Posts tagged as:

PV

First SOLAR Electric Bill

August 4, 2017

I was pretty excited today to get my electric bill. No, I’m not usually excited to get bills in the mail, but this one was different. This will be the first electric bill with a FULL MONTH of solar production on it. Last month’s bill, which included about two weeks worth of solar power, was […]

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Solar is LIVE!

June 6, 2017

Bam! My solar is now fully operational! This morning, the electrical inspector stopped by. I pulled off the cover of the MidNite Solar AC Disconnect Box for him to look inside. That was about it. VERY simple inspection for the solar. I also had a sample of the Enphase trunk cabling to show him. After […]

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Electric Boxes on Roof continues

May 29, 2017

I did some more work today on the junction boxes on the roof. For one thing, I couldn’t get one of the 1/2 liquid-tight connectors to seal up. I ended up replacing it with a 3/4″ version instead. Of course, by that time, I had sort of messed up the whole box and ended up […]

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Electric Boxes for Solar Roof

May 28, 2017

I had to double-check and saw that it’s been over TWO WEEKS since my last solar garage update. I’ve just been busy, working out of town and on the weekends. In the time that I’ve had, I’ve chipped away at getting the racking installed over the course of several evenings. After that, I also installed […]

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Solar Road Trip!

April 30, 2017

Today, we headed out on a road trip to pick up the solar panels for my garage. My brother, Wayne, and I hitched up my multipurpose trailer to the van and hit the road to go see Phil Manke at Practical Solar in Wautoma, Wisconsin. Phil runs a solar hot water installation business. He also […]

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Solar Proposal

February 27, 2017

This past week, I turned in my proposal for my solar electric system to the local power utility. Here’s the equipment I’ll be using and why. Please keep in mind that there’s more than one way to design a solar electric system. What is right for me may not be right for you, but I […]

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Garage Update Feb 9 2017

February 9, 2017

  Time for a Garage Update! Ross the Electrician has been over a few times lately, and got most of the rough wiring done. The downstairs is wired for plenty of wall outlets, two electric car chargers, an electric boiler, and plenty of switched outlets in the ceiling for the LED shop-lights. There will also […]

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Solar is MIND-BLOWINGLY CHEAP!

November 14, 2014

Just the other day, I got the latest copy of HOME POWER magazine in the mail. The cover article was about a DIY 6 Kilowatt system that is about 13 miles from my house. What I wasn’t expecting to learn from the article is how CHEAP solar can be! I live in south-eastern Wisconsin. We […]

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Going Solar for EVs, Part 2

July 30, 2013

When I got home from work last night, I was happy to see that my MC-4 cable had arrived in the mail! The one thing I was missing from hooking up the solar panel to directly charge an electric vehicle is that fancy little cable. This morning, I pulled out my assorted pile of parts, […]

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Going Solar for EVs and more!

July 26, 2013

About a month ago, I was at the MREA – the Midwest Renewable Energy Association Fair – where I was showing off my electric motorcycle and giving presentations of DIY Clean Transportation. But probably my favorite thing of that weekend was my cobbled together Vehicle to Grid display! Ahead of time, I had talked to […]

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