Posted on 09/18/2017 11:08:27 AM PDT by Olog-hai
Solar panel units for the roofs of Norwegian homes are to be sold in-store for the first time by electronics retailer Elkjøp.
The electronics chain has noticed a strong growth in demand for the solar units in its online stores, reports Dagens Næringsliv. Now the technology will be available in physical shops for the first time.
Solar panel power in Norwegian homes has tripled in the last year in terms of overall effectivity, according to the report. […]
The technology developer said that he wanted to take solar power from the “niche market to the mass market”. …
(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.no ...
Rest of the time though? They'd better have a @%%#@! big battery.
Efficiency will also depend on the orientation of the panels. In Norway, the sun comes up in the extreme northeast and sets in the extreme southeast.
That was the first thing I thought of when reading this tripe! Urinalists and other eco-whackos have no actual knowledge of physics, nor any idea what 'insolation' means. They probably think it's a misspelling of stuff the Pink Panther used to advertise on TV.
Fine if there’s no subsidy.
You may have a different solar orientation than most of us. Nothing wrong with that though, so they say...
” ————nor any idea what ‘insolation’ means. “
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What DOES “insolation” mean?????????
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I have a few solar panels to play with and potentially use to help get through power outages.
Grid tie inverters are a cool thing.
We use solar panels to power our cabin. They work pretty well. Price has come down so it’s not all that expensive. We aren’t trying to run appliances. Just lights, radio, DVD playerTV, etc.
I don’t trust those non-ground inverters.
As far as this technology is concerned, the free market should have been permitted to decide. And if they can’t compete with home generators, so be it.
Here's a chart of the sun direction in Oslo:
Looks like if it comes up in the extreme northeast, which happens around the summer solstice, them it will set in the extreme northwest. If you are above the arctic circle, then at the same time of year the sun will never set and will at one point (around midnight) be due north.
In the winter, if you are below the arctic circle, the sun will rise in the extreme southeast and rapidly set in the extreme southwest.
Actually we use 12V devices and avoid the inverters. There are propane refrigerators now that get cold very quickly.
ive in a hurricane zone nx anything that would keep an AC going would be a BIG sell...
To keep a central unit going with whole house generator runs about $10,000. Waaaay too much for something used every few years...
But what would it cost for solar to keep one window unit or duckless system running until power was back on?
Lots of folks in Florida are ready and willing to buy.
Live in a hurricane zone and anything that would keep an AC going would be a BIG sell...
To keep a central unit going with a ‘whole house generator’ runs about $10,000. Waaaay too much for something used every few years...
But what would it cost for solar to keep one window unit or duckless system running until power was back on?
Lots of folks in Florida are ready and willing to buy.
OTOH,I've been to the UAE (which borders Saudi Arabia) and the Australian Outback.Although I'm not an expert in such matters it seems that the proximity to the equator that both enjoy as well as the sunshine they enjoy 320 days a year might make them credible choices for solar.
With all the appliances that run off of the 12V system (RV accessories, etc.) I think that you could live pretty comfortably in a cabin set up to run off of car batteries recharged with solar panels.
We use golfcart batteries. They are true deep cycle.
There are portable ductless mini-split units that sit on the floor, with an intake hose and a hose for moisture condensate, both of which would be routed through a panel in a window, similar to how a window unit is placed in an open window. These use the least amount of power. Have to be level, though, or condensate is going to leak.
The problem with trying to run an emergency system off of solar would be that you’d want a battery bank sufficient to run it through the night. By the time you get all that set up, it doesn’t make sense to only use it when the power’s out, you’d want it grid tied to reduce your electric bill. Also, your exposure to sun would need to be good, with a clear southern exposure not blocked by structures or trees or other plants.
There are numerous RV’s around with solar and battery banks now that are sufficient to run the air conditioning through the night, so it is possible, but those systems are also backed up by a generator typically. It’s not easy to answer. Here’s a description of a 2,000 watt solar system with a 1200 amp hour lithium ion battery bank on a 41’ Newmar motorhome that powers the air conditioning:
http://precisionrv.com/2017/08/24/2000-watt-1200-amp-hour-newmar-motorhome-solar-power-system/
The cheapest thing you could do would be to have a generator panel wired specifically to run a portable ductless mini-split or window unit, plus a few other things, a few lights, couple of electric outlets so that a smaller, much cheaper generator could definitely run it. $10,000 for a whole house generator to run your whole house just for an occasional power outage is excessive and really a luxury. You’re only wanting to make a room habitable, not power the entire house. Ask a reliable, trustworthy electrician what the cost would be. It’s hard to give a pat answer to any of this because what would need to be done would vary depending upon your needs and circumstance, but it would certainly be far less than $10,000.
To keep a central unit going with whole house generator runs about $10,000. Waaaay too much for something used every few years...
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I think you aren’t looking very hard. I bought a 16KW Generac system including an automatic transfer switch for just over $3000.00. I had to install it myself but it isn’t rocket science.
I also have whole house solar. I have 12KW PV on the roof. That means about 60KW per day in sunshine. On a hot day in the summer my usage is higher than 60KW with a/c but the utility company takes my extra on good days and gives it back to me on the bad days.
I think if I had it to do over again I would have put 15KW on the roof but finding that much south facing roof is a problem.
When not using a/c or heat pump heating I make a lot more than I use, even on cloudy days except on laundry day with the electric drier, that and a/c at the same time really use it, over 10KW an hour.
My battery will last about a week, I found out the hard way when I had a setting in the control system set for battery priority instead of utility during a rainy week. Anyway if needed I could run the generator for about 5 hours and get two days out of the battery, much longer out of the battery sans a/c. I really expected the battery to last longer, I could push it a few more days but it is really hard on the battery to do that. The charging system is only about 80% efficient so that even if you make 60KW you will only be able to store about 48KW of that. One thing that helps is that during the day you use it as your making it, of that you are about 98% efficient. Most of my use is in daylight hours.
It has been fun, it has not been cheap. ROI is several years. I wanted it for security not ROI. Do it yourself solar is not for the weak hearted but it is VERY satisfying.
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