Mike Yasin
Guest
Is a home owner roof top opportunity or is it designed for a large solar generation field?
Who's cleaning their solar panels?
- Thread starter sfsuphysics
- Start date
max_nano
Guest
I had a mopping roomba before, throw that up there like a frisbee and let it go to work
or this one which stays on the roof and uses solar to charge itself, pretty neat idea!
www.kickstarter.com
or this one which stays on the roof and uses solar to charge itself, pretty neat idea!
Scrobby Solar | Keeping your solar panels clean!
Scrobby Solar is all you need to keep your solar panels clean. This little robot is easy to install and completely independent.
rygh
Guest
Panels get very hot during the day. Seems a bit risky to spray cold water on them.
Normally ok. But if there is already a stress crack or age problem, could take it over the edge.
When it rains, generally sun is not out so much, so not really a problem.
There .... good excuse to be lazy.
I wonder if someone will do it at night?
I think it is mostly glass, aluminum, and silicone/rubber seals exposed, so normal soap should be ok.
Although it should be bio-degradable, since it all goes in the ground or storm drain, not the sewer.
Normally ok. But if there is already a stress crack or age problem, could take it over the edge.
When it rains, generally sun is not out so much, so not really a problem.
There .... good excuse to be lazy.
I wonder if someone will do it at night?
I think it is mostly glass, aluminum, and silicone/rubber seals exposed, so normal soap should be ok.
Although it should be bio-degradable, since it all goes in the ground or storm drain, not the sewer.
Susan Ingram
Guest
Me too.. a great idea. I need to get up there but need to heal the knee first
I’d be interested if anyone does get a chance to clean some panels leave others and track individual production with micro inverters. My panels are very dirty looking but my best guess is not more than 10% less output than I expect for this time of year. I could be wrong.
I have the whole extension pole you hook up to a hose with a soft brush where the water comes out. It’s really hard to use from the ground even though I can see my panels. Much more unwieldy than I expected with the length of the pole and the weight of the water, and takes a lot longer than expected. But I do have 5 different groups of panels so its an extra pain to do each separately. I gave up on doing it routinely a few years ago but I might bust it out again this year with the ash if you guys see a significant difference.
I have the whole extension pole you hook up to a hose with a soft brush where the water comes out. It’s really hard to use from the ground even though I can see my panels. Much more unwieldy than I expected with the length of the pole and the weight of the water, and takes a lot longer than expected. But I do have 5 different groups of panels so its an extra pain to do each separately. I gave up on doing it routinely a few years ago but I might bust it out again this year with the ash if you guys see a significant difference.
EBJ
Supporting Member
Might be a kw or something in my case. Mine is 10.98 kW adding up the panels but there's some trees in the way and the electrical loss etc
RandyC
Supporting Member
Being able to take advantage of solar power direct from your panels during an outage would depend on the inverter you have. Some, like Sunnyboy inverters, can divert power to a dedicated outlet once a grid disconnect has been detected. I’m able to divert up to 1500W to a single outlet when grid is down, newer models can divert up to 2000W.
I think he was talking specifically about the Tesla Powerwalls (and their associated inverter). They allow everything to seamless continue as expected during an outage, including solar production.
My inverters are Sunny Boys and I have the emergency outlet. I actually had them install it inside my house, near my tank. Later I bought the Powerwalls. The Powerwall solution for being able to use the incoming solar whole-house is immeasurably better, even setting aside the battery part.
NanoCrazed
Supporting Member
the only way to take advantage of solar during an outage is through the installations of batteries. This is a safety issue enforced by PG&E , if your system (most of us here) are on the grid. The reason I've been explained is if PG&E has to work on the lines, and someone's solar continues to feed the grid, someone might get fried.
Centralized inverters have no emergency tap option but string inverters, can function and delivery power... but believe that's only to the emergency tap, which is probably separate from the grid as a workaround (my guess)
Centralized inverters have no emergency tap option but string inverters, can function and delivery power... but believe that's only to the emergency tap, which is probably separate from the grid as a workaround (my guess)
RandyC
Supporting Member
The Sunnyboy SPS feature can only be switched on when an AC disconnect has been detected, which is either when the grid is down or you’ve manually turned off the AC circuit breaker in the fuse box. The switch over is manual and not automatic. I need to actually flip a switch on to enable the outlet during a power outage and will need to manually turn the switch back to off to reconnect to the grid. The Sunnyboy is a centralized inverter. It has been tested and works; I was running a couple of tanks off the outlet during the last outage.
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
It's not so much a brand of inverter it's whether or not the inverter allows you to island yourself. That is not send power to the grid, now those in rural areas who are relying primarily on solar power to charge batteries (often not high tech ones like the Powerwall) this isn't a problem, however with the vast majority of solar being hooked directly to the grid for the safety of workers they need to have circuitry to stop outputting when it doesn't sense line current anymore as this I'm sure this was the cheapest option for solar inverter manufacturers than having an automatic transfer switch that disconnects from the grid but still makes power, although those can exist they just typically cost more. Now there are ways to trick the inverter into staying on which I won't go into for various reasons, but I think the Powerwall (and other newer battery creators) does something like that (although I'm not absolutely certain) but the battery basically is the transfer switch that shuts off the power from the grid, so it's all good, compared to someone who may do a DIY solution which could kill people.
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
Yup, this is a feature (the manual switching) so that if someone turns off power at the main to work on electricity the solar panels don't give the person a "happy" shock
But it definitely would be a neat feature to have if you didn't pony up for Powerwalls or similar batteries.
NanoCrazed
Supporting Member
At least for the PowerWalls, that's pretty much what they do... they are the gating point... in in an outage, the panels feed the batteries, that feed the house...
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
I've seen a couple videos where people say the panels also feed the house though, because the Powerwall (one) maxes out at 5kW (7kW peak) output, but if it's also sunny the solar panels can put their power onto the house. I'm not sure of the specifics of that video though, as it was a paid advertisement by Tesla by a random Youtuber so may not have been 100% accurate.
Mike Yasin
Guest
If it's only 1 PW, Tesla told me they'd limit the # of lines to 5-7 depending on what they were. With at least 2 PWs, the whole house is backed up and the PWs tie together for a 14kW peak - so dryers, ACs things like that can fire up and it'll handle those load.
I might be wrong, but aren't PWs the only batteries capable of being looped together like this?
Also, when the PWs drain to 90%, the solar does kicks back in primarily to recharge them, but the solar can feed the house while recharging. the solar will eventually shut down again when charged 100%
Edit-- Tesla also said that the solar system will govern how many panels it's pulling from in an outage so things don't get too spicy
EBJ
Supporting Member
What happens if the solar production falls under 1500 watts while something is connected?
2manyhobbies
Supporting Member
I clean my array once a year. Since my roof is relatively flat and I don't have gutters, debris fills in around the downspouts. So on or around Sept/Oct I venture onto the roof with a mop, dish soap, rubber gloves and the hose. Clean out the gutter/downspouts, run water through them to clear everything out, then wash the panels and rinse them really well. The soap really helps to get the dirt off. As to production afterwards, I am not really concerned but feel better for doing it and it gives me a chance to look over the coating on the roof.
Kim Pattison
Guest
They are in my front room. Vaulted ceilings, open concept and office overlooks the space with no wall. No way to close off the space and I am not living in an 80 degree house. (stomping feet) I am NOT doing it.
