Since October we’ve been installing solar panels, an inverter, and battery here at the institute. Last week we got permission from our energy utility to operate our system. It took longer than expected, but we’re up and running. You can read about our site evaluation, system design, components, system layout, and part of the installation … More The Institute Has Solar Power
Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). I’ve been collecting performance data over the last year and am now ready to present the results. Data Collection The data for this analysis comes from three temperature loggers (Elitech RC-4, P.S., we … More Solar Hot Water Panels Year 1 Data, sort of — Lab Note 1.08
We are installing solar panels on the institute and we’re doing it ourselves (see our blog posts on this topic here). If you’ve considered doing it yourself but want to get a little hands-on experience and an idea of the scope of the job before going forward, this workshop is for you. The federal tax … More Upcoming Workshop — Installing Solar Panels, Oct. 5, 1–3 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be installing solar panels at the institute this fall. While this has been in the long-term plans for some time, we have been prioritizing things that are more do-it-yourself, such as building solar hot water panels and gardening. In the LTI tradition, though, we’ll be doing as much of … More The Institute is Getting Solar Panels – Part I: System Design
We’re likely to get solar panels this fall, so I’ve begun to evaluate the site where the panels will go. Most of our sunny grounds are given over to the garden, greenhouse, and our solar hot water system. The south side of our garage, though is perfect. What I wasn’t sure of, though, was which … More Evaluating Our Solar Site
Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). Yesterday I provided the plans and schematics for this build. Today I’m going into some of the nitty gritty installation details. Burying the Supply and Return Lines The supply lines are buried 2 … More Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 2 — Lab Note 1.07
Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). Here I will outline the plans drawn up to get a building permit from our local municipality. Schematic Plans These show the basic operation of the system. It is a schematic and not … More Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 1 — Lab Note 1.06
Monday I summarized the preliminary data gathered from the solar panel prototypes (see Part 1 here). In this note, I will look at each panel and discuss its strengths, weaknesses, and performance. Manifold Collector In the manifold collector, water enters the bottom and is distributed into risers connected to a sheet of metal. This collector … More Panel Analyses, Part 2 — Lab Note 1.05
Last week I set up the four test panels in the commons across from the institute and let them run for the day. I posted the raw data of the results of that test, and today I am following up with some preliminary analyses. The first graph shows the raw temperature and flow data for … More Panel Analyses, Part 1 — Lab Note 1.04
Yesterday I set up the four test arrays on the Cooksville Commons across the street from the institute. They were in full sun all day except for about an hour in the afternoon when we had 10–30 percent cloud cover. I am providing the data below. This is raw data that will be of interest … More Panel Test Results — Lab Note 1.03