More Solar for "Us"

[MrWizard]

Ok, I went off.the deep end?
Bought 3 used 37watt uni-solar panels and a blue sky 2000e controller for the hefty price of $400,
They were being listed as 75w panels, they are not

The tested open circuit voltage was 21+, short circuit amps 2.9
I tested each panel multiple times tilted into the sun and laying flat on the ground , got the same readings each way, that was the deciding factor, they appear to put out full power while laying flat, I will try to mount them tomorrow before it gets hot, right now 104°F
I will use the existing wiring until I buy & install the new wire

[MrWizard]

March 29 2015, Sunday
18.15 peak amps
245.7. Peak watts

1689.2 watt hrs aka 1.689 kw hrs
126.92 amp hrs

In the sun all day, charging batteries, running fans, fridge laptop, etc..

[MrWizard]

Drove from LA to Quartzite
1118.7 watt hrs
81.97 amp hrs

Xantrex C40 PWM controller. 505w flat on roof

[pianotuna]

Hi Mr Wizard,

Almost a kilowatt at this time of year and on a flat install. One has to be pleased with those numbers. Thank you for sharing them.

[mena661]

Thanks again MrWiz for these posts.

[jrnymn7]

Perhaps one of these would be more efficient, while at computer; both heat wise and power wise?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/120-Volt-100-Watt-Heated-Rubber-Foot-Warmer-Mat-Use-Sitting-Or-Standing-/4008...

[MrWizard]

sat Dec 13-2014
crystal clear blue sky cool air
Solar Haul

930.3 Watt hrs
69.89 Amp Hrs

BUT..this equals 1.84 hours of full panel potential
these solar charts that list location data and say X.X hrs
are avg across the year for panels fixed and tilted to face the sun

friday night was a (for us) heavy power night
3 hrs of TV, several hrs of PC afterwards
and 2 hrs or more of 200w 120v electric heater warming my feet & legs while i sat at the computer

yep electric heat powered from the inverter about 18amps drain at 12v
40~50 ampHrs to keep me warm while using the PC
the front end of this rv gets cool/cold at night
we also used the electric blanket on the bed friday night and last night

anyway heavy use friday night. good clear sky on Sat..
equal a nice Solar haul..and yes i used the generator and 100amp wfco to make up the difference

i don't use my little "personal heater" very often, but its nice to have around

its main use is when on the road, i use it on inverter power, to warm the bedroom on sleep breaks and overnight stops, the driving restores the power charge to the house batteries

[jrnymn7]

Sorry, Mr. Wizard... I got carried away.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Definition: THREAD

[MrWizard]

excuse me guys

this is NOT the { tilt ..No tilt } discussion thread

you can do that in the OT from jrynmn7

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I have to agree on the Amorphous panels. I could squeeze twice as much wattage on if I had gone poly in the same space. However, if you are a weekend camper or a one week per every two months then huge wattage is not so necessary.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Use a pencil on a suction cup. Adjust for smallest shadow. Make any tilt mount continuously variable.

No issues with panels getting hot at -30 C. Or even at -5 C.

jrnymn7 wrote:
I'm thinking I need to either get an angle finder, or brush up on my trigonometry. Either way, it would be nice to keep record of what angle of tilt works best throughout the year, for quick reference in the future.

[CA_Traveler]

Search the solar installations for 4 way tilting. Someone did that.

[CA_Traveler]

No need for trig. Use one of the on line apps for a right triangle. Or download one to your phone or download an inclometer app to your phone.

[JiminDenver]

jrnymn7 wrote:



From what I can gather, in the real world, amorphous perform the best, followed by poly, followed by mono, despite what is said about monos being more efficient than poly's.

Best is subjective. What is best for your scenario would be a better way of putting it. Be in a normally sunny area and Mono's have the smallest footprint meaning you may get more watts on the roof. Amorphous are the low light kings but can you get enough on the roof to cover your needs. Polys are right in the middle with a slightly bigger foot print and not quite as much production in low light.

In our situation, we are right in the middle too with both intensely sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons being the norm. When the monsoon comes I don't think even amorphous would cover our needs but may stretch the battery a bit longer. We'd have the Champ if we were camping then so it wouldn't make a huge difference. (charge early and see if the panels couldn't hold float for the rest)

[jrnymn7]

I'm thinking I need to either get an angle finder, or brush up on my trigonometry. Either way, it would be nice to keep record of what angle of tilt works best throughout the year, for quick reference in the future.

And as BFL pointed out, there will be a need to compromise at times, and accept the overall haul for what it is, without getting into a very intricate and complicated, not to mention expensive, install. Like with many things, it seems to be a matter of return on investment, be it monetary, labour, or whatever.

My roof is only about 8'8", so access wouldn't be terribly difficult, so I'm thinking various tilting options would suffice, without getting into multi-directional tracking. I had mentioned in another thread about an idea I got from one of the truck camper roof installs, where the OP hinged one end of the panels, and used barrel bolts on the other. It occurred to me you could use 8 barrel bolts, two on each corner, and they would double as hinges. You would then have 4 tilting options. Certainly not 100% effective, but still considerably better than a flat-only install.

Best case scenario in winter, I could park east/west, and tilt all four panels up high (standing about 5' tall), facing south, with straps to secure them from the wind. In spring and fall, I could tilt them slightly toward the east, then south, then west. And in summer, leave them flat. I think a single(ladder like) aluminum channel frame, mounted at 6 spots, would suffice.

But I think I would still keep a couple of 100 watters around, as portables, for shade parking in summer.

From what I can gather, in the real world, amorphous perform the best, followed by poly, followed by mono, despite what is said about monos being more efficient than poly's.