ERCOT warning for this afternoon/evening

[Vaquero]

The goal is for excess generation you sell back during the day pays for overnight consumption.

Yep. Net zero at end of billing cycle.

 

[no2gates]

If someone has a solar system, but no batteries, will they really not have an electric bill?
What about power used at night?

I asked earlier, and got no reply.

If you have a electric provider with a buy back, you can do that. In Texas you will have some small bill for connection to the grid, on the order of like $5 or so. You will also need to produce more than you use, since the buyback is about 50% less than what you buy from the power company in most cases.

 

[oldag]

So why would you need to have power?
As explained to me - sun shines on panels and that goes to my panel which feeds my appliances etc. Excess power would then go to the meter and then back into the system. The solar energy doesn't hit the system until it gets to the meter (which isn't electric either). Educate me

Inverter requires external power.

 

[Lazyfaire]

As far as I know, there is only one system without using battery backup that will work when the grid goes down. That's an Enphase IQ8 microinverter based system. That basically forms a mini-grid with your house.
The solar system looks for a base frequency incoming from the grid and if it doesn't see that it shuts down.
There's a LOT of geek-speak that would put most people to sleep, so I won't go into details of how most solar systems work, but I suggest you ask the sales people about what happens during a grid outage, if the system will still function.

already sent an email to that question

 

[tangoparson]

It may have started.

Hour ago I got a call from a district manager of a grocery store chain. He said a store had gotten a call from Oncor advising them they were going to be down for a couple of hours for load shedding.

I want to say it was a store in rhe middle east texas area.

Manager wanted me to call Oncor and talk them out of it, I guess.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Lazyfaire]

If someone has a solar system, but no batteries, will they really not have an electric bill?
What about power used at night?

I asked earlier, and got no reply.

You would still get power from the utility but the goal would be that excess solar power would cover those costs

 

[msharley]

If someone has a solar system, but no batteries, will they really not have an electric bill?
What about power used at night?

I asked earlier, and got no reply.

Hey Z Man,

Three years ago, a fellow I was working with (before I RETIRED!) had one installed.......on their DAIRY FARM. (not on their house)

Here in Pa...he got/gets some kind of "tax break/incentive" to so do. (agricultural credits? some such)

They will not allow you to install more than 90% to 95% of your averaged "usage"....

Here, they only pay "wholesale" for over production, not "retail"..

The way he explained it to me, it would not make "money sense" for a feller to put it on his home....(figure $20 to $30K) vs $100/month light bill.

His electric bill was about $200 to $300/month for the Dairy Farm....After the install his bill was/is about $40 or $50/month...

With the tax break/credit...he says he is about $100 to $150/month "ahead", even with paying the "note" on the panels.

Also, the "plan" he has, the firm will replace panels as performance degrades...

As here there are but NINETY clear days per year....(half of which are below freezing...and SNOW covering the panels has a bad effect on electric production) Also, in the Winter Months ........the days are much shorter here (North of the 40th Parallel)

If one were installing one to be "off grid"...the batteries and a BACK UP GENERATOR are needed....

Of course, this in in blame PA.. the rules FAVOR the UTILITY.

Not sure about Texas?

Hope this helps...

Later, Mark

 

[Army 1911]

Not solar but if you have access to well water you can install a well water AC system using an extra A coil in the AC air handler part of your furnace about 2x the tonnage for freon. Pump well water through it and down a second disposal well that has to be 30 f33t or more from the supply well. Requires a two stage thermostat so the well water comes on first and the freon kicks in if the water doesn't keep up with the load. I know this works because I know a guy who had this system in the 80s. It knocked his AC bill by 2/3rds over the previous year for the same period. And the weather for the year averaged 5 degrees hotter.

 

[TheDan]

One new Nuclear plant in the right place and Texas would be I'm great shape

The NIMBYs can piss off. I'd love to have a nuke in my backyard. Perfect spot for it, too... right in the middle of the triangle.

A lot of produced energy is wasted because it's not used. I'm not sure what the solution to that is.

Mine crypto with it

Not solar but if you have access to well water you can install a well water AC system using an extra A coil in the AC air handler part of your furnace about 2x the tonnage for freon. Pump well water through it and down a second disposal well that has to be 30 f33t or more from the supply well. Requires a two stage thermostat so the well water comes on first and the freon kicks in if the water doesn't keep up with the load. I know this works because I know a guy who had this system in the 80s. It knocked his AC bill by 2/3rds over the previous year for the same period. And the weather for the year averaged 5 degrees hotter.

Ground source heat pumps are awesome, too.

 

[popsgarland]

OK, everybody on TGT needs to log out, turn off and unplug your computers and monitors. Unplug your coffee makers, and well water pumps. Turn off all of your lights and AC units. If you have power to your septic tanks, turn that off also.

I need to keep power on at my house so my wife can continue watching it. This way she will scream at the TV instead of screaming at me.

I'll stay logged in here to make sure everyone logs off TGT. Hurry, she'll be back from the store any minuet now.

 

[msharley]

OK, everybody on TGT needs to log out, turn off and unplug your computers and monitors. Unplug your coffee makers, and well water pumps. Turn off all of your lights and AC units. If you have power to your septic tanks, turn that off also.

I need to keep power on at my house so my wife can continue watching it. This way she will scream at the TV instead of screaming at me.

I'll stay logged in here to make sure everyone logs off TGT. Hurry, she'll be back from the store any minuet now.

 

[oldag]

Holding up so far and the supply/demand forecast is improving.

 

[FireInTheWire]

Our Substations just went to voltage reduction. Hang tight folks. 8pm be here soon

 

[Vaquero]

A lot of produced energy is wasted because it's not used.

It's a hard concept to grasp, but, if there's no load to serve, the generators are just spinning and producing nothing. Think about a gasoline powered generator. The motor is running but it's not making any power that isn't needed.
Once the load is applied, it begins to produce what is demanded. Engine load is an audible indicator.

 

[smittyb]

Our Substations just went to voltage reduction. Hang tight folks. 8pm be here soon

We started at 1515, when frequency took a nice dip.
Looks like load has peaked and wind is ramping back up.
Dodged the bullet this time.

 

[oldag]

It's a hard concept to grasp, but, if there's no load to serve, the generators are just spinning and producing nothing. Think about a gasoline powered generator. The motor is running but it's not making any power that isn't needed.
Once the load is applied, it begins to produce what is demanded. Engine load is an audible indicator.

With wind turbines, if they are curtailed (e.g, the wind site is producing more than the grid demands) they will reduce their generation.

 

[Vaquero]

With wind turbines, if they are curtailed (e.g, the wind site is producing more than the grid demands) they will reduce their generation.

Yep. I often see large wind farms with one turbine running. Just enough to keep the substation and other turbine controls ready.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

It's a hard concept to grasp, but, if there's no load to serve, the generators are just spinning and producing nothing. Think about a gasoline powered generator. The motor is running but it's not making any power that isn't needed.
Once the load is applied, it begins to produce what is demanded. Engine load is an audible indicator.

So if a gasoline generator ran until it runs out of gas, but no load is put on it, no energy is wasted?

 

[gll]

As far as I know, there is only one system without using battery backup that will work when the grid goes down. That's an Enphase IQ8 microinverter based system. That basically forms a mini-grid with your house.
The solar system looks for a base frequency incoming from the grid and if it doesn't see that it shuts down.
There's a LOT of geek-speak that would put most people to sleep, so I won't go into details of how most solar systems work, but I suggest you ask the sales people about what happens during a grid outage, if the system will still function.

I think some Sunny Boy inverters can produce a limited amount of power from solar panels without battery back-up, but of course, that is only while the sun is shining.

 

[Vaquero]

So if a gasoline generator ran until it runs out of gas, but no load is put on it, no energy is wasted?

No AC power would be wasted.
Of course the fuel for the engine would be wasted.

An intelligent person would kill the engine if the electricity was not needed.