amount of any over production can be used in an off-set of other fees charged over the year. So the $5.00-$6.00 charged in taxes and other fees that everyone pays, would still have to be paid.

True-up Electric billing for 2011

Our true-up electricity bill for the year was $46.14 for electricity used that we did not create ourselves. Add in the monthly charges that are administrative in nature, and it goes up to $110. This is still pretty good. In 2008, our total cost was $125.00 with administrative cost added in. We could easily be using $100.00 per month in electricity at least in the summer months.

Cleaning Solar panels

Things are changing pretty fast in solar as far as cleaning goes. A couple of years ago when I searched for information about cleaning solar panels, it looked like no one had anything to say. Now it is different. Not only do you have information suggesting dirty panels can cost at least 10% loss in production, but there are cleaning services listed in some communities, and there are automated cleaning systems.

One is here: http://www.solarpanelcleaningsystems.com/solar-panel-cleaning-services.php#pl

This is a system that includes a sprayer for each panel, filters and soap dispensers. It can be set to rinse between wash cycles. I am not suggesting this is the answer. It is hard for me to see just how effective this system would be in my area where it takes a bit of scrubbing to get the dirt off. But if you are in a fairly low dirt area, it might be fine for you.

Unscheduled Solar panel maintenance

Actually, there is so little maintenance for these things. You may think though that you can just set up and let it go forever. That may be true, but you should check thigs out from time to time.

Here, in a quick check earlier today I realized that a tree branch had grown out over one section of the panels since I had looked a bit ago. It was shading the panels form around noon on. True, it was only a small portion of our total panel area, but that can add up to a big problem over the long haul. These things are wired in series, so a small area of shade can degrade production of the entire system.

I cut a few branches, and our output went from around 1100 watts to 1400 watts, and higher. That difference can add up to more than an extra kilowatt hour over the days production.

Final bill for the "on-peak" time of use

Through the October bill for PG and E, we have a total of $78.25 in credit. Last year, we had $45.16 at this point. We go into the Off-peak mode at the end of October.

Sept Billing Period

Sept 2009 we used 92 KWh for credit of $9.19, bringing our total for the billing year beginning June 2009 to 205 KWh used, and $71.46 (credit). Last year in Sept we had $8.39 in credit with a use of 83 KWh, a total of 278 KWh used and $36.16 (credit).

Our yearly use for 2009 seems to be lower by 73 KWh, even with the addition of our pond pump running daily. Our credit for the year starting in June is running $35.30 above last year’s total through this Sept.

Let the consumer beware. . .

This thing about having to pay to have our panels moved still ticks me off. So, I went back to my contractor and showed him how big the difference in production was between the old location and the new, and asked him if- since he had mentioned that ‘we usually install them on the southwest side if it is available’- if he could help us out a bit in the fee to move them. To us, it seemed like paying to move them was rewarding them for making a mistake in the location in the initial installation.

Nope. They are not liable for placement of the panels being inferior to another placement. He claimed that the industry standards only suggest that the companies install panels in a generally southerly position within a range of degrees of direct south. And, they were within that range in the initial installation.

So, BEWARE consumers. Make sure that the location of your panels is correct and will maximize your production from the start. Most solar contractors now have access to equipment that can tell you the maximum exposure for your installation. Go with one of those. If you have a contractor without this equipment, even if they are the low bid- Get a new contractor. They are only guessing. And with your system costing as much as they can cost it is worth it to have them where you will get the maximum exposure to get a faster payback.

Cleaning your Solar Panels to get the maximum production

How many times have I seen Ed Begley Jr. hop up on his roof and clean his solar panels as if he was standing on solid ground without a care in the world? Too many times- actually, this is more a comment on how often the show “Living with Ed” is re-run. I guess a new season is not in the works? Too bad: I guess we will have to live with the limited series it was. Now, getting back to cleaning the panels, what do you do if you are not Ed Begley Jr., or do not at least have his “non-fear” of roofs?

I have already mentioned that a dirty panel can cut as much as 7% annually from your production. It would seem that you should try to find a way to get at least some of the dirt and grime off. There may be a way at “Real Goods”. This is a solution that comes pre-mixed in an applicator bottle. You simply connect it to a hose, get as close to your panels as you can without taking the inevitable plunge off the roof- and spray it on your panels as if you are applying fertilizer to your lawn through a hose end sprayer. That is basically it. You spray the surfactants on, and let it soak into the crud for a few minutes. Then you switch the sprayer to fresh water and rinse the dirty suds away. I am sure it would be better to actually have a brush to physically wash the heavier stuff away, but this is a pretty easy alternative to that heavier job. I am not 100% sure how it has worked yet, but the panels did appear to be cleaner after the treatment. Time and the next PG and E statement will tell if it has helped. It could at least work as in interim solution until you can locate someone else to do it in return of a six-pack of their favorite beer.

Cost Comparison of PV Array 2007-2008

The 2008 True-up bill has been calculated for our electricity use. It is higher than last year, as anticipated. I think this is due to the pond pump running extra for a few months. And we have been home more this year. The pump is bound to be a continuing factor, but since we are now generating more each day, it may not make that much difference in the long run.

Our electricity cost has gone up from 4 cents per KWh in 2007, to 5 cents per KWh in 2008. This is based on increase use, and potentially a bit lower production due to the system being down for a few days to move the panels. The base rate for residential customers around here is around 15 cents per KWh.

In 2007, our total cost for electricity including all fees and taxes was $90.39. The total cost for electricity use that we did not generate was $17.78.

In 2008, our total bill for the year was $125.36 and of that $19.95 was for electricity we used but did not generate.

The Cleaning and Maintenance of PV Panels and System

One thing that is great about a PV System is that it requires almost no work to get the PV energy. Once it is installed, as long as you do not have to shut it down and move it to another side of the house, you should be OK for a long time. Most of the inverters I have seen have a lengthy warrantee. The panels themselves should outlive the longest investment payback. Most of them are guaranteed for twenty years. I know of panels near here that have been in use longer than twenty years, and are still producing close to what they did initially. Of course, in that same time replacement panels have made real gains in power output and efficiencies. Aside from the panel move earlier this year, we have only had one time our system was “down” for any problems, and that was for a simple part replacement for our inverter. That leaves only one real issue that I have been concerned about, cleaning the panels.

At least once a year, your panels could benefit from a good cleaning, especially if you are in an area that has a lot of dust or windblown pollen. This stuff can get stuck to the panels fairly easily, and although a lot of it is washed away by rain that happens in a time of year you are not really thinking much about production. Therefore, at least once a year, you need to think about cleaning the panels. If you are Ed Begley Jr. or otherwise do not have a problem climbing all over your roof at least once a year, or you have relatively easy access to the panels from the ground, you should have no problems doing your own cleaning. If you fear heights, or simply are older than Ed and your days of roof running are or should be over, what are you going to do?

After the first year of so our panels were up, our neighbor volunteered to clean the panels for us. That was great. It only cost us a six-pack. But, that is not the sort of thing we feel right about asking for repeat service the next year, or the next. I have asked a couple of solar installers in the area for their advice. They either say they do not bother cleaning their own panels, so I should not worry about cleaning mine. Or they say I could try a window washer service. I have not called one yet. Usually my experience asking a company to work outside their specified qualifications has not been good. So, when we moved our array recently, I asked the guys on the roof if they would be interested in making a bit extra money cleaning my panels. They seemed to want to do it when they were here. They told me to call them so we could arrange it. I called. I stopped by the place of business and left a message. I called again. I stopped by the place of business again and talked to the manager to ask if it was appropriate for me to ask. He said as far as he knew, it was something they could arrange to do, or if I wanted, I could contact his installer directly to ask him. I asked the manager to have the installer contact me. That was the last I have heard anything from them.

It seems to me there is a growing demand out there, or there could be a growing demand- for a service company that specializes in PV Systems maintenance. I am not quite up to getting up there and cleaning the panels the right way. The guys who could are missing an opportunity. Or, hopefully they are busy putting in more systems and just can’t get back to me. The thing is, it either forces me to live with dirty panels or to try to do it myself. Either way, the panels are not going to be as clean as they should be. And we will lose a certain amount of production. How much, and is it worth worrying about?

It is odd that I now know the answer to this. I have looked on the internet from time to time trying to find out how dirty PV panels impact production. I have not found it. Maybe I did not know the right terms to search for. What is the answer? What is funny about this is that earlier today, I went out to just hose off my panels. I thought that would help a little anyway. But as I said, it is not a complete cleaning, and there is still residual dirt there blocking my production a bit. I will check later to see if I had much gain over previous days.
Just now, I received a letter in the mail from a person who is doing PV system maintenance in our area. I do not know the cost yet, but he does PV panel cleaning, system module maintenance, system performance overall testing, warrantee troubleshooting and repairs, and will install a security system on the modules. This is just what I had been talking about earlier.

Oh, and the answer for how much dirty panels can cost you come from a study done by PV USA in Davis, Ca. They claim that after a dry rainy season dirty panels can impact your performance by as much as 7%. That seems pretty close to what I have seen here actually. Prior to my neighbor cleaning our panels, we were producing a bit over 9 Kilowatt hours a day. After cleaning, our production went up to a bit over 10 kilowatt hours. I guess it would be up to the individual owner to determine how clean is clean enough. And also it depends on the price of the service. I may call for the free estimate anyway.

All solar panels need is the sun- and the correct orientation for your area

Location is everything in placement of solar panels. Last year, we would be lucky if we were producing a couple of hundred watts by 3 PM while they were pointed to the southeast. What numbskull decided to put our panels on the southeast side originally? I want credit for those lost years of production, not to mention the more than a thousand bucks it cost to move the array. Now with the array towards the southwest, today at 6 PM we were still producing a bit over 1,000 watts. For the majority of our high cost time between noon and six, we will be in maximum production. In fact, at noon the production is 1,300 watts. So, we could be making between 7.5 to 8.5 kilowatt hours during the expensive pay back hours. Last year, we were lucky to get a total of 8.5 to 9.5 kilowatt hours in a good day, and since the sun was for the most part off of them around by 3 PM, only three hours of that was in the on-peak hours.

Here comes the sun- Not

Well, as of the first of the month, we are back on the prime time schedule for rate E7. So, after noon and prior to 6 PM, we should be making extra credit at the higher rate mentioned before. If only it was true. It is not sunny at all here, and has not been since the start of the month. I know we need rain, but the little amount we are now getting is not really going to help anyone- and it is hurting us. Beware those who want to go the way of trying to be more green. Things like this- or mileage decreasing on many short trips, etc, did not used to matter to me. Now, I worry about losing any ground to the weather, or to the tires being wrong, or to other things I may not have thought of yet. We need rain, but the time for that is past. Let there be SUN!

Solar update

Last billing month we had shut down the pond pump to run only 12 hours a day, and this month that is reflected in our new lower charge for electricity, as expected. For March, our unbilled charge was $43.70. For April, it had dropped to $15.16. That is just about $6 more than the previous year, but it is not good enough for us. We already dropped the run-time to 6 hours a day, and so far that is still keeping the water clear enough. But, the damage has been done to this year’s stats. We are already over $100.00 for the year, with one more month to go in the billing year. Last year at this point, we were at $75 total for the year. For the year, our total energy use is 2,305 Kilowatt hours, or about $.0437 per kilowatt hour. That is still pretty good since our base rate for residential use in this area is around $.15 per kilowatt hour.

After the solar panels were moved...

The move of the 20 solar panel array went fairly smooth. Actually, as far as jobs like this usually go for us, it was flawless except for one brief glitch. When the switch was turned back on, there was an error message on the inverter, and no power flowing. It was late afternoon. Maybe there should have been a bit of power by then, but we waited to see what it would do the next morning. You guessed it; no juice then either.

The installer came back, and after re-tracing it all, he discovered he had wired the individual panel assemblies in parallel instead of series. So we were only seeing the voltage of one group. Once he fixed that, we were back online with only 2 full days of production missed.

You should be prepared if you do anything with alternative energy to become a nitpicker when it comes to counting your production, mileage or electric bills. That couple of days can make a difference if you are off for some reason. For us, it did not matter that much since this is a time it is normally not that sunny anyway, and that we are not yet on the maximum high use charges.

So far, it looks good. We are already surpassing our normal daily production just by having the panels pointed more towards the sun in the afternoon. One glitch in the overall plan was that at the same time we were moving the panels, we were having a small pond put in. That pond has a small waterfall. That requires a pump. You see where I am going here. This is what normally would be considered a waste of electricity. And we have already cut back the run time from 24 hours a day to just 12. For the first month it had been on, it cost us an additional 12 kilowatt hours a day. Part of our reason to get the solar panels was to be able to afford to run our AC in the summer. This pond would tend to cut into our extra capacity, and I think it might lose out in the long run if it goes up against our comfort.