Now that we have our POA (Permission to Operate) from Alabama Power we are thrilled! I can't tell you how much fun it is seeing the system work. We are 'off-grid' the majority of the time and enjoy the freedom to leave town knowing we can monitor everything.

Here's a recent video from CKR Solar's powers that be ... and what they say is true as it can be. I can, without a doubt, recommend them.

If you've followed our journey you realize it was not an overnight decision and we have had some glitches. But, here we are more than 70% self-sufficient on most days and enjoying watching our power bill usage decline.

One thing I need to mention is that our learning curve has been more fun that we expected. With a storm heading our way, NOAA will do it's best to keep our solar at its peak. We may actually experience a true outage, not one under our control. We can come and go off grid at will and it was sure a learning curve to charge our Teslas, the dryer, water heater, etc. in the morning instead of the evenings or overnight. We enjoy letting the sun run our appliances and cars!

 ... we have received an email from Alabama Power ... it appears we have some choices to make. Honestly, it never occurred to me that we'd have to make some decisions about staying on the grid and how. Don't get me wrong, we didn't expect to be 100% self-sufficient, but ... well, I guess I just didn't know quite what to expect.

Regardless of what your solar company salesman tells you - as they are likely to work with many different utility companies - be prepared to handle some stuff with your power company, if they'll even play. We are fortunate, I feel, to have Alabama Power.  They have been more than helpful and happy we are 'going solar.' Apparently not all power companies feel the same way.

• Alabama Power's Solar Information page / They also have information about hydroelectric power, and nuclear energy.

But wait, there's more! It's confusing ... I mean for the average 74-1/2 year woman to clearly understand, that is. Alabama Power emailed me way more information than I could possibly need and it's overwhelming. But, I know who to contact and I've already sent an email. Stay tuned!

Tom and I feel we are in a good place. We'll know for sure when our first power bill on solar arrives. We had a duh moment or two, but in good humor we made some adjustments and eventually had to think outside the box.

We have been trained by our power company for years to minimize our usage during the day when rates are higher and to reduce the load on the grid. Makes sense. Now we need to do the opposite. When our solar storage is full we are literally wasting the sun's energy. It has no where to go! When the batteries are full, they are full. There is no squeezing in any more. Since we haven't made the decision yet to sell extra power back to the grid, we need to be good stewards and use the sun while we can.

So, we now schedule our dishwasher to run at 10 am, plus we charge our cars in the morning. This has increased our independence from the grid. Last night, we were 91% self-powered! Now, that's what I'm talking about!

It doesn't matter what you purchase - whether a vacuum cleaner, a new cell phone, a dishwasher, or a solar system - there will be a learning curve. A little back story. In 2016, we bought our first Tesla Model S90D. Being new to the EV world, we researched, watched YouTube videos, joined Tesla forums on Facebook, and felt ready when it was time to pick up our new car. Granted, in those days, Tesla required new owners to participate in a 90-minute orientation (not anymore), and we graciously sat in our new car with the demonstrator who quickly realized we knew more than he did. He released us. But, the story doesn't end there. We immediately got on the road anxious to return home. It became obvious we had more to learn and quickly learned some of the magic that was Tesla. While we were comfortable driving it, nearly daily one of us would say, "Did you know ..." and sometimes we did - other times not.

Even our dishwasher, vacuum, and cell phone required us to up our game. In an effort to bring us the best product and in an effort to simplify our life, we need to be prepared to complicate it first!

So, how big is the learning curve for our new solar panels, Tesla Powerwall 3, the Span, and the apps to make it all work efficiently? Yeah, it's big, but manageable. Our salesman, Joe Ward, and installer Dylan are only a text away, plus the Tesla Span support is amazing! Did we learn it all in our time frame? No. It's a patience game, trial and error, if you will. Organizing our circuits in the Span took some doing. Making minor adjustments to make our home as sustainable as possible took some effort. Reading the tutorials and videos provided in the Span app was very helpful. Tom started to dabble to 'tighten it up' so our dependency on the grid reduced.

And, there's more! In the Span app we can pick and choose which circuits are 'must have,' or 'nice to have,' and 'non-essential.' Monitoring "My Home" on the Tesla app (and, no you don't have to drive a Tesla to have the app) shows us how much energy we have generated and how self-sufficient we are. All those setting can be adjusted to get the biggest bang for our buck.

OK truth time ... I was not prepared for some of the challenges. I suppose in the excitement of the whole project some information I was given slipped through the cracks of my brain. I envisioned a power outage turning my neighborhood into blackness and we would serve our neighbors with all the power they needed ... wrong. It's a balancing act and being conservative may become critical. On the plus side the Span app will help keep us self-sufficient.

It is true we will received a 30% federal tax rebate  and I thought how cool it would be to maintain our solar loan while investing our rebate. Well, it doesn't really work that way. It can work that way, but when we crunched the numbers we opted to put the rebate against the loan as it will greatly reduce our principle balance therefore reducing interest ... Tom is our number cruncher and that is the most effective and efficient way for us to do it. You see, if you choose NOT to put the rebate against the loan, your monthly loan payment will be higher. While I'm pretty sure Joe mentioned that, it did not register. So, that was a challenge, but manageable.

Tom and I are hosting an informational meeting - no sales pitch - at our home. If you are local and are interested in learning more about how solar may work for you, please complete the form below. Once we receive your request, we will contact you via email or text with the date and time of the gathering. 

Being new to the total operations of solar-powered systems I have more questions than answers. I am told the specific settings for my home will be set after the installation of the 2nd battery arriving soon.

The SPAN breaker box. I was very reluctant to get this additional piece of equipment but it is interesting to monitor the power consumption of individual circuits throughout the house. My first thought of the SPAN panel was it was gimmicky and mostly useless but after further thought here are my first impressions.

• An unlikely benefit of having the ability to watch power at each breaker would be to log the normal draw on the circuits.
• Should any of them suddenly increase dramatically, a defective appliance on that circuit could ultimately start a fire.
• Having the knowledge on hand will also be beneficial in the event of loss of power from the grid.
• That information will allow me to pick and choose which circuits I want to use and will ultimately conserve battery power.
• The individual circuits can be turned off and on conveniently from the associated app.

 

Technology is kind of our thing ... we're always looked for ways to move ahead for financial and even emotional gain. Our first Tesla literally changed our lives. The excitement of bypassing gas stations was contagious. The lack of routine maintenance was very appealing to us. Tom's 2016 Tesla still has its original brakes at nearly 100,000 miles. Of course, there is some maintenance - tires, tire rotation, and washer fluid. Read our Tesla story.

So, is there a learning curve? Yep, there is but we knew there would be. When we picked up our Tesla in 2016 there was a 90-minute 'class' before we could leave. After the demonstrator realized we knew more than he did, he released us! To say we're excited for sunny days is an understatement. The app on our phone  keeps us informed as to what is going where and with the Span. We still have questions, but we're not finished yet. Our second Tesla Powerwall 3 isn't here yet so when all our ducks are swimming in the same pond, we'll have more information For now ... we are charging our house and cars with sunshine!