I'm fortunate to have been born in a country considered first-world and have enjoyed a very happy life here so far; what I have hasn't come easily though, I work hard for everything, however still feel very grateful for the opportunities that exist, those I've created and those I'm working on currently.
In my adult life I've not taken things for granted because my parents struggled financially which taught me valuable lessons around intelligent and responsible spending, making what I have last and prioritising needs over wants; sure, I've also made want-purchases but not at the expense of something more important that I need.
Power needs
Basic amenities and utilities are constant here in Australia and we don't experience many power outages and we don't have rolling grid shut-downs/load-shedding to make the electricity we produce go further.
I know countries like South Africa struggle to make their ailing power network meet demand; here though, when we want power we have it unless there's a major storm or catastrophic event that sometimes damages power grid infrastructure and that's only very rarely. That doesn't mean I like to waste power though, a habit I learned from my parents, and with that in mind I decided to install solar systems to my houses with the first going in around October 2016.
Each year I review against the last via the Enphase reporting system more out of curiosity than need and have been pleased to see a fairly consistent result year on year. Below are the years 2024, 2023 and 2022 and another graph showing the lifetime of the system for one of my properties. You'll see reports on what power that house has imported from the grid and what the solar system produced plus what was exported to the grid (I get paid for that) and a net export figure plus the total consumed.
Interestingly the grid dependence percentage has dropped in 2024 meaning the household is more self-reliant and indicates that certain changes I made have had a huge effect. Of course, this is a high level report without much detail but it demonstrates the effectiveness of the solar system; t tells me what's going on at a glance and when I want to drill down I can do so all the way to individual days of the week which helps me investigate why less power was produced - rainy or overcast days mainly and once there was a fault.
Below is the lifetime overview and I think it's interesting to see the orange energy consumed bars dramatically lessen in 2021 which shows a dramatic change in use of that property and lower energy usage; note the currency equivalent which shows (approximately) the dollar value of what's been produced - not too shabby huh?
I put my solar arrays on my properties to save money and I've definitely saved a pile of cash.
I could have saved more by installing a storage battery in each as well however due to cost I have not; I knew I'd not own the properties for long enough to recoup the expense. I've made sure the systems are battery-ready though which is going to be a selling point down the track although won't gain me more in sale price probably but may make it a more attractive prospect for the eventual buyer. Right now though, I'm really happy with how things are travelling and am glad I went tot he expense to get the systems on.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
Want a free Hive account? Click Here
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
Looks like they've been working well over the years. Great to see since mine is still so new at only 6 months. My use case a little different as I was focused primarily on the backup capabilities given how frequent the power outages here are from the storms.
So far, I just love the ATS switching and the fact that no delays in the switchover like we had when on propane generator and would take a minute or two for the cutover, and then again when power was restored. The backup batteries and ATS switch happens so quickly that none of the clocks reset, the network and internet stays up, often without even a flicker... Really love the fact that there is no maintenance needed on the batteries like there is on the propane or gas generators, with spark plug replacements, oil changes, weekly testing, etc. and the like.
Your system is a little more advanced than mine. I'd like to see a justafiable use case for the same system but with our grid being so stable I just can't outlay the funds as I think I'll not get the return...not on the properties I mention here anyway. Down the track it may be a different situation... hopefully not too far down the track when I exit the workforce and completely change direction.
Agree, the large wall batteries not for everyone. I could certainly see you with a few of the new larger portable batteries they have though. Handy to take camping or worksite if not needed at home for backup!
Is your country polluted with this kind of ugliness.??
Littered here with power lines and giant outdoor advertisement garbage signs.
Yeah, it's the same here...looks shit. I wish the power would go out forever...I'd be totally fine with out it...but most wouldn't. (I'd thrive.)
It really looks like a great saving you have made and yes the battery issue may not be so necessary considering the amount of time needed to recoup the investment.
Here in the buildings I have seen few panels, it must be because most people rent even though they have the electricity in their name like us.
Panels are the first thing I would put on my own house, plus I sell the energy I have left over.
Yeah, renting makes it difficult; I think renting makes a lot of things quite difficult when it comes to housing and all. I'm lucky never to have been a renter.
Have a good Thursday huh?
I have been an owner.... until I moved, before I didn't know what it was and yes, that's the way it is.
Thank you very much! I hope you had a great Thursday... you live in the future!
The option of returning electricity to the network, with compensation, is the right thing, when you live in a regulated country.
And imagine this situation:
You set up a system that on sunny and colder days can produce up to 50% of the electricity you need, and because the law did not regulate payment, you have to limit the system and spend the electricity on something unnecessary, because if you return it to the electricity distribution system, the meter is it adds up as if you spent it, not produced it.
(Serbia today, the company where I work)
That seems a little bit backwards but I think some countries do things differently to others; I'm fortunate to be in a country that pays for power back to the grid and that payment comes directly off my power bill. On one of my house I get almost zero dollar quarterly power bills. Not too bad huh?
For this house, you don't need batteries 🙂
Good morning Galen, installing solar panels is a good choice, you have explained it very well: cost savings and self-sufficiency.
One of the problems about their installation when you do not live in your own house, but in an apartment, is that you need the approval of the majority of the owners to install them, for now in my case it is not possible. It's not that my neighbors are crazy, the biggest energy expenditure occurs in winter and we are about 2000 families who share a common gas boiler that saves us a lot of money a year.
There's different rules for renters here too although the tenant has the power in their name and so they get any benefits that come from the solar system. Most landlords won't put solar systems on though.
The same is true here.
Solar panels are boon in offering. In my country government is giving too much subsidies on solar panel, but again the corruption in middle is eating up all the benefits. I had it installed at my home for many years as my village did not had electricity, till it was supplied in 2015....having a solar panel.is a relief in itself.
Yeah, it's a nice peace of mind thing and comes with some savings once the initial installation/purchase cost is recovered.
A fairly smart purchase for solar panels, especially when the electricity service has a fairly high cost. excellent friend. In my country they do not charge for electric energy and this has caused the deterioration of that company because it has become unsustainable, and based on that, the quality of the service has deteriorated for 20 years now, we have suffered the consequences with the constant blackouts. There was even a nationwide blackout for several days a couple of years ago, which left huge economic losses. Here we have adopted the use of electric plants as an alternative to the problem of electricity.
Your country is one of those I refer to in my post; ailing or dysfunctional infrastructure means sporadic power or none at all and I think many other countries will follow. My solar systems are working well and I'm very glad I decided to have them installed.
yes dear friend that's the same
Man, all these people with their big solar installations have me jealous. I don't think we get enough sunlight where I live to make it feasible. Plus my wife and I are looking at moving soon, so I don't want to lay out all that expense just so someone else can enjoy it! Maybe in our next house I can get one finally!
I'm really pleased with mine, both are working so well! I'm in front on both by a long way so when I sell both houses, which will happen eventually, I will be comfortable with the overall result. Hopefully you get something up in your new place when you get it.
That is really great. I know the benefits are really worth it. I've been interested to see the posts by folks on here that have full installations.
Solar is becoming more popular lately. Im just afraid it would be difficult during stormy weather and there wont be enough sunlight.
Yeah, that's why I still import from the grid; the best of both worlds.
You can save money by using Solar Powers in the long run however you just need to invest a large amount of money first. That's a great decision
Yeah, it cost me a lot initially but I have recouped that cost in savings after only a few years and now I'm well in front.
15 years ago, the ROI for the system was about 10 years. In the last few years, due to the cheapening of panels (it has become massive), the ROI period has decreased to 7 years.
Considering the lifespan of the panels (max. 20 years), whoever installs them will have a long period of enjoying the savings.
The only challenge will be the disposal of panels that have passed their working life.
Because of the materials they are made of, recycling them is complicated and expensive.
I'm not really concerned about the disposal of the panels as the houses I have the systems on will be sold (by me) prior to the panels reaching the end of their life; it'll be someone else's problem. But, I'll have an array at my next property of course...but because I'm 137 years old I'll be dead before those panels reach the end of their life. It's a win-win huh? :)
Don't stare my friend, everything is in its own time🙂
Jimmy Carter lived over 100 years (I don't even believe you about your 137 years 😀)...
If we look at it that way, you are 100% right. But if we think about the ecology and the planet Earth that remains after us (we, the people who care about the planet), it's fucked up.
I know that I probably won't experience the apocalypse on the planet that we have been destroying as much as possible for the last 70 years (just like you), but future generations will be screwed...
Yeah, future human generations are totally fucked...I don't think my solar panels are the issue though...take a look at countries like Chine and India/Bangladesh and the others, plus the corporations who promote and feed consumerism, commercial fishing, poor land management, overuse of resources, deforestation...all fucking up the environment way more than my solar panels will. I think it'll be good when the planet is so fucked it won't support human life...it'll mean the end of humans and the beginning of the planet's recovery.
I wasn't even thinking about the dozens of solar panels that you installed on your buildings, but exactly as you stated, about the large industries of the world 🙂
You shared a link with the documentary "Buy now", everything explained where we are going due to the interests of the industry.
We (people on the planet) don't need much, but under the pressure of marketing and creating the feeling that we need more than we really do, people give in...
Surely, buying a solar panel/s for power supplies is a good buy. You only do not enjoy paying less but also save some piles of cash. Now you can buy everything you need and improve your life better. I'm considering buying them too so people can't corrupt me for paying a lot for my power supplies. Thanks for the great ideas shared here.
That sounds like a good idea and you're probably going be glad you made that choice.
I really like what you did with the solar, and also trying to save cost.
Thanks, me too.
!PIZZA
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@danzocal(3/10) tipped @galenkp