Matt's New Shop

[peter]

Bump!

[HPbyStan]

Yeah, What Peter said. A shop that fine has all our interest I bet.

[1Gary]

Updates????.

[doyoulikeithere]

Awesome garage Matt!
Hell, that's bigger than my mechanic's shop.

Hell, that's bigger than my house !!
and yup, pretty awesome bro.
any news for us ?

[mdmead]

I have a secret! Details coming in November...

[doyoulikeithere]

OMG, You got the stro running??????

[mdmead]

OMG, You got the stro running??????

What does that have to do with my shop? (It doesn't need to run to be able to move it around...)

[mdmead]

Who spends $35,000+ to put electricity to his shop? THIS GUY! Details to follow!

[doyoulikeithere]

OMG, You got the stro running??????

What does that have to do with my shop? (It doesn't need to run to be able to move it around...)

Just hoping maybe you did some work in your new shop....
to the Astro....

35000 !! WOW
you coulda bought 35 more astros, lol ;)

Seriously though, NICE !!

[Cobra]

damn $35000 is a full solar install lol

[mdmead]

damn $35000 is a full solar install lol

Give this man a prize!

Okay, so here is how it happened... A few months ago I decided to go ahead and have power put to my shop. I'd debated on whether to do it myself, or have an electrical contractor put in the sub panel. I contacted three local electricians to get estimates. One came out and we talked about the project and he said he would e-mail me a quote in a couple of days. Never heard back from him, even after I sent him an e-mail reminder. A second electrician called back, but in talking to him, he just seemed like an ass; we just didn't click; I told him not to worry about it. The third never bothered to get back in touch. At this point I'd pretty much decided to just do it myself.

And then about a month ago I noticed a new construction project happening at the neighbors' who live behind me. After day one of work I was thoroughly confused as there were a bunch of wooden posts buried on the hillside... it looked like the start of a pole building, but was awfully narrow and not level. When I saw my neighbor out surveying the work, I asked what was being built. He said they were installing solar panels. Cool! We talked for a bit and he gave me a bunch of info I was somewhat aware of. Basically the system should pay for itself in less than four years... this is due to tax credits and power generation credits available here in the U.S. and Washington State. But the clincher was the financing; going solar isn't cheap, but there is a credit union here in WA that specializes in these projects and offers great terms. Hmm, could we go solar and get my shop electrified at the same time?! Until about five years ago I subscribed to 'Home Power' magazine which is all about home solar, wind and hydro power production. I'm fairly well versed on grid-tied solar, and ever since building my shop, have dreamed of plastering the south-facing roof with solar panels.

My neighbor was working with Ellensburg Solar due to a connection through his wife. She is an interior designer who is part of some local 'green building' consortium and has worked on projects Ellensburg Solar has also worked. She was satisfied with their performance, so they picked them to do theirs. I decided to trust her vetting and gave them a call. When they came out, they had already done some research on my place (using Google images) and presented two possible systems. The first was smaller, using solar panels and inverters manufactured here in WA, resulting in a 3.5 year payback. This system wouldn't produce enough power to totally offset our usage and was priced at about $27K (plus tax). The second system was the monster system we went with. The payback is supposed to be 3.9 years. I mispoke about the cost above, it was actually quoted at just under $44K (plus tax). In addition to the system, they would also put in the shop's 100 amp sub-panel and needed wiring, (charging me only for materials). It took a bit of convincing with my wife, but in the end she deferred to me, and I okayed the project.

So here we go, day one...











On the left is my new 100 amp sub-panel. Right are the two solar inverters. I need to pull the cover off the middle panel and see exactly what it is doing. This is where the power goes back and forth through a new meter and back to the house and grid.





This is the start of day two. Day one wrapped up a bit early on the outside due to a nasty wind and rain storm; they didn't want to be lifting the solar 'sails' around up on the roof!





Trenching from the house to the shop across my asphalt driveway. Hated having to have it cut, but no other (easy) way.















Here is the view from the road. The panels blend well and most will probably not even notice them as they drive by.



For the electrical inspector to pass the sub-panel install, it needed a load including an inside light, an outside light and at least one receptacle; and that's exactly what I got!





So as of today I'm not generating any power. The electrical inspection happened last Thursday and now I'm waiting on Pacific Power to come out and install a meter on the shop and a new meter on the house. Supposed to happen within 10 business days of the electrical inspection. At that time Ellensburg Solar comes back out and teaches me how to use the system. (It's really a hands-off system; just need to know how to determine if there is a problem and/or emergency shut-off procedures.)

One thing not explained above... This system is using Washington-built inverters but not Washington-built panels. This is a major thing as the generation credits here in WA are significantly higher for a complete Washington-built system. But given the (higher) price of the Washington panels, this system, with many more panels, pencils out better using the less-expensive panels at a lower kwh reimbursement rate. As it stands, the credits work like this... a 30% tax credit from the Feds, meaning about $13K will come back over the next couple of years when we file our income tax. Washington is paying up to $5K per year in kwh generation credits and we should be hitting this every year for the next four. (This credit is set to expire after the fourth year, and may or may not be renewed, and if renewed the rate isn't known.) And then our annual electric bill should be going to nearly to zero, (we'll still be tagged with meter fees and such from the power company). Oh, and the initial sales tax on the system is rebated back from WA after we file some paperwork (which Ellensburg Solar will prepare). The 3.9 year payback doesn't quite pencil out for me, but even if we double it, I think it is a great investment. It helps the property value, although we have no intentions of moving anytime soon.

So, I technically have power to my shop. Still a long way to go as I need many lights and many receptacles. But this is all easy wiring I can accomplish at my leisure. The hurdle was getting the big wires from the house to a sub-panel and that is now done!

[WoodButcher]

Good for you Matt, jeez I love that shop.
Personally I'd be looking for a way to make my living out of that. Can't say what it would be but most likely a combination of things, auto, handyman, maybe even furniture.

[Smiliesafari]

Outstanding...flyboy. I've been seriously thinking about doing solar. You may have just given me the incentive to take another look.

[mdmead]

Outstanding...flyboy. I've been seriously thinking about doing solar. You may have just given me the incentive to take another look.

It's a funny thing... About the time I was looking into this, a guy I know from a Bronco forum who lives about 40 minutes away announced he just had a solar system installed by Ellensburg Solar. A short time later, while talking to my brother, he told me the guy who bought his old house last spring had added solar... by Ellensburg Solar... and now my brother is considering it. While driving around, I've noticed a couple of other Ellensburg Solar projects. At my last state snowmobile association meeting, I was talking to our treasurer and mentioned I was going solar and he said he had done it a year or so ago. (Not Ellensburg Solar though.) I hadn't noticed how popular solar is getting until I started our project.

[Cobra]

the tax credits and rebate are great for the solar market and have help reduce the prices of components considerably. I've just finished a solar training course and plan to install solar sooner or later. Net metering is looking like the way to go here in ontario just like your system. Did they add any battery backup to the system? when they come back ask them what happens when the grid goes down? how many kilowatts is the system i didn't see you say.