Do you have an example of stealth solar?
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Do you have an example of stealth solar?
I've been thinking a lot about 'stealth solar' where people attach #solarpanels to places in a subtle way to capture the sun's energy. It might be stealth as there are strict rules or just want to keep it low key. #balconysolar is sort of stealth gone mainstream.
With cheaper MPPT devices you can now accept slightly poorer efficiency due to placement and with microinverters don't need to make long strings. I particularly think that there is no point having a solar panel in storage, best get it out there and generating even if it's in a temporary place!
So I thought I'd start a small website that documents different stealth setups, so if you have cheeky solar panels and would be willing to share a little info (but not too much if it would get you in trouble) get in touch.
@smallsolar Captain's Quarters II BBS runs off four 100W solar panels with 2 Jackery Power Station 300's powering a Mac Mini!
http://cqbbs.ddns.net -
R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic
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@yngmar @smallsolar If you're renting, how do you get the power into the system? Or do you just power batteries/specific items off the panel?
@anyGould @smallsolar You plug it in a wall outlet, which becomes a wall inlet. This is safe as the inverter will shut off when losing the grid.
There's a EU directive or something about it. Here in Lithuania it's up to 800W and the paper registration is minimal. This does not involve the landlord, only the power company
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@Remittancegirl @smallsolar It's perfect for exactly what I use it for.
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@smallsolar this isn’t a good financial move btw
The setup cost a little over a thousand € and I’m saving 1, maybe 2 kWh per day
That’s €0.14 per day
so I guess I’m saving about €50 per year?@GuillaumeRossolini @smallsolar that's a twenty year payback... Assuming power starts the same price, the time goes down as prices go up. Maybe call it fifteen years on the conservative side?
It's not hugely profitable, but it's not the worst investment in the world.
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@GuillaumeRossolini @smallsolar that's a twenty year payback... Assuming power starts the same price, the time goes down as prices go up. Maybe call it fifteen years on the conservative side?
It's not hugely profitable, but it's not the worst investment in the world.
@mu oh no, these big names, easy-to-install batteries, are absolutely a bad investment (as far as money saving is concerned)
Payback would probably take 20 years at the rate I mentioned, but this battery is unlikely to survive that long; in fact, in one year it has already lost half its capacity
These branded batteries are not the way to financial savings, but they are easy to setup and they do provide a nice buffer for unpredictable energy loads that you don’t want the grid to take on
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@mu oh no, these big names, easy-to-install batteries, are absolutely a bad investment (as far as money saving is concerned)
Payback would probably take 20 years at the rate I mentioned, but this battery is unlikely to survive that long; in fact, in one year it has already lost half its capacity
These branded batteries are not the way to financial savings, but they are easy to setup and they do provide a nice buffer for unpredictable energy loads that you don’t want the grid to take on
@GuillaumeRossolini @mu I think we have to move away from hoping that everything will pay for itself, part of this is to change the way we use energy and the way we source it. There is a rebellion in each of these steps, each time you use your panel you are taking back a little bit of agency.
The 'green' revolution we all want isn't going to pay for itself but we've got to do something!
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@mu oh no, these big names, easy-to-install batteries, are absolutely a bad investment (as far as money saving is concerned)
Payback would probably take 20 years at the rate I mentioned, but this battery is unlikely to survive that long; in fact, in one year it has already lost half its capacity
These branded batteries are not the way to financial savings, but they are easy to setup and they do provide a nice buffer for unpredictable energy loads that you don’t want the grid to take on
@mu in my case, being conservative that’s less than 400 kWh per year, and that’s less than 1/30th of my energy needs
So all in all I know this is not very relevant, compared to heating (and cooking to a lesser extent), but we do what we can
️My view on this is, these systems at least allow us to avoid sudden, high, unpredictable loads from the grid, like for example washing machines and vacuuming.
The grid can’t predict that the population will likely vacuum their place at xyz time every day and therefore there’s an increased energy need at that time every day.
Of course, the conundrum is that they’ve been doing that regardless, and my changing habits now might be worse for them
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@yngmar @smallsolar built one of those a few years ago. The hardest part was to find a suitable panel in terms of "small but extra thick frame for maximum sturdyness". 200W panel, 300W inverter limited (to stay below the legal limit for overall power fed into the grid). I opted for cheap surplus/scratched steel legs mounted with excess 19" rack mounting screws. I used rubbery plastic spacers to help with the bending force applied to the panel frame. The panel has protective plastic covers on the corners. If drilling holes into the frame, put a cloth and a piece of wood anside to not hit the plastic surface with the tip of the drill. I used two aluminum rails to mount the inverter. As those inverters are potted I just removed four screws that hold on the cover and replaced them with slightly longer ones that go though holes on the aluminum profiles.
@stereo4x4 @yngmar that looks awesome and super practical! Would it be okay if I used your image on my site as an example?
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@smallsolar Captain's Quarters II BBS runs off four 100W solar panels with 2 Jackery Power Station 300's powering a Mac Mini!
http://cqbbs.ddns.net@byteknight amazing! I run the solarcene.community mastodon instance on something similar
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Do you have an example of stealth solar?
I've been thinking a lot about 'stealth solar' where people attach #solarpanels to places in a subtle way to capture the sun's energy. It might be stealth as there are strict rules or just want to keep it low key. #balconysolar is sort of stealth gone mainstream.
With cheaper MPPT devices you can now accept slightly poorer efficiency due to placement and with microinverters don't need to make long strings. I particularly think that there is no point having a solar panel in storage, best get it out there and generating even if it's in a temporary place!
So I thought I'd start a small website that documents different stealth setups, so if you have cheeky solar panels and would be willing to share a little info (but not too much if it would get you in trouble) get in touch.
@smallsolar Here's my backyard garbage can solar setup. These are two 100 watt panels which charge a 280 Ah LiFePO4 battery in my basement, no grid-tie. Once we get out of the winter months this produces more than enough energy to run my washing machine, among other things.
I've got various other panels kicking around, but this is my 'main' system for which a better mount is on the list of projects.
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@GuillaumeRossolini @mu I think we have to move away from hoping that everything will pay for itself, part of this is to change the way we use energy and the way we source it. There is a rebellion in each of these steps, each time you use your panel you are taking back a little bit of agency.
The 'green' revolution we all want isn't going to pay for itself but we've got to do something!
@smallsolar I also understand that heat (for the winter) shouldn’t necessarily be part of the equation
So I’m happy with my little experiments and I’ll try to improve as I can
KeithDPatch (@keithdpatch@mastodon.mit.edu)
Attached: 1 image @GuillaumeRossolini@infosec.exchange Sorry, we can solve seasonal energy storage TODAY with excess summertime green hydrogen production that is stored underground. Underground hydrogen storage has/is currently operating in salt domes AND aquifers AND depleted gas reservoirs (pores). https://bit.ly/3EMaK2u And there are other, newer options being developed.⬇️
MIT Mastodon (mastodon.mit.edu)
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@stereo4x4 @yngmar that looks awesome and super practical! Would it be okay if I used your image on my site as an example?
@smallsolar sure, I am happy if people get inspired by my builds.
I still have no good feeling how much weight can be put on it, especially in one small spot. Like I would not put a big heavy pot of food right in the middle of it. Or push myself up from it. Did some testing by putting some weights in the middle with a piece of wood as reference to check how far it bends and stopped at ~5kg as I noticed it bending. But a laptop and some light use will certainly be fine. Maybe I picked not the best module, but ~200W seems to be a sweet spot beteeen module size, sturdyness and cost. I thought about cutting down some old piece of multiplex to put on top in case it is used as a real table. Another downside is that it gets quite hot without some kind of cover (tablecloth etc.)
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@smallsolar Here's my backyard garbage can solar setup. These are two 100 watt panels which charge a 280 Ah LiFePO4 battery in my basement, no grid-tie. Once we get out of the winter months this produces more than enough energy to run my washing machine, among other things.
I've got various other panels kicking around, but this is my 'main' system for which a better mount is on the list of projects.
@toroidalcore @smallsolar At least prop it up against the house
Fixing them to the house with hinges might be cool so you can slowly track the sun vertically through the seasons. -
@toroidalcore @smallsolar At least prop it up against the house
Fixing them to the house with hinges might be cool so you can slowly track the sun vertically through the seasons.@chrisp @smallsolar This was in Winter, when that was a better location. I'm going to try to come up with some sort of a freestanding structure that I can move around a little bit easier, just owing to the trees in my area.
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Do you have an example of stealth solar?
I've been thinking a lot about 'stealth solar' where people attach #solarpanels to places in a subtle way to capture the sun's energy. It might be stealth as there are strict rules or just want to keep it low key. #balconysolar is sort of stealth gone mainstream.
With cheaper MPPT devices you can now accept slightly poorer efficiency due to placement and with microinverters don't need to make long strings. I particularly think that there is no point having a solar panel in storage, best get it out there and generating even if it's in a temporary place!
So I thought I'd start a small website that documents different stealth setups, so if you have cheeky solar panels and would be willing to share a little info (but not too much if it would get you in trouble) get in touch.
@smallsolar There are examples of mirror solar arrays that are 'self-contained' - meaning they won't show bright light unless you're basically upon/inside them.
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@byteknight amazing! I run the solarcene.community mastodon instance on something similar
@smallsolar Very cool!
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Do you have an example of stealth solar?
I've been thinking a lot about 'stealth solar' where people attach #solarpanels to places in a subtle way to capture the sun's energy. It might be stealth as there are strict rules or just want to keep it low key. #balconysolar is sort of stealth gone mainstream.
With cheaper MPPT devices you can now accept slightly poorer efficiency due to placement and with microinverters don't need to make long strings. I particularly think that there is no point having a solar panel in storage, best get it out there and generating even if it's in a temporary place!
So I thought I'd start a small website that documents different stealth setups, so if you have cheeky solar panels and would be willing to share a little info (but not too much if it would get you in trouble) get in touch.
Not sure if it fits your theme, per se...
My first #Solar installation was with the panels mounted on an old chicken tractor that was no longer in use...
Eventually moved them onto some gate hinges hanging on a beam under the eaves on my #TinyHouse so I can angle them or put them down as needed, without having to invest in fancy roof mount hardware.
Building it on a "vehicle" rather than a "house" allows more flexibility for #DIY installations, not needing an inspection, etc.
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Not sure if it fits your theme, per se...
My first #Solar installation was with the panels mounted on an old chicken tractor that was no longer in use...
Eventually moved them onto some gate hinges hanging on a beam under the eaves on my #TinyHouse so I can angle them or put them down as needed, without having to invest in fancy roof mount hardware.
Building it on a "vehicle" rather than a "house" allows more flexibility for #DIY installations, not needing an inspection, etc.
@vagrantc I think that is exactly what I'm exploring, I agree about keeping things 'potentially mobile' makes things generally easier.
I particularly like the idea of adding panels to things that are perhaps just sitting rusting as their previous role is now not required.
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@vagrantc I think that is exactly what I'm exploring, I agree about keeping things 'potentially mobile' makes things generally easier.
I particularly like the idea of adding panels to things that are perhaps just sitting rusting as their previous role is now not required.
@vagrantc also, a potential contractor pointed out to me how impractical roofs are for solar
- setup requires scaffolding
- every maintenance requires scaffolding
- the city may have something to say about the project (as in “lol no”)
- depending what the roof is made of, every time someone goes up there handling a heavy panel, tiles are going to need replacement
- might not have the best orientation
- etc.
But a structure made for them on the ground? Many of these points get solved by this
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@smallsolar @sheddi if you are paying a sparky price a proper install instead. A non fancy brand 3.6 or 5kW inverter that'll take standard 48v batteries is a grand, 16kWh of battery is about 1500 and some cables and stuff. Once you go over a tiny size wired in wins if you can do it, especially as the sparky can claim the vat off and you can't.
@etchedpixels @smallsolar
Sorry, thought I'd replied here but now see I didn't!I fully agree that for a larger system it makes sense to have a professional installation. I've already got a rooftop PV system (2012 vintage, relatively low efficiency but earning FIT money). My Ecoflow kit is a fun experiment that also fulfils an offer I made to my wife to make her art shed off-grid-capable (albeit only during the months she doesn't need heating).
