Lord Solar

Our first full year on Solar City has been great.  Every month that the APS bill came in was a feel good opportunity.  The twelve months of Solar City for 2009 cost us roughly $18 a month from APS, plus $77 a month from Solar City.  At the end of the year the system ended up producing an excess of 500KWh mostly on peak that was returned to the grid and shared with the neighbors.  Unfortunately at this time, APS does not have a roll over plan, in 2010 we start from zero again.

For the months of September and October we used up all our on peak credits. Novice solar owner move, we left the air conditioning on almost 24/7 for the summer. Won’t make that mistake next year.

I’ve had a few people ask about how the system affects overall grid prices for everyone else.  Yes, solar panels are subsidized just like all other forms of power generation in the US.  However, unlike other forms of power productions, the excess power produced (500 KWh) is simply given to APS for free (I received the subsidy not APS), theoretically reducing the cost per KWh for all.  If 50 homes in my neighborhood produce a combined excess of 2,500 KWh on peak power then thats free energy APS does not have to build a plant for, and does not have to pass the costs on to my neighbors.

I’m curious to see how this works out over time.  I replaced a few bulbs in the house with CFLs and the monthly  power usage for 2009 is smaller than 2008.  If APS provided a roll over for each year or monetization of unused KWh, then many solar panel system owners like myself would be highly motivated to reduce usage and sell power back.

A more immediate incentive for us is the next car we plan to purchase.  Seeing the Chevy Volt at the 2010 CES made us give serious thought to buying one.  We both fit within the 40 mile all electric commute and reducing the $40 weekly gas pump visit for each car would add up to saving roughly $4,000 a year for both cars.  If we could cover the cost of the electricity through our solar system the Chevy Volt would be a huge savings.

Leaving the AC on full blast all summer caught up with us. Next year we’ll be a bit more judicious.

Having an electric charging station in the garage would require more KWh.  Given our current system we could expand the number of panels as the inverter can handle it.  Another option is to simply cut back on usage and allocate more solar power to charging the future car.  Either way its nice to have the option.

Overall I would call our first full year on Solar City a huge success.

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