Solar Panel / Power Center Pics and Video

So, I'm still getting familiar with my phones video capabilities and more often than not I forget to hold the camera the right way. So, just turn your monitor on end 90 degrees to get the intended effect. I didn't think the viewpoint was that bad, so I choose to have you guys deal with it instead of making another trip to the roof to re-shoot - I am not in love with heights!!!

This is a 230 watt Canadian Solar panel. It measures 65" x 39" and is a beast to manage alone.






The two bus bars in the video where the lights and cigarette lighter are wired into are the main hubs that distribute electricity to appliances. This is also where the inverters will tie into the system to power the occasional AC appliance. I am trying to purchase 12 Volt DC appliances to reduce power loss associated with the inverters and keep the system as small as possible. By selecting the proper 12 Volt DC energy efficient appliances up front you can save many dollars in the end by requiring fewer solar panels.

Case in point, the LED lights in the video use 1.2 watts per hour each. They will run for 50 hours on the same amount of energy one incandescent will require for one hour. To be transparent, it will probably take about six of the LED units to equal one incandescent from a brightness factor, so apples to apples you're looking at about 8 times more efficient. That said, in the evenings I have come to enjoy the softer light of one or two LED units running compared to a bulb that replicates lighting conditions at high noon.

Running 8 LED lights for five hours in the evening, 5 hours of laptop usage, cell phone charging, and cooking dinner in the crock pot for six hours (on an inverter), I require about 800 watts of power. I'm planning on the panel supplying around 1000 watts per day. The snap shot shows the panel kicking out 260 watts per hour (see pic below....volts x amps = watts), which is 30 watts above its rating....which I LIKE!!! Thus, with four hours of direct sunlight I have met and exceeded my quota.


Solar systems are interesting beasts. Batteries don't like the cold so much, but solar panels are most productive in the cold, as is evidenced above. And, the panel is probably 15 to 20 degrees off from facing the sun directly. I think it's time to build the brackets that will allow the solar panels to tilt and face the sun at the best angle at all times of the year! Did I say I'm loving this project????

a few more pics of the panel mounting...

Keep Going?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cakm2nIQWo&feature=player_embedded

this video is worth the time....well worth the time.

Thanks to Koda for putting me onto this!

Solar Panel Angle

We've been under rain, snow, and cloud cover for the last few days, which has prevented the solar panel installation on the roof in Logan. Today there was a couple hour break in the weather and it was game on! Pics will follow once the snow / rain stops again, making a return to the roof more safe and pleasant (I very much dislike heights).

Here's a useful link for determining the proper angle for your panels....

http://solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-angle-calculator.html

The power center (charge controller, inverters, breakers, bus bars, etc) construction will take place over the next few days. This project has been a sweet learning process and I have a feeling it's only just beginning!

Montello today.  Thanks for the pic Augie!

FREEDOM....

....go down the Jeep trail, turn right next Thursday.

Wendover - Montello - Augie (and family)

We returned yesterday from a three day journey through Wendover and Montello. Day one included an overnight stay in Wendover at the Montego Bay Hotel and Casino. I've only stayed at the Montego Bay and Rainbow. I highly recommend either property for their hotel rooms as they are equally as nice. However, the Montego Bay has larger rooms with king size beds! I happen to enjoy playing Craps and have come to love the entertainment value in Wendover. When in Wendover, swing into the Montego Bay and get a "Players Club Card". I picked one up in June on my first visit to Wendover. Since then they have sent me many offers for free rooms, meals, drinks, and tournament entries. Between these offers and gambling comps I have enjoyed rooms on multiple nights and many meals free of charge....and the Craps is always wonderful. The offers are usually for Sunday and Monday nights (when their traffic is usually low), but not always! The Montego has an outdoor pool and three hot tubs, which we all enjoyed. The Rainbow has an indoor pool and hot tub. Pets aren't welcome inside at either, but kids are. The weather was favorable so the dog spent the night in the truck. Both properties have restaurants that offer $5 all you can eat spaghetti with garlic bread and a $5 breakfast (two eggs, hash browns, bacon (or sausage or ham) and toast. I have dreams of living the off grid Montello life style 28 days a month with 2 days of pampering in Wendover for free!

Day two began with the $5 breakfast at Montego Bay's Paradise Grill, a quick visit with Mike of Hollerback Ostrich Ranch at the Family Dollar where he is assistant manager, a grocery stop at Smith's, and then the pleasant hour drive to Montello. After checking the post office for mail we ran into Curt and "Pee Wee Jr.". Cute new puppy! From Bill's directions I was able to find his new winter house in town. Nice place Bill!!! Next we filled up on water at the park and headed to the property for an afternoon of relaxing work. This days work included installing a couple of vent holes and a bit of electrical wiring. We grilled hot dogs for a quick and easy dinner and streamed some easy evening listening via Pandora.


Turns out Augie came out later that night, so we awoke in the morning and headed up to see him and his family after breakfast. Augie, we enjoyed hanging out with you guys on your property. It was great getting to know you and your family better while enjoying the view from a little higher up overlooking the valley. We look forward to more good times spent together!



Sorry we didn't have time to see everyone this trip. Perhaps we should plan another BBQ or something of the like so we can all get together, meet, and hang out over good food?

While writing this post and listening to Pandora the song "Lucky Man" by Montgomery Gentry came on....feels pretty appropriate today.....have a listen.

Good Times! Until next time Montello....

P.S. one of my buddies and I are headed to Wendover for a couple days in mid November. Let me know if your interested in grabbing dinner and/or some Craps!

DANGER CAVE! - 40°44'56.65"N 114° 1'4.67"W

DANGER CAVE ENTRANCE

Last week my daughter heard us discussing Wendover and excitedly shared a few details surrounding Danger Cave one mile outside of Wendover. A quick phone call to the Montego Bay Hotel and Casino in Wendover yielded a free room for the evening, so we packed up our gear and headed west to see the sight. There are no road signs for the site from the direction we approached, so use the following GPS coordinates as a bread crumb trail beginning with EXIT #1 off I-80. This jeep trail gets a little hairy in one spot, so you may want to bring your higher clearance vehicle...using 4 low will make the ride less bumpy, but 4x4 is not necessary.

#1
40°44'18.02"N
114°02'35.06"W

#2
40°44'57.13"N
114°02'04.05"W

#3
40°44'58.79"N
114°01'32.25"W

#4
40°44'45.46"N
114°01'13.41"W

#5
40°44'56.65"N
114°01'4.67"W

The second link below gives directions to approach the site from the other side and it appears to be more car friendly, albeit less adventureous.

I personally wouldn't travel to far to see this cave, but if you're in Wendover any way it is definitely worth the diversion. With school being almost exclusively textbook oriented learning, it was certainly worth the time investment for us to take a field trip and physically grasp DANGER CAVE with our own eyes!

More DANGER CAVE info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_Cave

http://www.frankstehno.com/sagemesa/destinations/utah/dangercave/dcnotes.htm

The view looking out of DANGER CAVE!

Solar panel acquired...Charge Controller input needed...

This 230 watt panel made by Canadian Solar was added to the collection over the weekend....it is HUGE at 39" x 66". The other pics are of my energy storage system...two 6 volt golf cart batteries made by Energizer (great price at Sam's Club), battery charger, LED lighting, 80 and 200 watt inverters, digital multimeter...all from Harbor Freight. And, the 12 volt splitter is from Radio Shack.

I've been playing with the batteries, charger, lights and inverter for the past few weeks to get a feel for the setup. At night my home office is brightened using three of the yellow LED lights. It does not compare in brightness to a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb, but it is very good lighting when you consider how little energy they use. The cell phone is charged using the pictured car charger (plugged into the splitter with the blue light illuminated), and after the laptop gets occasional use its battery is topped off using the 80 watt inverter. I'm pleased with the 200 watt inverters performance, but it has a noisy fan that comes on as soon as you place a load on it. The 80 watt inverter has no fan and functions without noise pollution, a definite bonus (both inverters have a USB charging port as well). I was planning to log detailed data on the batteries capabilities, but after the first three nights of usage I quickly realized this small battery bank is everything I need for now. My office currently has the ability to keep running during prolonged power outages and this setup will make life in Montello civilized during multiple days of cloud cover, without running the backup generator.

Last April we spent four days and three nights in Montello. The entire trip was largely cloud covered due to a storm front...Solution: AIR X wind generator (http://www.windenergy.com/products/air_x.htm) Accompanying the storm front was persistent and high speed winds. I'm expecting this combination of solar and wind generation will be ideal for keeping our electrical needs supplied year round in Montello. (Thanks again to Guy for the AIR X sourcing!)

The AIR X is a sweet little unit because it comes complete with an on board charge controller. Simply add a pole for mounting and a battery and you're off-grid. On the other hand, the solar panel did not come complete with a charge controller and I am open to any input towards product selection before I place the order later this week. With the higher voltage solar panel I feel it necessary to utilize a charge controller with the MPPT technology to harvest every bit of energy produced. The question comes down to which one. I'm leaning towards the Outback FM60. This unit has the ability to handle 900 watts of solar panel input and is extremely oversized for my setup, but it will allow for future expansion if needed. The only downside is the cost...$508 plus $40 for shipping. I've looked into the Morning Star MPPT units and BlueSky as well. While I'm leaning towards the Outback model, I'd love to hear any input on the subject, especially if you have a less expensive MPPT unit that works well for you.

I'm very excited to get all the pieces connected in a portable system that will allow dual site usage at my home and Montello.

The dream is being fulfilled!!!