EcoRenovator - View Single Post - My DIY Solar Experience and Break Even Calculations

antdun · 08-03-20, 06:06 PM

***UPDATE 3 years later***
In late July 2019 I added an additional 3,600 Watts of panels so now I have a 9.98 kW solar array and the power production is fantastic! If you'd like to see a YouTube video I made about my expansion and it's costs watch it here: https://youtu.be/YJClQ6P1YIo as well as a video I made regarding the original installation https://youtu.be/XXqE_glr69g I now have a Nissan LEAF and a Tesla Model S as well as a Cybertruck reservation to replace the LEAF. My solar array produces enough now to offset all my household power consumption as well as powering both my cars with energy to spare. It's such an awesome place to be!

A year of energy production from the 6.38 kW array produced 10,446 kWh of electricity and a year of production from the 9.98 kW array produced 16,492 kWh of electricity. At 10.9 cents per kWh (average here in Utah) my solar is now producing $1,797 worth of electricity per year which means we'll break even in about 5.42 years. So far we've managed to consume nearly all the electricity it has produced. I've had some Tesla friends come over to charge near the end of the net metering period to use up excess energy (in Utah it's use it or lose it), so I've only lost about 468 kWh due to my solar net metering balance resetting.

Now regarding that break even point, that 10.9 cents per kWh figure is just the Utah average. The actual pricing is block based and more complicated to figure out since consumption amounts vary by month and whatnot. In brief though on average my power production is 1,374 kWh per month and based on Utah's block rate that average month would cost $134 vs the 10.9 cents per kWh average that same 1,374 kWh would cost $149 so my estimated break even point might be a little optimistic. Regardless of the technicalities I'll break even in about half the time it would have taken if I'd paid someone to install it for me and I'll have many decades to come of free power production. Three years later I'm still super happy I went solar and especially that I DIY'd it for such a great price!

08-03-20, 06:06 PM	#29
antdun Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Utah Posts: 25 Thanks: 5 Thanked 15 Times in 10 Posts	*UPDATE 3 years later* In late July 2019 I added an additional 3,600 Watts of panels so now I have a 9.98 kW solar array and the power production is fantastic! If you'd like to see a YouTube video I made about my expansion and it's costs watch it here: https://youtu.be/YJClQ6P1YIo as well as a video I made regarding the original installation https://youtu.be/XXqE_glr69g I now have a Nissan LEAF and a Tesla Model S as well as a Cybertruck reservation to replace the LEAF. My solar array produces enough now to offset all my household power consumption as well as powering both my cars with energy to spare. It's such an awesome place to be! A year of energy production from the 6.38 kW array produced 10,446 kWh of electricity and a year of production from the 9.98 kW array produced 16,492 kWh of electricity. At 10.9 cents per kWh (average here in Utah) my solar is now producing $1,797 worth of electricity per year which means we'll break even in about 5.42 years. So far we've managed to consume nearly all the electricity it has produced. I've had some Tesla friends come over to charge near the end of the net metering period to use up excess energy (in Utah it's use it or lose it), so I've only lost about 468 kWh due to my solar net metering balance resetting. Now regarding that break even point, that 10.9 cents per kWh figure is just the Utah average. The actual pricing is block based and more complicated to figure out since consumption amounts vary by month and whatnot. In brief though on average my power production is 1,374 kWh per month and based on Utah's block rate that average month would cost $134 vs the 10.9 cents per kWh average that same 1,374 kWh would cost $149 so my estimated break even point might be a little optimistic. Regardless of the technicalities I'll break even in about half the time it would have taken if I'd paid someone to install it for me and I'll have many decades to come of free power production. Three years later I'm still super happy I went solar and especially that I DIY'd it for such a great price! __________________ DIY installed a 9.98 kW rooftop solar system with REC TP2 panels, SolarEdge SE7600a-us grid tie inverter, power optimizers, & Snap 'N Rack mounting system. Last edited by antdun; 08-03-20 at 07:49 PM.. Reason: I forgot to include my YouTube video URLs