7
votes
How much irradiation from the sun is required to generate solar power?
Solar Irradiance
The amount of energy striking the earth from the sun is about 1,370W/m2 (watts per square meter), as measured at the top of the atmosphere. This is the solar irradiance. The value at ...
- 11.8k
6
votes
Converting from W/m² to kWh/m²/day
If your data is minute-by-minute then that's exactly what you need to do.
Adding all the minute-by-minute W/m² figures for a day (you should have 1440 of them, so use a spreadsheet or script) will ...
- 2,116
6
votes
Accepted
Are green roofs more sustainable than roofs with photo voltaic?
The two are not mutually exclusive, and in fact installing PV panels over a green roof improves PV performance anywhere from 1 to 10% due to the cooling effect of the green roof.
From the presentation ...
- 11.8k
5
votes
Solar charging an e-bike's lithium battery while riding
Before you worry about charging, consider this: It takes about 85W to propel a 75kg cyclist at 20km/h under ideal conditions. Thin film (i.e. flexible) solar panels have an efficiency of ~9% and when ...
- 2,804
5
votes
Accepted
What is the energy payback time of portable solar panels, in hours?
Given that static, thin-film photovoltaic panels, exposed to the sun all day every day, might pay themselves off in 3 years (according to NREL in 2004), there is an extremely high probability that a ...
- 2,804
5
votes
How to consume all my photovoltaic electricity locally?
Maybe my answer is naive, but have you thought about a battery like the Tesla Powerwall? Storing energy during daylight and using at night increases dramatically the auto-consumption rate (~98%).
- 608
5
votes
Do solar PV roofs make sense for semi trucks?
Taking a single semitrailer as the load you have approximately 12.5m long by 2.5m wide of top surface, or 31.25m². With 20% efficient panels you might get as much as 6kW from the semitrailer, or 6kWh ...
- 3,875
4
votes
Solar Panel short section of string due to obstacle
You must open circuit the panels you're not using, do not short circuit them. Open circuit is fine, the panel just sits there and no current flows. You'll see quite a high voltage on the terminals (it'...
- 3,875
4
votes
How to consume all my photovoltaic electricity locally?
For the case where feed-in is forbidden, you need a zero export mechanism (see this answer for options). In addition, since you want to consume all your electricity locally, it must include a demand ...
- 449
4
votes
How do I keep my solar panels clean?
I work and attend classes at a University in Florida. Our 100kW system has been installed for more than five years without a single cleaning. I have walked the solar field several times and can ...
- 51
4
votes
Accepted
PV system: Which to upgrade first: panels, inverter, batteries?
I agree with LShaver's number-crunch, although I reach a slightly different conclusion.
I agree you have plenty of inverter. Your are covered not only for routine loads, but also for startup ...
3
votes
Accepted
What is the typical embodied energy of a solar photovoltaic panel?
According to the Wikipedia article on EROI, 585 kWh/m2 is a median value for the embodied energy of a photovoltaic panel, rated based on surface area.
The "energy invested" critically depends on ...
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3
votes
What is the typical embodied energy of a solar photovoltaic panel?
Energy payback in 1-6 years
Taking manufacturing variables into account basically gives you a range of time from 1.25 - 6.5 years based on 5 sunny days out of seven and an average of 6-8 hours of sun ...
- 86
3
votes
Feeding hotwater into modern appliances
I am not aware of any modern washing machines (at least in the UK) that still have a hot water feed. One reason is that modern machines don't actually use that much water, so even if you had it ...
- 387
3
votes
Apply solar energy solutions at our apartment?
I'm not an expert on the topic but I have been doing similar research for the past several months as I'm planning to build an off-grid home and, obviously, renewable energy is critical for me. As ...
- 166
3
votes
Can I connect an inverter directly after an MPPT controller, with no battery?
Yes this is very much possible.
While purchasing the Inverter , look for " BATTERY-LESS ", and you will have your desired product.
Just a suggestion, a Taiwan based company has such model of ...
3
votes
Can I connect an inverter directly after an MPPT controller, with no battery?
Generally speaking, the answer to your question is yes: there are many examples of irrigation systems employing a pump powered directly by solar power, with no battery energy storage. A quick search ...
- 11.8k
3
votes
What exactly is Potential Induced Degradation in PV panels?
In very simple terms, current leaks from the solar cells to the structure of the panel. This happens when a combination of heat, water and the generated electricity cause the material the panel is ...
- 3,875
3
votes
PV system: Which to upgrade first: panels, inverter, batteries?
To give you specific recommendations to address your issue, you'll likely need to have a qualified electrician out to look at your system, or talk to the system vendor. However, here are a few general ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
Solar PV panels - Worth the cost of more efficient panels?
The maximum rated power is not the only thing to consider.
You should also look at how your panels are going to perform in low light conditions.
Cloudy days, early mornings and late afternoons etc. ...
- 321
2
votes
How much irradiation from the sun is required to generate solar power?
Additional information to @LShaver's answer:
Google for a solar power potential atlas or map.
These produce tables or maps that estimate the amount of power that can be generated over the course of ...
- 7,207
2
votes
Low-cost solar energy alternatives to power a single appliance in an apartment?
If you don't have that refrigerator yet and you are a small household, consider what they sometimes have in camping vans. They put a solar panel on the roof and use it to top up a normal 12 volt car ...
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2
votes
What is the typical embodied energy of a solar photovoltaic panel?
Typical period would be 2 years for embodied energy payback, using a nominal 200 peak watt per square meter and 600 kWh embodied energy.
Sunny regions have over 5 peak solar hours per day and more ...
- 21
2
votes
What is the typical embodied energy of a solar photovoltaic panel?
If the "embodied energy" of photo-voltaic tech is
~585kWh/m^2 and it generates ~0.2 kW/m^2 then;
the answer to the question seems to be that the photo-voltaic tech will need to run for:
~(...
- 21
2
votes
Which measure of solar irradiance is needed to calculate the energy output of PV systems?
You don't want to do it this way. It gets really messy and you need to take into account your climate, sunny hours per day through the year, time of year and so on.
Instead try looking up "solar ...
- 7,207
2
votes
How to consume all my photovoltaic electricity locally?
The Honeywell Hot Water Timer, the ST9100C is an inexpensive way to send solar power to your hot water cylinder. You can switch it so that it only uses power during the day and turns off at night. It ...
- 708
2
votes
Accepted
How to work around a supposed Huawei SUN2000L-5KTL inverter throttling issue
The effect you're seeing is most likely due to the solar cell temperature. On a cloudy day the array is cool overall, so when the sun bursts through the clouds the cells operate at maximum efficiency. ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
DIY portable solar panel mount
What about a set of "rabbit ears" from an old TV or TV antenna? With two sets you should be able to use them to prop the panel, depending on how heavy it is and how substantial the antennas ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
Can a solar inverter still work without batteries? (off-grid)
the short answer to your question is yes, that type of inverter does exist, they are very rare. The Delta model H6 (Thailand) is one example. A battery less grid tie inverter that is also advertised ...
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