Clearing the snow from the solar panels

I love technical data on graphs. Was this graph from output of the controller or did you DIY it?

DarkSkySeeker wrote:
I love technical data on graphs. Was this graph from output of the controller or did you DIY it?

DIY. I have Morningstar controllers and have basically re-engineered their free MSView software into the Raspberry(RPI).

One big improvement is that the RPI connects to my hotspot and provides a web server that I can reach through any web browser device which is also connected to my hotspot. The graph is a screenshot posted from my workstation located inside the house. The van is in the driveway.

Here is a 10 day stacked-bar graph showing the daily Amp hours of charging from the two controllers. I included the Firefox window where you can see the IP Address of the RPI.

Even a light coating of dust will kill output. Had panels on our boat and if the output was low, did a quick rinse and brush with fresh water and you would see the output double.

Not as difficult on an RV but watch for shadows. A surprisingly small shadow will kill output.

full_mosey wrote:
DIY. I have Morningstar controllers and have basically re-engineered their free MSView software into the Raspberry(RPI).

Very cool. I have several RPIs and Arduinos, but have not tapped into my solar controller. I like the portability of the RPI for wireless internet access in the RV.