Spent part of the day on the phone with the contractor I'm going to use for solar. Things are in the paperwork stage. I've got to put down a couple of signatures, and then mail a packet off to the state to get approval for my rebate. That'll take several weeks; it will be at least two months before things get done, and I have been warned by another contractor that it could be four months.
We are applying for a system about twice the size of what I am planning on. Part of this is sheer bureaucracy. If you exceed the wattage you apply for in your rebate, by even 0.5 watts, you don't get paid. Whoops. so a big margin for safety. You don't have to use the entire approved amount,tho, so it's bid high, just like playing with the bureaucracy.
Any energy you produce above what you consume is pure gift to PGE. They don't even put up money for the rebate; that is an extra surcharge on our bills. This should get me close to, or slightly above my usage, but a little bit is ok. One other possibility is to use what they call " peak hour metering". This records not only consumption and production, but also when. You get credited 3 times as much for electricity produced during peak hours, which is mostly during the day, which is mostly when I don't use it. Could get a really small system with this meter, I suppose. I will for sure, when they start to pay for the power. I'll electrify my brains out when they start paying me. Creek for 6 months.
Another thing is that their inventory is entirely reserved. They are an old company with good sources, and things are tight. They where just told their container for next month isn't coming. They may get one in B4 my application goes thru. Anyway, they have no idea what the situation will be in 2 months. All the factories are upgrading the panels, and new ones may pop up between now and then. Kyocera is opening 2 new plants. I don't think other manufacturers are, yet. Supply will be tight. Almost feels like the day-to-day changes we were seeing in computers 5 years ago.
Possible hang-ups are getting PGE and building department okays; possibility that the roof may "require an expensive engineering study". OK, so if PGE is cool, and the building department isn't, I will go with ground pedestal mounts. |
