Going in Solar in California

Going solar in California still makes sense under NEM3.0. Because the utility companies are no longer crediting solar energy producers with a retail value credit, the equation has shifted to making batteries for self consumption making sense. In California, there are four ways to design a system:

1. A small system that covers about 50% of total energy offset and NO battery. This system will alleviate the homeowner from approximately 40-50% of their current electric bill. The goal here would be to build a system that produces around what the home is using in the middle of the day to cover the majority of daytime usage while preventing kWh's from being back-fed to the grid. This is the least expensive system but it's important to understand when calculating savings this will leave you with 50-60% of your bill.

2. Solar + Battery for self consumption (NO BACKUP which means if the grid goes out, your batteries will NOT power your house.)  Most people do not realize that just because a solar system has batteries doesn't mean they will work in the event of a blackout. It costs in the range of $4,000-8,000 extra to achieve backup capabilities. So far in California under NEM3.0, I am personally seeing this, batteries for self consumption only, as the most popular option. Most people in California who live in more urban areas are not experiencing constant blackouts and if your goal is to save the most amount of money in the long run, installing batteries just with self consumption is the way to go. For many, they will want to go all the way and have backup, but if you aren't not ealing with blackouts constantly and adding approximately $4-8k doesn't sound worth it to you, then self consumption batteries will be the way to go.  

3. Solar + Batteries with backup capability. This is the package commonly advertised. With Solar bd batteries with backup, you can be the only house on the block with lights on when everybody else is blacked out. There are many areas where with constant blackouts, this isn't thought of as a luxury, but as what's necessary to live life normally. Those with medical devices can definitely benefit from having backup so they can assure they will always have access to their equipment. 

4. Solar + Batteries with backup and a SPAN electrical panel. The SPAN smart electrical panel lets the homeowner control in real time which circuits are being powered by the battery so you can conserve your stored energy and make sure you have enough for the most important appliances. When we install backup normally like in example three, the critical loads panel which is a new electrical panel we install and move all the breakers that will be powered by the battery in the event of a blackout is prewired and cannot be changed in the moment. The only way to control the battery output would be to turn  on or off the components connected through the critical loads panel. The SPAN panel allows the homeowner to put all the breakers for the entire home in the SPAN panel instead of preselecting which components will be backed up and then when a blackout occurs, you can select what is important during that time for you. The SPAN panel also has some other benefits like consumption meters for each individual breaker which gives you more more insight to more consumption monitors which will only tell you the net flow of the whole panel. 

Give me a call or email me at (760) 473-5878 so we can build a system for your home and go over these options in more detail for you. Juliansolarguide@gmail.com 

Julian Todd-Borden

Superior Solar Consulting LLC