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Renewables: "talking 'bout my generation"

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Comments

  • EricMears
    EricMears Posts: 3,311 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Merlin139 wrote: »
    Have a 10 metre ladder and a brush with an extentable handle. I idea is there, just have to see if I have the nerve to do it when it happens!.....Somehow for about £1.50 maybe not!

    If you really want to get snow off the panels then probably the best bet would be to spray them with (warm) water - but unless it's incredibly sunny you're not likely to earn very much more than your postulated £1.50 and might easily spend most of that on water plus electricity for a booster pump. Probably better just to bite the bullet and rely on a few nice days in summer to make up your losses.
    NE Derbyshire.4kWp S Facing 17.5deg slope (dormer roof).24kWh of Pylontech batteries with Lux controller BEV : Hyundai Ioniq5
  • Martyn1981
    Martyn1981 Posts: 15,410 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    EricMears wrote: »
    If you really want to get snow off the panels then probably the best bet would be to spray them with (warm) water - but unless it's incredibly sunny you're not likely to earn very much more than your postulated £1.50 and might easily spend most of that on water plus electricity for a booster pump. Probably better just to bite the bullet and rely on a few nice days in summer to make up your losses.

    I'd agree. The first couple of times I cleared the snow with an extendy window cleaning pole, using the squeegee attachment. It was pretty easy for me, as I could do it from the Velux window in the middle/top of the panel layout.

    But ...... as time has gone on, I've had my doubts, and stopped doing it, since even with light fluffy snow there must be some element of abrasion. It's got to be tiny, but if done several times a year for 20+ years I'm wondering if it would make the glass microscopically opaque (for all generation) and negate any lost snow generation.

    Also as I was pushing the snow down, it would sometimes trigger a chain reaction, so lots of snow sliding down the glass. Again, any abrasion must be tiny (possibly zero - anyone know?) but I figure not worth the risk.

    [I suppose there's also the heat loss (needing replacement) from my opening the Velux and hanging outside for 15 mins! :o]

    Mart.
    Mart. Cardiff. 8.72 kWp PV systems (2.12 SSW 4.6 ESE & 2.0 WNW). 20kWh battery storage. Two A2A units for cleaner heating. Two BEV's for cleaner driving.

    For general PV advice please see the PV FAQ thread on the Green & Ethical Board.
  • countryman_2
    countryman_2 Posts: 421 Forumite
    Dear oh dear 0.4 O today ....
    4kw PV fitted 4th July 2014 (Green Energy NW £5600). WSW facing, 30 deg Pitch, Unshaded, Samil Solar River inverter, 16 Solar World Mono panels, Iboost on Immersion Heater. located in mid Lincolnshire.
  • tunnel
    tunnel Posts: 2,601 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    countryman wrote: »
    Dear oh dear 0.4 O today ....
    Oh dear 0.225 O's today, when's it going end?smiley-sad030.gif
    2 kWp SEbE , 2kWp SSW & 2.5kWp NWbW.....in sunny North Derbyshire17.7kWh Givenergy battery added(for the power hungry kids)
  • zeupater
    zeupater Posts: 5,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 18 November 2014 at 8:36PM
    Martyn1981 wrote: »
    ... Also as I was pushing the snow down, it would sometimes trigger a chain reaction, so lots of snow sliding down the glass. Again, any abrasion must be tiny (possibly zero - anyone know?) but I figure not worth the risk ...
    ... as the adhesion between the snow and the panels tends to weaken first, either due to direct sunshine or warm air between the panels and the roof, the snow slumps and the ice crystals scrub the grime & moss off the panel surface where heavy rain has little noticeable effect.

    Over the winter of 2012/13 we had snow on the panels for quite a while which suddenly slipped off as a slab of snow & ice ... you could clearly see by the colour which side of the broken lumps on the ground had been in contact with the panels ... it's exactly the same as the cleaning effect of decent snowfall on a car - when it slides off it takes most of the dirt with it ....

    ... if there's snow on the ground, the last thing I'd be tempted to do would be to move further away from the log-burner than necessary and get the ladders out in order to put my neck at risk just for a few pence of income, especially so when it would likely be either counter-productive or provide neutral medium/long term advantage ....

    HTH
    Z
    "We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle
    B)
  • zeupater
    zeupater Posts: 5,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    tunnel wrote: »
    Oh dear 0.225 O's today, when's it going end?smiley-sad030.gif
    ... that's ~40% more than here, so consider yourself lucky! ... :D

    HTH
    Z
    "We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle
    B)
  • legoman62
    legoman62 Posts: 5,003 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    tunnel wrote: »
    Oh dear 0.225 O's today, when's it going end?smiley-sad030.gif

    Not here:eek: 0.3 O's for me;)
    16 Sanyo Hit 250s.4kWp SMA 3.8kWp inverter. SW roof. 28° pitch. Minimal shade. Nov 2011 install. Hybrid car. Ripple Kirk Hill. N.E Lincs Coast.
  • Merlin139
    Merlin139 Posts: 7,259 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    After seeing other figures I think I have done quite well then.

    0.46 O's here in East Yorkshire. :D
    3.795 kWp Solar PV System. Capital of the Wolds

  • Oscargrouch
    Oscargrouch Posts: 4,393 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    tunnel wrote: »
    Oh dear 0.225 O's today, when's it going end?smiley-sad030.gif

    Feb - March 2015??....hot-drink.gif
    Merlin139 wrote: »
    After seeing other figures I think I have done quite well then.
    0.46 O's here in East Yorkshire. :D

    You're the lucky one; 00.28 O's here.......smiley-sad030.gif......coffee.gif
    2.5 kWp PV system, SSW facing, 45 Deg Roof. ABB Inverter, Monitor: 'Wattson'.
    Reg. for FIT Nov 2011. "It's not what you generate; it's how you use it that matters". One very clean Vauxhall Diesel Sri, £30.00 Road Tax: B)

    Definition of 'O's = kWh/kWp (kWh = your daily & accurate Generation figure) (kWp = the rated output of your PV Panels).
  • Oscargrouch
    Oscargrouch Posts: 4,393 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    0.32 O's; great improvement on yesterdays number.....t1940.gif...smiley-laughing021.gif...coffee.gif
    2.5 kWp PV system, SSW facing, 45 Deg Roof. ABB Inverter, Monitor: 'Wattson'.
    Reg. for FIT Nov 2011. "It's not what you generate; it's how you use it that matters". One very clean Vauxhall Diesel Sri, £30.00 Road Tax: B)

    Definition of 'O's = kWh/kWp (kWh = your daily & accurate Generation figure) (kWp = the rated output of your PV Panels).
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