Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
- BriansBrain
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Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
My Radio Brian's solar installation has begun.
12 x 460W panels in place and wired up.
Each weighs 25 kg and is 2.11m x 1.05m x 35mm deep.
Each pair are wired in series providing +/- 90V @ 10A.
The six pairs are then fed individually into the TX room.
Cable runs just need tidying up now.
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The Most Unique English Speaking Radio Station in the Canaries... Possibly the World.
- yellowbeard
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
I said that to you ages ago, Canary islands + solar panels = (dats the guy that sells you electricity there). It's a brilliant resource, I know this being too red headed to survive in it! Good luck and treat yourself to a night out when your next bill comes in, I predict you will be in a very good mood...
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- proppa neck!
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
How are you going to use the power? The batteries you'll need will be incredibly expensive.....
We used to run our Californian station using a mixture of solar panels and a couple of little wind turbines. These charged "Leisure" batteries, which were used to power the rig and the link receiver. The most difficult part of the whole design was the charging controller!
We used to run our Californian station using a mixture of solar panels and a couple of little wind turbines. These charged "Leisure" batteries, which were used to power the rig and the link receiver. The most difficult part of the whole design was the charging controller!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Albert.......... don't be impatient....
All will be revealed in good time
The Most Unique English Speaking Radio Station in the Canaries... Possibly the World.
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
I have been planning a solar system for over a year nowyellowbeard wrote: ↑Sun Jun 18, 2023 8:35 pm I said that to you ages ago, Canary islands + solar panels =
I have eventually taken the plunge
The Most Unique English Speaking Radio Station in the Canaries... Possibly the World.
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Just over a year ago I made a little program to automatically copy W/m2 solar data
(called website data scraping) from the local weather station 14 hours a day...
http://www.meteomaspalomas.com/ The page updates every 5 min however I decided data from every 15min would be fine
I now have real (not estimated) data every day for a year June > June
This is the average MAX W/m2 in June
And the average MIN W/m2 in December
Both plots in one graph so I know what I need to plan for.
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- yellowbeard
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
See me being jealous? I would get 10% of your bad day and 30% of your good days Wattage. You can keep the 116.8 Fahrenheit though...
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- tower block dreamin
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Don’t forget the air con bill to keep the tx cool.
I have often wondered if this was possible, I’ve fone it with 4w, but I’d cry if I saw the bill for purchasing all those solar panels (that said, it’s certainly an investment, and should help you reduce cost over the next 10yrs).
We certainly don’t have the sun here in the UK out of summer , not without the wind back up Albert mentions.
Now, if anyone ever comes up with a station powered by running water, then the UK will surely be the place to do it
I have often wondered if this was possible, I’ve fone it with 4w, but I’d cry if I saw the bill for purchasing all those solar panels (that said, it’s certainly an investment, and should help you reduce cost over the next 10yrs).
We certainly don’t have the sun here in the UK out of summer , not without the wind back up Albert mentions.
Now, if anyone ever comes up with a station powered by running water, then the UK will surely be the place to do it
Sony ST 920 QS
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- proppa neck!
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
I know people in Indonesia who used a little Pelton Water Wheel to drive a small Medium Wave rig! They also had Solar Panels (just a few because they were so expensive) and a Wind Turbine built from an old washing machine motor! I helped them out with the charge controller for their batteries. They used huge lead-acid batteries they'd got secondhand from a company that installed burglar and fire alarms. They replaced the (perfectly good) batteries every couple of years, so they had loads of otherwise useless spares that they were glad to sell off for next to nothing, just to get them out of their warehouse!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
OKyellowbeard wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 9:58 pm See me being jealous? I would get 10% of your bad day and 30% of your good days Wattage. You can keep the 116.8 Fahrenheit though...
The Most Unique English Speaking Radio Station in the Canaries... Possibly the World.
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Well up now, 4.5yrs of being ''ON AIR'' I've managed to cope without it
If you were next to a river that would be a great Idea in the UKLeeCavanagh wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:08 pm Now, if anyone ever comes up with a station powered by running water, then the UK will surely be the place to do it
The Most Unique English Speaking Radio Station in the Canaries... Possibly the World.
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
OK I picked up the Inverter yesterday
This is what I have gone for
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- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Of Course I had to have a look inside
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- who u callin ne guy bruv
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Please tell me you at least have a windows open (or extractor’s, I know from running only 500w that heat soon builds up in the tx room, ok with extractor and/or air con. I’m gushing you must be getting rid of it rather than it just building up. 500w alone can turn a room into 30c in only 3hrs, and that’s with a heat sink that feels pretty much cool to to touchBriansBrain wrote: ↑Thu Jun 22, 2023 12:37 pmWell up now, 4.5yrs of being ''ON AIR'' I've managed to cope without it
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Please don't worry Brian's TX room is well ventilatedtvtv wrote: ↑Thu Jun 22, 2023 10:44 pm Please tell me you at least have a windows open (or extractor’s, I know from running only 500w that heat soon builds up in the tx room, ok with extractor and/or air con. I’m gushing you must be getting rid of it rather than it just building up. 500w alone can turn a room into 30c in only 3hrs, and that’s with a heat sink that feels pretty much cool to to touch
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- who u callin ne guy bruv
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Very good. Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but we were talking about solar at work and someone was claiming that at 25C plus the solar panels loose a lot of their output. In the canaries that's a normal day plus more. Were they talking rubbish or can you get heatproof panels
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- proppa neck!
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
The solar panels I've used were specified to 39°C, but showed a marked reduction in output when we got to over 30°C. In fact they were so damned useless most of the time (in California!), that I had to supplement them with a couple of small wind turbines!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
Yes in the high heat of the Canary Islands where I am they loose voltage and so powerhouse-every-weekend wrote: ↑Sun Jun 25, 2023 6:41 pm Very good. Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but we were talking about solar at work and someone was claiming that at 25C plus the solar panels loose a lot of their output. In the canaries that's a normal day plus more. Were they talking rubbish...
This is why I have 12 when I really only need 8 > 10
I don't think so no
The Most Unique English Speaking Radio Station in the Canaries... Possibly the World.
- BriansBrain
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Re: Radio Brian's Solar Panel Installation has started
This is from the pdf of the panels I am using
PANEL SOLAR 460W JA SOLAR MONO PERC HC
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