ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Alternative Energy Small.....but one of 220,000!!

A simple transponder would only add a buck or two to the cost of the inverter, that is a fairly small price to pay in the grand scheme of things to see if each panel is working. It may just be a "go/no go" signal not quantitative numbers.

Andrew posted an interesting comment in the photo gallery about this.

His comment...'how much is it going to cost to clean the 220k panels annually'?

Any comments guys??

It is a good question. If these things collect snow they will be basically out of service. I suppose regular dirt also cuts the output too. I guess in the end it will be a cost benefit thing. We figured these things generate about 22 cents a day (retail rate) How often can you send a guy up in a bucket truck to get the last nickel a day out of them and still make economic sense?
I suppose you could come up with a squeegee and sponge deal on a non-conductive pole so these could be cleaned from the ground. It might be a make work job for about 250 people if you cleaned them once a month.

One large rooftop install (675KW) on a bldg with a severe gull issue has a guy on the roofs weekly. The bldg installed hose bibs at the roofs.

They also have a contractor to low pressure clean the panels every 4-6 weeks, dependent on the feathers, poop & assorted other items on the roofs.

This install cut the utility bill by 40% for the refrig/cliamate controlled whse operation.

I guess maybe this article fits here

Imagine outfitting your house with small, affordable solar panels that plug into a socket and pump power into your electrical system instead of taking it out.

That's the promise of a Seattle, Washington-based start-up that is working to provide renewable energy options -- solar panels and wind turbines -- for homes and small businesses. The panels cost as little as $600 and plug directly into a power outlet.

The company, Clarian Power, aims to be the first to bring a plug-in solar power system to the market, in 2011.

Clarian's president, Chad Maglaque, says the company's product is different from existing micro-inverters, which convert solar panels' power into AC current. Maglaque says his system has built-in circuit protection, doesn't require a dedicated electrical panel and plugs directly into a standard electrical outlet.

CNN talked with Maglaque to find out more about this system. Here's a transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.

~S~

John,


Along route 80 up here there are small PV systems like that on emergency tel call boxes. So that if a commuter gets stuck, they can always call for help.

I have friends that have built a house around the 49th parallel or the same latitude as the US Canada border. The house is located in the country and placed on the property to get the maximum solar gain for the passive collectors. Large masonry and rock collector. Solar water heaters and solar PV with battery back up and grid tie for the rare days where the batteries are charged and the sun is high. The house is very efficient in terms of its ability to collect heat from the sun in the winter and reflect it in the summer. The water heaters are efficient enough to boil water in the summer and 1 panel must be covered in the summer. The PV Will never pay back the installation cost or ongoing maintenance and battery replacement. It would have been better cost benefit to install a generator but they are very green oriented so choosing between a generator and PV with battery was a philosophical choice rather than a cost and recovery choice. They are subject to power failures and sometimes days may pass before they get it restored in a rural area.
I wonder how solar PV can payback in Seattle? unless the application is so low power how is it ever going to payback the investment?
The house is very efficient and I think that they will get all their heat from passive sources including cooking but the electricity from solar is pretty poor at this latitude.
Sign me wondering the value of solar north of 40?

It would be an interesting cost study to compare the small home sized generator and solar PV. I think that by the time you buy the generator, keep it fed with fuel and do the normal maintenance the solar might start looking attractive. I know the people around here who lived off of generators after a hurricane were quickly woken up as to how much it costs to "feed the monster".
If I was going that way it would certainly be a commercial diesel gen set and I would still expect it to be expensive. Utility power may be the best deal in the world.

No question. generating electricity is expensive. Very few people here try to heat with a gen set. Usually the fridge, a couple of lights and any mechanical services that must work. Sump pumps, furnace motors, etc.