You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine …

We have just gone solar. The sun is now heating the water we use for washing dishes and for showers, and it’s also providing electricity during the daylight hours when it’s not overcast or raining.

It was a big step, but should be worth it in the long run. There are both federal and state tax credits which will reduce the net cost considerably and bring Break-Even-Day much closer. Besides, we’re doing our small bit to reduce the demand for energy.

The cost of electricity in Hawaii is high. Here on Maui, we’re now paying Maui Electric 41 cents a kilowatt hour. By comparison, my brother in down-state Illinois is paying 11 cents! Power is expensive here because whatever fuel is used to run the generators – be it oil or coal – has to be shipped in. And remember, we’re at least 2300 miles from anywhere.

The two large panels are for the hot water; the others generate electricity — DC current that goes to an inverter in the garage where it’s converted to AC.

But now, during sunny daylight hours, the photovoltaic panels on the roof supply enough electricity to take care of our modest daytime needs and the excess that’s generated is fed back into Maui Electric’s grid. And when that happens, my electric meter actully spins backwards. I pay for whatever electricity Maui Electric sends me minus the value of whatever electricity I send back into the grid. In a subsequent post, I’ll let you know how much my electric bill has been reduced.

I confess that whenever I go down to the garage for something during the day, I stop for a bit and watch that meter turning backwards. I suppose that will eventually wear off. Maybe.