As we get into the sunnier months our energy production is ramping up. The days are getting longer and the sun gets higher in the sky. Our 8kW of panels face west, but we can be producing from fairly early each day as the they do not need direct sunlight.
So far this year the yield has been:
- January: 95kWh
- February: 228kWh
- March: 676kWh
- April: 927kWh
- May: 967kWh
We only got a little more than April, but then it seems to level out in the summer months. May was fairly dry until some rain at the end that refilled our water butts.
I still have it set up to charge up the battery overnight so that we can maximise our export. We earn more from that than last year and we have already earned more in 2025 than we did in the whole of 2024. That means that we can build up some credit to cover the whole year. That is even with paying for the gas we use on heating and cooking. We may consider a heat pump at some point, but not just yet as we have other expenses for now.
We spent a little less than in April, but I think the car got charged less at home.
You may notice a couple of days with nothing. We have still had instances of a breaker tripping. An engineer came out again last week and he has replaced the breaker, but I am not convinced that this is the root of the issue. This is all under warranty, but we lose a little income each time. This is why I keep an eye on the system via the mobile app. If I am at home I can reset it.
I have spoken to plenty of people about the joys of solar and some of them say they will look into it. There is talk of making it compulsory to fit panels on new homes in the UK, but the builders resist anything that puts up the 'sticker price' even if it will save the owners money in the long run. I see some new homes with a token install of just a few panels when they should cover any south facing roofs. I saw another example of industry resistance to environmental legislation in the US as those producing dark roofing material do not want compulsory lighter materials that would keep the homes cooler in summer. I would think that air conditioning is the biggest energy cost for a lot of people. We do not have it as there are few days each year where we would really need it. It is best to design buildings for efficiency with passive systems that will cost nothing to run.
Shine on!
Here's output from ours this year so far in kWh:
System config: Panels capable to generate up to 12.5kWh, 70% on the east side, 30% on west side. The inverter is only capable of converting 8kWh, but during peak time we're able to generate a little more (sometimes up to the full 12kWh) because the excess DC power that is generated by the panels can go to charging up the battery subsystem without needing to be inverted, then it gets converted to AC at night when the batteries start discharging.
I have been caught up in some conflict between marky and @kgakakillerg who feels he is being attacked and accounts like buildawhale are involved. Can you please let him know what the situation is. I do not think such accounts should be downvoting unless it is for real abuse of Hive. Personal disagreements are a different matter. Marky tells me to ignore this, but I am being dragged in.
I really don't know what's going on related to @kgakakillerg and @marky .
If kga acted remotely rationally, I would have looked into it more, but from the posts kga makes, they appear both irrational and downright deceptive. So I'm not going to waste my time trying to help them out.
I'm sorry you've also been pulled into kga's complaint circle, but it is really just another illustration of why I'm not interested in helping kga. Involving you in this is either crazy or outright abusive behavior. In either case, I don't think I can help out, as I certainly don't want to do anything that encourages similar behavior. I suggest you mute them if they continue to pester you too much.
remove your money from ther accounts and no problems
As you downvoted my comments I take it you agree with bullying with downvotes on Hive 🤔
So you agree with someone trying to bully me with downvotes and you are supporting that 🤔
You delegate to Buildawhale and usainvote who just farm Hive 🤔
One question is bullying ok on Hive 🤔
If you really want Hive to grow you need to throw out the garbage 🗑️
Hive is under investigation and it's not just one person or company 😂😂😂😂 https://hive.blog/hive-161155/@jin-out/re-jin-out-t0l0eq you should understand that you can't beat the truth with lies you are old enough to understand that surely 🤔
He farming Hive hard
By his actions it's clear you know him so please tell him to back off and stop 🛑
As what he is doing is cyber bullying and it seems like he's a racist person it doesn't matter if he knows black people that doesn't mean he's not racist 🙏🏾
I know him about as well as I know you, but I've talked to you more. It's not like he's helping me. Let's try and keep things peaceful and it may settle down. We don't have to like everyone here, but endless conflict is not healthy.
As I said to you on Instagram i will stop and let's see if the downvotes continue if they do I will continue to
Downvotes don't scare me old people don't scare me people in general don't scare me I will never allow myself to be bullied online or offline and I will not allow anyone to attack me because of my race 😤 yes I'm black and I'm proud to be black 😎👍🏾
Don't let them get you down. Stay positive.
I really hope they will leave you alone, but I've done all I can. It may take a while for them to accept that you are stopping, so give them a chance.
They could never get me down
I hope they leave me alone to otherwise Hive is done
Please tell them to back off
As what they are doing is cyber bullying it's not right
One account controlling Hive just tell Blocktrades to stop 🛑
Now it seems they have contacted tipu so I can no longer use @tipu curate 🤔 that's why Hive is not going anywhere with blocktrades in charge
The only one that brought up race is you.
As I said he owns buildawhale and themarkymark 😂😂😂😂😂
That's a hefty system. It was suggested to us to have extra panels to maximise production and it is working pretty well. It is not like we live in a super sunny place, but it is still worth it.
A massive jump for the summer months and you are basically self sufficient for those months. That reminds me I need to check my figures and see how i am fairing. Still waiting on the one battery which has been 3 months and shows you how bad the service is here a sit is non existent.
It goes 10x compared to mid-winter, but the battery still saves us money then. Sorry to hear you get such bad service, but mine from Octopus has been good. They just need to work out why the breaker trips as it happened again today. That is an annoyance.
Yes it does save money very quickly and if you had the space you could add more panels. One of my friends runs his factory from solar and has a separate bank of panels for cloudy days which he adds to his system to generate 100% power. Normally for the number of panels he would need another inverter so this is only for days when he is not getting sufficient charge. Poor service is frustrating and I hope you can get the breaker sorted out so you don't miss out on more revenue as it costs you every time you are out.
Thanks for continuing to update us on how solar is working for you. I appreciate the practical approach to sustainability.
It's beautiful to read posts like this where the focus isn't so much on industry but on the human being and how to improve their living conditions by harnessing nature's bounties in the most respectful way. It's wonderful to see how far along you are (which for many is a new kind of independence). Much success!
@steevc, I paid out 3.513 HIVE and 0.000 HBD to reward 7 comments in this discussion thread.
If the electricity price goes on increasing, it should be compulsory for suitable houses.
In my country, the power of the sun's rays could illuminate the vegas for several months.