Has anyone actually used or is using reflectors or mirrors to solve shading?

[Crowz]

I about to build something that will be cool or stupid, not sure which yet.

I have pine trees that shade my panels at 1pm to 2pm each day. I will get them cut down eventually but the moneys not in the cards this year. Its very expensive to get trees removed around here at $5000 a tree I will be looking at $25000 to remove them. Trying to work out a deal on that.

Anyways what I want to do is place mirrors or reflectors to reflect sunlight from the area to the left of the panels to another mirror out in front of the panels and have that one reflect onto the panels so that it reflects onto the panels from 12:30pm to 2:30pm so I get some solar power during that gap. The trees didn't shade them in the summer when I set them up but as it gets further into the fall/winter area its a problem.

I'm just wonder if anyone has done this before or is using something like this now.

 

[JWLV]

If you can put a large enough mirror to reflect to a shaded panel, maybe just put another solar panel where you were going to put the mirror.

 

[Crowz]

If you can put a large enough mirror to reflect to a shaded panel, maybe just put another solar panel where you were going to put the mirror.

Mighty hard to put 10 panels in one spot

 

[42OhmsPA]

How tall are these pine trees?
Did you consider renting a tow behind lift and topping them yourself?

 

[CoolWill]

It's Alabama. There's no shortage of meth-mouthed arborists willing to cut down a tree for just a couple of bucks. I know because thems my peeps

 

[Crowz]

How tall are these pine trees?
Did you consider renting a tow behind lift and topping them yourself?

Only problem there is I'm terrified of heights

I sent an email to the tree guy to see if we can work something out. The plan was for the next time a tree went down and he was doing a cleanup on the insurance companies dime he would handle the pine trees or at least some of them. Topping them is the angle I'm going to try for if he emails back.

 

[pollenface]

I think anything is worth a try, I'd like to see some pics of these trees.

I bought a makita duc254 10" brushless chainsaw, quite simply the best one-handed saw while tree climbing/pruning.

I still had to pay someone $8800aud to remove two incredibly HUGE eucalyptus trees that were right next to the house when we moved in. Not just for shade, branches were falling and making holes in the roof.

 

[Skypower]

When I was a kid, I had no fear and would climb trees to the top. Then that ended when I slipped and hit every limb on the way down like a pachinko ball and hit the ground making a cloud of dust. I didn’t care for it after that for some reason. So if I can’t fell them from the ground, I’m going leave the climbing part to the experts. Next location I’ll use one of those solar apps to cut down only the trees necessary to get sun to the panels.
I do like trees. In fact a lot in Tennessee that was absolutely perfect for me was clear cut right as I made the offer. The seller thought I’d like to see the land. That killed the deal. I’m too old to wait for a new forest.

 

[Adam De Lay]

I about to build something that will be cool or stupid, not sure which yet.

I have pine trees that shade my panels at 1pm to 2pm each day. I will get them cut down eventually but the moneys not in the cards this year. Its very expensive to get trees removed around here at $5000 a tree I will be looking at $25000 to remove them. Trying to work out a deal on that.

Anyways what I want to do is place mirrors or reflectors to reflect sunlight from the area to the left of the panels to another mirror out in front of the panels and have that one reflect onto the panels so that it reflects onto the panels from 12:30pm to 2:30pm so I get some solar power during that gap. The trees didn't shade them in the summer when I set them up but as it gets further into the fall/winter area its a problem.

I'm just wonder if anyone has done this before or is using something like this now.

I tried taking a 4’x1’ dressing mirror out of our bathroom and reflecting the sunlight at our panels once. Didn’t see the data on the SCC change at all…

Probably not accurate at all, but I tried it…till my wife asked where the mirror went…

 

[littleharbor2]

The only way you will get any effective reflection would be if the mirrors both tracked the sun. How you program them to move correctly to stay in sync with each other is one for the rocket scientists.

 

[Crowz]

The only way you will get any effective reflection would be if the mirrors both tracked the sun. How you program them to move correctly to stay in sync with each other is one for the rocket scientists.

Not really since I don't need to track the sun. This would be fixed to work from 12:30pm to 2:30 pm or so. I don't need it reflecting other than that time slot. Even if it didn't cover that entire time it would help some.

 

[Crowz]

When I was a kid, I had no fear and would climb trees to the top. Then that ended when I slipped and hit every limb on the way down like a pachinko ball and hit the ground making a cloud of dust. I didn’t care for it after that for some reason. So if I can’t fell them from the ground, I’m going leave the climbing part to the experts. Next location I’ll use one of those solar apps to cut down only the trees necessary to get sun to the panels.
I do like trees. In fact a lot in Tennessee that was absolutely perfect for me was clear cut right as I made the offer. The seller thought I’d like to see the land. That killed the deal. I’m too old to wait for a new forest.

I was fine till around 10 years old or so. I was on top of a neighbors storage building trying to get a kite high enough up to catch the wind. Was going great till I walked back to far and walked off the roof. That was the longest time in the world waiting for the ground to meet up with me. Never cared for heights after that

 

[Crowz]

I think anything is worth a try, I'd like to see some pics of these trees.

I bought a makita duc254 10" brushless chainsaw, quite simply the best one-handed saw while tree climbing/pruning.

I still had to pay someone $8800aud to remove two incredibly HUGE eucalyptus trees that were right next to the house when we moved in. Not just for shade, branches were falling and making holes in the roof.

I'm guessing they are 60 foot or more tall. Olllld pine trees. Normally I don't let them get big but these were here when I bought the place. I think they were planted or grew up from random saplings around 1968.

 

[Crowz]

It's Alabama. There's no shortage of meth-mouthed arborists willing to cut down a tree for just a couple of bucks. I know because thems my peeps

Problem now days is the old pulp wooders are gone. Its all log length semi trailer truck loads. It ran them out of biz.

 

[OzSolar]

Not really since I don't need to track the sun. This would be fixed to work from 12:30pm to 2:30 pm or so. I don't need it reflecting other than that time slot. Even if it didn't cover that entire time it would help some

Actually the the thing about tracking is that it need to very active. I'll never find the papers that I read years ago but the takeaway is that you need to be actively making adjustments every few minutes or the net production result will lower than no tracking,

It should be easy enough to set up an experiment on your own. Set up any mirror that you can easily find that reflects direct sunlight back to your panels and time how long it takes before that reflected light is no longer on your panels.

 

[Crowz]

Actually the the thing about tracking is that it need to very active. I'll never find the papers that I read years ago but the takeaway is that you need to be actively making adjustments every few minutes or the net production result will lower than no tracking,

It should be easy enough to set up an experiment on your own. Set up any mirror that you can easily find that reflects direct sunlight back to your panels and time how long it takes before that reflected light is no longer on your panels.

I don't think I can use tracking per say since the panels are at the edge of the land line. The reflector has to be in front of the panels so I had planned on reflecting onto another panel that is directly in front of the panels.

.........................................................................Panels

First Reflector aimed at 2nd

................................................ 2nd reflector aimed at panels

 

[Crowz]

Best I could do formatting wise. Site was fighting me tooth and nail

 

[underdog5004]

I've laid out a white poly sheet on my lawn in front of some panels which are mounted near vertically. In the testing I did limited testing the panels output without the sheet was 800 watts and with the sheet was 900 watts so that was about a I was a small increase.

 

[OzSolar]

I don't think I can use tracking per say since the panels are at the edge of the land line. The reflector has to be in front of the panels so I had planned on reflecting onto another panel that is directly in front of the panels.

.........................................................................Panels

First Reflector aimed at 2nd

................................................ 2nd reflector aimed at panels

I'm pretty sure I understand what you're trying to do. I still think you should try my suggestion to get a feel for what you are up against and that's just using one mirror. I think you'll be impressed by quickly the reflection moves.

 

[Crowz]

I've laid out a white poly sheet on my lawn in front of some panels which are mounted near vertically. In the testing I did limited testing the panels output without the sheet was 800 watts and with the sheet was 900 watts so that was about a I was a small increase.

Well I'm going from 3kw or so to 90 watts so it can't help but get better to some extent

I'm not trying to "boost" the output of the panels above what they normally do. I'm trying to restore power production when the shadow of the pine trees passes over them during the day between 12:30pm and 2:30pm.