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@dK yesterday was $2.57 (out of a predicted $2.95)
Today so far I've been alerted to dispatch $2.45 (2.54kW) to help support the grid. Started about 1715 hours but I had the air con running so might not make all of that.
I've been following the NEM on Twitter the last few hours. The situation earlier today - predicting blackouts from 5-6PM across NSW - has eased.
Also this from AusGrid:
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I set my aircon to 25 today. Suffering like a peasant.
Thank fuck for the pool and the students/ diplomat daughters who live here...
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@NTA said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
Another dispatch requested for $3.20 at 1801 hours.
Wife just got home though so air con probably happens now
Just a thought. Have you run the numbers on efficient use of your aircon? trying to cool a hot house can crank through power whereby keeping a house from getting hot in the first place can be more efficient.
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@Frank said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
@NTA
Nick. What is the most advanced form of solar power available now?
What is the most advanced form not yet commercially available?"Advanced" is a fairly relative term. Those parabolic trough reflectors have been around for centuries so do we consider them advanced? Certainly they, and the solar tower technology, will address the problem of what happens if the sun doesn't shine. But effectively, the molten salt attached to these facilities is a battery.
Solar photovoltaics are relatively new, and becoming more advanced all the time. So they could probably be considered the most advanced. PV panels can be taken anywhere by various means of transport, and installed these days with fairly simple electrical training - a lot of the gear is becoming plug n play as manufacturers seek to simplify deployments.
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@Crucial said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
Just a thought. Have you run the numbers on efficient use of your aircon? trying to cool a hot house can crank through power whereby keeping a house from getting hot in the first place can be more efficient.
Yes, and having played around with it a bit, you're right. Slightly.
The usage profile of my air conditioner comes down to the fact that it is a huge idiot, and has a baseline draw that is higher than the capacity of my solar system to generate.
It is a "regulator" as opposed to inverter system. So it sees temperature dropping, then pulls the trigger on the compressor, until the thermostat registers that its happy. At that point, it cuts out.
This requires about 5500W to get started, depending on the fan speed I use (Low/Med/Hi). I can also set it to "continuous" mode, which keeps the fan unit running but turns off the compressor. That mode is kind of OK but eventually the ducting starts to heat up again, and it just burns electricity to do that, so why bother?
I think what would work much better is two or three multi-head inverter systems - still feeding the ducts - that I can turn on or off remotely like some of the new wifi capable units.
The house has two big windows facing west, which are single-pane glass, with aluminium frames, and therefore fucking useless against the sun. I rave about this in detail at the link below, in terms of overall efficiency, but I'm getting quotes for double-glazed uPVC windows to limit the damage overall. But also having an air-con system run at that end of the house in the afternoon would keep the rest of the house cool.
http://unleashthepowerwall.com/2016/03/05/solar-power-through-the-square-window/
To look at the specific usage profile of the Air Con, I have the attached below. This was a particularly hot shunt of a day. The A/C system is rated at 20kW output, which I think means its rated to consume about a third of that.
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Holy fuck having just seen you on the Sunrise ad you definitely have the head for radio.
How fucking shiny is it?
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@mariner4life said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
Holy fuck having just seen you on the Sunrise ad you definitely have the head for radio.
How fucking shiny is it?
It helps reflect more photons onto the panels, if I stand at the right angle.
if I had a wind turbine, my ears could power them if I turn my head real fast.
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@NTA said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
@mariner4life said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
Holy fuck having just seen you on the Sunrise ad you definitely have the head for radio.
How fucking shiny is it?
It helps reflect more photons onto the panels, if I stand at the right angle.
if I had a wind turbine, my ears could power them if I turn my head real fast.
Not to mention the Biomass generator attached to your pants.
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@mariner4life said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
Holy fuck having just seen you on the Sunrise ad you definitely have the head for radio.
Actually I'd better wax the dome - Sunrise crew will be here in an hour to get some footage.
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@NTA said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
@mariner4life said in Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view:
Holy fuck having just seen you on the Sunrise ad you definitely have the head for radio.
Actually I'd better wax the dome - Sunrise crew will be here in an hour to get some footage.
Of your head?
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I'll send you booze if you can get your nuts on national TV.
People will mistake them for Kochie's head
Solar Power and Storage - a nerd's view