Solar power

Would have to analyze the tracker. We get a lot of dirt blowing that would raise hell with gear drives. There is obviously a trade off between increased production and increased system cost. The tracker will cost more in maintenance??? Right now we have no moving parts.

Joe we have heard of some efficiencies getting close to 50% in the lab. If they can get them into the field, the individuals in the metro areas may find them more usefull. It is said that the efficiency is only important if you have limited space, however, at 0600 this morning our system was showing

56w and while I could see the sun, the angle to the panels was close to zero. Our efficiency helps there and yes we live in an area that must get 370 days/yr of sun. Right now at 19:43 with complete cloud coverage we are still showing 105w. Total for the day 86kwh. about twice our previous daily average. I wonder what SCE will pay for the power we put into the grid??

Since I haven't signed any kind of non-disclosure, here is the web site URL for my PV tracking customer:

Paul

Thats pretty new stuff, isnt it?

Gunner

One could not be a successful Leftwinger without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of Leftwingers, a goodly number of Leftwingers are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. Gunner Asch

What sort of drive mechanism should a DIYer look for that has proven to last?

The only similar experience I have is with a 1950's antenna rotator, which is weatherproof, reliable and easy to maintain but not very powerful.

I have several hand-powered rope and pulley systems around the house that have held up well to the weather. Some use home-made imitations of (expensive) marine hardware, mainly in brass and stainless with polyester rope or steel cable. The rope stretches enough to absorb the shock of falling branches well. Only ice storms jam them, and only until the sun comes back out.

The most exposed ones are the clotheslines which extend back 50 feet under tall trees. Cheap clothesline rope and pulleys last for many years despite ice storms and branches.

jsw

Gunner: It is new stuff coming from Coors!! Evidently Coors has a ceramics lab that is more exciting than their beer. Initial data seems to have a

15kw battery the size of a small refrigerator that can be discharged and charged every day for 10yrs. Estimated price: $2,000. This is some technology that we are following. With development, in both the battery and impoved solar cell efficiencies, apartments living off the grid may be possible.

Since I haven't signed any kind of non-disclosure, here is the web site URL for my PV tracking customer:

Paul

Paul: Thanks for the link. The photos don't look like a very sturdy installation. I'm going to ask them about wind loading. We have seen 80mph winds here in the desert and 50mph gusts aren't unusual. It does look like we could get more from less # panels. However, we would lose our car port..tee hee. I'll ask them about the cost of one of their 20 panel trackers. Thanks again for the link

Marketing research, love it. So a thumbs down. From the picture(s) you could put them on one mount. BTW, was that around 8,000kb per picture? Seemed to load awfully slow. Have you really been to Spain or are ya taking a jab about the billion $ to Spain instead of a US company? Thanks for the input.

SW

And your marketing research seems to be a thumbs sideways, my salesman will be banging on your door any second, just kidding. Sand has been in the design factor all along, no problem. The tracker cost way less per watt than what the panels cost per watt to add more statically. Not sure about maintenance for sure yet, maybe grease it once a year. That and wash the guidance system while cleaning what ever is on the platform. Thanks for the input.

SW

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The questionable or downright stupid use of tax dollars by area school

Even the best batteries have a life span and will need replacement. And as they get older their capacity diminishes.

Thank You, Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

He's an astute fellow in the same way that GW was the environmental president. "Nowadays, standard monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels both have established proven track records with life expectancies that exceed 40 years. Manufacturers of these proven technologies are now comfortable offering warranties of 25 years or more"

Go here

your info. Change the cost per W to reflect your ability to pay less than full-boat retail. This article that the average retail in my area is $5.

Wayne

Make sure your roof is in good shape before you install PV panels. Most roofers will require you to have the panels removed before they will work on your roof. Removal and reinstallation can be expensive.

Thank You, Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

they were a 1mb picture when i uploaded them, i have no idea what picturetrail did to them. i assumed that they did some sort of compression on them.

44 panels on one mount? that would be pretty big and tall, if it had to track both dawn and sunset. furthermore, since my house faces sw, it would have to be in the front yard. that would definitely be a nogo by swmbo.

yes, i recently spent 1.5 weeks driving around the south of spain. they are going big into solar cells. i saw acres of panel installations. few were trackers; pedestal mounted for the most part. most though were fixed inclination, looked around 25 degrees or so.

depending upon installation method, it may only be a matter of unplugging a patch cord and loosening 4 bolts for removal. the supports can be treated as simple roof penetrations.

"Stu Fields" on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:17:58 -0700 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

This is one of those questions I have, why does a wind turbine _have_ to look like a airplane propeller? I keep thinking of the roof top 'turbines' used to draw hot air out of an attic space. So it seems to me that it would not be that difficult to build a "squirrel cage" fan on it's side so that the axis is vertical. If you want, you could make a pivoting shroud to open into the wind. Might want to make the intake 'larger' than the exit, get a little boost ...

Just saw an announcement where DOE is looking to fund research in Static PV concentrator... Also battery development is proceeding. Now most of the time I execute a good idea after its time. Did I this time execute before its time??? Well as usual, "Time will Tell". Present reading @10:32 is 4.6kw and 9.0kwh so far today. Life time production to date:

265kwh. We are at 5.5 days for an average of 48kwh/day which is more than our avg. consumption. Look out Utilities commission there is a new power generation plant in existence. We might be able to sell an average of 2kwh/day. At our rates that would be $0.48/day except they ain't going to buy at the same rate that they sell. I'm the only one that uses that business model.

There are several types of vertical-shaft turbines, including some that draw air in at the bottom of a column and exhaust it at the top. One type uses solar energy to heat the column and force the draft.

But more common vertical-shaft types are the Darrieus and Savonius rotors. The latter is a simple drag rotor, like an anemometer, and designs are available that have an efficiency of 16%. A conventional, horizontal-shaft turbine averages around 35% at best. This is disregarding a lot of physics, including the Betz limit, which the technoids will now jump on and use to complicate the issue beyond all recognition.

Savonius rotors are fun to build and make a nice hobby project, including a rare-earth-magnet alternator you can make from junk, and use to generate

20W - 50W in modest sizes. (Don't put cores in the alternator poles or you'll get a nasty cogging effect that makes them hard to start.) They're good in gusty conditions, compared to other types.

"Ed Huntress" on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:41:09

-0400 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Cool.

I'd build one, but I get so much "windshadow" from the trees, hills, (I can see the wind blowing 'uyp there' - and none of it down here) and whatnot ... maybe I'll make a steam engine.

pyotr

Or try a Stirling, if you just want a small project. No pressure gauges, no feed pumps, no blowups, no boiler cleaning...