test solar array

The Installation is to provide electrical power to a home with central air, natural gas heating, a living area of 1700 sq ft above ground and a 1100 sq ft basement and a 1200 sq ft detached garage/shop. Service panel is 200 Amp single phase 120/240 volt.

1. Installation must be grid tied.
2. Installation cannot be off grid capable,
3. Installation cannot exceed 20% above average annual consumption, derived from the most recent 12 month period consumption at maximum rated production.
4. Battery storage or backup generator is not permitted.
5. Auto grid disconnect not approved.

1. Design called for 60 to 80% surplus production at rated panel output less 20%.
2. Array is to be ground based.
3. Real time production and reporting required.
4. Real time consumption monitoring both by devices, and solar production vs usage.
5. Historical reporting by device, solar, and metering by day, week, month, year, and billing period. 

Various agencies pushed back on the array as designed. 

1. The ground based was initially refused and a roof mount installation required.  The ground based installation was eventually allowed after a verification the the array location was behind the setback required for structures from public rights of way.
2. The ability to isolate the system from the grid automatically when grid failures occurred was not allowed. Regulators were unwilling to discuss methodology or re-connection method to grid after a grid failure was corrected and stable.
3.  Array must go completely offline during grid failure for the duration of the failure.
4. Size and excess production percentage had to meet regulatory specifications, no exceptions, no negotiation and be based on rated output only, no allowance for well known actual production.

1. Maximum production was cut to 7000 watts at rated output.. 
2. Excess production was limited to 20% of average usage for the prior 23 month period, rather than maximum load.
3. Various items were not allowed, including a revision to the utility drop and meter location, an automatic grid disconnect with either a manual reconnect and sync to grid, or an automatic reconnect and sync to grid.
4. Array is ground based, and located behind current required setbacks, although this does compromise the active hours of production per day due to the array being partially shaded by a tree until after 9:30AM to 10:45 AM depending on season. Array placement required to meet 2018 setbacks rather than the setback required when the property was originally developed this resulted in the array being moved north 25 feet from the original planned location aligning with the south wall of the existing structure. This required move blocks the array to the east and south east in the morning and effectively cut full sun exposure 4 to 6 hours per day instead of  9 to 11 hours per day.

What was a planned array to have the ability to cover 100% of the electric energy requirements of an average residential property in Pueblo Colorado, thus serving to all but eliminate the dependency on fossil fuel generated power from the utility, has failed. The failure is attributed to the various government agencies requirements and limits imposed on the system. with a cost of installation at $35,000.00 and an additional $9,800.00 in electrical panel upgrade to handle the monitoring requirements, this was not an economically sound investment.

1. Since installation the highest production from the array was in 2019 at 5800Kw for 6 hours in mid summer. That production falls within the 80 to 85% anticipated real world production estimate for a 7000Kw rated array. 
2. That days total production fell short of demand by just under 60%. Temperature in the mid 90's to low 100's with an overnight low in the low 80's meant demand topped 8000Kw by 10:30AM and did not fall under 6500Kw until after Midnight.  This did reduce the grid demand by almost 40% for about 3 hours or so. Grid demand then rose to 100% by dusk until late morning the following day.
3. As originally planned and in the original proposed location the array would have met the demand with production surpluses that if banked either with a storage battery or 1 to 1 exchange of daylight production for nighttime delivery would have been within -5% to +2% of demand, instead of -58% of demand.
4. Given the $44,800.00 cost of the array the cost recovery will run about $1,395.00 per year for the last 5 years 2019 to 2024. The array will pay for itself in a mere 32.1 years providing no repairs are required.
5. In June of 2023 a very rough restart of the grid after a grid failure damaged the array and the HVAC system along with several other devices. The HVAC system will need to be replaced in total, cost as of 2024 $18,000.00 to $22,000.00. Array production have been cut by a rated 700w  with the loss of 1 inverter. To date the damaged inverter has not been replaced by the vendor APSystems, Inc, whether under warranty or not. In addition subsequent instability in the grid has damaged other equipment and infrastructure. The array is down 10 to 12% in addition to the 8 to 10% loss incurred per year due to aging panels in the array.

In conclusion with regulatory agencies driving limits on capacities, physical plant configuration and location of the array for purposes that inhibit the array's production goals, and pollution reduction benefits negate much of the value derived by solar and will serve to reduce the adoption of Solar in the test area.