The Kevlins and I want to plan a solar electric project and if the economics are there, install it at their campsite at Avalon Farm. I’m going to capture most of the specifics here so we can start a new thread focusing on this project.
The first thing anyone who wants to install a system must do, is to make a list of what the desired electric needs are, such as a couple lights and an outlet, and approximate number of hours to be used each day. After all the intended uses are added up on the list, the size solar panels, batteries, etc. that will be needed can be estimated. I will scan and attach a form during my next post that is useful for this purpose.
Since solar panels generate electricity in direct current (DC) voltage, an early decision to make is whether or not to convert the DC current to alternate current (AC). There are advantages and disadvantages to both but a couple of the most significant facts are that DC systems require DC fixtures/bulbs and AC systems require costly inverters.
Also in the early stages, one must determine if enough sunlight is available for the specific project. A handy instrument made for this specific purpose is a Solar Pathfinder which will determine the amount of shading for any location for any time/season of the year. We are going to use a Pathfinder for this project since I already have one; however, generally speaking, if the location has 5 hours of sunlight without shading, it will work.
Hope you join in with us and do not hesitate to ask questions as we go along!
Brenda
2 Comments
March 13, 2007 at 5:49 am
Emily says she want to be there and see how you use the pathfinder-val
June 5, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Hello again!
I’m finally back to report on our field trip in April to Avalon Farm to find good locations for two solar projects. Robyn and Terry would like to have minimal electricity to their camp site across the creek and Emily and Val would like to have electricity in the new tack barn and open stalls.
To do this, I brought my Solar Pathfinder that was invented specifically to address the need for reliable solar/shade analysis. Any trees, buildings, or other objects that could cast shadows are reflected on the surface of the tranparent plastic dome, clearly showing shading patterns at the site. The underlying diagrams are latitude specific and are engineered with data for the entire year. A wax pencil can be used to trace around the reflected shadows onto the sunpath diagram below, providing a permanent record of each reading at each location.
Truly amazing! It takes less than 5 minutes to set up and trace a diagram good for any time of the year. Even though we conducted the analysis in April, we can predict how much sunlight we will have in December at each particular site. No longer is it necessary to visit the site periodically for a whole year to select an ideal location for a solar panel.
For Robyn and Terry, we located two different points at the edge of the woods where a solar panel can be ground mounted and provide the minimum 5 hours of sunlight to the campsite located a couple hundred feet into the woods. They can either wire electricity back to the site or have something of a mobile generator that charges in the sun and is then relocated to the camp site when electricity is needed.
For Emily and Val, the metal roof on the tack barn is facing south, which is ideal, and also slanted almost perfectly to allow for the appropriate angle needed to capture the ideal sunpath. This allows for simple cheap brackets that fasten a panel flush on the roof.
In the next post we’ll talk about the information needed to start designing and sizing a solar system for the two sites so check back soon. We’ll try to keep things moving along this time!
Brenda
“The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation.” Albert Einstein
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