About a Quarter of Molokai Lost Power

[DaveNV]

Those are great images. A friend and I used to love going up to Tantalus at night, climbing the fence into the park, and watching the city lights. It was a completely different perspective on the views of Honolulu.

Dave

 

[pedro47]

Slip or DaveNV, do you have any old phtos? Liked twenty (20) years ago or futher back xhow Hawaii look before it was invaded by tourists.

 

[slip]

Slip or DaveNV, do you have any old phtos? Liked twenty (20) years ago or futher back xhow Hawaii look before it was invaded by tourists.

It's been full of tourists ever since I have been going. Unfortunately, I have only been going for about 15 years.

I always say, I would have lived to see the islands in the '40's, '50's, '60's and '70's.

I know DaveNV grew up there and others have either lived there or have been going for decades. Hopefully some one will chime in.

 

[Tamaradarann]

We only lost power twice in the 3 years we lived in Waikiki. One time it was about 5 minutes and the other was a couple hours. We were out grocery shopping and came back to no power. I made the mistake of walking up the stairs with some groceries, 3rd floor to the 26th floor. No fun. I waited up in the apartment while my wife waited in the car. The power came on about 10 minutes after I finally made it up to the apartment.

My wife came up a few minutes later when the elevators came back on. I told her I wouldn't do that again.

Well you certainly did give yourself a stress test and you must be in pretty good shape. Also, carrying groceries is more stressful than just walking. Many people wouldn't have tried it even without a disability like your wife. We had a problem with the elevators in our building in December and we walked up the 14 floors. I don't know if I would do 26 floors unless I absolutely had to and stopped a few times and rested.

 

[DaveNV]

It's been full of tourists ever since I have been going. Unfortunately, I have only been going for about 15 years.

I always say, I would have lived to see the islands in the '40's, '50's, '60's and '70's.

I know DaveNV grew up there and others have either lived there or have been going for decades. Hopefully some one will chime in.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any old photos. There was a fire while I was on the Mainland, and I lost everything.

Dave

 

[slip]

Well you certainly did give yourself a stress test and you must be in pretty good shape. Also, carrying groceries is more stressful than just walking. Many people wouldn't have tried it even without a disability like your wife. We had a problem with the elevators in our building in December and we walked up the 14 floors. I don't know if I would do 26 floors unless I absolutely had to and stopped a few times and rested.

Ohhhh, it took me forever. I took a break every couple of floors. Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I am in shape.

 

[DaveNV]

Costco is having a sale today on Jackery solar generators. This was one of those recommended brands, I think. Makes me wish I could figure out a need for a system like this. But at my house, we have a different set up, so this wouldn't really help us much.

https://www.costco.com/.product.1628939.html?&EMID=B2C_2022_1101_Hot_Buys_End

Dave

 

[slip]

These Jackery's use Lithium-ion batteries that are rated for 500 cycles to 50%. Lithium-ion-phosphate batteries are good for 3,500 cycles to 80%. That's one thing to watch for with these units.

Jackery has been slow to make the switch to the better battery technology.

 

[DaveNV]

These Jackery's use Lithium-ion batteries that are rated for 500 cycles to 50%. Lithium-ion-phosphate batteries are good for 3,500 cycles to 80%. That's one thing to watch for with these units.

Jackery has been slow to make the switch to the better battery technology.

Ok, I didn't know that. The system you have uses that newer technology?

Dave

 

[slip]

Ok, I didn't know that. The system you have uses that newer technology?

Dave

Yes, mine will last for 3,500 cycles and then it is still good at 80%. If you think about it, that is daily discharge and recharge for almost 10 years. That's crazy good.

 

[DaveNV]

Yes, mine will last for 3,500 cycles and then it is still good at 80%. If you think about it, that is daily discharge and recharge for almost 10 years. That's crazy good.

Probably a whole lot more than you'll ever need. Unless you get kicked out of the house and have to sleep in your car...

Dave

 

[slip]

Probably a whole lot more than you'll ever need. Unless you get kicked out of the house and have to sleep in your car...

Dave

Probably.
It should last for years to come. The only other thing I may get is one larger 350 watt solar panel. Then I can get away with only setting up the one panel most of the time and only use the others in an emergency. But I'll wait for the price of those to come down a bit.

Since you run a lot of power and you have a house. I would go with a bigger system that would run more. But a small unit is handy to have around though.

 

[DaveNV]

Probably.
It should last for years to come. The only other thing I may get is one larger 350 watt solar panel. Then I can get away with only setting up the one panel most of the time and only use the others in an emergency. But I'll wait for the price of those to come down a bit.

Since you run a lot of power and you have a house. I would go with a bigger system that would run more. But a small unit is handy to have around though.

I totally get why having one would be worthwhile. But as you say - we have a house, so I'd have to decide what would be vital to keep running. If there isn't enough power to handle the household a/c, then about the only things necessary to run would be the chest freezer in the garage, and the household fridge in the kitchen. Everything else can wait.

I do want to explore the Tesla Powerwall system Lynn mentioned above. If I can have something that trickle charges during the day, via the existing solar panels on the roof, but that kicks in if the power goes out, that may be the ticket. What I don't know is whether that Powerwall could handle the rest of the house, too, including the a/c. If it can't, then I'm pretty much back where I started.

Dave

 

[slip]

I totally get why having one would be worthwhile. But as you say - we have a house, so I'd have to decide what would be vital to keep running. If there isn't enough power to handle the household a/c, then about the only things necessary to run would be the chest freezer in the garage, and the household fridge in the kitchen. Everything else can wait.

I do want to explore the Tesla Powerwall system Lynn mentioned above. If I can have something that trickle charges during the day, via the existing solar panels on the roof, but that kicks in if the power goes out, that may be the ticket. What I don't know is whether that Powerwall could handle the rest of the house, too, including the a/c. If it can't, then I'm pretty much back where I started.

Dave

The PowerWall or systems like it are good. I'm pretty sure it would run what you want. That is what I would looking at too.

 

[DaveNV]

I'm such a geek about stuff like this.

Dave

 

[slip]

M

I'm such a geek about stuff like this.

Dave

Me too, obviously.

 

[lynne]

The PowerWall or systems like it are good. I'm pretty sure it would run what you want. That is what I would looking at too.

The powerwall was installed today. Now waiting on the county and Helco for the final review before it becomes operational.

 

[slip]

The powerwall was installed today. Now waiting on the county and Helco for the final review before it becomes operational.

Awesome, hopefully not too long now.
That's what I probably would have done if I owned a house.

 

[DaveNV]

The powerwall was installed today. Now waiting on the county and Helco for the final review before it becomes operational.

Lynne, will this automatically power your house in a failure, or do you have to turn it on? And in regular use, will it charge while your solar system is feeding back to the grid? Are you losing anything you'd normally send to the grid?

This looks cool!

Dave

 

[lynne]

Lynne, will this automatically power your house in a failure, or do you have to turn it on? And in regular use, will it charge while your solar system is feeding back to the grid? Are you losing anything you'd normally send to the grid?

This looks cool!

Dave

Yes, the battery powerwall is placed before the net-metered solar. It is charged from our solar panels and is automatically switched as the primary power source if the electric company disconnects our power. The battery is trickle charged while we remain connected to the grid but we provide quite a bit more electric than we use. The power company doesn’t bank additional electric from our solar so we start at zero each month.

 

[lynne]

Lynne, will this automatically power your house in a failure, or do you have to turn it on? And in regular use, will it charge while your solar system is feeding back to the grid? Are you losing anything you'd normally send to the grid?

This looks cool!

Dave

Yes, the battery powerwall is placed before the net-metered solar. It is charged from our solar panels and is automatically switched as the primary power source if the electric company disconnects our power. The battery is trickle charged while we remain connected to the grid but we provide quite a bit more electric than we use. The power company doesn’t bank additional electric from our solar so we start at zero each month.

 

[DaveNV]

Yes, the battery powerwall is placed before the net-metered solar. It is charged from our solar panels and is automatically switched as the primary power source if the electric company disconnects our power. The battery is trickle charged while we remain connected to the grid but we provide quite a bit more electric than we use. The power company doesn’t bank additional electric from our solar so we start at zero each month.

Ok. I need to talk to my local electric company. They're a private utility, and have their own set of rules. We get monthly credit at a flat rate for what we bank with them. It's deducted off the monthly bill (which is charged at higher rates, based on total amount used), with any balance rolling over to the next month. The account zeroes out each January. So the trick is to use any excess in December, so as not to give it away at the start of the new year.

Dave

 

[lynne]

Ok. I need to talk to my local electric company. They're a private utility, and have their own set of rules. We get monthly credit at a flat rate for what we bank with them. It's deducted off the monthly bill (which is charged at higher rates, based on total amount used), with any balance rolling over to the next month. The account zeroes out each January. So the trick is to use any excess in December, so as not to give it away at the start of the new year.

Dave

We are grandfathered into the NEM system which hit full capacity in 2015. (https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/pr...le-programs/rooftop-solar/net-energy-metering). Our monthly electric bill is $26 which is the standby cost. We have never had enough overcast days in the month to incur a usage charge although we have come close.

The new systems after 2015 were depentdent upon private solar which would get credits (as you currently have) for excess power that is transferred to the grid. That program hit capacity in 2017 and new programs are now available but not as cost friendly to the homeowner (https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/do...C_rooftop_solar_and_storage_press_release.pdf).

 

[DaveNV]

We put in our solar a year ago, and had a zero bill (not counting their minimum account fees, of about $30 or so per month) for the first several months, with excess production rolling over in the account. When our swimming pool went live last Spring, our excess solar earnings quickly went away. But all in, running the pool equipment 13 hours a day, A/C for the house 24/7, a garage A/C system (to bring down the garage temperatures to a moderate level) 10 hours a day in hotter months, charging my Plug-In Hybrid electric SUV a few times a week, and general household electricity every day, was still quite affordable. At the hottest part of the Summer, here in the Nevada desert, our highest bill (not counting the minimum charges) was about $90. It has dropped substantially since then. Last month's bill was about $40. Considering we're running this pool, which can be very expensive, these rates are pretty good. The solar production here is very good. We hit just a few kWh less than 20mWh production in our first 12 months.

The Powerwall is appealing because it'd allow us to keep the house running if the power goes out. When it's 100+ outside during the Summer, the A/C becomes pretty important inside.

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

I'm envious. But with our $.08 kWh (to a point) even if our power bill was zero, we would never live long enough to pay off the initial nut. Reliability is not an issue, we've only had one outage of about 3 hours in the last 5 years, so no pressing need to solarify. (if that's a word) Plus our roof is +- 20 years old so overlaying it with solar panels seems like re-roofing should be done first. (sigh)