Renewables: "talking 'bout my generation"

jimjames

csh wrote: »

What's people's systems for when they take readings? I notice people post 'today's' reading at 9pm ish some days.
Do people take readings at the same time everyday giving you a 24 'day' or read at the same time every evening?

As above the solar reading won't change once sun goes down so it doesn't matter what point.

I take solar reading and electricity meter reading at the same time so during the year it will be at different times of day but will always be consistent that they are done together.

KevinG

Finished May with a 10.15 kWh and a total for the month of 227.38 kWh, just 0.7% below SAF PVGIS, so not too bad.

legoman62

5.87 O's or 23.48kWh yesterday.
Started off cold and dull then lovely sunshine until 18.00.
Back to cold and dull rest of day.
Still managed 497.kkWh for month = best month May 2012:beer:
111% of PVGIS (classic)
STILL down on 2012 so far

jackieblack

csh wrote: »

What's people's systems for when they take readings? I notice people post 'today's' reading at 9pm ish some days.
Do people take readings at the same time everyday giving you a 24 'day' or read at the same time every evening?

EricMears wrote: »

I take my readings when the generation has dropped to zero (or sometimes when it's almost zero).

That of course stays the same until generation restarts next morning.

I don't actually take readings at midnight but the ones I use are indeed exactly the same as if I had.

Same here.
I take my readings once generation is finished for the day.

jackieblack

Finished May +17% of prediction/target :j
Up 6% on May 2012 but down 17% on May 2011 (which had the highest generation of any month thus far since installation)
Cumulatively, we remain around 20% up on overall prediction/target since installation.

mickyduck

Hi this is quite a long thread so could someone point me to a post explaining what "O"s are.
Cheers

John_Pierpoint

Your daily generation (in kWh) divided by the nominal maximum output of your panels (in kWp) = your "O"s; though the nominal maximum output of you inverter is approximately the same if the panels and inverter have been matched.
In the cool northern climate of the UK, some extra output can be obtained from the inverter by "overloading" it with panel capacity.
"O"s discourage any "mine is bigger than yours boasting".

The efficiency of panels has improved (at a price) from a theoretical 15% to a theoretical 30% and the inverter techniques have improved too in the last 5 years.

I have a pretty average 3.6 kWp system, because my number one criterion was getting it fitted before the March deadline in 2012 and cramming the maximum number of panels on the roof that cannot be see readily from the road or my garden.

jimjames

Just loaded my data for May to website for analysis.

One interesting thing that struck me is that despite only being at the end of May our panels have already had more days generating at over 20kWh than in 2012. Last year 4 days were over 20, this year we have already had 5 and not even had the longest day yet.

http://solar-panels-review.321web.co.uk/yearly-solar-panel-stats.php

In O terms that means we've had 5 days with more than 6.7 Os so far this year compared to 4 days with over 6.7 for the whole of last year but overall are still 14% lower vs same 5 months last year.

csh_2

Oh right thanks, obviously hadn't considered it was dark when people were when giving the days readings at 9pm D'oh!
It's not dark here til gone 11pm.
I read the meter at 9am yesterday and this morning and it was 10.8, today looks like roughly the same again.
Thanks for answering my daft questions!

buglawton

Allright, own up, which proud owners of solar panels also regularly run a tumble drier?