09-10-2016, 04:43 PM
I have 9 panels and I get by OK except that my 48 volt string of eight 6-volt golf cart batteries is too small. By about 10 am on a good day I am in absorption mode where the charge controller is throttling power. If I had bigger batteries I would be storing more of that power. As it is I try to do laundry during the day. The string of costco batteries costs about $800. A string of the next size up, L16 batteries, is about $2500. I really should go for it.
On Oahu, for commercial customers, they have an interruptible rate. They give you the power cheap with the condition that they can cut you off whenever they need to. I have always thought that that would be a good deal for a hybrid residential system. You build your house with stand-alone solar with batteries. They provide a small electrical service that is very limited in maximum capacity and that doesn't go anywhere except to the point where it hooks to your battery charger. They get to cut you off anytime they want to and your batteries will carry you over those humps which usually occur during the morning and evening peaks. If outages last longer because of storms, etc, well it is what it is and you are less screwed than if you had no batteries. You go into conservation mode then.
HELCO doesn't have such a rate schedule for residential as far as I know other than on Oahu HECO gives you a few dollars break if you let them put a smart breaker on your water heater.
Not sure if this helps the OP but I am relatively happy off-grid.
On Oahu, for commercial customers, they have an interruptible rate. They give you the power cheap with the condition that they can cut you off whenever they need to. I have always thought that that would be a good deal for a hybrid residential system. You build your house with stand-alone solar with batteries. They provide a small electrical service that is very limited in maximum capacity and that doesn't go anywhere except to the point where it hooks to your battery charger. They get to cut you off anytime they want to and your batteries will carry you over those humps which usually occur during the morning and evening peaks. If outages last longer because of storms, etc, well it is what it is and you are less screwed than if you had no batteries. You go into conservation mode then.
HELCO doesn't have such a rate schedule for residential as far as I know other than on Oahu HECO gives you a few dollars break if you let them put a smart breaker on your water heater.
Not sure if this helps the OP but I am relatively happy off-grid.