Green Power Production
We are producers of solar power through the NC Green Power program. Our 2000-watt system is grid-connected, meaning that it doesn’t directly supply our house. This is the most efficient way to produce solar power, since there are no batteries; whenever the sun is shining, power is being sent to the grid. We turned on the system on January 1, 2006. It’s been fun to compare our monthly average power consumption with that produced by the solar panels:So, for 2006 we generated a little more than twice what we used. The highest useage was in July, when we skipped town and left our house sitters with the blistering heat and our little window AC unit. The highest momentary power output that we’ve observed was 1840 watts, on a cold, clear, breezy day in March. The biggest single day was 12.49 kWh, on March 22, 2006. Interestingly, the power output of the solar panels decreases substantially with increasing temperature, so even on relatively short winter days the power output can be higher than on hotter spring or summer days.
We installed the system on a shed with a roof tilted at about 34 degrees to the horizontal, and oriented carefully toward true south (which we determined by tracking the shadow made by a long vertical pole at exactly mid-day). We bought the panels, inverter, racks and other parts as a kit from Kyocera (“MyGen 2000”), and hired our friends Chris Carter and David Delvecchio from Solar Village to complete the wiring.
Tax Issues
Solar power systems became much more affordable following the 2005 Federal Energy legislation. In North Carolina, the combination of federal and state tax credits and the ability to sell to NCGreenPower have put solar much more in financial reach. The complexity of financial issues makes this side of solar installation daunting. Libby has experience in tax preparation and has consulted with a number of people interested in understanding how personal finances and tax implications affect solar power installations.Other solar stuff: Irrigation, Electric Fence and Solar Cooking
Our most treasured solar power rig is a gravity-based watering system. Two 75W solar panels run a 24V pump submerged in our generous neighbor’s pond, pumping uphill to two 500-gallon tanks when the sun shines. The tanks sit on a 3’ tall stand on the highest point on our property. A homemade float switch tells the pump to turn off when the tanks are full. Irrigation lines from the tanks provide drip irrigation to the blueberries, blackberries, and garden beds with the flip of a valve. The system works so well and is so simple that it tickles us every time we turn it on and hear the water squirting out of the drip emitters.We also have a solar powered electric fence to slow down the deer (10W panel and 12V car battery with a fence energizer).
Our newest solar device is a solar cooker, a Global Sun Oven. This thing is amazing! We cook in it most days when the sun is shining. Rice and beans cook beautifully without burning, and it is great for sweet potatoes. We've made muffins too. Often, we cook two or even three pots of food in a day. It works fine even in the winter, and has really changed the way we think about cooking. HIGHLY recommended!