Author Topic: Voltaic & Thermal update  (Read 4081 times)

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Offline Dave B.

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Voltaic & Thermal update
« on: June 21, 2012, 01:17:15 pm »
  Here's a photo of my current solar systems. I just completed adding an additional 540 watts of voltaic panels for 1620 watts total and showing my evacuatated tube DHW / home heating system.

  The thermal system has produced 1.9 MW of power for 130 days and with the longer days and no need for home heat I am regularly dumping heat in the afternoon to keep my tank temp. at a safe level with all the DHW I can use besides. This will be interesting as we move into Fall and Winter as my hot water for heat demand rises and the total hours of sun continue to decrease. With the additional voltaic I will also be able to occasionally dump electric to heat water when my batteries are fully charged. Lately my wind turbine runs in the slow mode (dump load) in the afternoon because the voltaic has already topped off the batteries fully charged.

  As the days get shorter the wind will be used more and the sun less and that's the perfect scenario for a hybrid system complimenting each other. You can see all 3 systems here on a brief video www.dcbenergy.com  I have yet to update the video to show the additional voltaic as in the photo but plan to add to the website with much more info. very soon.

  Dave B.







 

Offline ghurd

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Re: Voltaic & Thermal update
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2012, 08:00:25 pm »
The photo in the post was taken at maybe 3:00?

The home's overhang shadowing the top cells is creating a LOT of loss in the possible output.
A lot.
If I had to guess, maybe 20~40% lost potential?

Extend the brackets out so the sun can get to all the cells for as long as possible.

Some of mine stuck out over 2.5' to avoid the situation, but the PVs were a lot smaller than those.
G-

Offline Tritium

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Re: Voltaic & Thermal update
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2012, 09:53:11 pm »
The photo in the post was taken at maybe 3:00?

The home's overhang shadowing the top cells is creating a LOT of loss in the possible output.
A lot.
If I had to guess, maybe 20~40% lost potential?

Extend the brackets out so the sun can get to all the cells for as long as possible.

Some of mine stuck out over 2.5' to avoid the situation, but the PVs were a lot smaller than those.
G-

Ghurd, Those aren't PV's attached to his house.  They are evacuated tube thermal collectors.

Thurmond

Offline Dave B.

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Re: Voltaic & Thermal update
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2012, 03:32:58 am »
Yes, thank you for explaining to Ghurd the solar thermal and orientation. The overhang is near perfect for the thermal starting to shade the tubes early morning /  later afternoon from May until what will be late July. I am still dumping heat for an hour or so each day these dog days of Summer even on overcast days with all the DHW I can use. A lot of time went into the layout and angles etc. of these 2 systems and when I built my home I had no idea at the time how convenient it would be to have the rear of the home facing very near due South. Just as an update, the thermal system just passed 2.2 MW (converted electrical) worth of heat since last February and that's purposely limiting it's output approx. 1/3 to 1/2 before and after the Summer Solstice. Here in Western NY it's not unusual to require some home heating in the evenings early and late Summer. Just the other night it was 46 deg. F. This system is amazing, it is going to provide a large percentage of my heat.  Dave B.

Offline Dave B.

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Re: Voltaic & Thermal update
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2012, 01:50:54 pm »
Just an update on my thermal and voltaic systems. With the additional 540 watts my batteries are usually 90-100% SOC by the end of the day no matter the weather. The grid has topped off the bank only a few times the past 2 months and I am basically running near 100% from the bank and inverter and need only to add my water pump @ 220 volt which the Magnum can handle just fine. The turbine is running very little and in "slow mode" because the batteries get topped off from the solar so quickly. This will start to change as the days get shorter and the winds pick up toward Fall. The thermal system just clicked over 3 MW (the controller calculates this based on flow rate and temp.) It's perfoming right on the mark of the documented specifications and is amazing. It will be very interesting to see how this all works out as the days get shorter and the Fall and Winter weather moves in. Updates to follow.  Dave B.  www.dcbenergy.com