diy solar

diy solar

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  1. 4

    Solar powered ebike

    On YT I've seen ebikes pulling trailers with PV panels on them. Check it out! This solves some of the problems with aerodynamics and size limitations and it really helps if you're riding in a sunny place in daytime.
  2. 4

    Arizona should advertise no clock change more

    So your body clock would be better for eating and sleeping but if you're travelling you might miss your flight or train connection. So it would be good if all countries stayed on the same page. If individual states or countries go off on their own, it'll be a mess. Didn't Stanford Fleming...
  3. 4

    35,000 SF Commercial Office Building

    For this scale of professional building one would normally hire a professional designer and contract it out properly. You shouldn't be fussing with volunteers and amateurs on a DIY forum unless your business employs a lot of skilled electricians and you plan on doing it yourself.
  4. 4

    I didn't label my 8 PV wires. How can I figure out which is which?

    Trace them, and mebbe put some labels on them. Hopefully, they're at least color coded for polarity.
  5. 4

    Lost an hour of production today.

    Could get worse - they're talking about making it permanent! And wouldn't that be a big mistake? If anything just get rid of it and stay on ST year-round. Show some respect for the sun - at noon it's at its highest. This is an astronomical fact, not subject to meddling by human law-makers. A...
  6. 4

    Test run with a small system first?

    No, didn't need to. I'm grid tied and was just doing it as a "hobby" to learn on. See my Sig for details.
  7. 4

    Test run with a small system first?

    Good idea! That was my approach too.
  8. 4

    This Might Be The Fastest Way to Double U.S. Grid Capacity

    Project owned by Hydro Quebec which is owned by the gov of Quebec. Largest such project in the world - size of NY state! Built by Bechtel and $billions borrowed from investors. (For more info, google "James Bay power project")
  9. 4

    This Might Be The Fastest Way to Double U.S. Grid Capacity

    Quebec benefits from large-scale hydro-electric dams on James Bay - hence the name!
  10. 4

    This Might Be The Fastest Way to Double U.S. Grid Capacity

    I thought the high voltage DC vs AC was settled long ago when Nicola Tesla won over Edison so that's why we have AC transmission lines now everywhere. Where is this happening, link?
  11. 4

    Grid arbitrage with a soupçon of energy security

    Before starting any project, ask yourself these 2 questions: Why do it at all? Why do it this way?
  12. 4

    Grid arbitrage with a soupçon of energy security

    Dunno Australia but here goes fwiw: If I were doing energy arbitrage, I'd want to include these to make sure it's worth my while: Cost of battery cycles "Opportunity cost" of investment, vs other options. Both money and your time. Sorry, this isn't really what you're asking and may make it...
  13. 4

    Solar system payback

    Welcome to the forum! You're brave to do solar in Scotland, between your latitude and weather. In calculating ROI for solar, many people forget to include the "opportunity cost" of not investing elsewhere. Eg: paying off mortgages/loans or even bank interest.
  14. 4

    Portable power pack

    Lots of trucks and cars can now do this, especially EV's - or you could always just buy a ready-made power pack off the shelf. For duration you'll have to do the math. Personally, I would just stick with cordless (battery-powered) power tools. There's lots of them around.
  15. 4

    DIY solar installation in Spain

    Dunno Spain but I would not expect a local electrician to accept responsibility for someone else's system, especially if he didn't design it. Then there's fire risk and insurance.
  16. 4

    Solar as a hobby ROI.

    Strictly a hobbyist here - toying with a few things. Under $100 total for make-work system that originally ran some yard lights. No expectation of ROI. Also have a thought experiment going about powering an off-grid cabin (and I don't even own one!)
  17. 4

    more 'flexible' inverter?

    True: when we visit Europe from NA we just take along a little $20 adapter. Why reinvent the wheel?
  18. 4

    Meet the world’s cutest and tiniest electric delivery van

    Big fan of Micah Toll. Love his YT vids, esp his little chinese epickup and his container full of eloaders.
  19. 4

    Replacement solar panel

    In other words: since you can't find an exact replacement to match can you at least find one that fits in with the rest of your system? In which case, we need to know a lot more about the rest of your system.
  20. 4

    Should i play with the angle.. 16.4kw tall

    I place your latitude as 37 deg,, so that would be your best year-round fixed angle, 15 deg steeper if you're so inclined to change it ;-)
  21. 4

    One Hundred Thousand!

    I'd expect to see a lot of STEM types, many with construction backgrounds: Many Current and retired electricians & EE's Some IT's with their raspberry pi control programs Mostly in USA, especially the sunny SW Some from Europe, Australia, etc. A few Canadians
  22. 4

    One Hundred Thousand!

    It would be interesting to see some stats on how that breaks down by: Geographic location Interest Background/education field Etc
  23. 4

    One Hundred Thousand!

    Didn't woody Allen say something like that? Or was it Groucho Marx?
  24. 4

    2024 YouTube Video Ideas

    How about a video explaining how some aspects of solar are universal (sun movement, laws of electricity) and some are local (power companies, municipal by-laws) I feel a lot of people don't appreciate the difference.
  25. 4

    A thread on battery carts.

    That seems expensive to me. $300 gets you fat tires for sand and 4 fishing rod holders for ?? I just made a small hobby system in a tool box (see link in my sig). I know ammunition boxes are popular, very rugged and good for Small systems. Edit: A hand truck or furniture dolly would also work...
  26. 4

    A thread on battery carts.

    Also, you can DIY from scratch, or buy a power box and add your own solar panels.
  27. 4

    A thread on battery carts.

    There's a range of containers depending on the size of system you have in mind: Small - tool/ammunition box Medium - wheeled suitcase or tool pack out Large - utility/cargo trailer with hitch and built-in panels Take your pick.
  28. 4

    Sad seeing 148 unanswered threads in last month

    7. The question is so vague with so many details missing that no-one wants to touch it. Aka where do you start? 8. They've done very little preparation themselves yet expect an unpaid enthusiast/volunteer to give them a complete design. 9. They seem completely unwilling or unable to manage a...
  29. 4

    12 volt wiring

    If you use one of the 12v fuse blocks as a load centre (recommended, aren't they cute?) Then each circuit will already be fused.
  30. 4

    12 volt wiring

    Yes, power your 12v LED's from the battery. You will only need the inverter if some of your loads are AC, hopefully not, because it's less efficient.
  31. 4

    Looking for a 12VDC fuse block that takes bare wire feed-through into screw terminals

    Automotive is good. Or check online: Bluesea brand looks solid.
  32. 4

    The US government opens 22 million acres of federal lands to solar

    It's not one or the other: there will continue to be a mix of rooftop and ground-mounted solar decided by the owner: rooftop can be installed by the homeowner, whereas large ground-mounted arrays tend to be run by companies. The large arrays being more efficient since they'll benefit from...
  33. 4

    Quantity of batteries vs quantity of panels.

    Correct. This is what they call "autonomy". Three days is a good average to aim for. The panels charging rate will depend on your location relative to the equator and local overcast weather. As a minimum you need to replace the power you consume every day. Replacing the autonomy deficit will be...
  34. 4

    Unintended consequences of Solar that we see

    I was thinking more about other people's lack of interest regardless how well documented the system is. Also, the trouble with highly automated systems is who's going to re-tune it when things get out of synch, which they inevitably will sooner or later. In my experience secondary users are...
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