Re: [RE-wrenches] getting PV modules up to the roof

2013-02-10 Thread Gary Willett 

  
  
Here's a product from
Kee Safety for hoisting modules.
http://keesafety.com/images/uploads/us/documents/%28D3%29ASSEMBLYSOLARplatform_NA.pdf
  

  











  Regards,
  
  
  Gary Willett, PE
  Icarus-Engineering LLC
  Icarus Solar Services LLC
  
  g...@icarus-engineering.com
  g...@icarussolarservices.com

  
  On 2/10/2013 4:35 PM, Solarguy wrote:


  
  
  
  
  
We started buying
scaffolding in 2007 after renting it for our first 3 years.

One man can lift one
module 7 feet up to where one more man can grab then stack
it on a solid platform 4 deep on each end of the walkboards.
8 panels stacked 8 feet off the ground in under 10 minutes.

Step off the
walkboard onto a 2nd story roof. 
Yes it’s a
significant investment and is bulky to transport but it
makes roof access way easier, provides a place to keep tools
& equipment within reach and is just plain easier to
climb than ladders. And safer. 
Not to mention it’s a
great assembly platform for trackers. 
http://www.ntrei.com/scaffold.pdf

 
Jim
Duncan
North
Texas Renewable Energy Inc
www.ntrei.com

NABCEP
PV 031310-57
TECL-27398
nt...@1scom.net

817.917.0527

 
 
 

  
From:
re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On
  Behalf Of August Goers
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2013 12:44 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: [RE-wrenches] getting PV modules up to
the roof
  

 

  Hi
  Wrenches,
   
  I
  imagine that all of us working in rooftop PV have put some
  good hard thought on the best way to get the modules up to
  the roof. There are various lifts on the market, you can
  hoist them with ropes manually, or walk them up a ladder
  (sling them over your back). I find that the majority of
  our competition in the Bay Area walks panels up the ladder
  for residential projects. What is your feeling about OSHA
  compliance of doing this?
   
  Best,
   
   
  August
  415.559.1525

  
  
  
  
  ___
List sponsored by Home Power magazine

List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org

Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org




  

___
List sponsored by Home Power magazine

List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org

Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org

Re: [RE-wrenches] Insulated cabinet source

2013-02-10 Thread Solarguy 
http://www.ddbunlimited.com/ 

DDB Unlimited builds custom cabinets with all the bells & whistles you could
want. Many are for sensitive electrical equipment with ventilation fans,
heat or air installed. 

 

Jim Duncan

North Texas Renewable Energy Inc

  www.ntrei.com 

NABCEP PV 031310-57

TECL-27398

  nt...@1scom.net 

817.917.0527

NABCEP Logo

 

 

 

-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Kirk
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 12:38 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Insulated cabinet source

 

Hello,

I'm looking to source insulated cabinets, relatively large to house -3-
Fronius 5 Kw inverters. They only have a low operating temp spec of -4F. I
plan to supply min heat using a small resistive element. Long story, but
inverters have to be mounted at the array and I must use Fronius. This is
part of an OEM module evaluation in cold climates. Permitting does not allow
building a shed. Thanks.

 

 

Kirk Herander

VSE

___

List sponsored by Home Power magazine

 

List Address:  
RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org

 

Options & settings:

 
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

 

List-Archive:

http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

 

List rules & etiquette:

 
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

 

Check out participant bios:

  www.members.re-wrenches.org

<>___
List sponsored by Home Power magazine

List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org

Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org

[RE-wrenches] getting PV modules up to the roof

2013-02-10 Thread Solarguy 
We started buying scaffolding in 2007 after renting it for our first 3
years. 

One man can lift one module 7 feet up to where one more man can grab then
stack it on a solid platform 4 deep on each end of the walkboards. 8 panels
stacked 8 feet off the ground in under 10 minutes. 

Step off the walkboard onto a 2nd story roof. 

Yes it's a significant investment and is bulky to transport but it makes
roof access way easier, provides a place to keep tools & equipment within
reach and is just plain easier to climb than ladders. And safer. 

Not to mention it's a great assembly platform for trackers. 

http://www.ntrei.com/scaffold.pdf 

 

Jim Duncan

North Texas Renewable Energy Inc

www.ntrei.com   

NABCEP PV 031310-57

TECL-27398

nt...@1scom.net 

817.917.0527

NABCEP Logo

 

 

 

From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of August Goers
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2013 12:44 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: [RE-wrenches] getting PV modules up to the roof

 

Hi Wrenches,

 

I imagine that all of us working in rooftop PV have put some good hard
thought on the best way to get the modules up to the roof. There are various
lifts on the market, you can hoist them with ropes manually, or walk them up
a ladder (sling them over your back). I find that the majority of our
competition in the Bay Area walks panels up the ladder for residential
projects. What is your feeling about OSHA compliance of doing this?

 

Best,

 

 

August

415.559.1525

<>___
List sponsored by Home Power magazine

List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org

Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org

Re: [RE-wrenches] Generator Controlled Mini Grid

2013-02-10 Thread Chris Mason 
I have a generator and PV system that just works together, despite all the
dire predictions that it won't. from my experience of PV and generators (I
am also a generator tech), the biggest issue is the AVR board and how it
responds to back fed voltage, and the generator controller's over voltage
settings.
I think that it would probably on only require a reprogrammed inverter to
make this work as follows.
The AVR produces excitation voltage to vary the strength of the rotor field
and therefore the induced voltage in the stator. When the PV system back
feeds the generator, the excitation level is reduced to control the
voltage. When there is no load, the inverter keeps raising the voltage to
attempt to push the current to the grid and at some point the generator
trips out on overvoltage.

 If the inverter was programmed to reduce the production of power in
response to the rise in voltage, it would sync pretty nicely with the
generator. However, this would likely violate the IEEE parameters for a
grid tied inverter. SMA has off-grid mode, I suspect that is the best
solution.

In a Sunny Island system, as I understand it, the Sunny Island caries the
frequency to communicate to the inverter to reduce the current output. That
avoid the problem of the inverter raising the voltage.




On Sun, Feb 10, 2013 at 2:45 PM, Drake  wrote:

> Hi Kevin,
>
> Thanks for the Eigg video.  What a great place.
>
> I didn't see evidence of any AC coupling of inverter produced AC to a
> generator produced mini grid.  I understand this is being done in a
> homebrew manner by some.
>
> The current wisdom on the issue is that the less the PV contribution to
> the generator supplied grid is, the easier.  It would seem that if a grid
> tie inverter output could be regulated, using Sunny Island type controls,
> it should be possible to have a small inverter generator create a mini grid
> that could be fed by PV.
>
> A system featuring this type of technology was linked in a posting on this
> list some years ago, The link seems dead now.  In that case a large
> generator was feeding a number of houses, and PV was fed into the system.
>
> The reason for this interest is that battery backup systems are much more
> expensive than generators.  We need to find a way to utilize PV arrays
> during outages without the expense of battery backup systems.
>
> Drake
>
>
>
> At 07:42 PM 2/8/2013, you wrote:
>
>> Hi Drake,
>>
>> SMA has very good solutions for this. Does this out of the box without a
>> bunch of custom control systems. I have put a few systems in like this, but
>> the renewables not yet online (generator / battery now). If you google Isle
>> of Eig you will find some info on what they have done there.
>> http://islandsgoinggreen.org/**about/eigg-electric/
>>
>> Kevin
>>
>> -Original Message-
>> From: 
>> re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-**wrenches.org
>> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@**lists.re-wrenches.org]On
>> Behalf Of Drake
>> Sent: February 8, 2013 6:41 AM
>> To: RE-wrenches
>> Subject: [RE-wrenches] Generator Controlled Mini Grid
>>
>>
>> A potential customer is interested in a mini grid, set up by a
>> generator, to connect his array to.
>>
>> Some years back, on this list, an article was linked about a
>> community with a central generator that had PV input to the generator
>> supplied, local grid, using electronic controls.
>>
>> Has any progress been made in this technology?  Does anyone have a
>> link to the electronic control equipment or any other relevant
>> information?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Drake
>>
>> __**_
>> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
>>
>>
> __**_
> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
>
> List Address: 
> re-wrenc...@lists.re-wrenches.**org
>
> Options & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/**options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-**wrenches.org
>
> List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/**pipermail/re-wrenches-re-**
> wrenches.org
>
> List rules & etiquette:
> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.**htm
>
> Check out participant bios:
> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>
>


-- 
Chris Mason
President, Comet Systems Ltd
www.cometenergysystems.com
Cell: 264.235.5670
Skype: netconcepts
___
List sponsored by Home Power magazine

List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org

Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org

Re: [RE-wrenches] Generator Controlled Mini Grid

2013-02-10 Thread Drake 

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the Eigg video.  What a great place.

I didn't see evidence of any AC coupling of inverter produced AC to a 
generator produced mini grid.  I understand this is being done in a 
homebrew manner by some.


The current wisdom on the issue is that the less the PV contribution 
to the generator supplied grid is, the easier.  It would seem that if 
a grid tie inverter output could be regulated, using Sunny Island 
type controls, it should be possible to have a small inverter 
generator create a mini grid that could be fed by PV.


A system featuring this type of technology was linked in a posting on 
this list some years ago, The link seems dead now.  In that case a 
large generator was feeding a number of houses, and PV was fed into 
the system.


The reason for this interest is that battery backup systems are much 
more expensive than generators.  We need to find a way to utilize PV 
arrays during outages without the expense of battery backup systems.


Drake


At 07:42 PM 2/8/2013, you wrote:

Hi Drake,

SMA has very good solutions for this. Does this out of the box 
without a bunch of custom control systems. I have put a few systems 
in like this, but the renewables not yet online (generator / battery 
now). If you google Isle of Eig you will find some info on what they 
have done there.

http://islandsgoinggreen.org/about/eigg-electric/

Kevin

-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org]On Behalf Of Drake
Sent: February 8, 2013 6:41 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Generator Controlled Mini Grid


A potential customer is interested in a mini grid, set up by a
generator, to connect his array to.

Some years back, on this list, an article was linked about a
community with a central generator that had PV input to the generator
supplied, local grid, using electronic controls.

Has any progress been made in this technology?  Does anyone have a
link to the electronic control equipment or any other relevant information?

Thanks,

Drake

___
List sponsored by Home Power magazine



___
List sponsored by Home Power magazine

List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org

Options & settings:
http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org

List rules & etiquette:
www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

Check out participant bios:
www.members.re-wrenches.org