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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy7xez9 wrote

My 7.68kW solar array has now been active for 6 months and has produced just over 5800 kWh of electricity. Of that, I currently have just under 1500 kWh "banked" for future consumption. It did take a month for CMP to enable net metering on my account which is why I only have 5 minimum bills. The total cost before tax credit was just over $20,000.

No complaints.

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imnotyourbrahh t1_iy88xyr wrote

I'm going to use about 50 kWh of banked generation for November. My first time dipping into the pot. On a sunny day I can still generate 20 kWh and we're three weeks from the solstice! I never thought I would produce so much this time of year.

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy89fdp wrote

Nice. I will probably dip in on my next bill as well. I've had 11 days in November above 27 kWh with the most recent being this past Saturday. It the clouds stay away today, I should come close to or break it today as well. I'm on track to produce just over 600 kWh for November, but I suspect December will dip to 500 kWh or slightly below. Snow cover is the wild card going forward.

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hike_me t1_iy8e3wy wrote

November has been pretty terrible for me.

Produced 400kWh, consumed 1mWh (I do most of my heating with heat pumps)

I ran a deficit of 100kWh in October,

On track to offset around 88% of my electricity for the year. Need to thin out a few more trees and/or I think I can squeeze another row of panels using a horizontal (landscape) orientation at the top of my roof where they won’t have any issues with shading.

I run a surplus May-September. April is usually break even, and October can be break even depending on weather. November - March I run a pretty big deficit due to the heat pumps.

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy8esvp wrote

Our house is in the middle of an elevated field and the closest trees are about 125 feet north of us. We also live in Durham, so the minimum lot size is 90,000 sq ft which keeps the closest neighbors pretty far away. The only thing that shades our panels are clouds.

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hike_me t1_iy8ggdt wrote

Tree line is only about 15-20 feet from the side of my house with panels. We selectively thinned some of them last fall, which helped, but we still get a lot of shading on the bottom half of the array in the fall and winter.

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imnotyourbrahh t1_iy8bzcd wrote

Wow, I won't come close to 400 kWh. I'm impressed with how well your panels do with the flat angle. I guess Maine is just South enough to produce electricity year-round. I would think homes near the equator would only need 1/3 of the panels we need and be quite affordable.

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy8cid3 wrote

With regard to the angle, I am seeing peak production of just over 5 kW these days. Back in the summer, I could hit a peak of 6.8 kW.

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Puff1012 t1_iyaav78 wrote

My husband watches this alaska show Called edge of alaska or something like that. The people that live in the city all use solar panels.

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yupuhoh t1_iy7xyc7 wrote

How much of a credit are you going to get?

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RatherNerdy t1_iy7ywkd wrote

You get a 1:1 kWh credit

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yupuhoh t1_iy83oxy wrote

So 5800$? So you are still out 14k. At 150$ a month electric bill you are saving it will take about 8 years for you to break even on the cost. That's not too bad if you have the up front capital. Now do they (cmp) cut you checks still every month if you produce more than you use?

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy844dt wrote

The tax credit will bring the total cost down to ~$14,000. The payback period was projected to be 8-9 years when the tax credit was 26% and before the 50% supply side hike that was recently announced. The payback period should now be under 7 years.

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yupuhoh t1_iy85g0l wrote

Not bad. So are the panels not producing enough for you to be off the grid all together? Why are you still paying cmp every month when you are producing your own power? Sorry for the ignorance but the last time I was around solar was a buddies house and cmp was cutting him checks for like 50$ a month

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RatherNerdy t1_iy85zcj wrote

Your generated power goes back into the CMP grid (except for what you are using at that immediate point in time) and CMP delivers it back to you. So you pay for the connection costs (mine is about $14/mo). CMP does not cut checks, you only get a kWh credit that expires 12 months from when it was generated. So you end up producing more in summer due to longer days and higher more direct sun, and then rely more on your credits during the winter months.

Now, you can also get battery storage for your produced energy, but you'll still produce more than the battery can store and you'll still have to pay CMP for the line connection.

Side note - 7-8 years break even, as well as a house value bump is a great investment.

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy8705i wrote

Exactly. The net metering is what makes this economically viable.

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yupuhoh t1_iy8kopk wrote

Yeah I know they don't cut checks anymore. That was 20 years ago. And thanks for the explanation. Makes sense

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imnotyourbrahh t1_iy87wyb wrote

CMP is your "battery" until you can buy your own batteries and go off grid.

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SyntheticCorners28 t1_iy7y6ra wrote

So what is your ROI?

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy80tqp wrote

The projected ROI was 8-9 years, but that was assuming a 26% tax credit and also doesn't include the 50% supply increase going into effect next year. Those two things should make it closer to 6-7 years.

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Ultra86 t1_iy830z9 wrote

This is the way. I did Maine Solar also, but tacked on two batteries to insulate somewhat from power outages and give a little boost to net metering as well.

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy83syh wrote

Nice. I'd love batteries but am too cheap to pull the trigger at the moment. I might have a different opinion if we experience an extended power outage.

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GraniteGeekNH t1_iy8kt81 wrote

This is the thinking of every rooftop solar person in New England I've ever talked to*: I'd love batteries but geeeez, the cost!

*including me

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SyntheticCorners28 t1_iyasexy wrote

My 13k generator only cost about 5k. Cheaper than batteries but it also has drawbacks.

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CopyAltruistic3307 t1_iydojq2 wrote

I didn't think you could do net metering and batteries AND keep power during an outage. I was told if the power goes out I would have to take the outage, unless I was completely off-grid.

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SodaPop978 t1_iy897en wrote

What forms do you need to fill out. I filled out the 313 (?) And I'm just waiting to hear back from them. Is there anything else I need to do? Usually I guess the installing company takes care of this but I did it myself.

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iy8afjg wrote

Interconnection Agreement, PUC Chapter 324, and Net Energy Billing Agreement. The installer walked me through all of it.

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ChTakedown t1_iy8zdm7 wrote

What was the total after the tax credit?

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archerseven t1_iy9fk40 wrote

Wow you use so much less power than I do :p

I installed a similarly sized system that I finally got Auburn's paperwork though on in like March. June was the only month I managed to bank though. (Don't have a bill in front of me for precise numbers.)

Grats on the solar, I love my system, and I love the battery backup attached to it.

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slothscantswim t1_iyaq3j9 wrote

What’s the expected lifespan of the system?

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iyat62h wrote

There's a 25 year production warranty of 86%. Basically, a 2% drop during the first year and a 0.5% drop each subsequent year. I expect the system to last as long as the roof which was about 1.5 years old when the panels were installed. The shingles are 30 year warranty.

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membaberry18 t1_iyb7gvq wrote

How much was your monthly bill previously? Until the cost of panels comes below $10k it doesn’t seem worth it

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iyco67o wrote

Average monthly bill would have been around $167/mo with recent rate increases that weren't in place during system design.

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Tri2B t1_iyce40r wrote

Who did your system? I’m getting quotes ranging from $3.50 - $6 / watt installed, which seems high to me.

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metalandmeeples OP t1_iycocpn wrote

Maine Solar Solutions. Anything over $3/watt pre-credit is a ripoff. Don't be afraid to negotiate.

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