tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post4171419446096481100..comments2023-07-22T10:29:47.474-05:00Comments on Photovoltaic systems and renewable energy: PV System UpgradeJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09163146438033538446noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-36625474362765929172007-10-30T14:26:00.000-05:002007-10-30T14:26:00.000-05:00No fossil fuels, eh? You do realize that doing so ...No fossil fuels, eh? You do realize that doing so will lead to further global warming? Which (oddly enough) will increase your PV efficiency because more solar radiation will reach earth due to fewer particles in the atmosphere. The best way to stop global warming is to burn as much carbon as well can to block on the sun (ONLY source of energy [read HEAT] on our planet besides nuclear)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-56044455660430725112007-10-25T19:23:00.000-05:002007-10-25T19:23:00.000-05:00niharika,send me another message with your email a...niharika,<BR/><BR/>send me another message with your email address and I'll respond. I have to avoid spammers you know. I'll protect your email address by not publishing it.<BR/><BR/>sjJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09163146438033538446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-87334109003953952752007-10-25T04:35:00.000-05:002007-10-25T04:35:00.000-05:00Hi John,Thank you for useful information. I am an ...Hi John,<BR/>Thank you for useful information. I am an Indian from a rural village, currently working in UK but goback to India in Feb08. I am very interested in Solar electricity. Our village has 6-8 hours power everyday. I would like to contact you over email. please let me know email id.<BR/><BR/>Regards,<BR/>santhoshNiharikahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15251911911265525405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-44666901034609148102007-10-24T16:41:00.000-05:002007-10-24T16:41:00.000-05:0020W is high, though I guess I was thinking of the ...20W is high, though I guess I was thinking of the night-time draw.<BR/><BR/>On the whole I think polling is the right thing to do for slowly-changing inputs, rather than having to set an arbitrary voltage threshold for an interrupt and then debounce it. Indeed, all my hardware experience (eg from robotics) says to avoid interrupts unless really necessary!<BR/><BR/>Rgds<BR/><BR/>DamonUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642207670550763486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-66659845551246322552007-10-22T19:12:00.000-05:002007-10-22T19:12:00.000-05:00Thanks for the comment d.I believe the Outback dra...Thanks for the comment d.<BR/><BR/>I believe the Outback draws 20 watts when it's awake. I don't know how much power is consumed at night. Another troubling thing about the Outback is that it periodically checks for the presence of power from the panels. That's like picking up the telephone every few minutes to see if anyone is calling. An interrupt-driven system would be better. <BR/><BR/>sjJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09163146438033538446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-54540361758182251102007-10-22T07:24:00.000-05:002007-10-22T07:24:00.000-05:00Hmm, I have a had to do a little tree trimming her...Hmm, I have a had to do a little tree trimming here and there too! Though autumn is helping by removing most of the problem for a few months...<BR/><BR/>Agree with you about the value of monitoring: I record a sample with my USB data input board every 2 minutes. My crude home-brew monitoring page:<BR/><BR/>http://www.earth.org.uk/off-grid-stats.html<BR/><BR/>which also means that I can tell what the weather is at home (roughly) from my mobile phone. Isn't technology abusable! B^><BR/><BR/>If I expand my system I'll probably be making the same choice as you (MX60/TriStar) but I think the Outback is going to be most useful when all the panels are identical (manufacturer, age, etc) else there may not be a useful MPP to T...<BR/><BR/>Hadn't noticed the MX60's own power consumption: I'll check again if I am think of one. Thanks.<BR/><BR/>Rgds<BR/><BR/>DamonUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642207670550763486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-58799621372153249112007-10-21T20:01:00.000-05:002007-10-21T20:01:00.000-05:002nd Update: I continued to monitor system perform...2nd Update: <BR/><BR/>I continued to monitor system performance today. I watched the transition from "bulk" to "absorption", but didn't get to the "float" stage. The size of the load was a factor, but pv panel output dropped to almost nothing at about 4pm due to shading from a tree limb. I spent the rest of the day trimming the tree. The problematic tree is tall and thin (thinner now), and in just the right spot to cause a problem, considering the suns position in the sky this time of year. This illustrates the importance of system monitoring. <BR/><BR/>sjJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09163146438033538446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29068712.post-18271632012432592632007-10-20T23:38:00.000-05:002007-10-20T23:38:00.000-05:00Update:I installed the new TriStar-60 charge contr...Update:<BR/><BR/>I installed the new TriStar-60 charge controller last night, and monitored system performance today. At this point I'm well pleased, and believe it was a good choice. The digital meter (option) was well worth the extra cost.<BR/><BR/>sjJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09163146438033538446noreply@blogger.com