August 2, 2020
Milestones along a path mark accomplishments that are worth observing and celebrating. The original incentives for 'going solar' were both idealistic and economic. How can I contribute to the environmental welfare of our planet? Can solar be both financially viable and environmentally positive?
August 2020 marked the accomplishments of solar production on our system that were noteworthy.
Milestone 1 - A Monthly Production High - As July rolled over into August, the installed solar system reflected the continued month-over-month increase that one may expect. I speculate that July's peak solar production of 2.012 MWh (2,012,000 Watt-hour) of energy will be the maximum monthly level for the calendar year. The production is directly dependent on the weather conditions, and time is not on my side for a higher peak in this year. The daily available sun time has been diminishing since Late June - the days are getting shorter.
The bar-graph above plots by month the 2020 solar production level. January (01) reflects only 66% of the month in operation. And August (08) is only partially complete at the time this graph was developed.
Milestone 2 - A System Production Level Total Achievement - There is always something pleasing about reaching certain numerical levels. Reaching 1.0 MWh (1,000,000 Watt-hour) of lifetime production occurred late in February 2020. It would take another six months to reach the next order of magnitude level, 10 MWh. This did occur on August, 4, 2020. As a point of reference, 10 MWh is about equivalent to the amount of electricity used by about 3,330 homes during one hour.
There were no bells or fireworks after reaching this level, just silent satisfaction. My monitoring system also provides an estimate of pounds of CO2 emission saved at 15,500 pounds, which is equivalent to roughly 117 trees planted. Nice.
Milestone 3 - Electric Bill Reductions - The original design of the solar production system predicted an approximate solar production output at 81% of 'historical' electric usage. Past electric bills were used as the planning electric consumption base. Estimating solar production is complicated by weather, panel shading and solar panel efficiencies, plus many other factors. The electric consumption of our home is also dependent on weather, devices used and lifestyle preferences. I expected my ComEd (supplier of electricity) electric bill to be lower by a respectable amount, but predicting the level is extremely complicated.
But our milestone achievement has been especially pleasing. For the last two billing periods (June and July), our actual bill has been $0. In fact, there has been a credit that has rolled over monthly. It was a combination of replacing incandescent lights and positive solar output. This will not continue I am certain, as solar production reduces later in the year, but it is satisfying today.
Other News - And the last bit of news, while not a milestone regarding our system, is the continuing growth of solar in our subdivision. As of August, we now have 4 homes producing solar energy. Last November there were 0 homes. This is still only 3.6% of the total subdivision home count, but it is a positive direction.
Thanks.
