How To Choose Solar Panels | This Old House
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
- Richard meets a solar expert who tells you what type, location and amount of solar panels will provide all your power needs.
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How To Choose Solar Panels | This Old House
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Just like the last video where they show you nothing and the title is misleading.
Step 1. Read your power bill.
Step 2. Look at the sun.
Step 3. There is no step 3 you're blind now.
derek jones 😂
LOL
It didn’t tell me how to choose solar panels. Darn
get the cheapest panel with a warranty larger than 20 years, and is a company you trust will still be around in 20 years.
I agree, and with the title saying how to choose, one one think they would do that.
@@Mike__B My Dad was before his time, he had a wind generator in the 90's. The contractor moved out of state took all the important plans with him and Dad couldn't find anyone to work on it. If installing a wind generator or solar make sure you get all the plans and ones that are clear enough for an electrician to follow.
@@Mike__B As if, you can predict which solar mfr and installer be around in 20 - 25 years ?
Just where exactly did the choosing part come in?
J B It doesn’t tell you how to choose solar panels
So "How do you choose a solar panel" ? Because this video didn't explained that at all. Nada.
At no point in this video did you talk about how to choose a solar panel.
@John Salazar, That is what I though so I watched it again, and they did in the first minuet. When they were talking about sizing.
@@MerkDolf Yes but that was not really about choosing a panel. They did not talk about panel wattage, manufacturers, warranties or any relevant information as to how to choose the right solar panel.
Panels are all pretty much the same , always best to go with the highest wattage one can get in a panel that one can afford for a system.
Yes it was a sad effort, especially if someone is new and really wanting to learn, or someone who wants to know if there is something new to take into consideration.
Step 1. Figurer how much power you consume,Step 2. Cut you power requirements where you can.Step 3. Find the most efficient panel, not just the one with the highest wattage, I've seen some panels that have a high wattage but that is peak.
Step 5. Remember you don't have to get all the panels at one time, solar is modular and you can add as budget allows.
@Tony Castillo too bad it isn't as simple as that as the accounts have gotten involved the panel manufactures have started to apply giving you a wattage number that doesn't mean the same thing. So you could buy a panel that is 400 W but that is only for 1 minuet during the day, unless you have a solar tracker to keep the panel perpendicular to the sun all day you 400 W panel could end up giving you 100 watts for most of the day.
Yes numbers and times exaggerated.
So where in the video did you say how to choose a panel?
So much left out of this video- Solaredge HD wave SE6000H-US I would guess, 310 watt 120 cell panels, the optimizer type P340 or P370. Price per watt for install...$2.50 to $3.00 a watt? The ending of 30% tax credit this year. 26% credit for systems installed in 2020, 22% credit for systems installed in 2021and the credit being eliminated on January 1, 2022. I have a 2.7kw system installed and it only saves me about $40.00 on a good month in the summer and maybe $20.00 in the winter. 5.6kw system, one can do the math. Unless this house is set up with mostly gas or propane it doesn't seem the proper size.
@Tony Castillo only 5.6 Kw system, my average daily use is 7.5 Kw and that is with the house being empty for 9 hours a day. With only the refrigerator running. So based on my math Ideally I would want a minimum of a 8 Kw system. I would then want battery back-up for days so then I need to go up to about a 15Kw system.
Now if you only do Net metering your 5.6 Kw system seems to me to be too small. Based purely on, the more power you can produce a day the more you get credited. They mentioned in this video about you want to be at zero at the end of the year I think you should strive for a negative on your meter.
@@MerkDolf kW is a power which is the rate at which work is done, kWh is how much total energy (work) you're using. So a 5.6 kW system with on average of 3 peak hours of sunlight makes 5.6 kW x 3 h = 16.8 kWh of energy per day. So you saying your daily use is 7.5kW is a bit off, maybe you mean your daily use is 7.5kWh? In which case a 5.6kW system would be almost grossly oversized for your needs.
@Mike B Thank you and yes the 7.5 is my daily use. Nice to get a better understanding of a system rating.
@@Mike__B My 2.7kw system will do 17kw/h on a good day, being in central US I get about 4-5 hours on sunlight.
Price each panel? Inverter? Converter and price each battery? Nothing about
Absolutely.
Same here. It's an idea but no info on how to compute your needs and choose.
I did solar panels back in 2016 from Solar City now Tesla and in the summer months I do great in the winter here on Cape Cod with my house facing between NW & W so I don't produce as much in winter, this past summer I was seeing no payment due with my Electric company. In the winter months I'm still saving about $50 a month which is better than nothing.
What was your cost?
A good rough estimate to figure out an approximation of how many 250 watt solar panels (common size) your house will need: Look at your power bill to see how many kwH (kilowatt hours) you consume in a month. Take that number and divide by 23. That assumes 3 hours of sunlight per day. For example, if your household consumes 500 kwH per month, then 500/23 = 22 panels. If you are lucky and live in the desert southwest, take that number and divide by 40. 500/40 = 13 panels. Hope that helps some of you.
If you're playing along at home, take a drink every time he says "absolutely"
This video gives no information on how to choose the right solar panel...
1. The title is inaccurate.
2. The video doesn't provide much info.
The video does not show how to choose a PV model, but how much to buy. How is this not an infomercial for this installer.?
Absolutely
Russell Long absolutely
Soooo, how much will the system cost? Installation cost? How many years will it take me to recuperate that cost? Will I ever recuperate that cost? What is the projected life of the equipment? WTF This Old House?? EDUCATE ME!!!
What about storing the energy on batteries? Would like to see that part.
Batteries are very expensive and mostly unnecessary for grid tie applications like this. The grid is essentially acting like a battery here. When the power goes out, the solar won't work. Batteries provide backup power for critical loads (freezer, lights, etc) when the grid goes down, and that's the only time they're used, so you spend a lot of money for something you rarely need. If you get blackouts often or have some really important loads, batteries with grid tie make sense. Also, adding batteries lowers the efficiency of the system. There are grid tie battery systems that charge with solar during the day (when power is most expensive) and run stuff in the house during the evening/night (when power is cheapest), but you're still losing power both in the charging and discharging of the batteries, compared to a batteryless grid tie, which does the power conversion once (solar panels DC to grid AC) instead of three times (panels to batteries, panels to grid, batteries to loads).
I was thinking the same thing. Most of the energy produced will go back to the grid, and at peak time, when the sun is going (or has gone) down, and people are getting home, starting dinner and firing up their TVs and computers, the PVs will not be producing anything. With home battery storage (i.e. Tesla Powerwall), all that energy produced during the day is available when they need it...
But, NO MENTION on TOH.
ruclips.net/user/engineer775videos lots of solar installs here
This is an on-grid system. The excess power goes to the electric grid and makes the meter go backward. So the power company is your “battery”.
A battery system could act as a back up generator for when the there is a power outage from the grid.
The cost of the battery is offset by not needing a gas fired back up generator.
That will provide electricity savings month after month and also back up power for emergencies.
I have a question, if a person has a smart meter with is digital will that goes backwards if you try to feed the main grid????
My meter records both ... usage from the grid and production into the grid , and I pay the difference. So, no there not any "turning backwards" with my digital meter
I wanna know how I can start with a few panels and expand it over time as I get money to afford expansion.
That is very difficult. You could consider using a micro-inverter ( DC-to-AC ) behind each panel.
I would say start with the inverter you will be ending up with so you don't have to re buy that. Then you can just add more panels later.
I would like to restore my house .
How do they get installed start to finish?
I am thinking, this is just an ad, to get you to buy their DVD ...
Did I miss the part where the video tells me how to choose a solar panel?
Still didn't explain how to choose them
Choose them wisely ...
Richard has been hitting the gym.
If you just listen to the audio, it’s Bob Odenkirk giving us the rundown on solar.
👍
Net-zero is awesome! ... smugly pay the electric company nothing for using the coal power plant like a battery.
Don't forget, these won't provide backup power during outtages.
They can if you are ysing batteries and are notntied to the grid
New Englanders don't rely on coal (< 1%) and they apparently don't prefer zero emission nuclear either - they prefer natural gas plants that are notorious for running into supply shortages during prolong cold snaps, causing massive price spike. In the dead of winter these solar systems are practically worthless.
This house is on net metering: grid tied. When a storm knocks out power many solar users discover for the first time that they don't have power either.
@@fmaz1952 Off-grid power is 2 to 3 *TIMES* more expensive than Grid Power....
Watched the whole video....still don’t know how to choose a solar panel!
We have you covered! Check out our channel for honest answers to many of the common questions people have about solar: ruclips.net/user/ParadiseEnergySolutions
Beware of power optimizers! Major source of radio interference for you and your neighbors. FCC does not require manufacturers to install RF filters on new installations.
Yes. I think they are trying to get rid of AM radio, because to many talk radio programs. I've seen it with new cars that don't come with AM. I won't buy from those manufacturers.
With a central inverter, if you have shade on one panel your entire array will come down to the amount being produced by the shaded panel. You can overcome this by using microinverters. This system will not work well if one panel is shaded. Literally if a branch from one of those trees shades even a small part of one panel, it will drastically affect the entire array. Central inverters only work optimally if there is NO shading
Power inverters help solve this massively. Doing string inverters without power optimizers is a bad idea.
@@thursdaythought7201 I use microinverters. I have had AP systems which have microinverters that can control multiple panels with one microinverter. I now have Enphase microinverters which have one microinverter per panel. Shading is no longer an issue. Shade affects only the panel being shaded and no others. Really optimizes power generation overall. Even if your array has full exposure with no trees or obstructions, on partly cloudy days, passing clouds cause shadows that can reek havoc on overall production when using a central inverter. Microinverters are the best answer to that.
@@michaeldoherty2289 power optimizers are the other solution to shading causing drops in production. It basically hiked the voltage on all panels to a predetermined level regardless of the actual voltage coming out of the panel.
@@thursdaythought7201 Agreed. But I think there are downsides to that system that makes them inferior to a quality microinverter controlled array. Both are good at maximizing power generation.
@@michaeldoherty2289 I agree, but my point is that microinverters aren't the only solution. The solaredge inverter that they show is normally paired with power optimizers so it wouldn't have the problem you described.
300 watts to light a living room!! Guess they dont consider using led bulbs.
Common Sense. The losses through the inverter and storage for use later take most of the wattage.
Richard Locke. Ok I just heard 300w for lighting and didnt consider that aspect of the system.
@@richardlocke3375 No it won't. You are an idiot !
@@commonsense411 You are correct, 300 watts for lighting is ridiculous. Maybe, they using the old style 100 Watt Incandescent Flood Lights?
I read the comments first..
..and then clicked thumbs down. I just myself 4 and a half minutes!
PMSL
I would be concerned with all the electronics they are going to put up on the roof under the solar panels where they will be a servicing nightmare when the Solaredge optimizers start to fail someday one by one.....
Greg Collins don’t worry, the squirrels and mice will dine on the wires and shorten the life span long before that happens.
My neighbour can tell you all about it
Most inverters are placed in the basement, if possible.
@@jima4286 No, no, the Solaredge system they are proposing here has an "optimizer" module under each solar PV panel. They warranty these modules for 25 years knowing that they will probably fail much sooner than that. The poor homeowner is going to be faced with continuing warranty service calls as they fail one by one.
Ok, yes, electronics in hot attics is a bad design.
@@jima4286 The optimizers ( "electronics" ) are *NOT* put in the basement...
This guy talks like Woody Harrelson. xD
jej3451 yes. From the first words he said, I had to look again and make sure it wasn’t Woody
Never a fan of cliffhanger endings.
In my opinion, the USA should use much more solar enegny for hotwater & electricity! In the summer it is much besser for the power supply (less load).
Remember: Sunlight doesen´t cost any money.
Here in germany we´re using it since >20 years. I have thermal solar since 2001 and will do PV the next months.
Greetings from germany
PLEASE NOTICE HE SAID NOTING ABOUT PURE SING WAVE INVERTERS WITCH U NEED WITH MODERN TV'S, LAPTOPS, ETC
WHY ARE WE YELLING AT EACH OTHER?!
@hotboiorlando - The inverter one the table, was a Pure Sine Wave inverter ...
These video seemed awfully short. I was really interested in knowing more about how to choose the right panel for me...
Johnny Valencia I will tell the inventor they have there solar edge is the best one on market I install them and have one on my own home
Panels are panels, sure there are efficiency differences but if you put 5000 watts of 15% efficient panels on your roof or 5000 watts of 22% efficient panels on your roof you're still going to make 5000 watts at peak production. Granted you may get a little more at steep angles and so forth, but that amount is typically a tiny fraction of your total power and as long as you have the space on your roof, and the panel you have is a name brand one that typically gives a 20+ year guarantee, you're good to go.
The bigger decisions is if you want to use one central inverter, or a number of microinverters, then do you want to net meter or run off the grid with batteries.
I would check warranty and degradation. My coworkers panels are warranted for 1%/year. Others are warranted for .5/.25% per year. Might not make a huge difference now, but it does make a difference over time.
@@Mike__B Good point about inverters, one or many. At work we park under the solar panels and my AM radio is useless. It that true with all inverters?
Exactly
Tie off the grid. All you add is a bank of batteries to store it.
Don't buy chinese panels. They are crap. They may be cheaper but they won't last as long as USA-made panels.
@Carolyn Loick - A bank of batteries big enough to run the average house all night, will bankrupt most families ...
If I give power from My solar panels to a power company, I'm charging $500 a month, I need to make a profit just like they do.
Besides, when they get power from someone are they lowering customers bills who don't have solar? I doubt it.
No, net metering programs increases the cost to the neighbor and fellow rate payer - as it forces them into buying expensive electricity. The bulk of electricity costs is derived from transmission and distribution systems (~2/3, e.g. $0.10/KWh of the full rate rate of $0.15/KWh). The affluent home owner is not buying and building the electrical power lines - but they get reimbursed as though they do i.e. the full retail value of $0.15/KWh. If the home owner would only get credited for the value of for the surplus generation back fed onto the grid of $0.05/KWh - typically the system would never pay for itself.
Your title and content don't match
Rereleased an old video. Really? How about some new content.
Gray shirt guy looks drunk/high. Terrible.
these are not how to videos
How to choose solar panels.
Dont!
William Smith sounds like someone can’t afford to install them
Save energy, save money on your utility bills.
Solar panels will provide energy for your home or business month after month year after year for decades. Long term savings by investing in upfront costs. People often make a costly mistake by not looking at the long term savings. They want the cheapest upfront costs which will be more costly over the long run. Add battery storage and then you have an emergency power backup when the utility line goes down in a storm.
@@Monsieur405
The "investment " is a losing one. Not to mention the unsightly factor, or the fact that you have to cover the earth with them to run the toaster. There are many more downsides to them which I have no time to list.
Oh 1 more though. there's dealing with them when there are roofing issues. Issues that the idiots installing cause.
@P S A "leased system" with $0.00 money down, and $0.00 out-of pocket ever, can be afforded by everybody ...
I'd buy today if it made sense. So far I've had a few quotes that were going to save me buko bucks. My bill now averages $100/month and they would only charge me $400 per month for a system that costs $40,000. Where do I sign up. NOT!
This video is completely useless and the makers are surely aware of this. Come on... Choosing what type of solar is very complex. So many types of panels! Microinverters? Solar optmizers? It is a complex topic and this video does nothing to help. You should be ashamed of this content.