Advice for DIY Solar Install.

[Bigvanish]

Well the arrays been mounted. Still have to tidy the wiring up a little but she's making electricity. Surprised just how high the output rises on a bright sunny day. Not so productive on a grey rainy day unfortunately.

 

[johnb2713]

Not so productive on a grey rainy day unfortunately.

Just wait for winter time........

 

[Bigvanish]

Just wait for winter time........

Eeek, hopefully by then the obsession with monitoring Kw's will have subsided...

 

[johnb2713]

Eeek, hopefully by then the obsession with monitoring Kw's will have subsided...

......... it wont

 

[bladerunnerpv]

Well the arrays been mounted. Still have to tidy the wiring up a little but she's making electricity. Surprised just how high the output rises on a bright sunny day. Not so productive on a grey rainy day unfortunately.

Congratulations.

Now you just need a wind turbine for that big field....

 

[Bigvanish]

Congratulations.

Now you just need a wind turbine for that big field....

I have spent a long time researching that also!, I would love to supplement the system with some wind input. I need to allow my finances to recover first. A lot of forums saying they just end up as expensive weather vanes....

 

[bladerunnerpv]

Cool, I think that's for a built up area, it sounds like you have opportunity to keep it away from buildings and trees, allowing clean airflow. Savonius designs looked interesting as they look more tolerant to changing wind direction. I was hopeful I could use wind but I'm on a housing estate - space, noise, airflow all work against it sadly.

As an aside just think of all the telegraph posts around the country and how much energy could be generated with a savonious on top, or even just a small turbine as used for some roadside speed monitoring, it all adds up, paint 'em green and they'll soon blend into the landscape so to speak. There's probably some factor I'm missing as I've not looked into it, just feels like a missed opportunity.

 

[Bigvanish]

Cool, I think that's for a built up area, it sounds like you have opportunity to keep it away from buildings and trees, allowing clean airflow. Savonius designs looked interesting as they look more tolerant to changing wind direction. I was hopeful I could use wind but I'm on a housing estate - space, noise, airflow all work against it sadly.

As an aside just think of all the telegraph posts around the country and how much energy could be generated with a savonious on top, or even just a small turbine as used for some roadside speed monitoring, it all adds up, paint 'em green and they'll soon blend into the landscape so to speak. There's probably some factor I'm missing as I've not looked into it, just feels like a missed opportunity.

I hear you!, in the summer we have a low demand of about 200w per hour over night and a small turbine would be ideal to cover these needs until the suns up. I purchased a book titled "Wind Energy for the rest of us", Its incredibly detailed but at a level an amateur can follow. It looks at everything from small micro turbines up to huge industrial units and details considerations around placement of turbines and the effect of wind turbulence. My wife's bored out of her brains listening to me waffling on about it all . I am hoping to get the current install signed off with the DNO before I visit further options ( I currently have export switched off completely until this is sorted). This whole energy saving nonsense is starting to consume me and unfortunately I am one of those people who wants to do it all myself. This often leans to head scratching and many sleepless nights pondering solutions to problems.....