Third solar panel at the Hemlocks' lessons learned - first blush report

Third solar panel at the Hemlocks' lessons learned - first blush report

 

From an email to my relatives…..

 

1)  I ignore the solar fad these days and try just to be selfish, like will it (the three combined solar panels) help the Hemlocks ( east Tennessee) or not.  First blush, it will help the Hemlocks.  I hooked up the third solar panel about two days ago.

2)  I do use a “high tech” solar controller (MPPT – Maximum Power Point Tracking), which tries (by design) to best manage the solar panel output to the batteries, like send the most electricity to the battery bank that makes sense at the time.

3)  One can overcharge a battery bank, and ruin it.  That’s why your car even has a voltage regulator to do the same thing.

4)  Batteries have a lifetime, kind of like people.  The Hemlocks present battery lifetime is around 8 years, which means the present marine (deep cycle) batteries (six) should be replaced around 2020. Now that is a budget item, like $1,200 in 2012 prices.

4a)  The panels and batteries are all hooked in parallel, vice series. The standard the Hemlocks uses is the 12 volt standard, like in an RV (recreational vehicle).

5)  The Hemlocks solar bank is a back up to a water turbine powered backup to the public power here, which is TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority).  The solar bank is the only backup with no moving parts.

5a)  The main house is independently wired for an independent RV type system that is tied to the micro hydro turbo plant. There are two outlets, one in the kitchen and one in the main house back room that have “H’s” on them. The solar plant is independent of both.

6)  The third solar panel (100 watts each) (with the MPPT solar controller (from China)) mostly helps the Hemlocks in low light and indirect light situations, like on the front porch where it is presently setup. If one moves the panels around (to chase the sun) , and sends the output from a DC/AC converter via a high capacity electric cable (with lower electrical resistance) , then two panels should meet the Hemlocks requirement, which is basically to live better than Abraham Lincoln had to live. The Hemlocks also has a tent to try cover this setup at night, if it even comes to pass.  It is not setup right now. Also the sun presently rises in the back side of the main house, but does set in the front of the main house, which also provides direct sunlight to the panels as presently set up on the front porch.

7)  Solar panels do get dusty, and cleaning them (like with Windex) about every 8 weeks is a good idea to maximize their output. Of course, it can be seasonal, too, depending on where you live. Think local pollen dust as a good example.

8)  The Hemlocks is not that good a solar place. My idea of a better solar place is in the SW USA, like the more desert areas. (By the way, and generally speaking, this is also not a very good wind generation place.)  I have been to much better wind places, like Altamont Pass in California.

9)  Now I plan to use the local solar plant even now to routinely do the following things:

        a) Do monthly barber shop and beauty parlor things that require electricity.

        b)  Recharge all my rechargeable batteries on a monthly basis.

10)  If I “chase the sun’s direct rays”, then I am pretty sure I could also maintain the 4.8 cu ft freezer, which is mostly full like a full seed bank.  My calculations suggest so, but testing it out is my main method to make myself happy.

11)  Most electric light bulbs are rated at energy levels like 60 watts use and higher, just to put things in perspective.

12)  The Hemlocks presently has two DC/AC converters that work. Just hook one up to the battery bank and go from there.  These converters do  have some losses, too.