Home Vehicle Charging with lots of solar panels and net metering question.

[Dino]

My house load, with literally everything on is not more than about 6-7K. I definitely make more than that at peak times. My solar array will generate upwards of 14K, but not quite what the charger will attempt to pull from the truck at full bore.

But as I mentioned before, the reason I got confused is b/c I can only read the meter and it's not in real time b/c it gives snapshots, and that's why at times I was seeing numbers that didn't make sense. . .

I have a 7kw (19 panels) solar system, 10 kw battery backup, and a SolArk 12kw inverter. I had my solar installer connect a 50 amp plug to the SolArk inverter via Smartload (input or output configurable). I have that set up to become active/hot when my home battery becomes 45% charged and will turn off when/if my home battery drops to 20% charged. By having this setup my excess solar production (sunny days) is charging one of my EV's during the day (retired) via a configurable charging cable at 16 amps/4kw. When EV charging, my solar sends about 4kw to the vehicle and about 1.5kw to my home and/or home battery.
If you do not have a home battery system, a solar system will shut down during a power outage to keep from back feeding the grid and putting lineman in danger of electrocution.

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[Rip]

Exactly.

The way I think about it is to consider an illuminated solar panel as if it were a battery. If you don’t draw any current from it, it outputs no energy. When you lose the grid, the inverter simply shuts off and no electrical power is drawn from the panels. There is no power “going to ground” or anywhere else.

That's a great answer, and very clarifying. Still, it's waste. The potential is there; but you would need a battery setup to capture some of that potential.

 

[Maquis]

That's a great answer, and very clarifying. Still, it's waste. The potential is there; but you would need a battery setup to capture some of that potential.

Sure….if you want to always extract the full energy available you have 3 options: use it, send it to the grid, or store it.

 

[Frankhpns]

I have a similar system in Florida with 56 400 watt panels. You sell what you don't use back to the utility. You can't adjust the charge rate on your truck other then changing the charger with a lower charge rate. In Florida the utility buys back my power at the same rate they charge me for theirs Your truck has its own battery charger.

 

[MaintGrl]

I have a similar system in Florida with 56 400 watt panels. You sell what you don't use back to the utility. You can't adjust the charge rate on your truck other then changing the charger with a lower charge rate. In Florida the utility buys back my power at the same rate they charge me for theirs Your truck has its own battery charger.

Lucky you, Out here the utility ads all sorts of fees to their buy back rate.
and I might note , , , WE have the second highest Electrical rate in the nation. . .(nothing to brag about)

 

[Frankhpns]

We pay between 12 and 18 cents per kwh depending on TOU rate. Makes it affordable to drive an electric.

 

[MaintGrl]

We pay between 12 and 18 cents per kwh depending on TOU rate. Makes it affordable to drive an electric.

Ya, I'm paying $.50 kWh, Bout the same as which would be for a ICE

 

[Jodokk]

Can you show us a pic of what you are seeing in your monitoring app when you're experiencing this?
My solar array has Enphase microinverters, and use their app rn. I'm getting a Franklin Battery in April, with the generator hookup for the truck. My local power company gives me only around 1/4 for buying back my solar electric overage.
(Our rate is $.11)
My app shows "Exported," "Imported," "Net Spent," and "Produced."
Would you mind showing us what you're seeing?

 

[Rip]

Lucky you, Out here the utility ads all sorts of fees to their buy back rate.
and I might note , , , WE have the second highest Electrical rate in the nation. . .(nothing to brag about)

In Maine they don't buy it back, per se. We get "credits" so if I send a KW to the grid, I get a KW back from it later. Sort of like getting store credit instead of cash back.

 

[MaintGrl]

In Maine they don't buy it back, per se. We get "credits" so if I send a KW to the grid, I get a KW back from it later. Sort of like getting store credit instead of cash back.

So, if you create more than you use . . . you get nothing, that sucks. I'm sure the power company loves that...

 

[MaintGrl]

In Maine they don't buy it back, per se. We get "credits" so if I send a KW to the grid, I get a KW back from it later. Sort of like getting store credit instead of cash back.

And, is if $.50 a kWh isn't bad enough . . .
Please see this:
https://www.kcra.com/article/pge-rate-request-california-investors/64247177

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