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diff --git a/content/posts/2023-12-29-solar-one-year.md b/content/posts/2023-12-29-solar-one-year.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..29d2e47 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/2023-12-29-solar-one-year.md @@ -0,0 +1,110 @@ +--- +slug: solar-one-year +title: "Solar: One Year" +date: "2023-12-29T08:06:45-04:00" +pics: + dashboard: + css: "image" + tip: "Total 2023 energy production and consumption." + sources: + - "/files/posts/solar-one-year/dashboard.webp" + - src: "/files/posts/solar-one-year/dashboard.png" + width: 855 + height: 527 + bill: + css: "image" + tip: "Our July power bill with monthly usage and amount due highlighted." + sources: + - "/files/posts/solar-one-year/bill-20230722.webp" + - src: "/files/posts/solar-one-year/bill-20230722.png" + width: 873 + height: 534 +tables: + savings: + # table columns (required) + cols: + - id: "desc" + name: "Description" + tip: "Description" + - id: "amount" + name: "Amount ($)" + tip: "Amount of money saved, in dollars." + align: "right" + + # table rows (required) + rows: + - amount: "$868.00" + desc: "Energy Produced (6.2 [MWh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt-hour#Multiples \"megawatt-hour (MWh)\"), $0.14/[kWh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt-hour \"kilowatt-hour (kWh)\"))" + - amount: "$260.25" + desc: "[Fairfax County Solar Energy Equipment Tax Exemption](https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/relief/real-estate-solar-equipment \"Fairfax County Solar Energy Equipment Tax Exemption\")" + - amount: "$179.52" + desc: "[SRECs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Renewable_Energy_Certificate \"Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC)\")" + - amount: "**$1307.77**" + desc: "**Total**" +--- + +{{< pe-figure "dashboard" >}} + +Last year we got [rooftop solar][solar]. The picture above is our +[Enphase][] dashboard, which shows how the solar panels performed in +2023. + +The blue bars indicate the energy produced by our solar panels and the +orange bars indicate the energy consumed by our house, in +[megawatt-hours (MWh)][MWh]. + +The relevant values are: + +* Consumed: Total energy consumed by our house. +* Produced: Total energy generated by our solar panels. +* Net Imported: Energy we are actually billed for. + +Any excess energy that we produce is exported back to the grid and +credited to our account ([net metering][]), so our power bills during +the spring and early summer look like this: + +{{< pe-figure "bill" >}} + +The sections of the bill highlighted in red show the following, +respectively: + +1. Four months of zero net energy use. +2. A bare minimum power bill. + +## Savings + +Here's a breakdown of the money we saved this year from solar: + +{{< table "savings" >}} + +Notes: + +* The solar panels offset **62%** of our energy use for the year + (6.2/9.9 = ~0.62) and saved us **$868.00** (6200 kWh * $0.14/[kWh][] = + $868). +* We received a **$260.25** property tax exemption from the [Fairfax + County Solar Energy Equipment Tax Exemption][tax-exemption]. +* We generated 6 [solar renewable energy credits (SRECs)][srec] in 2023 + and 5 have been sold. We received **$179.52** for them (after fees). + +The expected lifetime of the solar panels is 20 years. We expect to +recoup the initial installation cost in 11-13 years. + +That's longer than usual (most folks try to break even in 5-8 years), +but we're okay with it; our house is partially shaded and our panel +placement is deliberately less than optimal for aesthetic reasons. + +[solar]: {{< relref "posts/2022-09-11-solar-panels.md" >}} + "Solar Panels installed on our roof." +[enphase]: https://enphaseenergy.com/ + "Enphase" +[kwh]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt-hour + "kilowatt-hour (kWh)" +[mwh]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt-hour#Multiples + "megawatt-hour (MWh)" +[net metering]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_metering + "Net metering" +[srec]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Renewable_Energy_Certificate + "Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC)" +[tax-exemption]: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/relief/real-estate-solar-equipment + "Solar Energy Equipment Tax Exemption for Fairfax County" |