small solar panels-Miscellaneous Observations
A good energy output per day during the summer is 14 kilowatt hours. A REALLY good day brings 15 and there have been a few exceptional days which brought in 16 kw hours. Cloudless winter days yield around 7.5 kw hours. Rain is something else again. Here is what it looked like on 28 December, 2004 all day. And with more than a little rain. Still, 2.20 kWh wasn't all that bad. There was a day two weeks earlier that achieved only a little more than 0.5 kWh. Note the AC power meter. There may be 271 volts being produced but there isn't enough light to offer even one watt of power.
small solar panels
On some partially cloudy days during the early spring a curious observation can be made as the sun periodically peeks through the clouds. Here are two images on April 22, 2006. Except for the occasional gaps in the clouds, this was NOT a typical sunny day in southern California. But take a look at the meter: 2507 Watts! Is it favorable atmospheric conditions which allow a large amount of UV light to arrive at the panels or is it the added illumination of reflected light from the clouds which increases the power output to an "as advertised" level?
Structural modifications of any kind carry the risk of unintended consequences. Our installation caused a leak through the bathroom vent during heavy rain as a result of runoff onto the roof and subsequent splashing into the vent. The vent was modified by adding a shield, as shown. Ugly though it may be, it did the trick as demonstrated by another rainstorm shortly after its installation.
Each morning the controller goes through its countdown, synchronizing the inverter phase with that of the grid. When it locks into the phase of the grid the system goes online and electricity begins to flow from the panels. We estimate that it will take 14 years to recoup our out of pocket expenses. Richard Corkish of the Photovoltaics Special Research Centre at the University of New South Wales estimates that it will take between 3 and 7 years to produce enough energy to equal that amount contained in the non-renewable fossil fuels used to fabricate the panels in the first place. That estimate can be found in his offering, Can Solar Cells Ever Recapture the Energy Invested in their Manufacture?
Panel Maintenance
The panels are guaranteed for 25 years. The good news is that the panels work silently with no moving parts, pumping excess electrical energy routinely into the electrical grid when we use less than that which is generated. At those times the meter turns backward
The bad news is that over time in an urban area where there is a lot of dustfall, the efficiency drops. In the Los Angeles area several months can go by without rain. These images show what happens after such a period. We have found it advisable to do a once-a-month rinsing of the panels to make them sparkling clean and to bring them back to maximum efficiency.
small solar panels
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