An update on this installation.
We are now finished (even though the outside temps were around minus 3 bazillion knots below kelvins) with the panels.
As things progressed our client wanted 3 more 93 watt panels and sun trackers installed to increase the capacity even more. It took us two extra days to get that done.
We also installed 10 more lead-acids to handle the charging from the panels. When the whole installation was complete, the whole house was supplied with more than adequate energy to run for at least 2 days without any direct sun. The meter on the outside of the house was running backwards at a rapid rate during the day yesterday when I saw it.
As Steve said, the next move to upgrade the system is likely a move to Li-Ion batteries, or what ever new technology that might show up for energy storage, but so far the system will have to live "on it's own" for the time being.
If we have to do something like this again? I don't know, but we learned a lot about how to get it done, from the AHJ's "opinions" to land zoning issues with the City to the technical aspects. It was a fun "once only" project for now, but I get the feeling that it's going to come up more often these days here in Alberta.
BTW Steve, we put in a couple of 4 inch diameter pipes along with a variable speed coaxial fan in the ducting, running from the outside and over the battery bank and then back outside again with a shroud that contained the air movement over the batteries to keep them as cool as we could. So far, even with minus 30 outside the batteries stayed at a nice cool plus 10C so that seems to be working O.K. Summertime might present some issues when it gets to PLUS 30 however.
We'll be back to deal with that this July, I think. I just hope the batteries don't overheat when the air conditioning system is pulling 30 amps in the house. The system will shut down if the batteries get above 50 degrees C so I'm hoping it's not going to be an issue.
Whether it's worth it or not? My opinion is that the price is just way beyond what the average HO is willing to go for. Our client just spent a little bit over $45,000 to get this all done up. Kudos to them and a brave decision for a proof of concept for them and their friends. I applaud them for their guts at spending funds that will likely never be fully recovered.
