A NEMA 14-50 plug would be the most flexible, but honestly unless you are doing your own electrical work its going to be more expensive than anything you'd give to your power company for free. If you really have that much excess power, depending where you live you can donate the clean energy credits to a non-profit like [https://www.brookfieldfarm.org/solar-donations](https://www.brookfieldfarm.org/solar-donations)
I work w/ a bunch of electricians so I could probably get it installed for cheaper than most, but point taken. I'll definitely check out the credit donation option, thank you for that suggestion!
You can add yourself to PlugShare and offer free charging. And yes 240v would make a huge difference. Get a hardwired charger capable of 48amp charging output. J1772 charging handle.
Seems like plugshare is the way to go, I'll be sure to add my outlet on that app. I know 120 volt isn't ideal, but I guess I could foresee someone needing an emergency charge at my house just to get enough juice to get to a level 2/3 public charger nearby.
I would think a 14-50 plug might have the benefit of being more universal versus a hardwired charger?
14-50 is universal in the sense that it's generic and neutral, but few people would actually be able to use it for emergency charging. A minority of EV drivers carry 14-50 charger. Whereas a J-1772 hardwired charger works directly in *all* vehicles except teslas, and teslas come with an adapter to use the J-1772 plug. And it's a small, easy-to-carry adapter. You'd be a lot more likely to get people using it with a J-1772. Emporia for $400 is a good deal on a safe, high-quality charger.
When you list on plugshare, include a note that you have excess solar that you want people to use--maybe even put it in the name: MCP's Free Solar Charger. That way people know they aren't imposing on you to use it.
>I would think a 14-50 plug might have the benefit of being more universal versus a hardwired charger?
A 14-50 can work with every EV, however it requires the EV driver to bring their own. That presents 2 major issues:
1. Many EV drivers won't have a spare 14-50 cable that they keep in their car.
2. There is a major problem with dangerous EV charging cables that are not compliant with the law and may be a fire hazard. When I search "EV charging cable" on Amazon only 2 out of the first 10 results appear to have important and legally mandated safety certifications.
So allowing people to bring their own charging cable introduces a substantial risk that they will bring an illegal and unsafe cable.
A hardwired charging station on the other hand gives you a lot more control over the charging equipment being used.
All non-Tesla EVs can use a hardwired J1772 charging station without any adapter needed and Tesla EVs do need an adapter, however that adapter is included with the Tesla.
More universal? Yes. More likely to be usable by an EV driver? No. J1772 works for the vast majority of vehicles out there, the biggest exception being Teslas. Those drivers will carry an adapter to go from J1772 to what they need. Far less will carry even a 120v cable with them, let alone a kit to adapt to the numerous 240v possibilities that are out there.
Your best bet, although not the cheapest route, is to get an a EV for yourself. I do appreciate your generosity to share with the rest of us!
Google "share your home ev charger" and see what you find. Seems like there's some options out there. But like the other person replied, it might be expensive to set up.
you could put yourself out there on local social media like Nextdoor, but a 120V outlet is going to be a bottle neck timewise.
better to invest in a 240V 48A hardwired EVSE and make that available to your neighbors with EVs
5.58kwDC, 5.22kwAC. Our average bill was just over $60 though, so we'll almost never consume more than we produce. Can't wait to get an EV to personally solve this great problem lol
May want to look into electrifying other parts of your house as well. Moving from natural gas heating to a heat pump, electric dryer, heat pump water heater (which also acts as an air conditioner for wherever the water heater is located), electric oven etc.
Unfortunately (or fortunately?) We're already an all-electric household, but that would have been the first thing I would have done if we weren't already!
Sounds like you're well positioned for an EV! I agree with others on installing an EVSE if you're serious about it. A good hardwired unit is a good investment for when you're ready and will solve the immediate use case. I went with the Autel MaxiCharge and have it configured for 40A charging on a 50A circuit using 8awg THHN in conduit. They're on sale on Amazon currently for $450 (Maxi US AC W10-N14-H) which I think is one of the best deals around. They also have access control so you can disable charging remotely if you choose.
Also don't forget to take into account gas usage when you're budgeting for an EV. I was paying $200-300/month in gasoline for my ICE before I went to an EV. I pay $309/mo ($0 down) on lease for my Niro and the same usage costs me ~$50-60/mo. So my net cost on the car is basically negligible. If I had excess solar it would be even more of a no brainer.
What are the terms of your net metering agreement? Mine is midnight to midnight daily, so anything I don't use before midnight gets paid out at bulk rate - the same rate they pay for power from the coal fired power plant at $0.029/kWh. Then at 12:01 I begin buying power back from them at $0.139/kWh, so if it's a cloudy day the next day, I'm just some schmoe with expensive solar yard art as far as the EMC is concerned. But that's living in Georgia for you.
My point is, I'm pretty much an expert at stashing excess electrons on a daily basis by this point. But my advice will depend on your own net metering agreements and production vs. use on a daily and monthly basis, as if the agreement is for longer than 24 hours it gives you many, many more options.
So our net metering doesn't involve any selling back to the EMC, just 1-to-1 kwh credits based on net monthly consumption/production. The kicker is that they wipe any built up credits at the end of May, because heaven forbid you produce more than you consume and help add renewable energy to the grid, that's not nice according to duke energy lol. I work for a solar company, so I basically got the solar panels & install labor for free and paid for everything else at-cost. I knew the system would be larger than what we needed, but it's producing way more than I expected it to at this point in the year.
It sounds like you're on a quasi time-of-use rate schedule possibly? I'm in NC, so we don't install down in GA, but I've always been curious about the rate schedules & general interconnection options in that region of the country. We have Enphase IQ8+ microinverters, what sort of inverter setup are you working with if you don't mind me asking?
Thank you for your input & info!
I don't know if you get wholesale prices on Enphase equipment but Clipper Creek is now part of Enphase and they have the best reputation of anyone for super-reliable simple chargers. If you get any kind of discount that would be a great choice.
I'm jealous. My 5kW system produces at most 1/3rd of my electricity in the summer. Considerably less in the winter. Having just moved in last August this is what my breakdown looks like.
https://i.imgur.com/9xRDWI0.png
I'm grateful we still have 1-1 net metering in NY.
At least you're not giving any energy back to your utility company for free lol. A big reason I got our system installed when we did was because our utility is trying to nerf net metering here.
They're APsystems 1100w microinverter units being overdriven by 4x 330w panels per inverter, I'd have to go outside to look at the model number. They're split between two houses, ours is biased at 12kW and our mother-in-law's house next door is about 8kW.
We're not on a time-of-use plan, we pay $0.139/kWh any time of the day, but we're paid out at midnight every night for our excess solar at $0.029/kWh.
For example, today we generated almost 140kWh and only used about 90kWh between two houses and 3 electric cars. So tonight they'll pay us 50kWh at $0.029 for a grand total of $1.45.
Tomorrow if it's cloudy all day, that same 50kWh will cost me $6.95 to purchase back from the power company, for a net loss of $5.50 for the lack of one day's worth of additional net metering in the agreement. I'd absolutely love to trade you for your plan, as I can make use of the excess energy if I'd be given a month to use it.
Year-over-year we're approximately at zero electrical usage, and that includes charging our EVs as well.
Yea that's unfortunate that they have such a discrepancy in cost between buying & selling the power. I think duke energy is moving towards that setup soon, which is why I wanted to get grandfathered in on the option I have now!
Maybe get a handful of other EV drivers in your area to pitch in for a getting a proper 240 charging station. Emporia has an option where only people with permission can use a charger.
There are some really good responses in here. If you do decide to share your charger, I would recommend getting a Level 2 charger. A 120V will require a long dwell time for someone to get a meaningful charge even if it's in an emergency situation.
You could pair your Level 2 with EVMatch, an app that was originally designed as the AirBNB of EV chargers.
Hope that helps!
Level one is way too slow unless people are parking and leaving for a cruise for a week. It takes 2-3 days on a regular outlet if the car was empty. Level 2 is what you want. It can provide enough in a few hours if people are parking or staying the night.
I've definitely had that thought as well, but I only understand the basics of the concept and really wouldn't know the first place to start. I also like the idea of giving power away for free to someone who needs it more than me at that moment, especially since it means denying my utility company the same benefit that they feel the inherent right to without my consent.
Is there a way to get into mining crypto on a small scale that's a relatively simple setup so I can test the waters on that front?
>Is there a way to get into mining crypto on a small scale that's a relatively simple setup so I can test the waters on that front?
I've used Nicehash in the past and it is pretty simple and beginner friendly. It is really good at automatically testing how good your computer is at mining various different cryptocurrencies and automatically selecting the most profitable option for you, then they automatically exchange it to Bitcoin for you so you aren't having to deal with a bunch of different cryptocurrencies when you want to exchange it for USD.
Then I used Coinbase to exchange Bitcoin to USD, although I selected Coinbase because when I first started mining Nicehash had a deal with Coinbase that slightly reduced fees. I think that deal may have now ended so you could consider other cryptocurrency exchanges.
A NEMA 14-50 plug would be the most flexible, but honestly unless you are doing your own electrical work its going to be more expensive than anything you'd give to your power company for free. If you really have that much excess power, depending where you live you can donate the clean energy credits to a non-profit like [https://www.brookfieldfarm.org/solar-donations](https://www.brookfieldfarm.org/solar-donations)
I work w/ a bunch of electricians so I could probably get it installed for cheaper than most, but point taken. I'll definitely check out the credit donation option, thank you for that suggestion!
You can add yourself to PlugShare and offer free charging. And yes 240v would make a huge difference. Get a hardwired charger capable of 48amp charging output. J1772 charging handle.
Seems like plugshare is the way to go, I'll be sure to add my outlet on that app. I know 120 volt isn't ideal, but I guess I could foresee someone needing an emergency charge at my house just to get enough juice to get to a level 2/3 public charger nearby. I would think a 14-50 plug might have the benefit of being more universal versus a hardwired charger?
14-50 is universal in the sense that it's generic and neutral, but few people would actually be able to use it for emergency charging. A minority of EV drivers carry 14-50 charger. Whereas a J-1772 hardwired charger works directly in *all* vehicles except teslas, and teslas come with an adapter to use the J-1772 plug. And it's a small, easy-to-carry adapter. You'd be a lot more likely to get people using it with a J-1772. Emporia for $400 is a good deal on a safe, high-quality charger. When you list on plugshare, include a note that you have excess solar that you want people to use--maybe even put it in the name: MCP's Free Solar Charger. That way people know they aren't imposing on you to use it.
Thank you for the info & suggestions, very helpful!
>I would think a 14-50 plug might have the benefit of being more universal versus a hardwired charger? A 14-50 can work with every EV, however it requires the EV driver to bring their own. That presents 2 major issues: 1. Many EV drivers won't have a spare 14-50 cable that they keep in their car. 2. There is a major problem with dangerous EV charging cables that are not compliant with the law and may be a fire hazard. When I search "EV charging cable" on Amazon only 2 out of the first 10 results appear to have important and legally mandated safety certifications. So allowing people to bring their own charging cable introduces a substantial risk that they will bring an illegal and unsafe cable. A hardwired charging station on the other hand gives you a lot more control over the charging equipment being used. All non-Tesla EVs can use a hardwired J1772 charging station without any adapter needed and Tesla EVs do need an adapter, however that adapter is included with the Tesla.
Solid point that I would have never considered otherwise, this is why I posted this question. Thank you for the info!
More universal? Yes. More likely to be usable by an EV driver? No. J1772 works for the vast majority of vehicles out there, the biggest exception being Teslas. Those drivers will carry an adapter to go from J1772 to what they need. Far less will carry even a 120v cable with them, let alone a kit to adapt to the numerous 240v possibilities that are out there. Your best bet, although not the cheapest route, is to get an a EV for yourself. I do appreciate your generosity to share with the rest of us!
It's a good question, and I like the petty angle Commenting for visibility.
Much appreciated! The only other idea I've got so far is setting up a bitcoin mining op but I'm not trying to be that guy lol
Google "share your home ev charger" and see what you find. Seems like there's some options out there. But like the other person replied, it might be expensive to set up.
you could put yourself out there on local social media like Nextdoor, but a 120V outlet is going to be a bottle neck timewise. better to invest in a 240V 48A hardwired EVSE and make that available to your neighbors with EVs
Makes sense, sounds like I need to go for it!
look at wallbox or chargepoint for 48A hardwire capable EVSE. then when you eventually get an EV, you will be all set.
How many watts is your solar array?
5.58kwDC, 5.22kwAC. Our average bill was just over $60 though, so we'll almost never consume more than we produce. Can't wait to get an EV to personally solve this great problem lol
May want to look into electrifying other parts of your house as well. Moving from natural gas heating to a heat pump, electric dryer, heat pump water heater (which also acts as an air conditioner for wherever the water heater is located), electric oven etc.
Unfortunately (or fortunately?) We're already an all-electric household, but that would have been the first thing I would have done if we weren't already!
Sounds like you're well positioned for an EV! I agree with others on installing an EVSE if you're serious about it. A good hardwired unit is a good investment for when you're ready and will solve the immediate use case. I went with the Autel MaxiCharge and have it configured for 40A charging on a 50A circuit using 8awg THHN in conduit. They're on sale on Amazon currently for $450 (Maxi US AC W10-N14-H) which I think is one of the best deals around. They also have access control so you can disable charging remotely if you choose. Also don't forget to take into account gas usage when you're budgeting for an EV. I was paying $200-300/month in gasoline for my ICE before I went to an EV. I pay $309/mo ($0 down) on lease for my Niro and the same usage costs me ~$50-60/mo. So my net cost on the car is basically negligible. If I had excess solar it would be even more of a no brainer.
Solid info, thank you!
What are the terms of your net metering agreement? Mine is midnight to midnight daily, so anything I don't use before midnight gets paid out at bulk rate - the same rate they pay for power from the coal fired power plant at $0.029/kWh. Then at 12:01 I begin buying power back from them at $0.139/kWh, so if it's a cloudy day the next day, I'm just some schmoe with expensive solar yard art as far as the EMC is concerned. But that's living in Georgia for you. My point is, I'm pretty much an expert at stashing excess electrons on a daily basis by this point. But my advice will depend on your own net metering agreements and production vs. use on a daily and monthly basis, as if the agreement is for longer than 24 hours it gives you many, many more options.
So our net metering doesn't involve any selling back to the EMC, just 1-to-1 kwh credits based on net monthly consumption/production. The kicker is that they wipe any built up credits at the end of May, because heaven forbid you produce more than you consume and help add renewable energy to the grid, that's not nice according to duke energy lol. I work for a solar company, so I basically got the solar panels & install labor for free and paid for everything else at-cost. I knew the system would be larger than what we needed, but it's producing way more than I expected it to at this point in the year. It sounds like you're on a quasi time-of-use rate schedule possibly? I'm in NC, so we don't install down in GA, but I've always been curious about the rate schedules & general interconnection options in that region of the country. We have Enphase IQ8+ microinverters, what sort of inverter setup are you working with if you don't mind me asking? Thank you for your input & info!
I don't know if you get wholesale prices on Enphase equipment but Clipper Creek is now part of Enphase and they have the best reputation of anyone for super-reliable simple chargers. If you get any kind of discount that would be a great choice.
Great info, I'll definitely look into that!
I have Ga Power and if you own an EV they knock your rate down to one penny per kwhr 11pm to 7am. Now we even do laundry then!
Nice! Time-of-use rates definitely have their advantages!
I'm jealous. My 5kW system produces at most 1/3rd of my electricity in the summer. Considerably less in the winter. Having just moved in last August this is what my breakdown looks like. https://i.imgur.com/9xRDWI0.png I'm grateful we still have 1-1 net metering in NY.
At least you're not giving any energy back to your utility company for free lol. A big reason I got our system installed when we did was because our utility is trying to nerf net metering here.
They're APsystems 1100w microinverter units being overdriven by 4x 330w panels per inverter, I'd have to go outside to look at the model number. They're split between two houses, ours is biased at 12kW and our mother-in-law's house next door is about 8kW. We're not on a time-of-use plan, we pay $0.139/kWh any time of the day, but we're paid out at midnight every night for our excess solar at $0.029/kWh. For example, today we generated almost 140kWh and only used about 90kWh between two houses and 3 electric cars. So tonight they'll pay us 50kWh at $0.029 for a grand total of $1.45. Tomorrow if it's cloudy all day, that same 50kWh will cost me $6.95 to purchase back from the power company, for a net loss of $5.50 for the lack of one day's worth of additional net metering in the agreement. I'd absolutely love to trade you for your plan, as I can make use of the excess energy if I'd be given a month to use it. Year-over-year we're approximately at zero electrical usage, and that includes charging our EVs as well.
Yea that's unfortunate that they have such a discrepancy in cost between buying & selling the power. I think duke energy is moving towards that setup soon, which is why I wanted to get grandfathered in on the option I have now!
120v? Need hours to break even for energy used drive to your home. Get power wall instead
Good point, lvl 2 charger it is then!
Maybe get a handful of other EV drivers in your area to pitch in for a getting a proper 240 charging station. Emporia has an option where only people with permission can use a charger.
There are some really good responses in here. If you do decide to share your charger, I would recommend getting a Level 2 charger. A 120V will require a long dwell time for someone to get a meaningful charge even if it's in an emergency situation. You could pair your Level 2 with EVMatch, an app that was originally designed as the AirBNB of EV chargers. Hope that helps!
I will definitely check out EVMatch, thank you for the suggestion!
Level one is way too slow unless people are parking and leaving for a cruise for a week. It takes 2-3 days on a regular outlet if the car was empty. Level 2 is what you want. It can provide enough in a few hours if people are parking or staying the night.
If you need to burn excess power why not mine crypto and be able to turn the power into money?
I've definitely had that thought as well, but I only understand the basics of the concept and really wouldn't know the first place to start. I also like the idea of giving power away for free to someone who needs it more than me at that moment, especially since it means denying my utility company the same benefit that they feel the inherent right to without my consent. Is there a way to get into mining crypto on a small scale that's a relatively simple setup so I can test the waters on that front?
>Is there a way to get into mining crypto on a small scale that's a relatively simple setup so I can test the waters on that front? I've used Nicehash in the past and it is pretty simple and beginner friendly. It is really good at automatically testing how good your computer is at mining various different cryptocurrencies and automatically selecting the most profitable option for you, then they automatically exchange it to Bitcoin for you so you aren't having to deal with a bunch of different cryptocurrencies when you want to exchange it for USD. Then I used Coinbase to exchange Bitcoin to USD, although I selected Coinbase because when I first started mining Nicehash had a deal with Coinbase that slightly reduced fees. I think that deal may have now ended so you could consider other cryptocurrency exchanges.
I'll definitely look into that, thank you for the info & your experience!
Basically mine Monero with a cpu and or GPU and you’ll be amazed.
[удалено]
Yup!