Renewables: "talking 'bout my generation"

Magnitio

Best day of the year, which was quite a surprise given the heat - 6.38 O's

QrizB

Anecdote rather than data, but I went out to peer at my "toy array" inverter and saw it was making 630 watts. Not terrible for a kilowatt of panel at this time of day, but seemed a bit low.

Sponged the panels down and voila, it's now making 710 watts. They didn't look especially dusty and I'm wondering whether the water cooled them enough that that's part of the improvement?

Coastalwatch

QrizB said:

Anecdote rather than data, but I went out to peer at my "toy array" inverter and saw it was making 630 watts. Not terrible for a kilowatt of panel at this time of day, but seemed a bit low.

Sponged the panels down and voila, it's now making 710 watts. They didn't look especially dusty and I'm wondering whether the water cooled them enough that that's part of the improvement?

Thanks QrizB, I've often wondered if a gentle spray on hot days would have a positive impact but daren't try it in case it was detrimental to their longevity or even worse causing a short somewhere with dire consequences?

Alnat1

Away for a week, midgies enjoyed us almost as much as we enjoyed Northumberland.

Will give 8 days in one, as I CBA with all those sums today. An average of 4.97 O's

QrizB

Coastalwatch said:

QrizB said:

Anecdote rather than data, but I went out to peer at my "toy array" inverter and saw it was making 630 watts. Not terrible for a kilowatt of panel at this time of day, but seemed a bit low.

Sponged the panels down and voila, it's now making 710 watts. They didn't look especially dusty and I'm wondering whether the water cooled them enough that that's part of the improvement?

Thanks QrizB, I've often wondered if a gentle spray on hot days would have a positive impact but daren't try it in case it was detrimental to their longevity or even worse causing a short somewhere with dire consequences?

If you've got really soft water (low mineral content) you should be OK, it's no worse than a sudden summer shower.

My water's so hard that within a week or two my panels would be scaled up and growing stalactites!

Coastalwatch

QrizB said:

Coastalwatch said:

QrizB said:

Anecdote rather than data, but I went out to peer at my "toy array" inverter and saw it was making 630 watts. Not terrible for a kilowatt of panel at this time of day, but seemed a bit low.

Sponged the panels down and voila, it's now making 710 watts. They didn't look especially dusty and I'm wondering whether the water cooled them enough that that's part of the improvement?

Thanks QrizB, I've often wondered if a gentle spray on hot days would have a positive impact but daren't try it in case it was detrimental to their longevity or even worse causing a short somewhere with dire consequences?

If you've got really soft water (low mineral content) you should be OK, it's no worse than a sudden summer shower.

My water's so hard that within a week or two my panels would be scaled up and growing stalactites!

Cheers QrizB, we are hard water too and thinking further our inverter caps us at 6kW'sP so probably would gain much other than during off peak hours!

gefnew

https://youtu.be/nR7ygRFbpdo
cooling panels video.

Netexporter

A Maiden and .47.

Cloud rolled in off the Irish Sea, late afternoon. I wish the rain would hurry up!

legoman62

Overcast again up to lunch. 3.925 O’s here.

QrizB

QrizB said:

15.4 kWh, 5.66 Os - a solid Hawai'i but too hot for a Maiden!

Exactly the same again today.

Forecast to cool down tomorrow, but also forecast to be part cloudy.

Also, moved the toy array to the other end of the garden where it should get the early morning sun - hopefully before the grid voltage rises! Will see how it goes tomorrow.