DIY solar array 12.5 kw

[Robaroni]

Originally Posted by pinballlooking

No more hiccups since the disconnect switch issue. Here is my last power bill.
700 KWH carried forward to be used next winter. Not a bad start.

We are not driving our Volt less with this crazy virus but that just means more power carried froward.

Good to hear.
I just found out that when my contract runs out with my rural electric coop that my payback will be at the rate they now pay for electricity. This means I will go from getting 10.5 cents a kWh to 2.38 cents. This is Koch Industries and ALEC's influence attempting to crush renewables.
I have to decide what we will do in the next year because I don't want such a low return. The good news is that I will own my PV array so I may turn off the grid or add more PV and wind to balance out our return.

[pinballlooking]

TED The Energy Detective is out and Emporia VUE will be in soon.

This product was pointed out here.
https://ecorenovator.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7231

The main CT's are bi-directional the other 8 CT's are directional.

The 8 CT's will go to
Shop
Geothermal
Car Charging
Mini splits 2
Dryer
Stove
Microwave

[pinballlooking]

It is sad to say last month the first time since we got solar, we use some of our banked solar in July or the summer.

I do know why my new side business is CNC plasma cutting. We weld bend then sand blast our parts. When ready we run an oven to powder coat them.

This business is using lots of power. Good news it is making money. 23K in sales over the summer. It is just an after hours business.

I still need to setup the power monitoring so the business can start paying for the power being used.
I have it sitting here but I have been to busy filling orders to install it.



We have made some power lift time production 133.66 MWh

Our banked power now is 998 KWH

[gasstingy]

Great job with the new sideline business taking off! A lot of people daydream of starting a business doing something they love. Not so many take the plunge.

I agree with monitoring the usage so the business pays its share. Monitoring is very helpful for your tax keeping records, and you'll want every legal deduction you can verify to offset your taxable income.

[pinballlooking]

Thanks. My other business that pays the bills is computer programming consulting.
I have been doing it many years.

But my side business I make something I designed and you can hold it in your hands.
I get some satisfaction out making something that is useful and you can actually see the product.

I do a fair amount of interface work and it works well and is very useful but you cannot touch it.

I know it sound strange but someday in the future when I retire I will not still program but I may still may make products with steel at least for myself and maybe do some custom stuff. That is a long ways off.

[jjackstone]

How will you bill the business? Charge your own rates or use the the rates set by the utility company?
JJ

[pinballlooking]

I will use the power company rates. That is what the business would pay if I did not have solar.

[Robaroni]

Originally Posted by pinballlooking

Thanks. My other business that pays the bills is computer programming consulting.
I have been doing it many years.

But my side business I make something I designed and you can hold it in your hands.
I get some satisfaction out making something that is useful and you can actually see the product.

I do a fair amount of interface work and it works well and is very useful but you cannot touch it.

I know it sound strange but someday in the future when I retire I will not still program but I may still may make products with steel at least for myself and maybe do some custom stuff. That is a long ways off.

PB,
Nice with the Plasma CNC. I thought about building one for my Plasma but wound up building jigs to cut straight lines and arcs because I didn't plan on going commercial and I was in them middle of a project.

I see we have a lot of commonality in our work. I'm doing mostly embedded uC's in C and assembly language along with electronic circuit design.
I do run metal lathes and mills and have a small bench top CNC lathe that does mostly aluminum but will do steels if I take smaller cuts. (I run Mach3 CAM)
I did this part in CNC (1/4" thick 1018) but it took about an hour and a half because I had to use an 1/8" endmill to make sure I could do the contour justice. (It's for a tower clock in a local village). Plasma would have knocked it off in 10 minutes, I'm retired so I have time for these long cuts!

[pinballlooking]

Originally Posted by Robaroni

PB,
Nice with the Plasma CNC. I thought about building one for my Plasma but wound up building jigs to cut straight lines and arcs because I didn't plan on going commercial and I was in them middle of a project.

I see we have a lot of commonality in our work. I'm doing mostly embedded uC's in C and assembly language along with electronic circuit design.
I do run metal lathes and mills and have a small bench top CNC lathe that does mostly aluminum but will do steels if I take smaller cuts. (I run Mach3 CAM)
I did this part in CNC (1/4" thick 1018) but it took about an hour and a half because I had to use an 1/8" endmill to make sure I could do the contour justice. (It's for a tower clock in a local village). Plasma would have knocked it off in 10 minutes, I'm retired so I have time for these long cuts!

I love that clock project so much.
I have a 3D printer and CNC plasma is not really that different.
Except I have to use my tractor to load the steel on to the table.

[where2]

Originally Posted by pinballlooking

But my side business I make something I designed and you can hold it in your hands. I get some satisfaction out making something that is useful and you can actually see the product.

Your comment isn't as odd as it may seem on the surface. I spend my weeks sitting behind a PC pushing a mouse creating digital design projects, but I find doing tangible hands-on projects on the weekend much more fulfilling. My most recent weekend accomplishments have been a collection of 2-cycle engines. Whether it's fixing the 20" chainsaw I picked up for $10, or the 2-cycle string trimmer my neighbor tossed on the swale for the trash collectors... Rebuilding a mini-carburetor and replacing a few fuel lines to get a small engine running is a skill that some will never master. Meanwhile, I have two running string trimmers and two chainsaws for every property we own... Then there were the two generators my neighbors tossed out for the scrap guys. One had a blown generator head. I took the Robin (Subaru) engine from one, and installed the 5KW generator head from the other. Then, I dialed in the frequency to 60Hz using my Kill-A-Watt... I also managed to resurrect the Briggs & Stratton engine from the donor generator, which I will likely gift to a friend to repair his mom's generator.

Next weekend project will be pulling the hydraulic leveling jacks off the RV frame to have the seals replaced.