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31
Solar / Re: Free Panels !
Last post by SparWeb -
I first met Pierre almost 10 years ago when I started going to meetings of a group of RE enthusiasts, and started shooting my mouth off like I was doing on Fieldlines at the time.  Then this charismatic fellow got up and told me about HIS impressive system, and I sat down humbled but impressed. 
He's been a cheerleader for my projects for a long time, too.  Whereas I had several ideas who would be a good local installer for my solar panels, he knew the best, and he was right.  When I was switching to a new retailer for my electricity contract, he already knew the right ones.
32
Solar / Re: Free Panels !
Last post by MaryB -
WOW! I need friends like that LOL

3600 watts of panels is huge!
33
Solar / Free Panels !
Last post by SparWeb -
A good friend of mine has just gifted me something amazing.

20 Longi LR4 360W panels.

Wow.  I'm lucky to have the friends I do.

34
Wind Power Machines / Cumulative Wind Energy
Last post by SparWeb -
Last December, I put in an energy meter to keep track of production from the wind turbine.
It's installed just below the battery charge controller, on a custom bracket I made, to give it a fairly nice look. 
The meter isn't measuring 2-way traffic on the battery, as it's designed to.  It's just measuring inputs from wind that charge the battery, only.  There's a a little "0%" digit in the upper corner that you just have to ignore because it's meaningless.

The meter looks like what it is: a little energy meter I bought off of Amazon.  It's from one of the very few sellers that doesn't seem fly-by-night, because they haven't changed their name 6 times in the past year.  The name DROK doesn't inspire much, but it's been selling on Amazon for a long time and I've got several of their meters installed here and there, and happy with them all.

Anyway, it's been counting the kilowatt-hours for two months and it's been a pretty constant 4 kWhr per day for the whole time, except one week with no wind (or sun = Dunkelflaute).
The trend won't hold up through the rest of the year - I've already had an energy meter tracking my wind production years ago, and it was obvious that summer has less wind than the winter.  A safe forecast is 1000 kWhr per year. Same as what I measured several years ago, which is also showing in this trend so far.
35
Solar / Re: My first year of solar
Last post by SparWeb -
Quote from: MaryB – on
Relay module I use https://www.morningstarcorp.com/products/relay-driver/ can monitor battery voltage then have 2 triggered events.
Thanks! That device looks very handy.  Seems to do the thing I am trying to do in my other gadget idea.


Quote from: MaryB – on
Main reason I installed this was to not be starting a generator when it was -20f! 
That's also what indoor plumbing was invented for :/
36
Solar / Re: My first year of solar
Last post by MaryB -
Quote from: SparWeb – on
Quote from: MaryB – on
My panels are fixed at 45 degrees

Are they arranged in 2 rows?  I've noticed some people with 2 rows of panels like I do, opt to have the upper row tilt up and down, depending on the season, but always leaving the lower row down.  When you think about it, it's obvious you don't want to tilt up a lower row because it will shadow the upper row.

2 rows fixed... I have plenty of solar year round, In the 10+ years since I put them in I have yet to use the outboard charger. Using a programmable relay module to monitor voltage and solid state relays I can drop the 2 inverters offline as needed and their loads drop back on grid. Keeps batteries happy and those loads have transfer switches on them so it is automatic. I run 2 2KW inverters(and a third 1kw that can feed the TV /audio system but I rarely have that one on). Typically see the inverters shut off 4 and 6 hours after sundown. I only run the fridge, 2 chest freezers, and some lighting(that is direct to the battery but LED so draw is minimal).  What I deem my critical loads that need to survive power outages.

Main reason I installed this was to not be starting a generator when it was -20f! 

Relay module I use https://www.morningstarcorp.com/products/relay-driver/ can monitor battery voltage then have 2 triggered events.
37
Solar / Re: My first year of solar
Last post by SparWeb -
Quote from: MaryB – on
My panels are fixed at 45 degrees

Are they arranged in 2 rows?  I've noticed some people with 2 rows of panels like I do, opt to have the upper row tilt up and down, depending on the season, but always leaving the lower row down.  When you think about it, it's obvious you don't want to tilt up a lower row because it will shadow the upper row.
38
Solar / Re: My first year of solar
Last post by SparWeb -
I came about 70kWhr away from finding out if the utility (or the retail company that bills me) cuts off the annual export rate if my annual production exceeds the imports.  I've wondered...  does it happen like that?
39
Solar / Re: My first year of solar
Last post by SparWeb -
A couple of reasons not to have tiltable panels on the garage roof.

Unfortunately, I am bound by a contract that does not have flexibility to reposition panels, unless I want to go back and re-negotiate with the utility company.  Not out of the question, but the thing's in balance now, so I'm fine.

Also, the racking the contractor used is simply not adjustable without replacing a lot of parts. 

Lastly, there's a a lot of snow blown-in and packed under these panels, now so I figure increasing the angle will increase the snow-load on the garage roof.  Even though I got a contractor to set up the panel arrangement, I did some back-of-the envelope math on the roof load and the (yeah yeah) cheap rafters on the garage.  Not a lot of margin, so having a higher snow load doesn't sound like a good idea.

That said...

I'm gonna get an EV soon.  That will throw off the precious balance.  Then, yeah, I'll need to do something!
40
Solar / Re: My first year of solar
Last post by Bruce S -
As you say, that's just about perfect!
Here in Missouri, the net-metering reset to zero on the 366th day of your start day, so anything left from the balance is freebie to the Mains provider.
The other cool part of the picture is catching the windmill on motion too.

Congrats!!
Bruce S