landyacht318
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Posts: 247
Registered: 7-28-2007
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Solar irradiance today
I'm up in San Diego, and while there is still some marine layer overhead, I am only seeing about 65% of what i am used to seeing on my monitor from my
solar panels at this time of day with these conditions.
I'm freakin' out thinking something is wrong with my system.
But before I start looking into things, I wanted to see of others are seeing less than expected. Perhaps haze from the siberian wildfires reflecting
a portion of the sun's energy.
Perhaps the travelling solar flare is diverting some too, I don't know if that is even possible.
All I really know is I am going to be one bummed camper if a couple cells in my system went kaput.
Thanks
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18404
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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being san diego, we rarely heat and never cool the house, so i don't see how it pays to install solar in san diego. heck, our average sdg&e bill
is $105 (more in winter, less in summer), so would seem silly to ever buy solar.
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landyacht318
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Posts: 247
Registered: 7-28-2007
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I live off the grid
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
being san diego, we rarely heat and never cool the house, so i don't see how it pays to install solar in san diego. heck, our average sdg&e bill
is $105 (more in winter, less in summer), so would seem silly to ever buy solar. |
in the past 2 years our SDGE bill has averaged $45/mo. one cold winter month it was $81....
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larryC
Super Nomad
Posts: 1496
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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Don't know where you are in San Diego but you've had your solar system long enough to know that it doesn't take much haze to reduce your panels output
dramatically. I am in Univercity city right now and it is overcast.
Larry
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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landyacht318
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Posts: 247
Registered: 7-28-2007
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I watch my monitor frequently enough I can usually guess within one amp what the panels are putting out. Yesterday and the day before It appears I was
about 3.5 amps off.
I recently installed a Thin film 68 watt flexible unisolar. The low light performance on this panel has been impressive.
Today was sunny here in coastal north county and I saw full output, and was so relieved I am going to get stinking drunk to celebrate the full flow of
electrons
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by woody with a view
| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
being san diego, we rarely heat and never cool the house, so i don't see how it pays to install solar in san diego. heck, our average sdg&e bill
is $105 (more in winter, less in summer), so would seem silly to ever buy solar. |
in the past 2 years our SDGE bill has averaged $45/mo. one cold winter month it was $81.... |
My PG&E (in Redding, CA) bill runs about $45 a month also, year in and year out. We average our monthly bills so PG&E always charges us the
same.
Total utility bill for Elec., Natural Gas, trash pickup, recycle pickup, sewer, storm drain, Green waste pickup, and street cleaning and maint. runs
us about $250 a month year in and year out. AC in summer is by far our biggest expense----we keep our house at 76 days, 72 nights. House (2000 sq
ft) is very well insulated, but we have old fashion windows without double panes.
Barry
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