Solar surplus diverted to electric storage heater

jkforde · 29-10-2021 3:41pm #1

Has anyone considered using \ diverting surplus solar into electric heat storage? I'm expecting replies like 'just get a\nother battery' but for bright, cold winter days, just thought I'd be another option to soak up surplus for evening use. (could just run an electric fan heater for immediate soakage!). then again, it's a storage medium that's pretty much obsolete >6mths of the year....

(yeah, work is slack today! 🤣)

graememk · 29-10-2021 6:13pm

I did have a smart plug running an oil heater at my parents in an outside office before getting a battery fitted. (Set at the low setting)

I had already the monitoring setup to allow me to do this. It was just a matter of flashing the smart plug to tasmota so it could easily be controlled over mqtt (and node red)

fluffykre · 30-10-2021 8:47pm

Looks like some people are using the myenergi eddi to accomplish this.

https://myenergi.info/storage-heater-for-a-eddi-unit-t1529.html

You could have output 1 attached to your immersion in your hot water cylinder and when that reaches temp it will switch to output 2 which could be attached to the heater

jkforde · 30-10-2021 10:33pm

that sounds like what I'm after, could use a storage type heater upstairs. I'll get on to myenergi and ask if they've any guidance.

irishchris · 31-10-2021 12:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118096100#Comment_118096100

Was looking at this a while back so let us know how you get on with it

jkforde · 31-10-2021 10:03am

realised that this heat storage route only makes economic sense if you can get a cheap 2nd hand unit, otherwise it's a costly one-trick pony that you'll only really use for 4-6mths.... so back to sourcing another battery...

bullit_dodger · 31-10-2021 11:20am

Since we're brainstorming, what about Bitcoin/etherium mining ? Have it so that your smart plug is configured to power on a PC when the surplus is (say) 400-500 watts for 15 minutes, then in your startup folder you have your mining software execute. When the surplus drops for 15 minutes (to avoid the single cloud scenario) then you "shutdown -m <computername>".

Just a thought....it would use your surplus, and on the bonus side you might make a few coins out of it.

the_amazing_raisin · 31-10-2021 12:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118097088#Comment_118097088

I think bitcoin mining is just about pointless now even when the power is free, the difficulty is so high that you won't be able to get anything out of it before it clouds up again

Ethereum is making a change soon that you'll have to pay some Ethereum soon to mine or something like that. I think it's an effort to stop people doing casual mining and favour the dedicated mining hardware

graememk · 31-10-2021 1:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118097276#Comment_118097276

theres always alt coins too...

mp3guy · 31-10-2021 2:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118097088#Comment_118097088

I already do this. It gives you much more money than any FIT would. But, it only makes financial sense if you already have a powerful enough GPU lying around for other reasons, e.g. gaming, video or work.

bullit_dodger · 31-10-2021 2:34pm

You and me both mp3guy :-)

Again, it's a viable way to burn some surplus if you have it. Even aside surplus, you get about 3x-4x the cost of the electricity back in the coins. It's a little off topic but there is a whole cryptocurrency folder on boards.ie if anyone is interested (I've never looked myself as its more a hobby than a serious income stream for me) .....but any decent card in the last 3 years would yield you a few quid a day. Newer cards like a 3080Ti or a 3090 are about €5/day.

Solar surplus diverted to electric storage heater

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