u/xprof1

We recently got 10kW of solar panels installed on our roof, along with an 10 kWh enphase battery. I live in Fort Worth Texas. The battery usually fills up by ~1:00, so we have excess production capacity in the afternoon and nothing to do with it. The primary use is cooling. Once the sun goes down, we run off battery until around 11:00, and then on the grid until sunup.

Do y’all have any ideas on how to best utilize the excess production? Currently we’re trying to cool down the house as much as possible during the excess production period. I was thinking about an ice battery system, or maybe signing up for a VPP program, but I’m wondering if there’s other ways to use the excess energy.

I want to do a 4-day (commercial) trip in early June with my family. We're 4 adults and fairly experienced. We've done the Grand Canyon twice - one upper Canyon (6 days) and one full Canyon (15 days!). We've also done the middle fork of the Salmon, and a few smaller runs like the Arkansas and some day trips on the Rogue. We really enjoy the camping on the river experience, and the way a small tribe forms among the people rafting together.

What would you suggest would be a good next adventure for us? It would need to be a commercial trip since we haven't learned how to guide ourselves yet. That's definitely on the list!