Beardedjeff
Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2015
- Messages
- 20
Thanks for the reply, great info there. So do I understand correctly, you got the Pika inverter with backup capability, but you didn't buy the batteries yet? How much additional did the backup add-on capability cost?
Did you consider the Schneider Conext box?
Correct. The battery system that they created in partnership with Panasonic would have just about doubled my cost, its really really pricey right now but I fully anticipate that after a year or so it will come down. The good news is that it is eligible for the federal rebate to bring it down 30%, but it was still going to be ~$13k-$15k. Again, these could be wrong since it was just released in July and installs aren't even really starting to occur until now. The reason I think its a nice setup is not just the integration, but it is designed for full discharge cycles. I intend to use it on self-supply to capture my excess production during the day and use it at night.
The biggest reason is that with a grid-tie there needs to be somewhere for the power to go. If the grid is down any excess production has no where to go OR on the flip side, without something load shedding you'd be facing constant brown-outs as production exceeds demand on your side. Adding a battery fills both these needs. Excess goes into battery and battery then supplies when demand exceeds solar production.Lots of articles in the press here about how you can't use solar during an outage. Many are written to convey a narrative it's the evil power company keeping control over the masses. No doubt a bunch of people read the headlines and take away confirmation they're better off not having gotten solar.
Now, what happens when battery is full and production exceeds demand? That I dont know...