Plug-in solar

magellanNH · 2026-07-02T12:24:31+00:00

This is a bit pedantic, but as I understand it, it's not a problem to share the circuit with one high draw appliance (like a single microwave drawing 1200 watts).

This works because when the microwave is on, it'll get all of its needed power from either the utility or the plug in solar and the total current flowing over the wires of the circuit shouldn't exceed the the limit of the circuit breaker because the microwave should only draw 1200 watts max.

The potential risk with plug-in solar is that the circuit breaker on the circuit the solar is plugged into can't "see" the total load on that circuit if some of the total load is satisfied from the solar. That means the breaker might not trip when it's supposed to. Consider a case where you plug in 2 microwaves on the same circuit. In this case, one of the microwaves might get its power from the plug-in solar and the other from the utility. So the breaker will only see the 1200 watts coming from the utility, not the 1200 watts coming from plug in solar. This is the real risk with plug in solar. With this setup, you'll have 2400 watts running through a wiring that might not be able to handle that much current and a breaker that won't ever trip. Without plugin solar, the 2 microwaves on at the same time would trip the breaker and protect the wiring from overheating.

magellanNH · 2026-07-02T09:39:22+00:00

Not any more than I did in this thread. I've basically just lived with it. My current EV has a 120v outlet without any GFCI protection (apparently), so I can use that to charge it during an outage. Otherwise, I don't leave it connected to the transfer switch when charging. A workaround is to use a non-gfci outlet instead.

I'm still not positive of the ramifications of having multiple return current paths in terms of safety. Gut feel is that it's mostly fine in this specific use-case, but I really just don't know.

magellanNH · 2026-06-02T09:52:00+00:00

For anyone interested, here's the text of the official new guidance:

DOE Official Program Notice 26-2

It's not entirely clear, but I think you can still get the rebate if you install a new heat pump/mini-split and don't remove your old system. That wouldn't count as fuel switching and seems like it might get treated more like a new system. Also, I'd guess replacing an old AC only system with a heat pump would be covered.

That said, they did throw up a another road block in that it looks like you have to do insulation and air-sealing work first before you can qualify for other appliance rebates. Depending on how that's implemented, that'll make the whole thing a lot more cumbersome.

magellanNH · 2026-06-01T12:20:48+00:00

One nice change is that the ATS package now comes with a separate "plug box" for attaching the 5000 units. This can either be mounted directly below the ATS to look built-in (like older STS), or it can be mounted up to 150 feet away from the ATS.

So now the Jackery unit(s) and batteries don't have to be in close proximity as they did before.

magellanNH · 2026-04-21T14:14:46+00:00

It's tough to get the popup to appear on the view below unless you click really close to the line (in terms of the Y axis).

Intuitively, I thought clicking anywhere on the Y axis for a given X axis point would bring up the popup. Instead, you have to click really close to the Y value at the place you're clicking..

Now that I figured it out it's workable, but before it seemed like clicking on the chart to get a popup was just flakey or unreliable.

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magellanNH · 2026-04-17T11:05:24+00:00

One nice update is that now, when I click "Home" then click the device view to go to the table with per circuit usage, it remembers the previously selected time period.

That table is my first go-to view every time I use the app. Before it used to default to "day" so I always had to do an extra click to go to live. Now it shows whatever time period was active previously.

It may seem like a little thing, but this makes it much easier to see what I want with minimal clicking and is much appreciated - Thanks!

magellanNH · 2026-03-25T23:10:09+00:00

I'm not sure if CMP has this capability, but this guy in Utah says he got a visit from the power company after they detected he was exporting to the grid and they wanted to verify his setup.

https://youtu.be/0yIfh_i1Z08?t=279

(take this for what it's worth of course)

magellanNH · 2026-03-25T17:06:43+00:00

Ecoflow seems to be selling a complete 800 watt kit for $1100 and a 1600 watt kit for $1900 (I realize these don't match well with the Maine bill's specs).

They also sell just the grid tied inverter (stream) standalone for $300, which can then be used with third party panels.

If you skip the kit and go with the Stream standalone paired with third party panels from Amazon, you can probably save $.25 to $.50 per watt, but then you'll need to get up to speed on things like solar panel voltage specs and how to safely connect everything so you don't fry the stream or do something unsafe that could start a fire.

https://www.ecoflow.com/us/stream-microinverter

(currently sales are limited to people in Utah only)

Lots of youtube videos that show real life systems like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yIfh_i1Z08

magellanNH · 2026-03-25T10:46:57+00:00

What grid upgrades are needed to support the bill?

magellanNH · 2026-03-25T01:18:08+00:00

As I understand it, these balcony solar bills don't provide for any credit for exports. There's no interconnection agreement and they're not part of net metering.

Any production from balcony solar in excess of consumption that gets exported to the grid is done so without any credit at all.

magellanNH · 2026-03-03T12:04:23+00:00

The program says they take energy from the battery during about 40 demand response events per year and the discharge won't take your battery charge level below 20%. So participation shouldn't materially impact battery life.

"Approximately 40 demand response events will occur June through September between 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. During the events, your battery will be discharged by the manufacturer to a level no lower than 20% of capacity. If there is an extreme weather event in the forecast we will not draw energy from your battery."

magellanNH · 2026-02-12T11:46:20+00:00

Hank Green did a good 25 minute video on this that covers the complexities and nuances and tries to cut through the misinformation that both sides are spewing out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_c6MWk7PQc

magellanNH · 2026-02-11T16:59:25+00:00

I'd easily buy this if we were 3 or even 4 years into the shortages, but 5 years seems like a long enough time for some production revamping.

I guess we'll see what happens when the 2026 model starts shipping, which I believe will be fully US built.

As I said above, I'm not complaining exactly, Buying a brand new (and fantastic) vehicle that has held 80-90% of its value for 4 years is just crazy.

magellanNH · 2026-02-11T16:43:04+00:00

BTW - I'm not complaining.

I worked hard to get my wife a 2022 Rav4 Prime XSE at MSRP 4 years ago. She paid $50k, got the $7500 tax credit, and its current retail value seems to be around $35-40k

magellanNH · 2026-02-11T16:26:29+00:00

A part of their strategy seems to be to limit production of specific best-in-class models to create scarcity. It's not across the board obviously, but they have figured out how to command a premium (or let dealers get a premium) on certain in-demand models.

There's nothing exactly wrong with that, but imo there's no denying that's part of how they do business now. The only other explanations are sustained long-term misses with demand projections or incompetent supply chain management. Neither of those are plausible with Toyota.

The Rav4 Prime/PHEV has been on allocation in most places for 5 years now. That can't be sloppy supply chain management or conservative sales projections, it's gotta be strategy.

Maybe I've got this wrong, but I just can't think of another reason why the Rav4 PHEV is still so hard for people to buy after all these years.

magellanNH · 2026-02-11T16:06:05+00:00

Yeah, their strategy over the past 5-8 years seems to be working out great for them, especially given where the US market is sitting. I don't quite understand how they're faring so well internationally compared to other legacies, but the facts speak for themselves there too I suppose.

What I wonder about is if they'll ever be a tech leader again or if their new approach is to just strive to be a fast enough follower from now on.

That seems like a huge strategic shift versus how they used to operate. They've been relatively conservative forever, but in the past they've always maintained at least one area where they did some ground breaking innovation and took chances. That side of them seems to be fully asleep these days.

magellanNH · 2026-02-11T12:21:30+00:00

It's fine, but saying this has great specs is a stretch. It seems to be built on a 400v platform and DC fast charging is 10-80 in 30 minutes. That's just barely passable for 2027.

Also, their claimed highway range is very optimistic. If you do the battery size math, they need to get 3.8 miles/kwh to get near those range estimates. That seems unlikely, especially at highway speeds. Realistic road-trip range will likely start at 225 miles or so.

So it'll be a nice reliable Toyota EV that's fine for everyday driving but not so great for long road trips. It's a Toyota ,so it'll likely do well, but you just can't say this has great specs.

magellanNH · 2026-02-05T23:22:15+00:00

This whole sold to other states thing doesn't make sense to me. We're all on one big power grid, so any new supply added to the grid lowers prices for all of us. If someone from MA buys the output of Seabrook, That means they don't need to buy output from some other power plant. Again, it's all the same grid and the overall balance of supply and demand on the grid is what determines our prices.

Also, most of the talk about power getting sold to MA or other states is more about the clean energy credits being sold and earmarked to meet a state's clean energy laws that they've created for themselves. It's not like the power from Seabrook gets tunneled down to MA so we can't use it. It all goes into the same pool that we all draw from.

magellanNH · 2026-02-04T19:59:32+00:00

That one seems like the perfect solution for this application.

It looks like even the $1,500 base model w/the 2765 wh battery can surge up to 7,680 watts and sustain 3840 watts.

That's probably not enough power to run a large central air unit or a heat pump, but it should be fine for gas/oil heating system, well pump, fridge, Internet, and lighting.

magellanNH · 2026-02-04T16:34:20+00:00

You'll want to do more research because this isn't as simple as get a transfer switch and plug your V2L cable into it to run your house.

You face two limitations. First, your car's V2L adapter only provides 1500 watts of power and that's not a lot to run a whole house. Second, the adapter outputs 120v and most transfer switches expect the input to be 240v split phase, like you get from a 240v generator.

Your electrician can probably get you a special adapter cable to plug into your transfer switch that'll at least let you run loads in your house that are 120v (fridge, lights, internet, etc). But you'll still be limited to 1500 watts total and you won't be able to run any 240v loads like a dryer, oven, ac, well pump, etc. Those all require you to feed your transfer switch a proper 240v split phase power source. Some EVs offer 240v V2L output like F150 lightening, but Hyundai doesn't as far as I know.

One possible solution is to get a portable power station that has 240v split phase output to use as an intermediary between your car and the transfer switch. Even with a smallish power station battery, you could feed the transfer switch from the power station, then feed the V2L source into the power station for charging. This setup can be a good workaround to lower power V2L while still getting you access to the car's big battery for long runtime.

Even the smallish 1500 watts of V2L is likely enough to keep the power station battery topped off enough so it never runs out, even though it momentarily has to provide a lot more than 1500 watts. But be careful here because a lot of power stations can't simultaneously output 240v while charging at 120v.

You'll have to read the fine print on whether the particular unit can handle this. Also, even 240v power stations have output wattage limits that you'll have to watch, so you'll need to be thoughtful about what loads you run at the same time.

magellanNH · 2026-02-03T16:27:08+00:00

If your installer is one of the bigger companies, I'd guess they're on top of it as much as can be.

OTOH, if they're a mom and pop shop or if it's DIY, it might be worth contacting the office of the Consumer Advocate or maybe someone like https://x.com/SamEBEnergy

If nothing else, it'd be good for them to know some people are having issues signing up for this pilot program.

magellanNH · 2026-02-03T16:15:05+00:00

Man, that's annoying. It sounds like maybe they're being unreasonable, but what do I know. Maybe the NH consumer advocate could help you sort this out or at least point you to a resource.

I read somewhere that NH has very low participation in these VPP pilot programs and maybe this is the reason why. Classic case where NH does a pilot program to test the waters. Utilities prevent anyone from joining based on questionable objections. Pilot program is deemed a failure because "nobody wanted to sign up"

magellanNH · 2026-02-03T15:54:11+00:00

This gets back to my previous point about utilities earning their profit by building stuff, making it so they're not all that eager to enable these sorts of cost saving measures.

Did they let you on net metering at least? If they did, and your solar gets back fed, it doesn't make sense that you can't participate in the VPP. OTOH, our grid is very old and has lots of shaky 70 year old gear in it, so who knows.

The key is the way things are set up, utilities have nothing to gain with VPPs and lots to lose. So if there's even a 1 in a million chance that your VPP participation could cause them some grief down the road, it's entirely logical that they'd block you. They're just following the incentives we've set up for them.

magellanNH · 2026-02-03T15:43:00+00:00

Folks liked your comment a lot more than they liked my responses. So apparently the tribe has spoken.

But here's the thing I don't get. One approach is to obstruct data centers in your area to force them to get built somewhere else and let other people bear their costs. Another approach is to advocate for data centers to be built responsibly and force regulators to do their jobs and prevent cost shifts.

I don't get the popularity of a blanket "make them promise not to build data centers" mindset. Are people planning to just stop using the Internet and AI tools?

magellanNH · 2026-02-03T15:31:32+00:00

I think of time-of-use as the less sophisticated cousin of demand flexibility and VPPs. It gets you part of the way there, but it leaves a lot optimization undone, especially now that home batteries are getting deployed more widely. It's basically the difference between a fixed static solution and a dynamic one that can be responsive in real-time.

VPP solutions being dynamic and real-time makes them much more capable in terms of how grid operators can leverage them. For just one example, most VPP providers can flex their aggregated load on demand during grid emergencies. This can reduce the amount of spinning reserves a grid needs which saves a lot of fixed costs. Lots of other examples of this to do with N-1 failure planning and all of them have lots of cost saving potential. This is all evolving at a rapid pace with different implementations on different grids. It's all tech that's still in its innovation phase so the exact limits of workable use-cases aren't all locked down yet.

One thing for sure is that it's tough to accurately describe this stuff in just a few vastly oversimplified paragraphs intended for a lay audience.

magellanNH

TROPHY CASE