Grid-tied solar
- Thread starter dave1949
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MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2001
- Messages
- 66,423
- Location
- South Bend, Indiana (near)
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
Yeah, I'd do excel spreadsheet and then use the snipping tool in W7 to make a picture of it.
Travelover
Elite Member
+1 I use the snipping tool often when I just need a low resolution image.
Results for February 2015. The best February so far.
I am too far away from an accurate model location to get conforming results. Portland is the most accurate by station class but farther away. Waterville comes closest to my actual annual results but the deviation for some months is very large.
*********************************** Model Prediction ***********************************************
OLD
_______388____412____509_____374____353____308____ 341___383____394____369____283____331____4,447
NEW Waterville, ME
_______273____322____491_____449____417____375____ 438___542____443____408____350____319____4,827
NEW Portland, ME
_______453____486____523_____452____448____409____ 444___464____466____461____351____368____5,325
GENERATION
Year___Jan____Feb____Mar____Apr_____May____Jun____ Jul____Aug____Sep____Oct____Nov____Dec____Total
2012____NA____NA_____NA____NA_____NA_____NA_____NA ___461_____481____378____400____297____NA
2013____440___375____462____487_____375____379____ 377___470_____476____453____414____278____4,986
2014____360___446____577____525_____361____390____ 395___453_____489____380____295____299____4,970
2015____431___456
Values are AC kilowatt hours.
Model source: PVWatts Calculator
I am too far away from an accurate model location to get conforming results. Portland is the most accurate by station class but farther away. Waterville comes closest to my actual annual results but the deviation for some months is very large.
*********************************** Model Prediction ***********************************************
OLD
_______388____412____509_____374____353____308____ 341___383____394____369____283____331____4,447
NEW Waterville, ME
_______273____322____491_____449____417____375____ 438___542____443____408____350____319____4,827
NEW Portland, ME
_______453____486____523_____452____448____409____ 444___464____466____461____351____368____5,325
GENERATION
Year___Jan____Feb____Mar____Apr_____May____Jun____ Jul____Aug____Sep____Oct____Nov____Dec____Total
2012____NA____NA_____NA____NA_____NA_____NA_____NA ___461_____481____378____400____297____NA
2013____440___375____462____487_____375____379____ 377___470_____476____453____414____278____4,986
2014____360___446____577____525_____361____390____ 395___453_____489____380____295____299____4,970
2015____431___456
Values are AC kilowatt hours.
Model source: PVWatts Calculator
A "Value of Solar" study commissioned by the Maine PUC. I haven't read through all 178 pages yet but there is some interesting info regarding many facets of alternative energy and the grid, future electric costs, even a calculation about the reserve capacity needed by wind turbines! (See page 80)
http://www.nrcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MPUCValueofSolarReport.pdf
An overview news release about the study:
Maine PUC
http://www.nrcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MPUCValueofSolarReport.pdf
An overview news release about the study:
Maine PUC
Last edited:
Results for March 2015.
A great March. Clear skies generally go with colder weather and this March has been colder than average.
*********************************** Model Prediction ***********************************************
OLD
_______388____412____509_____374____353____308____ 341___383____394____369____283____331____4,447
NEW Waterville, ME
_______273____322____491_____449____417____375____ 438___542____443____408____350____319____4,827
NEW Portland, ME
_______453____486____523_____452____448____409____ 444___464____466____461____351____368____5,325
GENERATION
Year___Jan____Feb____Mar____Apr_____May____Jun____ Jul____Aug____Sep____Oct____Nov____Dec____Total
2012____NA____NA_____NA____NA_____NA_____NA_____NA ___461_____481____378____400____297____NA
2013____440___375____462____487_____375____379____ 377___470_____476____453____414____278____4,986
2014____360___446____577____525_____361____390____ 395___453_____489____380____295____299____4,970
2015____431___456____612
Values are AC kilowatt hours.
Model source: NREL PVWatts Calculator
A great March. Clear skies generally go with colder weather and this March has been colder than average.
*********************************** Model Prediction ***********************************************
OLD
_______388____412____509_____374____353____308____ 341___383____394____369____283____331____4,447
NEW Waterville, ME
_______273____322____491_____449____417____375____ 438___542____443____408____350____319____4,827
NEW Portland, ME
_______453____486____523_____452____448____409____ 444___464____466____461____351____368____5,325
GENERATION
Year___Jan____Feb____Mar____Apr_____May____Jun____ Jul____Aug____Sep____Oct____Nov____Dec____Total
2012____NA____NA_____NA____NA_____NA_____NA_____NA ___461_____481____378____400____297____NA
2013____440___375____462____487_____375____379____ 377___470_____476____453____414____278____4,986
2014____360___446____577____525_____361____390____ 395___453_____489____380____295____299____4,970
2015____431___456____612
Values are AC kilowatt hours.
Model source: NREL PVWatts Calculator
Aluminum-ion battery. Cell phone battery charges in one minute. Potential for grid-scale storage.
New aluminum battery for smartphones can be charged in a minute | NewsDaily
New aluminum battery for smartphones can be charged in a minute | NewsDaily
Kyle_in_Tex
Super Star Member
I will believe when I see it work for the long haul, which I hope it does.
Kyle_in_Tex
Super Star Member
Also will be a Nobel candidate if it works.
buickanddeere
Super Member
Always these breathless exciting news stories about new ground breaking battery or solar cell tech. The promises all disappear when the government research grant or the private investor money runs out.
Last time I looked there have been no new elements added to the periodic table. So don't be expecting new rechargeable battery tech.
Last edited:
fordmantpw
Veteran Member
That's the mindset that prevents invention. Just imagine if the folks that pioneered the battery advancements of the last 10 years would have believed that. We'd all be packing around smart phones with 5 lb batteries that we had to charge every 27 minutes.
buickanddeere
Super Member
Not so, lithium has been known for over a century to be a higher watt hour per pound and per unit volume than lead acid, carbon zinc or alkaline. It was't until the high volume demand for phones and laptops that brought the manufacturing costs down. I suggest you find out what you are talking about before mouthing classic feel good platitudes about innovation, inventions, trying harder etc. you can try as much as you want to pour four gallons of gasoline into a one gallon tank. No amount of trying and warm fuzzy feelings will make the last three gallons fit.
How many electrons are in a discharged battery compared to a charged battery for any cathode/anode/electrolyte combination?
From what little I know, not much admittedly, the path to better batteries does not rely on new elements, but on how well existing elements can be used. No?
A battery that would greatly benefit home solar generation primarily needs to be less expensive per kw compared to current lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries, and able to discharge and charge at a reasonable rate for many cycles. That can be achieved with cheaper materials, or cheaper production methods. No new elements are required.
Even simply increasing the number of lifetime cycles capability translates to a cheaper battery because it has a longer life.
From what little I know, not much admittedly, the path to better batteries does not rely on new elements, but on how well existing elements can be used. No?
A battery that would greatly benefit home solar generation primarily needs to be less expensive per kw compared to current lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries, and able to discharge and charge at a reasonable rate for many cycles. That can be achieved with cheaper materials, or cheaper production methods. No new elements are required.
Even simply increasing the number of lifetime cycles capability translates to a cheaper battery because it has a longer life.
buickanddeere
Super Member
Batteries have already been optimized via materials and construction for the max number of cycles before failure. Even lithium respond with longer life by not deep cycling the cells.
If your system requires 1000 kw hr of capacity and you expect more than 2-5 years of service life. A storage bank of 4000Kw hr of flooded cell lead acid or 3000 Kw hr of lithium cells. The cost adds up.
Batteries like anything else wear out.
If your system requires 1000 kw hr of capacity and you expect more than 2-5 years of service life. A storage bank of 4000Kw hr of flooded cell lead acid or 3000 Kw hr of lithium cells. The cost adds up.
Batteries like anything else wear out.
buickanddeere
Super Member
Batteries have already been optimized via materials and construction for the max number of cycles before failure. Even lithium respond with longer life by not deep cycling the cells.
If your system requires 1000 kw hr of capacity and you expect more than 2-5 years of service life. A storage bank of 4000Kw hr of flooded cell lead acid or 3000 Kw hr of lithium cells. The cost adds up.
Batteries like anything else wear out.
If your system requires 1000 kw hr of capacity and you expect more than 2-5 years of service life. A storage bank of 4000Kw hr of flooded cell lead acid or 3000 Kw hr of lithium cells. The cost adds up.
Batteries like anything else wear out.
tjcarguy
Bronze Member
There was a guy who invented a baterry that lasted forever and the oil companies offed him. ---Trevor
fordmantpw
Veteran Member
They've got that battery sitting in a vault right next to the 200 MPG carburetor.
BobRip
Elite Member
Guys batteries will get better, but they don't follow Moore's law. I know there are
Limits to Chemisry, but we surely do not know everything there is to know. I spent 10 years working with Sanyo. I spent some of that time talking to their battery division. They targeted about a 10% improvement every year. They were financially constrained so extra money would help. I don't think capacity will improve radically, but there are still opportunities to improve cycle life and recharge time. I think graphene will help with this. Also history is full of examples of discoveries that were major improvements that could not be pedicted. There is more money going into this every year. A lot of it will be wasted. Some of it will help.
Battery development is more complicated than you think and it takes effort, money and time.
'
Limits to Chemisry, but we surely do not know everything there is to know. I spent 10 years working with Sanyo. I spent some of that time talking to their battery division. They targeted about a 10% improvement every year. They were financially constrained so extra money would help. I don't think capacity will improve radically, but there are still opportunities to improve cycle life and recharge time. I think graphene will help with this. Also history is full of examples of discoveries that were major improvements that could not be pedicted. There is more money going into this every year. A lot of it will be wasted. Some of it will help.
Battery development is more complicated than you think and it takes effort, money and time.
'
BobRip
Elite Member
Guys batteries will get better, but they don't follow Moore's law. I know there are
Limits to Chemisry, but we surely do not know everything there is to know. I spent 10 years working with Sanyo. I spent some of that time talking to their battery division. They targeted about a 10% improvement every year. They were financially constrained so extra money would help. I don't think capacity will improve radically, but there are still opportunities to improve cycle life and recharge time. I think graphene will help with this. Also history is full of examples of discoveries that were major improvements that could not be pedicted. There is more money going into this every year. A lot of it will be wasted. Some of it will help.
Battery development is more complicated than you think and it takes effort, money and time.
'
Limits to Chemisry, but we surely do not know everything there is to know. I spent 10 years working with Sanyo. I spent some of that time talking to their battery division. They targeted about a 10% improvement every year. They were financially constrained so extra money would help. I don't think capacity will improve radically, but there are still opportunities to improve cycle life and recharge time. I think graphene will help with this. Also history is full of examples of discoveries that were major improvements that could not be pedicted. There is more money going into this every year. A lot of it will be wasted. Some of it will help.
Battery development is more complicated than you think and it takes effort, money and time.
'
