Hello, this is my first post. I have a technical background but a pure novice re solar. I am on our HOA Facilities Committee. This morning I was asked to research this question. This looks like a great place to get started.
We have a pond fountain which operates from sunup to sundown 6 month per year, May through October. It has a 5hp, 220v, 3 phase motor. This fountain along with a minor LED street light load has its own meter. We live in SE PA about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. The fountain uses about 2100 kWh per month during the operating season, less than $1900 per year.
Would it make sense to install a stand alone solar system to power this pump? My gut says no but I do not know for sure. Some questions I have:
1. Stand alone means we need storage for early morning, late afternoons and cloudy days, right? Storage investment and maintenance may be showstoppers. Alternatively we could tie into the utility meter and view our system as supplemental.
2. If a stand alone is not practical and we tie in to the utility, then it seems we should install as many panels as we have room for since a bigger system would have a faster payback, right?
3. How would we handle the 3-5x peak motor startup current?
Thanks for helping me get started. If we had no infrastructure in place, I can see the possibility of a solar solution. But we already have everything in place and spend less than $1900 per year in electricity. This provides little incentive for investment. Also, an agricultural pumping system can pump during peak solar and store water. In our fountain scenario, we will have to store electricity or tie into utility.
We have a pond fountain which operates from sunup to sundown 6 month per year, May through October. It has a 5hp, 220v, 3 phase motor. This fountain along with a minor LED street light load has its own meter. We live in SE PA about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. The fountain uses about 2100 kWh per month during the operating season, less than $1900 per year.
Would it make sense to install a stand alone solar system to power this pump? My gut says no but I do not know for sure. Some questions I have:
1. Stand alone means we need storage for early morning, late afternoons and cloudy days, right? Storage investment and maintenance may be showstoppers. Alternatively we could tie into the utility meter and view our system as supplemental.
2. If a stand alone is not practical and we tie in to the utility, then it seems we should install as many panels as we have room for since a bigger system would have a faster payback, right?
3. How would we handle the 3-5x peak motor startup current?
Thanks for helping me get started. If we had no infrastructure in place, I can see the possibility of a solar solution. But we already have everything in place and spend less than $1900 per year in electricity. This provides little incentive for investment. Also, an agricultural pumping system can pump during peak solar and store water. In our fountain scenario, we will have to store electricity or tie into utility.