Author Topic: Weather at Norms  (Read 8216 times)

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Offline Norm

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Weather at Norms
« on: November 25, 2014, 10:29:43 pm »
2.....3....4days of mother nature removing few inches of snow ....now some sun ...some clouds ....due for some cold bad weather .....lets face it Winter isn't even officially here ...Yet !
   I've seen a couple of winters with hardly any snow and for me thats not nice
My sister in California thinks winter without snow  is terrifficc without snow
........Me thinks ugh !  how dreary the seasons  would be without variety
Norm :)

Offline Wolvenar

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2014, 07:07:59 am »
Yeah, last year we had a couple of super cold weeks, a small break, and then another couple weeks where we had insane ( even for here ) temps. Ran us through all of last years wood way before it should have, into this years. So had to replenish that, and then some. This year is already promising to take a lot of wood as well.
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Offline philb1

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2014, 10:35:56 pm »
When snow comes this early for us, that usually means a hard long winter. I still don't mine. It is nice to have 4 seasons. Maybe that will keep the 100 degree days to a minimum.

Offline hiker1

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2014, 10:45:46 pm »
cooled off here in the +20s....snowed yesterday and today...must be a whole 1/8 " out their !!
rained just up the road [palmer]  still in the 35-40s  ???????
  HAVE A-----happy TURKEY LURKEY DAY........................
just do it

Offline Wolvenar

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2014, 11:00:40 pm »
-13F (-26.7 C) as I type this tonight.
Supposed to have gotten 2-4 inches of snow, 3 times in a row, and tomorrow its predicted again.
Never happened. hope it doesn't happen tomorrow.
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Offline Norm

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #5 on: December 10, 2014, 10:29:12 pm »
So far so good .....hardly any snow yet ....had enough to cover the windshield
this morning ....had to run the windshield wipers for 3 swipes  ;D supposed to get some by Christmas.

  got a flat front tire when we left the hospital after therapy 30F and 15mph
gust.....and I wasn't sure the doughnut spare was worth getting out from that tucked away place under the car as it might have been flat after 5 years .
 Oh well Daughter came from her lunch hour and took us home ....youngest
son came out afterwards an fixed the tire .
Oh gee fun fun ....Not !  ::)
Norm

Offline bj

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2014, 06:06:05 am »
We got down to -31.2C on the 29th, and a dump of almost 2 feet.  As I type this, it is +3.2C
and most of the snow is gone.
I  have stopped looking at weather predictions that are for more than the next 12 hours.
No offense meant to the people who do that task, I think the task is just getting more
difficult.
So far, it has not been boring anyway.
Glad your young 'uns were there to help you our Norm.
"Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while"
bj

Offline oztules

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2014, 02:35:16 pm »
How on earth do you folks live in those temps.... totally baffled how society actually works in those conditions.
 
off topic,... did you ever build your solar panels? all mine are still working perfectly, and thee is no deterioration thus far... just wondering, as I think you had a fair bit of soldering to do last I recall.... do they survive those temps fine?

....oztules
Flinders Island...... Australia

Offline Wolvenar

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2014, 06:11:33 pm »
Oz commercial panels here, don't seem to have any difficulties in the cold.
In fact many times because of the cold I'll see well over what I do in the summer, just not in view long enough to get the desired kwh.

I cant imagine how it can get as hot as it does down RossW's way and they not shatter at a hint of rain.

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Offline rossw

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2014, 12:50:03 am »
I cant imagine how it can get as hot as it does down RossW's way and they not shatter at a hint of rain.

Hot? I haven't gone out to measure (I should!) but I would be very surprised if they get over about 70-75 degrees C (about 160-170F)

Offline oztules

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2014, 01:03:15 am »
It is interesting. I don't mppt my panels, as it is so cheap to just buy more and have no pesky electronics in the way.

Because of this preference,  I buy low voltage panels.. ie only 66 cells instead of 72 cells. This makes the mppt less of an interest, as the differential between the SOC and Voc is not that big.... so mppt would not yield the normal 20-30% on a sunny day... add to that the marine environment, and clouds are normal... so trackers are of little value either.

Because of this lassitude and indifference, I have not noticed the voltage drop associated with temp. I make no attempt to have air beneath the panels either... complete heathen.... so temp is very high in summer.... even through the thin cloud.

Given the above, I have only noticed better and worse operation from photon activity, and the space charge  width differentials have not been noticed at all.... ie the built in voltage has made no difference to me, as I have used the cell as a current source X  battv, not a VA source persay.... where mppt would make a real difference.

Can't work out how to tell if the power drop ( if I can see it) with temp, is because the forcing volts are down, and so synchronous impedance is damaged, or the forcing voltage plays no part, as the cells are current sources not voltage..... must ponder this further.....

I have been wondering at that particular effect, but have not been able to discern it at this stage.... guess that is what happens when you don't log.... and with batteries filled by 9-10am, I guess I struggle to get serious about it, but I would like to test for this sometime.

Maybe I should just measure Isc under hot and cold conditions (hot then run the hose over it), and see if that materially changes....hmmm..



................oztules
Flinders Island...... Australia

Offline Wolvenar

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2014, 04:36:33 am »
 I have rather different set of circumstances here than you Oz.

By cold I am talking -40 at times.
Then because the sun in the winter is VERY low in the sky and very short lived you have to tilt to face pretty low.
Tracking the sun in the summer presents a new challenge as well.
The sun can "rise" to the north east behind a stationary panel, and "set" on the north west behind them as well.

So those trackers have to be pretty limber to follow that sun for a few weeks during the summer, and stationary panels would miss out on actually quite a bit.
 ::)

Different challenges in different parts of this big ol planet.
Trying to make power from alternative energy any which way I can.
Just to abuse what I make. (and run this site)

Offline bj

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #12 on: December 12, 2014, 06:35:18 am »
  We have kind of stolen Norm's thread, so Oz, I will post my answer in a new thread.
"Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while"
bj

Offline tomw

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #13 on: December 12, 2014, 07:55:21 am »
  We have kind of stolen Norm's thread, so Oz, I will post my answer in a new thread.

BJ;

I doubt Norm will mind. Pretty sure he likes to chew the fat a bit on most subjects.

 ;) 8)
Do NOT mistake me for any kind of "expert".

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Offline bj

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Re: Weather at Norms
« Reply #14 on: December 12, 2014, 01:54:09 pm »
  Quite a few of us fall in that category Tom.  No disrespect meant, if fact quite the opposite.
"Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while"
bj