Taking a new look at solar power for MissionBelle
Looking at the smallest system that would make an economic difference here at home.
My electric service is priced on tiers, with the baseline allocation at $ 0.12 /kwh. However, it turns out that I used 280 KwH that was priced at $ 0.29 or higher, some at $0.40/Kwh. When you see that this little peak was driving a big increase in the bill, it seemed logical to explore the smallest system that could make a difference. It turns out that a system that saves only 40% of the peak energy use would save %60 of the bill each month. Even more significant in winter.
So the 288 kwh that cost the $85 this month, it could be replaced with a fairly small system, perhaps only 2500 watts or so, PTC-DC.
When you think about such a small system, the interface to the mains is a big fraction of the cost and complexity. So another possibility is to have a device in the house that switches an appliance from one to the other approach, perhaps storing energy in a battery to allow the solar to drive down the peak.....
So it would need an intelligent power switch that could put a base load item on solar when available, put it back on mains when solar isn't happening. A smart enough device could be simple, safe, and easy to produce. Using a controller with some smarts could enable a sophisticated look at schedules, and incorporate information like the predicted sun for the next increment of time....etc. The simplest installation wouldn't even disturb the service entrance, as it would never be in parallel with the mains, wouldn't drive the meter backward, would look like conservation to the utility. I am seeking a patent on the exact approach, and expect a commercial device to become available soon.
Meanwhile, I'm working out the details with my prototype.
