Solar Panels

[Azrich]

Here is the license frame website I used.
http://www.autolicenseplatesandframes.com/customframes.html

In Arizona we have a new law that the top strip of the frame can not cover up the word Arizona, so the top strip is thinner than most. This link is for other states' frames. There is a link at the very top to see the Arizona frames.

I was very satisfied with the frame I had made - good quality.

[URL=http://img208.imageshack.us/i/...imageshack.us/img208/8353/img0718po.jpg[/img]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/url]

EDIT: Here is the link to the post about the garage accessories. It is the first message.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1835

 

[turbo2ltr]

How did you get a plate without a car?

 

[turbo2ltr]

Thanks again for all the solar info. I have an appointment on wednesday for a solar assessment.

I'm hoping the bank will let me roll into the mortgage at the same time I do a refinance to get a lower interest rate...

 

[Azrich]

How did you get a plate without a car?

This "LEAF EV" plate (actually, the second plate they sent me) rides around on my ICE right now. When I get the LEAF, I can transfer this plate to the LEAF and get a new plate for my ICE. I might have to get the alternative fuel plate with the blue and white clouds to get the low cost of the registration and the license in Arizona. If so, the DOT told me this was possible and easy to do.

 

[mwalsh]

Received my permission to interconnect today, so tomorrow we begin full-time production. Of course, with the kind of luck typical in my life, it's going to be a crappy overcast (and possibly rainy) day. :?

BTW, you can keep up with how my system is doing here:

http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?plant=0f19afd5-0303-427c-9ef4-934a64228dde&splang=en-US

Or at least you will once it's actually doing something.

 

[Jimmydreams]

Received my permission to interconnect today, so tomorrow we begin full-time production. Of course, with the kind of luck typical in my life, it's going to be a crappy overcast (and possibly rainy) day. :?

BTW, you can keep up with how my system is doing here:

http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?plant=0f19afd5-0303-427c-9ef4-934a64228dde&splang=en-US

Or at least you will once it's actually doing something.

Don't worry. Only 7 days until the shortest day of the year. From that point, it only get's better!!!

Congrats on the connection. You'll love your new toy!!

 

[garygid]

The portal "site profile" lists 11.9 kWp (peak DC?)
but lists only a 5 kW (AC output) inverter ... is that correct?

 

[mwalsh]

The portal "site profile" lists 11.9 kWp (peak DC?)
but lists only a 5 kW (AC output) inverter ... is that correct?

No idea. When I fired the system up, it pulled that 11.9kWp figure from the datastream. The inverter is listed 5kW, but I'm told that it operates @ +20%, so supposedly actually good up to 6kw peak.

 

[garygid]

My SunnyBoy (7000 Model) Inverter's AC Power max output is 7050 watts, according to its internal display. It takes a cool, bright, clear-air day for my panels to drive the inverter to that limit.

I guess we will see more when / if graphs of the AC Output Power are available.

I collect my data locally. Except for a few gaps, I have daily graphs with data points roughly each minute.

It is easy to identify a partly-cloudy day from the generation graphs.

 

[mwalsh]

What is your strategy for days like today - do you turn your inverter on-and-off with prevaling weather or leave it turned on irrespective of?

I was, of course, excited about turning my system on for the first time, and waited for today because yesterday they said it was going to be partly cloudy following that small weather system. So I did, even though it's rainy and overcast, and the inverter managed to get up to operational voltage, but it's making a massive 50w right now and I'm wondering why I even bothered. :?

 

[DeaneG]

Just leave it on all the time. Solar PV is set-and-forget, except a yearly panel cleaning and checking the output on a sunny day once in a while to make sure all is well.

 

[mwalsh]

OK.

Well, it's been an hour, and I've made .3kW. So maybe I'll end up the entire day with a handful of kWh after all. Better than nothing, I suppose.

 

[garygid]

My PV is currently producing 660 watts under a heavily overcast sky. But, it adds up.

Leave the SunnyBoy (SMA) inverter ON (connected to DC and AC) all the time, it goes On and Off automatically.

I did disconnect from the Grid (AC disconnect box) and from the DC (rotary switch at inverter's bottom edge) when SDG&E was replacing the neighborhood's underground 12,000 volt lines last Friday.

 

[LEAFfan]

How did you get a plate without a car?

This "LEAF EV" plate (actually, the second plate they sent me) rides around on my ICE right now. When I get the LEAF, I can transfer this plate to the LEAF and get a new plate for my ICE. I might have to get the alternative fuel plate with the blue and white clouds to get the low cost of the registration and the license in Arizona. If so, the DOT told me this was possible and easy to do.

No might about it...if you want to drive in the HOV lane, you will definitely need the 'blue' plate. However, it isn't required that you purchase a blue plate, but for people that do (no new hybrids here) there will be a reduction on registration and licensing. Btw, they've changed the formula now, so it is still lower, but not low anymore. Mine is less than $30/yr. for two years, but I saw the LEAF is going to be more than a hundred now. It decreases every year with depreciation (the fee is based on the total MSRP) down to a minimum of $5, but I did the math and after ten years, it will only be about $80/yr, but registering for two years will be less.

 

[mwalsh]

My PV is currently producing 660 watts under a heavily overcast sky. But, it adds up.

The sun is trying to come out, and I've popped up to 1500w!

Edit: Just went out to check the meter...running backwards just on that small amount!

 

[ERG4ALL]

Mwalsh wrote:

No idea. When I fired the system up, it pulled that 11.9kWp figure from the datastream. The inverter is listed 5kW, but I'm told that it operates @ +20%, so supposedly actually good up to 6kw peak.

I wonder if maybe the solar company designed yours like mine was designed. With the panel output higher than the inverter you can get more generation than if the panels were matched exactly to the inverter (larger area under the bell curve). Thus, you get a little more energy without having to buy a larger inverter.

 

[mwalsh]

I wonder if maybe the solar company designed yours like mine was designed. With the panel output higher than the inverter you can get more generation than if the panels were matched exactly to the inverter (larger area under the bell curve). Thus, you get a little more energy without having to buy a larger inverter.

Maybe. That sounds like it might make sense.

 

[cinmar]

Exciting, isn't it? Up here in the central valley, we've had rain all week, so I've only been averaging 2-6 kWh/day.

 

[mwalsh]

Exciting, isn't it? Up here in the central valley, we've had rain all week, so I've only been averaging 2-6 kWh/day.

I was just looking at what it was producing when we tested the system around this same time last week - In full sun we were making just shy of 4000w, right now I'm just shy of 1500w. So 38% down from where we were. I can probably live with that. Total for the day thus far is 1.65kWh.

 

[garygid]

Congratulations Spin-Backwards no-longer Virgin!

A bit of sun breaking through and the PV is up to 2000 watts now.

27 panels should not make anywhere near 11 kW, maybe 6 kW.