The Panels at Purdyville

The Panels at Purdyville Whether you're a tree hugger or a person who hugs technology, this page is for you. Look here for pictures and updates on the solar panels at Purdyville.

The Panels at Purdyville got a much-needed bath this morning. Turns out, the pollen sticks to the panels like glue and ...
04/13/2019

The Panels at Purdyville got a much-needed bath this morning. Turns out, the pollen sticks to the panels like glue and will not rinse off without some scrubbing. Here are some pics to give you an idea of the before and after.

09/23/2018

It's been just over four years since we installed the solar panels, so I figured an update was in order. In June I installed a Sense energy monitor to more closely track my solar production. What I have learned from the monitor is that the panels are saving me a lot more money than I thought! In July and August, the panels produced just over 640kWh each month. That number was reduced significantly in September because of the angle of the sun and the increased cloudiness, but I'm still pleased with the production I'm seeing. I'll try to share more numbers as the months go by.

01/09/2016

It's been a year and a half since the panels were installed. I see that folks are still checking out this page, so I guess an update is in order.

Have I saved money? I don't know. I was participating in a program with our electric utility that charged different rates at different times of the day. It's called the TOUCH program. That program was saving me money. However, when I started selling electricity back to the utility company, they had to take me out of the TOUCH program. It seems like any money I saved with the panels was wiped out by leaving the TOUCH program. So it's been a wash.

What was the most difficult part? Easy. The state tax return was a big hassle. Thankfully, a CPA in Hammond helped me through it. I'm so thankful for her help. Let me know if you're looking for a good CPA. These people are the best. In the end, I got all the money that was promised, but it got a little tense at times.

Have there been problems? The biggest problem was a leak in the roof. I don't blame the installers. They did a good job, but I have a very shallow slope on my roof. The problem is with the design of the panels. They stand about 8 inches off the roof. That's just enough room for pine straw and other stuff to collect underneath. If too much stuff collects, it can make drainage off the roof a problem. During a really heavy, long duration rain event we got a leak. Once I cleared out the pine straw, it went away.

Would I do it again? Sure! It's been interesting. The panels themselves are no trouble at all. I sort of forget they're up there. I never did it for the money. I did it because I wanted solar panels and I could get them at no cost to me. Mission accomplished.

I hope this has been helpful. Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

07/18/2014

Confirming once again that solar panels are powered by ultraviolet light which easily penetrates clouds, the panels topped the 5kW mark on Thursday. Thursday was cloudy all day, so I was expecting a much lower peak. It looks like it will rain most of the day today. Time will tell how that affects solar panel output. As I recall, water is very effective at absorbing ultraviolet light.

07/16/2014

So there's a new twist in the ongoing saga of the Panels at Purdyville. We had been participating in Cleco's TOUCH program that charged $0.045 per kWh during off-peak hours, and $0.18 per kWh during peak times (1pm-7pm M-F, May-Sep.). As it turns out, Cleco customers cannot participate in the TOUCH program while also participating in the Net Metering (where you sell unused electricity back to Cleco) program. So now we pay $0.07125 per kWh for all of our electricity no matter when we use it. It remains to be seen if we are better off going back on the TOUCH program (despite its semi-creepy name) or if we should stay on the Net Metering program. Stay tuned!

07/14/2014

So we reached a new peak power output today! The panels pumpd out 5450 watts today. That's pretty good for my less-than-ideal location. I can't wait for the next summer solstice!

07/12/2014

Your lights may shine a bit brighter. Your hair dryer may dry a bit better. Tonight I am glad to report that the Panels at Purdyville are pumping electricity back onto the grid. The fine folks at Cleco stopped by and reprogrammed our meter to give us credit for the kilowatt hours we are producing above the ones we use. That's right! The electrons that now power your Facebook display device might very well have been generated by the Panels at Purdyville.

07/09/2014

So Cleco guy #1 stopped by to give the panels his stamp of approval. He promised yet another Cleco guy would stop by in a couple days to reprogram our meter so we can sell electricity back to Cleco.

Here is another solar powered resident of Purdyville.
07/09/2014

Here is another solar powered resident of Purdyville.

07/09/2014

Today marks the one week anniversary of the panels' installation. We have topped 5kw of power on most days, but our peak power will continue to drop as the sun gets lower in the sky. The city inspector came by and gave the installers two thumbs up. We are still waiting for Cleco. I hope they get here soon.

The panels reached a new peak output today! Even with the storm debris on them, they peaked out at 5451 watts.
07/03/2014

The panels reached a new peak output today! Even with the storm debris on them, they peaked out at 5451 watts.

07/02/2014

So the panels are getting tested early. About four hours after the installers left, a big rain shower drenched Purdyville and provided plenty of flying pine cones and sticks to test impact resistance.

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114 Lilly Scott Drive
Pineville, LA
71360

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