Skip to main content

Summer 2021- PV Solar

Podcast, "Summer 2021 - PV Solar”

Ah - summer is upon us; officially, the summer solstice occurred in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20, 2021, Father’s Day, at 11:32 p.m. EST.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, The June solstice marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, when the Sun reaches its highest and northernmost points in the sky. Translation, daylight lasts until after 8:00 p.m. in Southern California.

So, if you have a Photovoltaic (PV) Solar System on the roof of your home, you can expect the best production (usually between 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) from your system through the summer and early fall. And - you should bank some credits with your energy provider. Provided that you pay attention to Peak Time of Use (TOU) hours and the following two tips.

Let’s start with peak Time of Use. In California, PG&E's peak rates occur from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., SDG&E and SCE are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. These are the highest rates charged when your PV system is at its lowest production. However, there are a few simple things you should check.

First, when was the last time you had your modules (panels) cleaned? You may not be able to see them from the ground, so it doesn't hurt to climb a ladder and check them out or find someone with a drone to look for you.

Soiled panels can cut the production level of your system by as much as 39% in northern coastal desert conditions. What constitutes soiling? Soiling consists of mineral dust, soot particles, aerosols, pollen, fungi, and other contaminants (that may or may not be visible) on the surface of your PV modules.

I work for Cenergy Power, a commercial solar provider. Our commercial farming customers have seen dust from their dryers' deposits on their modules. An early morning dew turns that dust into a peanut butter-like paste that severely affects their systems production. The solution, keep your modules clean.

Next is shading. What constitutes shading?

Trees that have grown very tall, broken tree branches, leaves, or anything that's fallen on your panels can cause shading. Let's say you have one cell (out of the normal 60 cells in a residential module); the overall output of your entire system may drop by as much as 40%. Why? Shading one cell reduces the production of the whole strings of cells within modules.

When I walk through our neighborhood, there is a house with small twigs and leaves wedged between modules that creates shading. I'm sure if I rang their doorbell and mentioned it, they would probably take me for a nosy (nut) neighbor.

Well, if you haven't guessed by now, I'm a "geek" - one of those guys who loves technology and finds ways to make it work for you, not against you.

Think about this; you have to air-condition, a water heater, washer and dryer, all the electronic devices you’re charging, computers powered on, swimming pool heaters, your electric car charging, and who knows what else.

This summer, take advantage of your PV solar system and do these quick checks. You will be glad you did. Oh, by the way, don't run to Home-Depot and rent a power washer to clean those PV modules; get the advice of an expert before you use any damaging chemicals or brushes.

Can you think of a better way to step into summer than maximizing your alternative energy source for the good of our planet and your wallet?

Ah, summer!

"Won't you be my neighbor?" If you enjoy our weekly visits, please share them with a friend.

I’m Patrick Ball; thanks so much for listening. I'll see you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Back to School (Without the Triple Lindy)

I hadn’t set foot inside a public library in over thirty years. Last Saturday, when I walked through the sliding doors of the modern County of San Diego branch on Eucalyptus Avenue in Vista, my eyes instinctively scanned the floor for the familiar, comforting sight of varnished oak cabinets and brass pull-handles. Nothing . No card catalog. No little wooden drawers. No rows of index cards typed by someone who presumably had beautiful penmanship and a pension. I walked up to the front desk, looked the librarian dead in the eye, and asked with complete earnestness: "Where’s the card catalog?" She didn’t laugh, though she had every right to. Instead, she offered a warm, dry smile: "We magically had the computer digest it." And just like that, I was enrolled. Not the Rodney Dangerfield kind of back-to-school. No diving board, no loud blazer, no campus party, and thankfully, no need to convince anyone I belonged there. Just an overdue reminder that while I was busy with ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beyond Facts-The Deep Dive

✨ In this episode, Beyond Facts: Reimagining School–in the Age of AI . . .   This week's podcast is a bit different; it's another example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can offer tools to creatively enhance your analytical presentation of information. We took this week's blog and copied it into Gemini with the question, “If a story is to work, it must, on some level, create an illusion of escape and also achieve a goal simultaneously. Does this apply to my blog post that follows?” What's created is not just an analysis of the writing, but an AI-generated discussion produced “On the Fly” - Enjoy! Did you know that the word "school" comes from the ancient Greek word scholē , which originally meant "leisure"? Not a rigid schedule or droning lectures filled with "facts," but free time for thinking and conversation. To the Greeks, learning happened best when life slowed down—when you had room to reflect, to ask questions, and to wrestle ...
4 comments
Read more

Doc Welch - The Country Doctor

In this episode, Doc Welch . . . Many authors have characterized life in rural Illinois over the years. Among the more notables are Edgar Lee Masters, who wrote Spoon River Anthology, Carl Sandburg for his poetry and biography of Abraham Lincoln, and little known to me until recently, my first doctor, whom everyone in town always called Doc Welch - James K. Welch, M.D.  (Feb. 7, 1915, to May 5, 1998) While exploring the microfilm of the Cuba Journal (published from 1884 to 1992), I consistently kept running across articles entitled The Country Doctor. This intrigued me. Doc Welch was a third-generation practicing Country Doctor in Cuba for over 40 years. His father, James William Welch, M.D., practiced medicine in Cuba for more than five decades. His grandfather, James Knox Welch, M.D., settled in Cuba after the Civil War. Cuba, Illinois, is a small, rural farming community in west-central Illinois, where I grew up. Like many small towns, it boasts a central square with a ban...
4 comments
Read more

The Rhythm of the Woodpecker

The morning in Vista often begins under a heavy, gray marine layer that rolls in from the coast, pressing a damp, muffled stillness over the neighborhood. At 4:30 a.m., the driveways are still full. The local commuters are either blissfully unconscious or stumbling blindly toward their showers, clinging desperately to their last shred of peace before the nine-to-five grind claims them for the day. I, on the other hand, am voluntarily wide awake in the dark. When your agenda consists of absolutely nothing, it is critical to get an early start. Inside the house, the quiet is profound, broken only by the sharp, mechanical click of the kettle as it reaches a rolling boil. I stand at the counter, watching the dark ground coffee bloom as hot water hits the French press's stainless steel. The smell is sudden and heavy—a deep, roasted-earth aroma that cuts through the morning fog. I push against the plunger’s gritty resistance, pouring a cup that radiates dark, stinging heat against my pal...
Post a Comment
Read more