Using sound judgment to be more self-reliant.
Solar clipping happens when solar electric (photovoltaic) panels provide more power than an inverter can handle. Clipping is lost power production, but there may be some advantages to it. We’ll explain, and talk about some pros and cons.
We’ll be hosting our next annual Common Sense Homestead Open House on Saturday, October 3, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. until 4 p.m. .
Our family will be giving tours of the home and grounds during this time. You’re welcome to take a quick look or stay for a longer visit during the open house hours.
If you’ve wanted to see firsthand all the odds and ends I’ve talked about online, now’s your chance.
This is a guest post by Jerry Noel. This article will address surviving without the grid, i.e., how to keep thing going when the power goes out – in Jerry words, “Preparing for When the Doo Doo Hits the Oscillating Appliance!”.
During the aftermath of super storm Sandy, many were without power for weeks. In my previous article, How Much Energy Will a Solar Electric System Produce?, I designed a system for my old house using the limited space available. I was planning on designing a grid connected system for our new house, but decided to switch due to numerous questions on the topic of back-up power. I also didn’t want to do a redundant article just yet. In my second article, Emergency Power Options for Your Home, I gave a brief overview of a battery backup system.
This is a guest post by Jerry Noel. In this article we’ll answer the question “How Much Energy Will a Solar Electric System Produce?” (projected solar electric system output) along with the anticipated short-term financial savings and long term return on investment (ROI).
In Part 1 (Solar Electric Basics), Jerry discussed the three predominant questions of solar power: cost, batteries, and “DIY”. Part two provided Emergency Power Options. Article 3 discussed three types of home solar power projects and how to mount your solar panels. Article 4, Solar Site Check, demonstrated how to analyze your location for best panel placement. Article 5 focused on designing your solar electric system, specifically, getting the most out of your available space.
This is a guest post by Jerry Noel. In this article we’ll discuss designing your solar electric system. In Part 1 (Solar Electric Basics), Jerry discussed the three predominant questions of solar power: cost, batteries, and “DIY”. Part two provided Emergency Power Options. Article 3 discussed three types of home solar power projects and how to mount your solar panels.
Now that you determined in the previous article (Solar Site Check) that we have a good location for a solar array, we have to start on the design of our system. Note: The National Electrical Code defines a “module” as a single power producing device. A “panel” is a group of modules physically connected together. Instead of referring to them as solar panels, I will use the more correct terminology of “module”….
