johnny skeptical - 4/3/2018 12:53 No net metering here, so that means that you don’t offset the kWh you use,with the ones you produce. Apparently a pretty common practice. You get paid in my area, 2.8 cents/kWh for produced electricity, pay 13 cents for used electricity. So Still paying 10.2 cents for the kilowatts used. The only way we could come out in our area,(and as it seems he whole state of Iowa) is either to get net metering instituted, or set up the solar array to provide power directly to the hog barn, which in itself provides a whole new layer of complexity and cost. Hog barns generate a lot of dust, most of which is at ground level, which is corrosive. Most hog barn roofs are replaced in 15- 20 year intervals. If the REC charges 13 cents/kwhr and will pay you even 2.8 cents/kwhr you do have "2-way" "net" metering, just not very attractive rates on EXCESS power you produce. But it doesn't matter a whole lot, especially when you use a lot of electricity as the idea is to provide your own power, not usually sell it back to the REC. In a hog barn you won't have much "EXCESS" power to be concerned about the 2.8 cent rate. The goal is to provide more of your own 13 cent kwhrs, paying yourself and producing ROI on your system investment. This is often about 8% or more. The system I describe above is wired directly into my main panel. The 240 v single phase (you can get 3 phase inverters) output out of my array goes directly into a breaker, just feeds in, not out as a breaker usually does. The breaker doesn't care which way the power is flowing. This power coming from your inverter(s) first goes to meet the demand from other circuits in YOUR system. It only flows back to your 2-way meter and the grid if you have excess production than your hog barn is using which is unlikely most of the time. So don't worry about the 2.8 cent rate. Lower the number of REC 13 cent kwhrs you need to buy. There is no other "complexity and cost" other than suitable wire and a hardware store double circuit breaker. It just needs to come into an existing and suitable main panel located anywhere on your side of the REC's electric meter. An electrician should have no problem finding a spot on a hog setup electrical panel somewhere. What you do on your side of the electric meter is your business, as long as it meets the electrical code. Note that most older electric meters do not support two-way flow. Older meters usually need to be changed to a newer two-way type.
Edited by Jim 4/3/2018 14:20
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Solar panel on hog barn??
