Solar Power - More panels and Nissan Leaf

Solar City will triple our solar power output in February, and we just ordered a Leaf, which they say is deliverable in the April-July timeframe.

We are adding 6.5KW of net delivered AC capacity (gross is about 7.5KW DC) to the garage roof. This time we are leasing it, and there are several options for how much downpayment vs. recurring payment to make.

There was a power cut last night for about two hours, and the automatic generator that runs off our propane tank kicked in after about 20 seconds. When the power came back, there wasn't a glitch, everything kept running. That was the first real test. We have a Generac 17KW unit that powers most of the house. With hindsight, it would have been better to get the 20KW generator that can power a whole 200Amp distribution panel rather than routing individual circuits. The extra cost would be offset by a simpler installation. We hope to replace the propane furnace with a heat pump at some point, then the generator will be the only thing running on propane, and since our solar system is grid-tied, it needs to work well to keep an all electric house going.

We were originally looking a geothermal heat pumps, but the extra cost of digging wells to get a more efficient heat pump is not cost effective versus adding extra solar panels to make up the difference. In climates where it is colder and there is less solar irradiance available, it makes more sense to use geothermal.

During 2010 we generated about 60% of the electricity we consumed, and also greatly reduced our propane consumption by switching appliances from propane to electric. In 2011 we should be almost 100% solar powered electric, and reduce our gasoline usage as well.

More solar power

We just signed up for almost 8KW on the garage roof. It's justified based on replacing our propane furnace with a heat pump that also gives us aIr conditioning, and also running an electric car (e.g. Nissan Leaf). We can use our existing monitoring system, but unlike last time, when we bought the system, we plan to lease it from Solar City this time. There Is a four month lead time, so we can pick the exact terms of the lease next February before it is installed. There are several options, zero down with a monthly charge that increases slightly each year, or options to pay various amounts up front with a fixed monthly payment. The monthly payments are all less than a typical electricity bill.

The goal for next year is to only use propane to run the backup generator (usually for a few days a year), and to make a dent in our petrol usage for the daily commute. We are on the Nissan Leaf list, but not in the first wave of owners. We should be able to get a test drive soon, I will report on any progress as it happens.

If you are interested in electric cars, look for Robert Llewellyn's Fully Charged video show on YouTube. He has been test driving everything and he's good fun to watch. You may recognize him as the actor who played Kryton in Red Dwarf.